best of 2020: TV shows

 And now it's time for my final list of 2020!  A few notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first released in 2020, but that's when I first saw them.
• We haven't actually finished a couple of these series, but we're close enough that I feel confident adding them to the list.  If they take a monster shit between now and the time we finish, I'll update accordingly.
• I made a note of where we watched the series for your convenience.
  
• This was such a great year for TV that I don't have an obvious favorite (though if absolutely pressed to choose, I'd go with the first one on the list), so these are in random order.
  
• And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Harley Quinn:  The titular antiheroine, who's recently broken up with the Joker, is determined to become Gotham's number one villain.  Gleefully foulmouthed and violent, with excellent voice performances (especially by Lake Bell as Poison Ivy and Kaley Cuoco as Harley), it ain't for the kiddies, but godDAMN is it fantastic.  We caught a snippet of it during a free preview and knew we had to watch the rest of it immediately.  (We watched the first season on DC Universe, but caught the rest of it when it came to HBO Max.)

2. Rick & Morty:  Yes, I am EXTREMELY tardy to this party, but at least I finally decided to give it a shot!  Rick is a mad scientist who can visit other worlds with his portal gun; hapless grandson Morty is his (sometimes reluctant) sidekick.  It probably doesn't say anything great about me as a person, but whenever Rick belches, I just about lose it.  (DVD/Adult Swim, though I preferred the DVDs since they're uncensored)

3. Tiger King:  I doubt I have to tell you about this series, since it took a newly locked down nation by storm, but just in case:  this docuseries follows the, shall we say, colorful Joe Exotic, owner of a zoo who is determined to best his nemesis, big cat rescuer Carole Baskin, at any cost.  (Netflix)

4. Castlevania:  A gorgeously animated take on the classic vampire slaying video game, lovingly slathered in gore.  (Netflix)

5. Parasyte:  A teenager is taken over by a sentient parasite that's quite a bit friendlier than the ones occupying other humans.  If you have a problem with body horror, you do NOT want to watch this, but otherwise, it's really good.  (Netflix)

6. Banana Fish:  Ash Lynx is a gorgeous gang leader in New York City whose brother was incapacitated by a street drug called "banana fish".  Along with his allies, including a kind Japanese man named Eiji, Ash is determined to find out the truth behind the drug.  Major content warning:  there is a LOT of sexual assault, both onscreen and implied, and Ash was a child sex slave to a mobster, which is discussed frequently.  But the animation is stunning, the relationship between Ash and Eiji is sweet, and it will break your heart more than once.  (Amazon Prime)

7. Ratched:  The backstory of the infamously nasty nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  It's melodramatic and violent, and sometimes the story goes off the rails a bit, but Sarah Paulson is phenomenal as Nurse Ratched and the production design is absolutely stunning.  Oh yeah, there's also a monkey in a dress!  (Netflix)

8. The Haunting of Hill House:  In Mike Flanagan's take on the classic Shirley Jackson novel, a family moves into the titular house with the intention to flip it; unfortunately, the house is, as you can tell from the title, haunted, and the repercussions of their time in the house will follow the family members for years to come.  It's scary to be sure, but it's also really, really sad.  (Netflix; not finished yet, but only one episode to go as of this writing)

9. The Queen's Gambit:  After losing her mother in a car crash, Beth (Anya Taylor-Joy, who's great) is sent to an orphanage, where she learns how to play chess from the janitor.  She turns out to be a natural, and she winds up taking the chess world by storm.  I know absolutely nothing about chess, but I still really enjoyed this show.  (Netflix)

10. Happy Sugar Life:  Satou is a teenage girl who has a big secret: everyone thinks she lives with her aunt, but she really lives with a young girl, reported as missing by her family, named Shio.  Satou is obsessed with Shio, and she'll do anything to protect her "happy sugar life".  This show is deeply fucked up, and definitely not for everyone, but if you love psychological horror and/or really unnerving anime, you'll eat it up.  (Amazon Prime; not finished yet, about four episodes to go)