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It’s the end of the year as we know it and I feel… fine, I guess? The author who brought you the 11 Funniest TV Episodes of 2020 is back with yet another list as Decider presents the best hidden streaming gems of 2020.
I don’t have the exact figures in front of me but if I’m beautiful-minding it, a smidge over one billion TV shows and films were released in 2020. Some were good (Ted Lasso! High Fidelity! That Netflix chess show I have yet to watch but I hear is great!), some were bad (you know who you are), but many were underseen. We’re here to help add some spectacular streaming titles to your queue in an effort to help stave off the boredom of your holiday break. We rounded up 14 of the very best TV shows and films that you may have missed this year. Not only that, but we also added a slew of bonus recommendations! An optimist may say, “Wow! Bonus recommendations! How kind of you!” A pessimist, on the other hand, might ask, “Did you add a bonus recommendation section to avoid writing eleven additional blurbs?”
The answer? Don’t worry about it!
We love these titles and we hope you do too. Happy holidays!
'Love and Monsters'
The Dylan O’Brien-led Love and Monsters is a post-apocalyptic film that exudes kindness and heart. Available to rent on VOD, this endlessly entertaining jaunt centers on Joel (O’Brien), a 24-year-old living underground in the “monster-pocalypse” who embarks on a daring journey to reunite with his girlfriend.
Love and Monsters would be a global obsession if it were streaming on Netflix. It’s fun, champions the importance of kindness and friendship, includes a mesmerizing performance from O’Brien, and features an undeniably cute dog! It’s the rare monster movie that’ll reaffirm your faith in humanity.
Bonus recommendation: Save Yourselves!
'John Bronco'
John Bronco is an absurd, delightfully offbeat mockumentary that’ll make you laugh. The film stars man/myth/legend Walton Goggins as the titular John Bronco, an iconic Ford Bronco pitchman who skyrocketed to fame in the late 1960s. A surreal piece of inventive art that’d feel right at home on Adult Swim, this 35-minute slice of wonderfully bizarre alt comedy is now streaming on Hulu.
Bonus recommendation: The Worst Idea of All Time
'Feel Good'
A handsome, disarmingly modest writer once wrote that “Mae Martin’s bracingly honest Feel Good is an absorbing look at addiction, comedy, and modern romance.” I agree, you foxy wordsmith!
The seemingly simple premise of Martin’s semi-autobiographical series — a Canadian comedian living in London navigates a new romantic relationship while dealing with sobriety — belies the emotionally complex nature of the show. An absorbing blend of humor and sincerity, the first season can be binged in only two and a half hours.
Bonus recommendation: Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell
'Banana Split'
Banana Split, an underrated hidden gem from 2020, is a deliciously compelling story about two BFFs and their self-contained drama. There is betrayal, there is boyfriend-stealing, and there is Instagram stalking. It’s all the relatable angst that comes with being a 17-year-old girl, but it never once comes off as demeaning.
Directed by Benjamin Kasulke and co-written by Joey Power and Hannah Marks (who also stars in the film), it’s the perfect, binge-able dose of self-centered teen problems. The best part? It’s now streaming on Netflix! — Anna Menta
'Everything's Gonna Be Okay'
Josh Thomas’ charming Freeform series Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is an enchanting sitcom. The show follows Thomas’ character Nicholas, a neurotic twenty-something who gains custody of his two half-sisters after their father’s untimely death. The sharp writing and hypnotic performances from the cast will make you laugh heartily and feel deeply.
Bonus recommendation: Hollywood Handbook
'The Amber Ruffin Show'
Peacock’s late-night variety series The Amber Ruffin Show is a weekly dose of infectious comedy. Ruffin delivers a seemingly effortless mix of seriousness and silliness as she toggles between significant real-world issues and joyful sketches. As both a writer and a performer, Amber Ruffin never fails to make you smile.
Bonus recommendation: The Happy Endings Zoom Episode
'Shithouse'
Cooper Raiff’s Shithouse is everything I love about indie film. The movie follows the simple story of a lonely college freshman (Alex, portrayed by writer/director Raiff) navigating the frightening uncertainty of collegiate life. While the first half of the film evokes memories of Richard Linklater’s walk and talk classic Before Sunrise, the film’s deft depiction of nascent adulthood uncertainty feels like a precursor to the deliberate post-college aimlessness of Andrew Bujalski’s Funny Ha Ha and Noah Baumbach’s Kicking and Screaming.
Bonus recommendation: Joe Pera Talks With You
Sarah Ramos' Instagram
Sarah Ramos’ Instagram is, and I don’t use this word lightly, divine. The actress known for both razzling and dazzling on NBC’s Parenthood somehow, someway achieved the Herculean feat of… quarantine productivity. Ramos provided some much-needed joy by recreating a host of iconic movie scenes and pop culture moments, launching a comedy podcast about Jeremy Renner’s ill-fated app, and releasing a photo book documenting her journey as an autograph hound. While I, a fellow member of the human race, spent the last month tinkering with a lock pick set I ordered on Amazon.
Ramos is a streaming gem but if she locks herself out of her car she’s out of luck!
Comedy Central's 'Robbie'
Netflix’s animated Hoops received more fanfare, but the most entertaining troubled basketball coach comedy of 2020 is Robbie. Lowkey one of the funniest shows of 2020, the sitcom stars Rory Scovel as the titular Robbie, an overzealous church-league basketball coach who discovers he has a 10-year-old son. The entire season is terrific, but Episode 7 (included above) is a comedic work of art.
Before Mary Holland made like a Grinch and stole every single Christmas scene in Hulu’s Happiest Season (which she also co-wrote), she delivered the best Ninja Turtles joke in recent memory.
Bonus recommendation: Mythic Quest
'Scare Me'
If you enjoyed the Vince Vaughn/Kathryn Newton horror comedy Freaky, you’ll love Josh Ruben’s Scare Me. Now available to rent, the “tell me the plot in five seconds… OR ELSE” synopsis is two strangers share elaborately performed ghost stories with one another during a power outage. A fun, innovative film that features dynamic performances from Ruben, Aya Cash, and Chris Redd, Scare Me is a freaking blast.
Bonus recommendation: Rent-A Pal
'Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis'
Why should you stream Quarter-Life Crisis on Netflix? Easy! Because Taylor Tomlinson is very, very funny. The comedian’s hour-long special is filled with astute observations and clever jokes that’ll make you yell “same!” in between uncontrollable guffaws, which I believe is the “I desperately want you to think I’m smart” way of saying laughs.
If you’re only going to stream one stand-up special in 2020 — although I’m not sure why you waited so long to do it — make it Quarter-Life Crisis.
Bonus recommendation: How To With John Wilson
'Central Park'
The singing! The Broadway talent! The unrelenting silliness! Ted Lasso may have been the Apple TV+ comedy that enchanted the world, but after your Ted binge, Central Park is what you need to be watching. From Bob’s Burgers‘ Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith and star Josh Gad comes this lovely musical series about the manager of New York’s biggest park and his odd little family. It’s worth a watch based on its talent alone: Gad, Hamilton’s Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs, Stanley Tucci, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, and Kristen Bell all appear to sing and delight. But it’s the relatively low stakes of this comedy that sell its wholesome story.
At its core Central Park is about one boy who wants a dog and one family determined to follow their passions no matter the cost. That’s a sweet lesson we can all use. Throw in Diggs as a rapping and gold digging old woman and you have one of the greatest shows of 2020 no one is talking about. — Kayla Cobb
'Standing Up, Falling Down'
Question: How can you go wrong with a movie that stars Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz?
Answer: You can’t!
Standing Up, Falling Down is a beautiful film that exceeds expectations. Starring the cinematic dream team of Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz, the movie imbues the predictable “emotionally stunted adult moves back home to figure out what it all means” genre with stealthy humor and genuine heart. I’ve seen a ton of movies in 2020 (a terrible brag yet solid self-own), but Standing Up, Falling Down is a special film that stays with you long after viewing.
Bonus recommendations: The Comedy Store and Belushi
'A.P. Bio': "Katie Holmes Day"
I’ve already written 1000s of words about the rowdy comedic brilliance of A.P. Bio, but the Season 3 finale, “Katie Holmes Day,” is aggressively my jam. The old “protagonist discovers the true meaning of Christmas” chestnut is well-trodden territory, but Mike O’Brien’s sophisticated sitcom provides the shopworn story with a fresh twist.
The series takes place in Toledo, so the show used the real-life history of Toledo’s own Katie Holmes to not only create a wonderfully peculiar holiday, but also one of the most inventive Christmas sitcom episodes of all time.
