The best shows we’ve watched in 2020 so far, including Tiger King, Devs, Better Call Saul and more.
We’re willing to bet our prized collection of big cats that you’re watching many more TV shows at the moment. We’re right, aren’t we. Either way, there’s arguably never been a better time to be stuck inside watching the best 2020 TV shows. From viral sensations such as Tiger King to surprise, slow-burning sci-fi treats like Tales from the Loop, you’re spoiled for choice right now.
There’s a reason why many are saying we’re living in the golden age of TV right now. With Netflix, Disney, and Amazon fighting – and spending – hard for our monthly subs, we can enjoy a rich bounty of shows that’ll keep us entertained for as long as the bad times rumble on.
But with more quality content available at your fingertips than ever before, you can spend as much time to deciding what to watch than actually watching. That’s why, in the list below, we’ve put together a list of our personal picks of the best TV shows of 2020 so far. We’ve also included where you can watch the show depending on whether you’re in the UK and US to make sure you don’t miss out. So, let’s get our endless hours of small-screen adventures started.
Where to stream it: Netflix
The documentary series everyone has watched in lockdown, and for good reason, Tiger King is a compelling series about the fall of now-incarcerated big cat owner Joe Exotic. Focusing more on the people who occupy the big cats world across America than the cats themselves, you’ll meet an unforgettable handful of characters in this fascinating series. Just skip the disappointing Joel McHale-fronted follow-up episode, recorded remotely for obvious reasons. – Samuel Roberts
Where to stream it: Amazon Prime Video
Based on the striking sci-fi art of Simon Stålenhag, which combines two of the best things, robots and the 1980s, Tales from the Loop is a contemplative and often hopeful sci-fi anthology series about a small town living above ‘the Loop’, a machine that makes anything possible.
Without spoiling too much, expect some weirdness involving time, body swapping and much more, with great Philip Glass music and icy environmental shots to accompany it. Don’t let this unusual but cool series go under the radar. – Samuel Roberts
Where to stream it: HBO Now/Go (US), Sky/Now TV (UK)
This moody Stephen King adaptation was the first big HBO drama of the year, featuring a stellar ensemble cast (Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp). After a local boy is murdered and the local little league coach, Terry Maitland (Bateman), is accused of the crime, detectives are tasked with figuring out why the evidence doesn’t line up.
It superficially looks like another season of True Detective (and it starts like one, too), but since this is based on a King work, it doesn’t take long for the series to shift gears and move in to supernatural territory. The Outsider is a pretty slow show, and the resolution to the mystery will prove divisive, but it’s well worth checking out. – Samuel Roberts
Where to stream it: Netflix
This dark teen comedy from the producers of Stranger Things and the director of The End of the F***ing World ends up feeling like an offbeat combination of the two.
