20 for 2020: The Top TV/Video Content of the Year (Part 2)

No 10 amp8211 The Crown Netflix Netflix39s signature prestige drama didn39t need a boost but it received one anyway with the season four addition to its mighty canvas of Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher It may seem a bit melodramatic or overstuffed at times but not really given that Diana commanded the world stage and global media from the time of her storybook wedding to Charles Prince of Wales in 1981 to her horrifying sudden death in 1997 one year after her marriage ended Thatcher was never out of the news during the Eighties either No scripted program could fully deliver the daily reallife drama of the royal family during that era I mean you had to be there but even for those of us who remember it The Crown came close enough to engage and enthrall all over againNo 9 amp8211 Schitt39s Creek Pop Like Breaking Bad before it this lively little original a series unlike any that had come before went largely unknown during its early seasons and then thanks to Netflix became a popculture sensation toward the end Also like Bad it couldn39t happen to a more deserving group of people especially star and cocreator Eugene Levy who has been entertaining us for decades his son and costar Dan who created the show and his timelessly cool longtime partner in comedy Catherine O39Hara And talk about going out on top Schitt39s this year made history by sweeping every major comedy category at the Emmy Awards something no other sitcom has ever doneamp160 amp160amp160No 8 amp8211 Emily in Paris Netflix Of course it wasn39t planned this way but this romcom from Darren Starr the cocreator of Sex and the City in October provided a sparkling diversion from the miseries of 2020 with the story of a spunky young social media whiz Lily Collins above left sent to Paris where the series is filmed to further build her company39s brand Come for the comedy and light drama stay for the gorgeous scenery in glorious high definition It39s almost like being there Emily is a little tame when compared to Sex but that restraint is part of its disarming charmNo 7 amp8211 The Dodo Instagram In happier times the Instagram feed for Group Nine Media39s The Dodo made my days During the pandemic it has given me life If taking brief breaks throughout your day to watch short videos in which compassionate people interrupt their busy lives to help all kinds of animals and other creatures large and small that are in trouble doesn39t make you feel better about everything move along amp8230 and call your doctor amp8230 in that orderNo 6 amp8211 Better Things FX Pamela Adlon39s searing insightful FX comedy about a sufficiently successful actress and single mom raising three daughters just gets better with age She is the cocreator head writer director and star of the show making Better Things the best example I can come up with right now of someone being allowed to translate their vision to the small screen without a lot of network or studio interference The results have been extraordinary The real strength of this show is in its deeply personal and sometimes painful details That just doesn39t happen unless an artist is left alone to do her thingNo 5 amp8211 Ozark Netflix If I had to name the best performance of the year by an actor in an ongoing drama series it would probably be that of the frightfully talented Tom Pelphrey pictured above as Wendy Byrne39s bipolar brother Ben in season three of the increasingly gripping Ozark He was so convincing that his storyline was almost documentarylike Oddly he was not nominated for an Emmy Award for capturing Ben39s crippling complexities and spoiler alert given what happened to his character he won39t get the opportunity again At least we still have Laura Linney39s ferocious portrayal of Wendy a woman torn asunder by her own dark drive to power us through the next two seasons What a dynamic pair they were Their scenes together especially toward the end of the season had the same pulsepounding power that James Gandolfini and Edie Falco brought to their more combustible scenes on The SopranosNo 4 amp8211 The Queen39s Gambit Netflix Count me among the many people who have never played chess and know nothing about the game and therefore assumed that a limited series about a young chess prodigy would redefine the concept of tedium TV Just the opposite The Queen39s Gambit was arguably the most compelling character drama of 2020 and the coolest Cold Warera period piece since Mad Men It made chess thrilling for those of us on the outside advanced the career of a marvelous young actress hypnotic Anya TaylorJoy above right and told a smashingly good story that was consistently satisfying from its turbulent beginning to its thoughtful conclusion and at all points in between an accomplishment that isn39t as common as one might think Engage with it as you watch or simply sit back and enjoy Gambit works either wayNo 3 amp8211 Mrs America FX on Hulu As I thought at the time the series featured during the best panel at the Winter 2020 Television Critics Association tour turned out to be the best scripted program of the year and certainly one of the most timely and topical The amp821670sera history lesson that informs the narrative about the struggles of early feminists and activists to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified in 38 states and the efforts of combative conservative Phyliss Schlafly and her supporters to stop them remains relevant to this day At the TCA press conference I was stunned by how many of the younger reporters around me knew nothing about Schlafly Bella Abzug Shirley Chisolm Betty Friedan or Gloria Steinem nor the history of the movement behind the ERA I mean it wasnamp8217t that long ago when these women dominated the social and political landscape Brava to the exceptional women in the cast including Cate Blanchette pictured aboveamp160as Schlafly Margo Martindale Uzo Aduba Tracey Ullman Rose Byrne Sarah Paulson Elizabeth Banks and Jeanne TripplehornNo 2 amp8211 Real Time with Bill Maher HBO pictured at top For the first time in its 19 seasons Bill Maher39s Fridaynight HBO talk show became an essential watch I don39t know about you but during the first few months of our collective quarantine I spent entirely too much time watching coverage of COVID BLM the presidential campaign and other horrors on the cable news networks I was seeking balanced reporting and clear information but all I got was a series of headaches What the hell was I thinking It fell to Maher to deliver what I was looking for especially where COVID was concerned Week after week he did remote interviews with medical experts who explained what I needed to know and put me at relative ease Information will do that Nobody else on television so boldly challenges the behavior of both sides or should I say quotall sidesquot of the issues that are increasingly weighing us all down I would name Real Time the Program of the Year but as you will see below I am going a different route this timeNo 1 amp8211 Every program that remained in or quickly resumed production in safe and responsible ways after the abrupt lockdown back in March I don39t think it39s right to single out a Program of the Year for 2020 because under these extreme circumstances they should all be recognized in some way No matter what a certain magazine might tell us I truly believe that Essential Workers from doctors and nurses to grocery clerks and trash collectors deserve collective recognition as Persons of the Year Along those lines and with respect let39s take a moment to thank our own little subset of heroes I39m using this space to honor all the critically important workers in our industry amp8211 from the crews to the creative staffs to the oncamera hosts actors anchors and other participants who kept things going allowed us cherished moments of something resembling normalcy provided important information safely away from internet distortion and entertained us when we really needed it all the while dealing with the hazards of COVID themselves That includes the people who work on news programs sports soaps daytime and latenight talk shows game shows reality shows and all forms of scripted home entertainment on broadcast cable and streaming They may not have saved our minds but they surely saved our sanity Thank youClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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20 for 2020: The Top TV/Video Content of the Year (Part 2)

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Ed Martin

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20 for 2020: The Top TV/Video Content of the Year (Part 2)

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