The 10 Best New TV Shows You Might Have Missed in 2020
One good thing to have come out of the year 2020 is the bounty of exceptional television content. In fact, there have been so many excellent new TV shows that it can be difficult to keep up, which is why we've compiled a list of the must-see shows you need to add to your queue immediately. From high school dramas to wry satires and delightful rom-coms, there is truly something for everyone.
Here are 10 of the most talked about TV shows this year to add to your watch list.
The Great
This visually stunning and hilarious period piece comes from one of the screenwriters behind Academy Award nominated film The Favourite. Loosely based on Catherine the Great, who served as the Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796, the series stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. The costumes and set design are visually stunning, while the clever writing and captivating performances will keep you saying "one more episode".
I May Destroy You
This British comedy-drama is the must-see series created by, executive produced and starring Michaela Coel of Chewing Gum fame. Coel plays Arabella, a social media influencer-turned-novelist who has to rebuild her life after being raped. In its review, The Guardian says: "I May Destroy You feels like a game-changer for British TV: ambitious and radical, the kind of programme that percolates in your head between its weekly drops (a risk in the age of the binge that has undoubtedly paid off)."
Love Life
Anna Kendrick stars in the first season of this easy breezy rom-com anthology series as Darby Carter, a young woman looking for love in the big city. Executive produced by Paul Feig, who created Freaks and Geeks and directed Bridesmaids, Love Life is perfect for vegging out for a cosy weekend binge-watch session.
I Hate Suzie
Beloved TV star Billie Piper co-created I Hate Suzie with Succession writer-producer Lucy Prebble, so that is already a promising start for this new British comedy-drama. Piper plays Suzie Pickles, a singer-turned-actress whose career trajectory resembles her own, and while the premise is autobiographical the character and series are not. Let's just say that when it comes to maturity and self-awareness, you could file Suzie in the same category as David Brent.
The Baby-Sitters Club
BSC loyalists were worried that this modern adaptation of the Scholastic book series wouldn't measure up, but audiences everywhere were delighted. Vulture's Kathryn Van Arendonk says: "Watching the show’s ten episodes ... was the most comforting, delightful stretch of viewing I’ve had in the last few months.
Never Have I Ever
This coming-of-age comedy is partially based on co-creator Mindy Kaling's upbringing. Never Have I Ever follows Devi, a 15-year-old high schooler returns to school after regaining the use of her legs, which she lost after the death of her father. It's a dark premise but the show is sweet, funny and nuanced, with tennis legend John McEnroe narrating each episode.
Dave
Co-created by and starring rapper/comedian Lil Dicky, Dave is a semi-autobiographical comedy about a rapper trying to make it big. The stand-out of the show's funny first season is GaTa, Dave's hype man who we find out also has bipolar disorder.
Mythic Quest
From the executive producers of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, this solid workplace comedy is set at the fictional production company behind the biggest multiplayer video game of all time. The ensemble cast includes familiar favourites (Danny Pudi from Community and F. Murray Abraham from Homeland) and Australian newcomer Charlotte Nicdao in a career-launching comic performance.
Pen15
You'll laugh and you'll cry in this year 2000-set coming-of-age comedy, which sees grown women playing fictionalised 13-year-old versions of themselves. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, also the show's co-creators, play Anna Kone and Maya Ishii-Peters, who are about to start seventh grade and can't wait to have the best year ever. Somehow, the show makes a ridiculous premise into one of the most heartwarming and nuanced takes growing up since Freaks and Geeks. The show's second season premiers 18 September.
Euphoria
Loosely based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name, Euphoria is the star-making must-see series that will give you new empathy for teens growing up in 2020. Zendaya stars in an award-worthy performance as Rue, a recovering drug addict struggling to find herself, with a host of Insta-famous faces filling out the ensemble cast, from Barbie Ferreira to Hunter Schafer—and Australian actor Jacob Elordi playing the jock with a dark side. Season one debuted in 2019, with Zendaya confirming that a possible "bridge episode" might be on the way, which will tide you over until the full second season finishes filming.
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