A look at the top shows of the year

Grace Peng, Managing Online and Social Media Editor

Television is perhaps the one thing that went up during the pandemic, aside from COVID-19 case numbers. The virus naturally disrupted everything, from the daily life we knew to the production of the shows we have (or we could have) loved. Despite the surplus in shows I’ve watched this year, my TV retrospective is surprisingly ordinary. There is no way to rank them from 1-10, as I would certainly tie so many of them at the same level. So instead, enjoy a list of 10 phenomenal TV stories from this one crazy year.

Comedy

Never Have I Ever

Mindy Kaling’s quirky Netflix show stars Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a high school, Indian-American girl who navigates the two worlds of both her family and her school. While the TV show is a delightful comedy that takes its humor from ethnic jokes, it is a welcome introduction of one of many cultural perspectives in America to mainstream media.

Modern Family

Ah, the family we all wish we could be a part of. In the last season of their 11-year run, delve into the story of the Dunphys, who welcome a new generation; follow the Pritchett-Delgados, who highlight the comedic struggles of a multicultural family, or keep up with the Tucker-Pritchetts, as two LGBTQA+ dads learn to raise a teenage daughter.

Schitt’s Creek

The last season of this record Emmy-winning sitcom is a bittersweet point in the series. Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Patrick’s (Noah Reid) wedding gives the same vibes as the departure of the apartment from Friends: despite saudade reminiscence of the motel the originally hated, there is always time for comedic blips.

Emily in Paris

Welcome to the fantasy world of cultural inaccuracies! Here, you’ll find any French stereotype maxed out in true rom-com fashion. Prepare to delve into Emily’s (Lily Collins) world of blissfully luxurious food and fashion that her early marketing career somehow pays for.

Drama

Killing Eve

Season 3 continues the saga between Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer) who never fail to nail a dark, twisted love story between a psychopath and an agent with bits of cynical humor. The show is full of tantalizing stares as Eve explores what she feels with her target while straying from the boring civilian life she’s lived. 

Queen’s Gambit

As rare as female stars are in the Darwinian world of chess, there’s a striking artistry behind the way Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) executes every move. Although the chess montages are a little too action-packed to be real, the cinematography compliments Beth’s journey from a child prodigy to a struggling addict to the world’s greatest champion. 

The Crown

Season 4 of “The Crown” marks the start of the British royals’ most controversial times: the years of Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin), from her doomed relationship with Charles, Prince of Wales (Josh O’Connor), to the infancy of Prince William. Diana challenges both Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman), Prince Phillip, and Charles, and her struggle to be both a royal and a caring mother is well conveyed in this perfectly overdramatized storyline.

Action

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Marvel’s last big TV show wrapped up earlier this year as SHIELD’s elite team navigates the complexities of pursuing a clan of robots through time travel to meet past historical figures. Highlights include protagonist Daisy’s (Chloe Bennet) new love interest as well as Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) and Simmons’ (Elizabeth Henstridge) hidden child, building a fitting, if not anti-climactic, conclusion.

Medical

Grey’s Anatomy 

Or, the only television show that will likely still be a cult classic when today’s Titans have graduated. This (17th!) season kicks off with the writers’ decision to combine the traditionally messy personal lives of Grey Sloan Memorial’s surgeons with the even messier COVID-19 pandemic. As Shonda Rhimes continues her masterful creation of a social phenomenon, fans have rejoiced at the reunion of Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) along with a few other fan favorites.

Animated

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Okay, okay, this hit our screens when we were toddlers but its surprising, well-deserved resurgence during the pandemic merits its place on this list. Avatar is a welcome change of culture and plotline that introduces complex, realistic characters despite being an animated children’s TV show. The program follows the team of Aang, the Avatar, and his friends in a world of elemental benders as they save the world from a century of war and genocide, exploring themes of humanity that are rarely touched on in TV shows.