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50 of the most-hyped TV shows in 2020 to watch while social distancing
The first three weeks of March 2020 showed an 85% spike in television streaming over the same time period in 2019, according to Nielsen data. Those numbers shouldn't be surprising, as 95% of Americas are estimated to be under stay-at-home orders amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The landscape of television viewing is constantly evolving, and the year 2020 is an important testing ground for several television networks and platforms—particularly against the backdrop of today's news. The medium has shifted from broadcast television to cable, and then to premium cable, and now streaming services and platforms are becoming a dominant force in the industry.
Netflix was a pioneer in internet subscription streaming services, followed by Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. With this new normal of binge-watching television and on-demand services, other mainstream companies jumped in, including HBO and Showtime launching online subscription options and new platforms like Apple TV+ and Disney+ entering the arena, as well. Whether via streaming service or cable, the shows already out and still to come in 2020 have created quite a buzz. Some are attracting attention solely for the pedigree of whoever is creating it, or due to the particular cast members attached.
Stacker compiled and used Wikipedia search data on all American TV shows being released in 2020—some of which have already premiered—to determine which have been most-hyped by audiences. These shows are ranked according to 90-day page views from Sept. 4 to Dec. 2, 2019, as a measure of audience interest. To qualify for the list, the American TV show had to be in its first season or revived from a show that had been off the air for at least five years. Each slide will tell you where (and when) to watch that show. Keep reading to see which 2020 shows ranked as the most-anticipated of the year.
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- 1 / 50Kevin Winter // Getty Images for The Critics' Choice Awards
#50. Call Me Kat
- Total 90-day pageviews: 13,629
- Where to watch: Fox
- Release date: To be determinedCreated by Darlene Hunt, “Call Me Kat” is an American adaptation of the British show “Miranda” by Miranda Hart. Mayim Bialik portrays Carla, a 39-year-old woman who struggles to prove herself to her mother and all those around her and ends up using her parents’ money to open up a cat cafe in Louisville, Kentucky. Jim Parsons, Bialik’s co-star on “The Big Bang Theory,” is one of the producers behind this adaptation.
[Pictured: Mayim Bialik, star of the upcoming "Call Me Kat."]
- 2 / 50Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage // Getty Images
#49. United We Fall
- Total 90-day pageviews: 14,715
- Where to watch: ABC
- Release date: To be determinedMadTV’s Will Sasso will star in the ABC sitcom “United We Fall,” which was created by “Family Guy” writer Julius Sharpe. The show follows a couple with young children and “overzealous extended families” that allows their “judgemental grandmother” to move in with them, which undoubtedly will lead to conflict and high jinks.
[Pictured: Will Sasso, star of the upcoming "United We Fall."]
- 3 / 50Rooster Teeth Animation
#48. Untitled Transformers: War for Cybertron series
- Total 90-day pageviews: 14,999
- Where to watch: Netflix
- Release date: To be determinedNot much is known about the next animated series in the “Transformers” franchise, but it is due to come from studio Rooster Teeth (“Red vs. Blue,” “RWBY,” “gen:LOCK”) and will stream on Netflix. The show will serve as an origin story and explore Cybertron and the Autobots-Decepticons war in a new animation style. The creative team includes names such as FJ DeSanto, George Krstic, Gavin Hignight, and Brandon Easton, many being veterans of the franchise, ensuring consistency with previous depictions of these transforming robots.
[Pictured: George Krstic, one of the creators of the upcoming "Transformers."]
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- 4 / 50Studio Lambert
#47. The Circle
- Total 90-day pageviews: 16,243
- Where to watch: Netflix
- Released: Jan. 1This British export coming to Americans via Netflix sounds like something out of a “Black Mirror” episode—“The Circle” is essentially a reality show that centers around social media. Like the U.K. version, on the U.S. show follows a group of people moving into an apartment building. But while they interact through an app, they never meet face to face. The contestants then rate each other, with the top-rated player earning a cash prize.
[Pictured: Michelle Buteau, host of "The Circle."]
- 5 / 50VALERIE MACON // AFP via Getty Images
#46. Emily in Paris
- Total 90-day pageviews: 17,890
- Where to watch: Paramount Network
- Release date: To be determined“Beverly Hills 90210” and “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star has another show in the works—entitled “Emily in Paris,” this Paramount Network show will star Lily Collins as the titular character, who comes from the Midwest and moves to France for a job opportunity. Adjusting to her new surroundings, Emily also faces challenges in balancing her personal life with her professional life, finding new friends and loves.
[Pictured: Lily Collins, star of the upcoming "Emily in Paris."]
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- 6 / 50David Crotty/Patrick McMullan // Getty Images
#45. RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race
- Total 90-day pageviews: 20,064
- Where to watch: VH1
- Release date: April, 24Spinning off from the mega-popular “RuPaul’s Drag Race” competition show, “RuPaul’s Celebrity Drag Race” adds a start-studded twist to the formula. Essentially an “all-stars” season, previous “Drag Race” winners and participants compete against each other to be the top drag queen and win money for charity.
[Pictured: RuPaul, host of "RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race."]
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- 7 / 50CBS Television Studios
#44. Tommy
- Total 90-day pageviews: 20,210
- Where to watch: CBS
- Released: Feb. 6Emmy winner Edie Falco stars in the crime drama “Tommy.” Falco plays Abigail Thomas, or “Tommy,” the first female police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, who attains the role after moving from the New York Police Department. With the move come new challenges for Tommy, who resorts to using hardball tactics in navigating through the political and social landscape of the city.
[Pictured: Edie Falco, star of "Tommy."]
- 8 / 50Cartoon Network Studios
#43. Adventure Time: Distant Lands
- Total 90-day pageviews: 20,697
- Where to watch: HBO Max
- Release date: To be determinedAlthough the long-running and celebrated “Adventure Time” reached its proper end, fans of the Pendleton Ward show on Cartoon Network can revisit some popular characters through new specials on HBO Max. “Distant Lands” will consist of four hour-long episodes, each focusing on different characters like BMO, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Jake the Dog, and Finn the Human, and following where the characters are after the end of the main story.
- 9 / 50LISA O'CONNOR // AFP via Getty Images
#42. Indebted
- Total 90-day pageviews: 21,399
- Where to watch: NBC
- Released: Feb. 6The sitcom “Indebted” from Dan Levy follows a couple, Dan (Adam Pally) and Rebecca (Abby Elliott) who are prepared to start anew after years of parenting, when Dan’s parents come back into their lives, broke and causing much chaos. The show has a number of sitcom veterans as executive producers, including “Seinfeld” director Andy Ackerman.
[Pictured: Fran Drescher, star of "Indebted."]
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- 10 / 50Keshet Studios
#41. The Baker & the Beauty
- Total 90-day pageviews: 21,439
- Where to watch: ABC
- Released: April 13Dean Georgaris and David Frankel are developing a remake of an Israeli series called “Beauty and the Baker,” which initially found success through streaming on Prime Video. This American remake, titled “The Baker & the Beauty,” focuses on a Cuban American man in Miami who works in his family’s bakery and finds his life forever changed when he meets a superstar.
[Pictured: Victor Rasuk, star of the upcoming "The Baker & the Beauty."]
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