TQ's Year of TV (2020)

MY 2020 TV AWARDS

What We Do In The Shadows (FX)

[Previous Years: 2019 / 2018 / 2017 / 2016 / 2015 / 2014 LT / 2014 NLT / 2013 / 2012 / 2011]

It is impossible to catalog everything watched on TV in a year such as this. Very few shows had a cadence to watch on a schedule and it felt like a majority of what was watched was in a "catch up" mode depending on what was being discussed in a particular week. Here are just some of my thoughts and opinions on a selection of 'tent that was telecasted, streamed, or dumped.

Best Shelter In Place Show:

What We Do In The Shadows (FX & Hulu) 
Runner-up: How To With John Wilson (HBO)

What We Do In The Shadows (FX)

I started to watch WWDITS in 2019, but quit after two or three eps. It was great to start again when Sheltering In Place began (its 2nd season is better). A strong recommendation to all. I can't tell everyone to watch HTWJW unless I know your comic sensibility can handle it (e.g. Nathan For You, Joe Perra Talks To You).

Best TV Show That Has Recently Completed / All Seasons Watch Recommend:

The Good Place (NBC) 

Runner-up: Brockmire (IFC & Hulu) 

The Good Place (NBC)

Note that Schitt's Creek is ineligible for this slot because I started late and have not finished it. The Good Place ended in January, which makes it feel like it shouldn't qualify for this year either for how long ago that feels. Brockmire was a welcome marathon during the return of baseball this summer.

Best TV Show That Is Seriously Great:

Better Call Saul (AMC & Netflix)

Runner-up: The Last Dance (ESPN & Netflix)

Better Call Saul (AMC)

The Lebron James versus Michael Jordan argument is flawed because one's greatness is built upon the shoulders of the other. I feel equally about Breaking Bad versus Better Call Saul. The Last Dance was a perfect fit for my nostalgia hole.

Best TV Show That Is Bonkers Entertaining:

The Mandalorian (Disney +)

Runner-up: Love Is Blind (Netflix)

The Mandalorian (Disney +)

Billions would have snuck into these top two had it been able to complete its season this year, so instead I'm going different directions of "bonkers." The Mandalorian made me feel child-like joy while watching whereas Love Is Blind made me feel adult-level shock. Bonkers, in other words, are about feelings.

Best TV Show That Needs To Get Resurrected ASAP:

Corporate (Comedy Central)
Runner-up: The Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Netflix)

Corporate (Comedy Central)

Corporate knew its recent season would be its last, but that was before Corporate America went totally remote. REBOOT NOW! It's for similar reasons for why Hasan Minhaj should be back on the air every week.

Best TV Show That Needs Your Help Now Before It Dies:

Sherman's Showcase (IFC & Hulu)

Runner-up: Robbie (Comedy Central)

Sherman's Showcase (IFC)

Sherman's Showcase is a show-within-a-show that is a parody of Soul Train. The entire season is dumb fun, but its Black History Month Spectacular Episode (which aired in June) is the most timely entertainment I saw all year. Robbie is also dumb fun as the "Eastbound and Down of middle school basketball."

Best Limited-Run Series:

I Know This Much Is True (HBO)

Runner-up: Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Best Documentary Series:
I'll Be Gone In The Dark (HBO)

Runner-up: McMillions (HBO) 

Best TV Show That Had A Disappointing Recent Season:

Fargo (FX & Hulu)
Runner-up: Superstore (NBC)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

-Best Talk Show: Desus & Mero (Showtime)

-Best Show To Use History for Horror: Lovecraft Country (HBO)

-Best Show To Mirror Quarantine: The Circle (Netflix)

-Worst Show I Hate Watched All Year: Too Hot To Handle (Netflix)

-Best Show I Hope Gets Cancelled: Industry (HBO)

-Best Show To Watch While Phone Scrolling: Selling Sunset (Netflix)

-Best Show To Allow A Future Wife To Make You Hate Watch: Welcome to Plathville (TLC)

-Best Show From Fancy Elements Such As Costume Design And History: The Crown (Netflix)

-Best Show That Other People Seemed To Like More: The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)

-Worst Show That Other People Seemed To Like More: Normal People (Hulu)

-Best Show for Very Specific People That I Can't Recommend Elsewhere: Devs (Hulu)

-Best Show To Spam A Podcast's Content Engine: Tiger King (Netflix)

-Worst Doc To Make A Can't Miss Topic Miss: The Vow (HBO)

-Best Dec To Make a Can't Miss Topic (to me personally) Miss: The Comedy Store (Showtime)

-Most Improved Doc, but somehow still fell short: Hard Knocks (HBO)

-Most Entertaining, but not well made, Doc: Love Fraud (Showtime)

-Best Show That More People Thankfully Know About: Pen15 (Hulu)

-Best Show That Nobody More Will Likely Know About: Better Things (FX)

-Best Fun Bad Show: The Flight Attendant (HBO)

-I also watched Perry Mason (HBO), which I quit before it ended & A Teacher (Hulu) which I was unable to quit before it ended. 

What else is on,
TQ

The 2020 TQ Music Awards

 

"How Bad Is Your Spotify?" is a project from The Pudding

Welcome to my 10th annual Music Awards / year in review post. I’ve also embedded my Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks at the top of this post.

[Previous Year End Reviews: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

 

Two large factors drive what I listen to in a year: older tracks from acts I'm about to see in concert and new releases (driving mainly from writing this annual post). I was only able to go to two concerts this year, which led (as The Pudding's expert AI reported) to a year dominated by listening to 2020 music. In the past years I've grown less likely to tryout new sounds, which results in my "new release radar" dominated by past finds. Thankfully many of my favorites released new music this year (e.g. My Morning Jacket, Cut Copy, Washed Out, Carly Rae Jepsen).

Song of the Year:

"Olympik" by EOB
[Runner up: “Stop, Horizon” by Cut Copy]

EOB is the side project of Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien. His debut album Earth, sat in my "on deck" playlist for a while until (friend of the blog) Ryan texted me to check out this track. I can't think of a song in recent memory that had a guitar bridge I enjoyed more. It instantly became my favorite song of the year in April and no other song was able to top it.

 

Album of the Year:
Purple Noon by Washed Out

[Runner up: Swimmer by Tennis]

Washed Out makes the music I find most relaxing. It makes total sense that Spotify told me it was my top artist (and I landed in the top 0.5% of their listeners) for this horrid year - it was needed. I awarded its previous album, 2017's Mister Mellow, my favorite album of that year as well - and I've arrived at the fact that Washed Out deserves to be in my Top Ten graphic. Sorry, Arcade Fire, you're been bounced.

I had a much more difficult time figuring out the runner-up. There were great albums by TOPS, Poolside, Jessie Ware, and a long awaited return from Land of Talk. 

Other sources have told me that a pair of albums were released by a singer/songwriter out of Nashville, but I'm only able to discuss her on our podcast.

Concert of the Year (tie):

Bag Raiders at Lincoln Hall / Best Coast and Mannequin Pussy at S.P.A.C.E.
[Runner up: there weren't any other shows!]
The two shows I attended were very separate experiences. One was a dance party that I had to coax a friend to join me knowing we'd be the two oldest in the room at the last minute and the other was a big group of friends that had months of planning ahead of it. Here's a list of acts that I had tickets in hand to see and were Covid-cancelled: Tame Impala, Foals, Local Natives, Perfume Genius, Delta Spirit, Peter Bjorn And John... I hope I can include these in my 2021 post.

Song of the Summer:
"WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)" by Cardi B
[Runner up: "JU$T (feat. Pharrell Williams & Zak De La Rocha)" by Run The Jewels]
Both these songs speak for themselves.
 

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year:
"Jaja Ding Dong" by Will Ferrell & My Marianne
[Runner up: "Add Some Kente" by Sherman's Showcase & Viceroy]

Many people have seen Eurovison, but not enough are watching Sherman's Showcase. Go to it for the goofy parody of Soul Train, but stay for the great original songs. It was tough to select just one to highlight from this show - sorry, "Drop It Low (For Jesus)".

Thank you very much for reading. I like to close these posts out with my concert collages / showlog from the year... but it's just these two:

BONUS CONTENT: special awards for this pivotal year in our history

White Guy Acting Dumb of the Year (music related): David Guetta
White Guy Acting Real of the Year (music related): Marc Rebillet