British film critics Eddie Mullan and Hugh Montgomery compiled a special list for BBC of the best TV shows that managed to be released in 2020. The list includes TV series from Netflix, HBO and Apple TV.
1. I May Destroy You
The main character, Arabella Essiedu, is working on her debut book in which she speaks as her generation's voice. One day, someone added a drug to a girl’s drink in a club, and she was sexually abused. Arabella has to literally piece herself together because, after that incident, her life had changed irrevocably. The series sheds light on the topic of consent in the modern world, the issue of sexual violence and how it affects life.
2. Normal People
The series is a screen adaptation of the Irish bestseller Normal People by Sally Rooney. This is a modern love story about how one person can change the life of another and how complicated intimate relationships can be.
3. Quiz
The series offers viewers to plunge into the real story that happened around the project Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001. Charles Ingram, a former British Army major who took part in a game, managed to win 1 million pounds. But after that, a massive scandal erupted – he was accused of cheating.
4. Mrs. America
It's the 70s outside. In the center of the plot, there is the movement for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which should ensure the equality of US citizens before the law, regardless of gender, and an unexpected wave of resistance to this idea, led by Phyllis Schlafly, an ardent opponent of abortion and a sworn supporter of traditional values.
Liam Hunt
5. Unorthodox
The plot focuses on the real story of a girl who escaped from the orthodox community of Hasids of Williamsburg in Berlin. The series covers issues such as attitude to a woman, her body, and the search for her own voice.
6. Hunters
New York, 1977. The plot focuses on a team of Nazi hunters who will stop at nothing on the path to justice.
7. Sex Education
The plot focuses on the shy guy Otis who seeks to move from the theory of sex education to practice and lose his virginity, but so far, he has failed. The series raises many important and serious topics, from sexual identification to teenage pregnancy.
8. Feel Good
Canadian comedian and the main character Mae Martin wrote a script based on her own life. The series is about drug addiction from an early age, a career in stand-up, and about relationships with girls who only dated men before her.
Liam Hunt
9. This Country
This is a comedy series about cousins who live in a small English village, which is, frankly speaking, hopeless and unpromising. Viewers can watch how young people try to find themselves, overcome all-consuming boredom and typical problems for people of their age. The series is one of the few which shows life in a village.
10. Love is Blind
30 women and men get acquainted with people of the opposite sex for 10 days. Then the participants decide who they want to get to know more and get married. The thing is that the participants will see each other for the first time during their engagement.
11. Little America
These are 8 real-life stories about US immigrants. The series raises the question of what it means to be an American and what it takes to build a life from scratch.
12. The Plot Against America
This one is a screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Philip Roth. The plot focuses on the Jewish working-class family. The events are unfolding against the backdrop of Charles Lindbergh coming to power. He was a hero pilot and a xenophobe, who became the president of the United States and tried to incline the nation towards fascism.
Liam Hunt
13. Cheer
This is a documentary series about the culture of cheerleading, about victories and adversities, and of course, about the triumph of athletes. In the center of the plot, there is one of the most famous teams in the history of cheerleading – the Navarro Cheer. The Netflix team spent all season with them.
14. Better Call Saul
The series about the life stories of the lawyer Jimmy McGill, better known as Saul Goodman.
15. BoJack Horseman
In the 80s and 90s, BoJack was the star of the popular series, everyone wanted to hang out with this stallion. Popularity is known to be fleeting, and now BoJack lives in Hollywood, grumbles about everything, and wears bright sweaters. In the new sixth season, BoJack gets into a rehabilitation center for stars with addiction to painkillers.
