Binge-r #221: Best New Shows of 2020 - 25 to 1

Pole Position: Brandee Evans (Mercedes) and Elarica Johnson (Hailey) in P-Valley

25 – TEENAGE BOUNTY HUNTERS (Netflix)

An amusing and seditious American comedy about sisters who find an unlikely side gig

[Full review in BINGE-R #204]

24 – TEHRAN (Apple TV+)

Taut Israeli thriller about a covert operative seeing Iran from the inside

[Full review in BINGE-R #210]

23 – THE SALISBURY POISONINGS (SBS on Demand)

A timely British procedural about the frontline staff facing a 2018 crisis

[Full review in BINGE-R #208]

22 – TALES FROM THE LOOP (Amazon Prime Video)

Broken hearts and busted tech unfold in sci-fi’s sombre shadow

[Full review in BINGE-R #186]

21 – TIGER KING (Netflix)

A bonkers true crime documentary about American excess and wild animals

[Full review in BINGE-R #182]

20 – STAGED (ABC iview)

David Tennant and Michael Sheen play themselves in the ultimate Zoom satire

[Full review in BINGE-R #210]

19 – I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS (Netflix)

The teenage realm where John Hughes meets Stephen King

[Full review in BINGE-R #179]

18 – AUNTY DONNA’S BIG OL’ HOUSE OF FUN (Netflix)

A delightfully absurdist Australians in L.A. sketch comedy experience

[Full review in BINGE-R #216]

17 – THE OTHER TWO (Stan)

A 30 Rock successor with real heart about shonky siblings with a famous little brother

[Full review in BINGE-R #195]

16 – MYTHIC QUEST: RAVEN’S BANQUET (Apple TV+)

A zippy workplace comedy backed by a terrific social isolation bonus episode

[Full review in BINGE-R #177]

15 – P-VALLEY (Stan)

A radical mix of Black experience and noir thriller set in a Mississippi strip club

[My review for The Monthly]

14 – DES (Stan)

Bleak but riveting drama about an arrested serial killer’s hold on those he meets

[Full review in BINGE-R #208]

13 – I HATE SUZIE (Stan)

A knotty, freaked-out black comedy about carrying on when your world collapses

[Full review in BINGE-R #207]

Eyes on the Prize: Anya Taylor-Joy (Beth Harmon) in The Queen’s Gambit

12 – HIGH FIDELITY (ABC iview)

A reboot that gets it right with Zoe Kravitz covering John Cusack

[Full review in BINGE-R #189]

11 – THE GREAT (Stan)

Elle Fanning rules in this absurdist royal court period drama

[Full review in BINGE-R #190]

10 – THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT (Netflix)

Insightful and entertaining period drama about a complicated female chess prodigy

[Full review in BINGE-R #213]

9 – LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE (Amazon Prime Video)

Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington elevate this juicy but uneasy drama

[Full review in BINGE-R #193]

8 – WE ARE WHO WE ARE (SBS on Demand)

Director Luca Guadagnino comes to TV with a sublime study of teenage identity

[Full review in BINGE-R #215]

7 – LITTLE AMERICA (Apple TV+)

A bittersweet and enlightening scripted anthology about immigrants in America

[Full review in BINGE-R #173]

6 – THE LAST DANCE (Netflix)

Michael Jordan’s final basketball peak is a barbed and furiously entertaining doc

[Full review in BINGE-R #187]

5 – GIRI/HAJI (Netflix)

A Japanese crime tale exported to London, with grace notes and black humour

[Full review in BINGE-R #181]

4 – THE BEACH (SBS on Demand)

Sparse, deeply cinematic essay documentary from Indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton

[My review for The Age/SMH]

3 – THE GOOD LORD BIRD (Stan)

The historic epic gets turned inside out as Ethan Hawke plays a holy zealot

[Full review in BINGE-R #214]

2 – UNORTHODOX (Netflix)

A young wife fleeing her constrained life makes for a compelling song of freedom

[Full review in BINGE-R #184]

1 – NORMAL PEOPLE (Stan)

The desire between two Irish teens reveals life-altering forces that define them

[Full review in BINGE-R #188]

>> Missed last week’s BINGE-R? Click here to read part one of the above list of this year’s 50 Best New Shows.

>> Want BINGE-R sent to your inbox? Click here for the weekly e-mail.

>> Check the complete BINGE-R archive: 272 series reviewed here, 156 movies reviewed here, and 39 lists compiled here.