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AA Best of Streaming 2020 Awards: The best TV shows and movies of 2020
2020 was a year like none other in recent history. Thankfully, streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and others kept the content taps on, giving us some of the best TV shows and movies ever. If anything, their content saved us from lockdown boredom and the general sense of doom that prevailed this year.
So earlier this month, we asked Android Authority readers to vote for the best TV shows and movies of 2020 that are available for streaming. We at AA also voted internally and picked our favorites from a long list of well-deserving nominees. The votes are all in! Here are the winners of AA’s first-ever Best of Streaming awards.
The best TV shows and movies of 2020
The best limited series of 2020
Team AA and readers: The Queen’s Gambit
Android Authority readers voted The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix as the best limited series of 2020, and we couldn’t agree more. The Netflix drama starring the enigmatic Anya Taylor-Joy made us fall in love with chess. It also gave us a sense of hope and achievement in a year that was nothing but bleak.
The runners up
We at AA voted in HBO’s sci-fi thriller Lovecraft Country as the second-best limited series of 2020. In contrast, our readers picked Netflix’s Emmy-winning drama Unorthodox for the number two spot. A close third was The Haunting Of Bly Manor. You can see all the nominees for the best limited series of 2020 below.
Nominees
The best documentary of 2020
Team AA: Tiger King | Readers: David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
AA staffers and readers had different picks for the best streaming documentary of 2020. From a total of 13 nominations, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet on Netflix got the highest number of votes in our readers’ poll. The documentary film is Attenborough’s witness statement about how the planet changed for the worse during his lifetime. However, it also demonstrates that there’s still hope left to reverse some of the gravest effects of human behavior on nature.
Meanwhile, we at AA voted in Netflix’ Tiger King as the winner for the best documentary of 2020. The series follows the story of Joe Exotic, one of the shadiest and most controversial characters in the world of big cats. The show brilliantly handles its subject and features an unbelievable cast, including drug kingpins, conmen, and cult leaders.
The runners up
Our readers also loved Netflix’s Tiger King, voting it as the second-best streaming documentaries of 2020. Meanwhile, our second favorite here at AA was The Social Dilemma on Netflix. It is a riveting take on how social media reprograms our lives, with some disturbing revelations from Silicon Valley insiders. You can view all the nominees in the category below.
Nominees
The best sci-fi series of 2020
Team AA and readers: The Mandalorian (Season 2)
Once again, AA staffers and readers agreed that season 2 of The Mandalorian was amongst the best TV shows of 2020 in the sci-fi category. The Disney Plus Star Wars series definitely touched new heights this season, as Mando traversed the outer reaches of the galaxy to return Baby Yoda back to his kind. We won’t spoil it for you, so go give it a watch if you haven’t already seen it.
The runners up
Season 3 of Netflix’s German time-travel thriller Dark was our second favorite sci-fi title of 2020. The third season marks the end of the show and what a brilliant one it was! Our readers, meanwhile, picked season 2 of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys. The anti-superhero show has definitely ruffled feathers in the streaming world. Its second installment was as entertaining as the first one. You can see the complete list of nominees in the category below.
Nominees
The best anime series of 2020
Team AA: Blood Of Zeus | Readers: Attack On Titan (Season 4)
Our readers and team had a slight difference in opinion regarding the best anime series of 2020. We at AA quite liked Netflix’s epic offering based on some of the most popular characters from Greek mythology. Meanwhile, our readers were hooked to the last and final season of one of the longest-running cult anime shows of all time — Attack On Titan.
The runners up
It’s no surprise that even though it didn’t win the round, Attack On Titan was team AA’s second choice. Also unsurprisingly, the second-best anime show for our readers was…you guessed it…Blood Of Zeus. The two titles clearly stood out for both us and our audience, even though we had some pretty good names in our list of nominees. Check them out below.
Nominees
The best comedy series of 2020
Team AA: Ted Lasso | Readers: Never Have I Ever
This is the first win for Apple TV Plus in our list of the best TV shows and movies of 2020. Starring Jason Sudeikis as a folksy American football coach struggling to train an English soccer team, Ted Lasso brought some much-needed laughs to this otherwise difficult year. Mindy Kaling’s coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever on Netflix was also a riot and a hit with our readers.
The runners up
Although not your typical comedy show, Emily In Paris was chosen as the second-best series in the category by our readers. In-house, we picked season 2 of Netflix’s dark comedy Dead To Me as the runner up. That said, If you’re looking for some more suggestions to lighten up the mood, check out all the nominees below.
Nominees
The best TV movie of 2020
Team AA: The Trial Of The Chicago 7 | Readers: Extraction
Our staffers and readers were divided on the best TV movie of 2020. To be honest, they’re both very different and equally entertaining for the genres they tackle. The Trial Of The Chicago 7 boasts of a stellar ensemble cast and represents, through a historical lens, the inequality and unfairness that exists in our society to date. Meanwhile, Extraction was a rip-roaring action thriller full of single-take fight sequences and a hefty dose of Chris Hemsworth.
The runners up
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was our second favorite TV movie of the year here at Android Authority. Sacha Baron Cohen once again brought the goods as the controversial and comic Kazakh journalist. Our audience agreed with our first pick and voted in Trial Of The Chicago 7 at the number two spot.
Nominees
The best returning TV series of 2020
Team AA and readers: The Mandalorian
We can all agree that the second season of The Mandalorian was as good, if not better than the first one. Star Wars fan or not, the story of the lone galactic bounty hunter and Baby Yoda aka Grogu is one that pulls you in right from the get-go. It’s obvious how loved this series is, as both team AA and our readers unanimously voted it as the winner. Jon Favreau, take a bow.
The runners up
With its second win in our Best of Streaming 2020 Awards, The Boys season 2 took the number two position in the category. It was a decision both we and our readers agreed upon. We’ve already spoken about the series above so we won’t go there again. All we’ll say is that if you haven’t seen the show yet, it’s about time you do.
Nominees
That completes our list of the best TV shows and movies of 2020 as voted by our team members and our readers! We hope you enjoy watching some of these titles if you haven’t already seen them. For more suggestions on what to stream and where, check out the links below.