10 Best Drama Series Of 2020

TVLine's Year in Review is officially underway, and we're starting with the best dramas of 2020. Which series snagged our No. 1 spot? Scroll through the gallery below — which includes The Queen's Gambit, Lovecraft Country, The Mandalorian and more — to find out.

2. BETTER CALL SAUL

AMC's riveting spinoff has been topping itself year after year, to the point where we're now actually considering if it's better than Breaking Bad (!), and it topped itself yet again in Season 5, as Jimmy McGill's long, dark transformation into Saul Goodman finally began to take shape. Tony Dalton made a fantastic villain as the charming and terrifying Lalo Salamanca, and Jimmy and Mike's death-defying desert trek in "Bagman" ranked right up there with anything Breaking Bad ever did. Our biggest kudos, though, go out to Rhea Seehorn, whose relentlessly competent Kim Wexler finally began to take the narrative reins... and we can't wait to see where she takes us from here.

5. LOVECRAFT COUNTRY

The idea that representation matters had no better champion in 2020 TV than in HBO's ambitious, impressive drama, which followed the members of a Black, sci-fi-steeped family as they went on a quest to fulfill the destiny of their lineage. The performances, particularly Jonathan Majors' as G.I. Atticus Freeman, were powerful. The storylines (Ruby's body-swap serum!) were mind-bending. But perhaps the show's best attribute was that it put Black characters front-and-center in a genre that hasn't always done so. And with that game-changing finale, it ensured that — with a renewal, fingers crossed — Atticus, Leti & Co. will have plenty of fantastical ground to cover in Season 2.

1. NORMAL PEOPLE

There was nothing particularly flashy or innovative about Hulu's sweepingly romantic miniseries: just the story of young Connell and Marianne, falling in and out of love over the course of several years. And yet it's a testament to the incredible skill and care put in here that such a simple story packed such a massive emotional wallop. The tone was stunningly intimate and naturalistic — it felt as if we were eavesdropping on hushed private conversations — and the undeniable chemistry between stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones made us yearn and pine right along with them. Simply put, it's one of the most beautifully rendered depictions of young love ever committed to film... and more than worthy of the top spot on this list.

6. THE BOYS

Amazon Prime's gritty superhero series took its political and social commentary to the next level in Season 2 with the introduction of Aya Cash's social media-savvy Nazi supe, Stormfront. As The Seven's new addition worked to rile up the masses against "The Other" in order to create a new master race, the bloody violent comic book tale evolved into an eerily prescient reflection on our own society — but with super abilities. At the same time, The Boys never lost its twisted sense of humor (the singing gills!) or gruff heart, even under the weight of its heavy themes, making for a smart, thrilling sophomore run.

4. THE CROWN

Netflix's lavishly filmed royal drama marched into the 1980s with its juiciest, most consistently compelling season yet, thanks to the addition of a pair of knockout performances. Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth took a decided backseat in Season 4 — though she did shine in an episode about palace intruder Michael Fagan — as a nearly unrecognizable Gillian Anderson delivered an uncanny portrayal of embattled U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But it was Emma Corrin's devastating turn as Princess Diana, and her volatile courtship with Josh O'Connor's Prince Charles, that gave Season 4 its emotional backbone and launched The Crown to lofty new heights.

7. THE MANDALORIAN

Rest on its laurels, Season 2 has not. Instead, most every episode of the Disney+ hit's sophomore run has aimed to take things up a notch by slaying dragons, exploring spider-infested ice caves, staging throwdowns at sea, and bringing Ahsoka Tano to live-action life for a galactically important "baby" naming ceremony. The guest casting continues to be out-of-this-world, the Child continues to be adorbs (yet has not taken over the show), and every small step Mando takes on his quest only amps up our anticipation for what's next. The Force remains strong with TV's first live-action Star Wars entry.

3. THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT

Anya Taylor-Joy, in one of the year's best performances, headlined this captivating love story between a young woman and... chess. Co-creator Scott Frank wrote and sumptuously directed all seven episodes of the Netflix limited series, in which scrappy orphan Beth Harmon endeavored to reign over a male-dominated world of 64 squares, despite (or because of?) a tranquilizer addiction. With a formidable Russian adversary in her sights, this cerebral version of Rocky IV was indeed a knockout, bolstered by an A-plus ensemble led by Marielle Heller, Bill Camp and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

10. THE UNDOING

High-gloss thrillers don't get any more glossy and thrilling than HBO's six-episode limited series about a wealthy, super-entitled family whose seemingly quintessential existence detours into dumpster-fire territory. Hauntingly directed by Susanne Bier, tightly paced by David E. Kelley and boasting sensational performances from Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, The Undoing managed to pull off the rare whodunit trifecta: It was emotionally resonant, supremely addictive and, most importantly, fun.

8. THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR

Netflix's perfectly splendid follow-up to 2018's The Haunting of Hill House didn't try to recreate Season 1's gutting jump-scares or omnipresent background ghosts, and chose instead to examine how the consequences of our actions (or inactions) can be far more haunting than any specter. The result? Several bittersweet love stories, conveyed by an impressively strong cast, that managed to make us both ache with longing, shiver in fear — and eye Zippo lighters with a whole new sense of dread.

9. MRS. AMERICA

In a year marked by another divisive election, a TV drama about contentious real-life politics didn't seem all that appealing on paper. But even as it got into the weeds of the Equal Rights Amendment — the ratification of which became a messy, complex issue — Mrs. America brought plenty of pathos to its difficult subject matter, finding humanity in even the most unlikable political players. And with a cast that included Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Margo Martindale, Uzo Aduba and Sarah Paulson (to name just a few!), this exceptional FX on Hulu miniseries was a Prestige TV dream come true.