The Top 20 TV Shows That Got Streamers Through 2020
2020 was the year of streaming. Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and more services offered the ultimate reprieve as we all collectively hunkered down amid the pandemic, getting lost in the worlds of Baby Yoda and the British royal family. With 2020 finally in the rearview, research company Parrot Analytics and financial website Business Insider broke down the 20 most popular original streaming TV shows of last year.
Parrot Analytics measured “demand expressions” to determine the results, taking into account viewership, engagement, and how much more in demand the shows were in comparison to average shows in the U.S. The top show? No shocker here, but “The Mandalorian”—Disney+’s live-action “Star Wars” series that introduced the world to Baby Yoda—came out as the top show of 2020. While Grogu reigned supreme, however, it’s Netflix that came out on top with the most in-demand original shows.
HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, Hulu, and Apple TV+ original shows were also represented in the data. Check out the top shows of 2020 below—and perhaps even add some to your 2021 queues.
1. “The Mandalorian” — Disney+
What’s it about? A lone bounty hunter makes his way through the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.
2. “Stranger Things” — Netflix
What’s it about? When a young boy disappears in 1980s Indiana, his mother, friends, and the police chief are confronted with supernatural horrors that lurk beneath the surface of the sleepy town.
3. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” — Disney+
What’s it about? Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and more beloved “Star Wars” characters navigate the violent Clone Wars and try to restore peace.
4. “Titans” — HBO Max
What’s it about? Young DC Universe superheroes come of age in this gritty take on the “Teen Titans” franchise.
5. “The Witcher” — Netflix
What’s it about? A monster hunter struggles to find his place in a monstrous world inhabited by individuals often more wicked than beasts.
6. “The Umbrella Academy” — Netflix
What’s it about? A family of former superhero children reunite to protect the world from various catastrophes, hoping to mend their fractured family dynamics along the way.
7. “Harley Quinn” — HBO Max
What’s it about? Newly single and officially separated from the Joker, Harley Quinn tries to make it on her own in Gotham City.
8. “Lucifer” — Netflix
What’s it about? The original fallen angel from Hell lands on planet earth to better understand humanity, settling in none other than Los Angeles—also known as the City of Angels.
9. “Narcos: Mexico” — Netflix
What’s it about? The rise of the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s as an American DEA agent realizes the perils of targeting narcos in Mexico.
10. “The Boys” — Amazon Prime Video
What’s it about? A group of vigilantes make it their mission to target rogue superheroes who abuse their superpowers.
The final 10 original streaming TV series of 2020 are as follows: “The Crown” (Netflix), “Star Trek: Discovery” (CBS All Access), “Cobra Kai” (Netflix), “Star Trek: Picard” (CBS All Access), “La Casa de Papel (Money Heist)” (Netflix), “You” (Netflix), “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu), “Dark” (Netflix) and “The Expanse” (Amazon Prime Video) both tied at 19th place, and “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+). Spoiler alert: It was a good year for streaming content.