The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2020

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 30, 2020

Above are the highest-scoring first-year TV series (including limited series) debuting in the United States between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Shows are ranked by Metascore (an average of grades from top professional critics on a 0-100 scale) prior to rounding based on scores as of December 29, 2020, and any programs with fewer than 7 reviews are excluded.

12 of 21 photo by Anika Molnar/Netflix

85 Unorthodox (Netflix)

(#9) Adapted from Deborah Feldman's best-selling memoir, this under-the-radar (at least until it unexpectedly picked up four Emmy nominations) Netflix miniseries is the best Yiddish-language drama you'll see this year. Created by Deutschland 83's Anna Winger, the four-parter follows a young woman (a widely praised Shira Haas) who attempts to escape from her oppressive, ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in Brooklyn to seek a more independent, secular life in Berlin—only to be pursued by her husband and his accomplice.

“'Unorthodox' is an achievement of searing power and grace, attuned to big, sweeping emotions and small, observational moments in equal measure. ... This is one of the major achievements in the history of Netflix original productions. You cannot miss it.” —Robert Levin, Newsday

Watch it on Netflix (4 episodes)

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