Pop-Culturalist.com

Farewell 2020. You gave us quite the ride, and we couldn’t have made it through this rocky year without some fantastic entertainment.

These ten shows took our breath away and filled our homes and souls. From dramas like Normal People to musicals like Julie and the Phantom, these amazing stories distracted us and reminded us of the good things in life.

Check out our list below!

Bridgerton

Bridgerton was Shonda Rhimes’ Christmas gift to us all. Sexy, scandalous, and swoon-worthy, Bridgerton is a sumptuous series to delve into. Focusing on the Bridgerton family of eight children and high society’s season of matchmaking and debutantes, we expect this show to follow the book series it’s based on and have a season per Bridgerton.

This first season is (mostly) about Daphne’s entrance into society and quest to find a husband. Not only is it full of good eye candy (hello, Regé-Jean Page as the smoldering Duke!), but its diverse casting was a breath of fresh air. Regency period pieces are always a delight to watch for the costumes and settings, and Bridgerton holds up there. The juicy element of the secret gossip columnist Miss Whistledown gives Bridgerton a contemporary feel and a light mystery for us to solve by season’s end.
Curated by Taraneh

Watch it here.

Julie and the Phantoms

If there’s one show that I wanted to re-watch immediately after finishing it, it was Julie and the Phantoms. Produced by Kenny Ortega, the series follows Julie [Madison Reyes], a young girl who loses her passion for music after her mom passes away. But when she discovers three ghosts, Luke [Charlie Gillespie], Alex [Owen Patrick Joyner], and Reggie [Jeremy Shada], who died right before they were about to get their big break, they decide to form a new band. As Luke, Alex, and Owen help Julie rediscover her love for music, Julie helps the guys live out their lifelong dreams. The heartwarming first season will give you all the feels, and you’ll undoubtedly have the soundtrack stuck in your head!
Curated by Kevin

Watch it here.

The Queen’s Gambit

Who knew the game of chess could be so thrilling? Beth Harmon’s (Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance of Beth was absolute perfection) rocky journey from childhood to adulthood as a female chess prodigy who attempts to become World Champion in a male-dominated field was absolutely enthralling. Touching on mental illness, addiction, sexism, and whether or not you can find/make your own happiness despite your situation, The Queen’s Gambit was a meaty show to dig into in 2020.
Curated by Taraneh

Watch it here.

Little Fires Everywhere

Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, Little Fires Everywhere had us on the edge of our seats. Set in the affluent community of Shaker Heights, Ohio in the late ’90s, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fate of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and father who upend their lives. It’s a story that delves into motherhood, classism, identity, and race dynamics, and boasts a cast that includes veterans like Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, and Joshua Jackson as well as talented up-and-comers including Lexi Underwood, Jordan Elsass, Gavin Lewis, Megan Stott, and Jade Pettyjohn.
Curated by Kevin

Watch it here.

Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso was one of 2020’s most-under-the-radar shows that everyone should watch. In a really tough year that felt a little hopeless, Ted Lasso was the perfect antidote. It is, in fact, a show all about hope: an American college football coach is recruited by a losing British premier league football, aka soccer, team to move to England and coach them. His infectious optimism and community-building attitude made this show a surprising favorite of 2020. Jason Sudeikis, as Ted, leads a fantastic cast of actors who brought the show to life. Ted Lasso is heartwarming, funny, and the exact message we needed in 2020.
Curated by Taraneh

Watch it here.

Locke & Key

Locke & Key was one of my favorite shows to binge-watch in 2020. The fantasy adventure follows the three Locke siblings and their mother, who, after the violent death of their father, move across the country to his ancestral home on the East Coast. Soon, they begin discovering these magical keys that all have different powers and are linked to their father’s death. It’s a world of magic and intrigue and has already been picked up by Netflix for two more seasons!
Curated by Kevin

Watch it here.

Lovecraft Country

Holy sh*t. That was a constant reaction during and after every single episode of Lovecraft Country. Set in the 1950s, this is a sci-fi, supernatural story about Atticus, aka Tic’s, (played amazingly by Jonathan Majors) journey to find out more about his deceased mother’s family history after his father goes missing. The cast is stellar—Jurnee Smollett, Courtney B. Vance, Jamie Chung, and Tony Goldwyn, to name a few—and the visuals are memorable. The story that unfolds over the course of the season is absolutely wild. Confronting racism, discovering magic, and solving an incredibly engrossing mystery makes Lovecraft Country a show to binge-watch…although you may want to keep the lights on or some of the fantastic monsters will haunt your dreams.
Curated by Taraneh

Watch it here.

Motherland: Fort Salem

Set in an alternate America where witches were embraced for their gifts and created a pact with the government to use their powers to defend their country, Motherland: Fort Salem follows three recruits who go from basic training in combat magic to early development. The action-packed, female-led series features a diverse cast led by Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, and Ashley Nicole Williams, and characters you will instantly be invested in.
Curated by Kevin

Watch it here.

Normal People

Normal People, based on Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name, was released during the early part of the spring shutdown, and it was truly a lifesaver. Getting lost in the relationship between Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) was all-encompassing. It elicits an almost physical response of first love, joy, angst, passion, and discovering who you are. And, phew, Paul Mescal as Connell is incredibly dreamy.
Curated by Taraneh

Watch it here.

Schitt’s Creek

2020 marked the end of beloved series Schitt’s Creek. Not only was it a good, reliable show to turn to block out the real world when a pick-me-up was desperately needed, but it also ended perfectly. Schitt’s Creek represents the world we should be living in—accepting and understanding of everyone’s differences, looking out for everyone as a community rather than focusing on the individual, relishing in life’s joyful, tiny moments, and spreading kindness wherever you go. Watching the Rose family evolve over six seasons gave us hearty laughs, some (mainly happy) tears, and a whole lot of heart. Schitt’s Creek is one of those rare timeless shows that we’ll be able to watch in five or twenty years and it’ll still be just as good.
Curated by Taraneh

Watch it here.

What did you watch in 2020? Tell us in the comments below!