The Best New TV Shows Of 2020
UPDATED: Check out the Best New TV Shows in 2021!
From thrilling new dramas to musical comedies or thrilling sci-fi, the best 2020 TV premieres didn't wait a moment to start the year off right. The best new shows of 2020 were some great TV and highly anticipated, including series that had been expected in 2019 but were pushed back into the new year, like HBO's The New Pope.
Right on the dawn of the new year, 2020 started with the Netflix original series Messiah, and although many of the first new shows of the year were heavy dramas or procedurals, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist swept in with a song to bring some light to the new year. New sitcoms like Outmatched will definitely keep you grinning, while reboots like Party Of Five and new additions to franchises, such as Star Trek: Picard, add a fresh layer onto already loved stories that feels very appropriate for 2020. As the year went on, more comforting shows like Ted Lasso or Dash & Lily became the faves, but they were balanced by heavy science fiction such as Raised By Wolves and horror like Lovecraft Country.
What were the best new series of 2020? Vote up the most excellent programs of the year.
- 1Anya Taylor-Joy, Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster
- Genres: Drama,Thriller
An orphan struggles with addiction in a quest to become the greatest chess player in the world. - 2Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple
- Genres: Comedy
An American football coach is hired to manage a British soccer team. - 3Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr
- Genres: Documentary,Sport
The Last Dance (ESPN, 2020) is an American sports documentary miniseries directed by Jason Hehir. Focusing on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, the docuseries follows Michael Jordan's career and his final ...more - 4Jon Favreau
- Genres: Science Fiction,Talk
The cast and crew look at the making of the science fiction series, "The Mandalorian." - 5Jonathan Bailey, Ruby Barker, Harriet Cains
- Genres: Drama,Romance
Bridgerton siblings strive to find love during England's Regency era. - 6Jeff Wilbusch, Amit Rahav, Maria Schrader
- Genres: Drama
Unorthodox (Netflix, 2020) is a German drama television series created by Anna Winger and directed by Maria Schrader based on the novel of the same name by Deborah Feldman. It follows the story of a ...more - 7Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Joshua Jackson
- Genres: Drama
The intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter. - 8John Wilson
- Genres: Comedy,Documentary
John Wilson embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery and cultural observation of fellow New Yorkers. - 9Jess Harnell, Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen
- Genres: Animation,Comedy,Kids
The Warner siblings wreak havoc in the lives of everyone they meet. - 10Kaley Cuoco, Michiel Huisman, Zosia Mamet
- Genres: Comedy,Drama,Thriller
A flight attendant wakes up in a hotel room with a dead man but no memory of what happened. - 11Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas
- Genres: Drama,Horror
A young governess arrives at Bly Manor and begins to see apparitions haunting the estate. - 12Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Sarayu Blue
- Genres: Comedy
Love on the Spectrum (Netflix, 2020) is an American documentary television series executive produced by Karina Holden. This four-part documentary series follows young adults on the autism spectrum as ...more - 13Alicia Arden
- Genres: Crime,Documentary
An examination of how convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein carried out his abuses. - 14Bryan Cranston, Hunter Doohan, Michael Stuhlbarg
- Genres: Crime,Drama,Thriller
A respected judge's son is involved in a hit-and-run that leads to a high-stakes game of lies. - 15Jonathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, Jurnee Smollett-Bell
- Genres: Drama
Atticus Black embarks on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. - 16Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox
- Genres: Comedy,Drama,History
A genre-bending, anti-historical ride through 18th-century Russia. - 17William Guirola, Rodrigo Alfonso, David Alvarado
- Genres: Crime,Documentary
A boy's murder prompts questions about the system's protection of vulnerable children. - 18Daniel Peera, Michael C. Pizzuto, Alistair David Herz
- Genres: Crime,Documentary
An ex-cop turned security officer rigs the McDonald's Monopoly game promotion for a decade. - 19Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu
- Genres: Drama
After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, Arabella's life changes irreversibly. - 20Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones
- Genres: Drama,Horror,Mystery,Thriller
Following their father's murder, three siblings move into a house filled with reality-bending keys. - 21Andy Allo, Robbie Amell, Kevin Bigley
- Genres: Science Fiction
A man is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death. - 22Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, Julianne Nicholson
- Genres: Crime,Drama
Investigators are confounded over an unspeakable crime that's been committed. - 23William Jackson Harper, Punkie Johnson, Chris Powell
- Genres: Comedy,Romance
The journey from first love to last love and the people along the way. - 24Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo, Rosie O'Donnell
- Genres: Drama
Following the lives of identical twin brothers in a story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness. - 25Melanie Sykes, Kate Malone, Keith Brymer Jones
- Genres: Reality
Ten amateur potters from all around the United Kingdom compete to become top potter.
