Aditi AgrawalThis was an unprecedented year with the spread of a virus that literally paused our ‘normal’ lives. With the onset of the holidays and the hope for a new and better year, we look back at some of the content that helped us get past those days we thought we would not make it. The content was the king in 2020 and OTTs gave us worthy shows to binge on.
Here are the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 that stole the viewer’s hearts and night’s sleep as they could not stop watching. As you are never late to join something worthy, here is the consolidated list of what to watch during the lazy holiday season if you missed it during the year.
10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020, According to IMDb
10. The Crown
IMDb Rating –8.7 /10
The Crown is a Netflix original show that started in the year 2016 based on an award-winning play by Peter Morgan called The Audience. The show is a drama chronicle on the life of Britain’s royal personnel, Queen Elizabeth II. It focuses on her reign, the palatial politics, her personal life and romances and her role in the lives of people, and how she shaped her career from when she ascended the throne at the young age of 25.
The fourth season that came out in 2020 bagged the tenth position in the 10 Top-Rated TVShows of 2020 as it jumped to #1 in its premiere week on IMDb’s MOVIE meter. As the first season starts in the 1940s, the fourth season revolves around the time when Margaret Thatcher was appointed as The First Woman President of England during the 1970s. It also focuses on the charming Princess Diana and her professional and personal journey as she marries Prince Charles.
Though, a work of fiction, this show based on historical events has shown off nuanced portrayals of the royal personnel and was highly accoladed for its factual costume designing. The highest point of appreciation was its impeccable casting and impressive body of knowledge of the royal household and the relationship they had with the outside world.
The show stars Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, Emma Corrin as Lady Diana, and Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II. It spans 8 episodes of around 50 minutes and was aired on November 15.
Also read- Obsessed with The Crown? Here are 14 books that will feed your addiction with royal families
9. The Witcher
IMDb Rating – 8.2 /10
Aired on Netflix this year, The Witcher is a Polish- American fantasy drama series based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The first season consisted of eight episodes was entirely based upon The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, which are short stories preceding the actual Witcher saga.
The show is set on a fictional, medieval vicinity known as The Continent which is explored by Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster hunter. He is linked to Princess Cari by destiny and together set on a journey to find their place in the world in which often people prove to be more wicked than beasts who are considered evil. The series showcases their developing relationship as they struggle as their land is invaded by Nilfgaard.
The Witcher casts Henry Cavill as the protagonist and Freya Allan as the cryptic Ciri. It also contains Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, who was critically acclaimed for this role. Though the series actually released at the end of December 2019, it rocketed IMDb’s meter for more than seven weeks at stretch thus making it into the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 list.
The Witcher has been renewed for a second season-spanning for another eight episodes as the first season was received very positively by the audience and critics. It was applauded for its action sequence, soundtrack and was considered as a worthy filler for the hole The Game of Thrones fantasy series had left in the heart of its viewers.
8. Westworld
IMDb Rating – 8.7 / 10
Westworld is a futuristic sci-fi show based on the movie of the same name by Michael Crichton that was released in the year 1973. It also had a sequel called Futureworld released in 1976, the reflection of which can be seen in the series as well. This American dystopian series was broadcasted on HBO Max and is also available on Disney + Hotstar.
Westworld 3 released in 2020 had to be part of the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 counting as all the previous two seasons did make it to the annual list. This season garnered mixed reviews yet was strong in its position in the IMDb meter throughout its eight weeks run. HBO has renewed the show for a fourth time making all the Westworld Fans excited beyond the mark.
The story of Westworld is set in a Wild- West-themed amusement park named Westworld, where visitors can interact with robots and automatons. The plot dives into the mess that unveils when the robots start malfunctioning. The third season starring Aaron Paul, Vincent Cassel, Lena Waithe, and Pom Klementieff takes the story beyond the confines of the park walls and expands the plotline as the insider’s contact with the outsiders. The star-studded show is spanned across eight episodes and aired on March 13.
7. The Umbrella Academy
IMDb Rating – 8 / 10
Based on the comic book series of the same name by writer Gerard Way, Netflix’s original The Umbrella Academy by Steve Blackman is an American superhero series that garnered rave reviews in its second visitation in 2020. The show was applauded for its emotional quest, change in timelines, and ensemble superhero teamwork-based plotline.
The story revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted siblings born on the same day of 1989, making all of them a sort of a twin to each other. Of 43 infants born inexplicably to random unconnected mothers who had no signs of pregnancy, 7 were adopted by billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves.
These kids with superpowers of different kinds are trained under The Umbrella Academy to save the world. The story trickles down as the family disbands with the loss of one of the seven members. The sudden return of the member, the mystery of the death of the father, the global apocalypse amidst the reunion of the estranged family are only a part of the consuming plot.
The show is renewed for a third season as it takes the seventh position in the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 list. Season 2 tones down on the external factors while tightening the emotional core earning one of the top spots. The show castes Elliot Page, Robert Sheehan, Tom Hopper, Aidan Gallagher, David Castaneda, and Emmy Raver-Lampan, spanning over 10 episodes.
6. The Queen’s Gambit
IMDb Rating – 8.7 /10
Netflix brought out its one-of-a-kind treasure in form of a miniseries called The Queen’s Gambit which shook the critiques and viewers the same. The coming-of-age periodic drama is based on Walter Trevis’s novel of the same names which came out in 1983.
The series focuses on the orphaned teenager Elizabeth Harmon played by the charming Anya Taylor-Joy against the backdrop of The Cold War. It is the journey of this chess prodigy from shambles to the top of her game worldwide as she struggles with substance abuse and emotional whirlwinds that stir up the audience of all ages.
The Queen’s Gambit was released on October 23, and just after four weeks of its viewing became Netflix’s most-watched scripted miniseries ever. The series hit the number one spot on IMDb for the better part of the month, thus bagging a tough spot 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 list.
The content was deemed revolutionary yet relatable, fashionable yet elegant, and cautionary yet enjoyable thus making it a celebrated success by the mass.
The series reminded us how a valuable work of fiction can affect the lives of people as chess set sales hit their newest high and spurring a resurgence in the importance of the sophisticated game and intellectual gameplay. Spread across 7 episodes, The Queen’s Gambit has set a new benchmark as to the level of content that has to be served to the audience.
Also read- 15 Best TV Shows Of 2020 Which Added A Little Cheer To Lockdown
6. The Mandalorian
IMDb Rating – 8.7 / 10
The Mandalorian is the first live-action series in the Star Wars franchise that premiered on Disney+ Hotstar in November 2019. In October 2020, the second season of this American space-based sci-fi series was released which garnered extremely positive reviews.
It has had the top three spots in the IMDb MOVIE meter for the entire duration of both seasons thus making its entry quite obvious in the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 list. A third season and a couple of spin-offs are already scheduled for this show.
Season 2 did not dim down the thrill as it returned with the fan favorites Ahsoka Tano, Bo- Katan Kryze, and Boba Fett. The audience was beyond excited as the series gave them back their single-dad Din Djarin and “The Child” – Baby Yoda.
The plot begins five years after the events that took place in themovie Return of Jedi. It stars Pedro Pascal as the protagonist, who is a lonely bounty hunter in the outer galaxy. He is appointed by the Imperial Forces to retrieve Grogu but instead chooses to protect the infant. He takes intense measures to return Baby Yoda to the members of his kind but his quest pauses when Moff Gideon comes into the plot.
Both the seasons of The Mandalorian span over eight episodes while the last episode of season 2 is still highly anticipated by the fans. Though sci-fi in nature the basic morals of the show is based on fatherhood and protection of innocence while differentiating the good from evil. Nature- nurture argument is a symbol that has been the point of discussion in disguise throughout the series.
4. Ozark
IMDb Rating – 8.4 / 10
The third and penultimate season of Ozark aired on Netflix this March spanned over ten episodes gripping us by our neck as our adrenaline rushed to the brain. This American crime drama has had made a stir in the audience’s life from its very first season but with the third season the praise has been about its entirety, be it tone, acting, directing, or writing.
It was sure to make the list of 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 as it hovered in the top 10 of IMDb Movie Metre for the entire eight weeks of its span.
Ozark revolves around a financial planner, Marty Byrde, and his family who relocate from Chicago to a community resort in Ozark. The plot thickens as Mart is on the move after his money laundering schemes go wrong keeping his family in the line.
He is forced to pay a hefty debt to a Mexican Drug lord to safe keep his wife and kids. The series explores the maze this family falls into as they can’t stop laundering money while they also try to rebuild the fractured family.
The exceptionally capable cast is one of the highest points of this show which includes Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Tom Pelphrey keeping the viewers on their toes as the plot unveils in this crime-ridden drama series. The series is set to return for its final season in 2021 that will be split into two parts and comprise of 14 episodes.
3. Dark
IMDb Rating –8.8 / 10
It probably was not expected of a German series to become such a worldwide phenomenon but the sci-fi thriller drama series Dark by Netflix truly deserved the recognition it received. As the third and final season was released in June 2020, loyal viewers of the last two seasons were joined by a huge wave of a newer audience who could not get enough of this series.
The series was critically acclaimed for its visuals, tone, acting, casting, writing, directing, musical score, and complex intricacies it portrayed with potent passion and ambition.
The plot set in multiple timelines revolves around children who went missing from the town of Winden which in turn exposes a carnival of events that lie beyond the judgment of ordinary humans. The double lives and fractured relationships pave the path for sinful pasts and cryptic present intermingled with the future.
The richest point of the series is the web of characters spread across the town’s troubled history full of unsolved puzzles and uninformed twists. The final season rewarded the patient audience with all the answers they had set the quest for as they develop newer elements of storytelling which seem inevitable at that point.
Fans who managed to connect all the dots as they kept up with the changes in timelines and realities were not let down.
Dark had to be one of the top runners of the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 list as the series continued to garner wild response and an immense surge in viewership in the early months of the pandemic. The show pleased all the curious minds of the youth as well as adults with its sinister conspiracies as it explored quantum theories with ease.
2. Money Heist
IMDb Rating – 8.3 / 10
2020 was certainly the year when the world came closer and people knot together as the pandemic hit hard. With another entry of a foreign language series other than English in the top 3, the second position goes to the Spanish Crime drama series Money Heist. La casa de papel is the epitome of Netflix’s global influence as its garnered viewers from all countries across the globe making all four seasons a giant success. The show is set for another part, which will be the final one.
The narration of the events that are disclosed as the plot unfolds is made by an unreliable narrator Tokyo. The events take place on a flashback basis and the complexities of the story rely on the ever-changing timelines, character focus shifts, and strong emotional dynamics.
The criminal mastermind named The Professor plans to pull off two of the greatest robberies of all times as he wishes to print his own notes and also steals the Country’s gold reserve with cryptic intentions.The plot thickens as the plan and the execution are two parallel rail tracks and the real anticipation is -if they ever meet.
Money Heist robbed the ratings away from its competitor shows as it remained a top show on IMDb for six consecutive weeks. It is obviously isn’t a surprise that it has taken the second position in the 10 Top Rated TV Shows Of 2020 list.
The massive cliff-hanger at the end of season 4 as we witness the aftermath of the gang’s Bank of Spain quest leaves us dangling from a precipice desiring the much-awaited closure.
1. The Boys
IMDb Rating –8.7 / 10
Amazon Prime brought us the numero uno series of this year with season 2 of The Boys. This black comedy superhero thriller is based upon the comic of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The Boys is a team of individuals who despise superheroes who abuse their stature and fame.
The Boys are the dream team on a quest to find superheroes who went rogue and want to expose the truth about the multibillion-dollar conglomerate of Vought that manages Seven and other superheroes. Vought uses its powers and money to cover up the dirty back door secrets of these people who are considered God by ordinary citizens.
The introduction of season 2 stirred up the charts as it broke records of viewership crowd. As the plot intensifies new alliances are made relationships are broken and a more nail-biting boundary-less plot is offered. The cliff-hanger at the end of season 2 is enough to keep us awake at night praying for a season3.
The good news is that the show will renew for another season and a spin-off is on its way.
Also read- Mind-blowing ‘The Boys’ Season 2 Finale Reveal
Don’t be let down if your favorite series didn’t make the list. Go watch these first as they are definitely worth your time.
Baishaly Roy
