TV Shows that helped me escape 2020
- The CAA-NRC legislation
- The Delhi riots
- The global economic downturn
- Deepening caste divides including the cruel and disgusting murder and rape of a young Dalit girl
- The polarized US Elections
- The poorly thought-through farming acts and the subsequent agitation
This was where the on-demand TV shows on largely Netflix and occasionally Amazon Prime helped. I spent almost every lunch and dinner time catching up on an episode of a show with my family. I saw approximately 700 hours of shows this year, far more than I have seen in a previous year.
I wanted to pay homage to some of my five most favorite shows that I saw in 2020 (they may have been released earlier). It is not to say the other shows that I saw were bad, but these five were exceptional and struck a special chord with me. These are in no specific order, given each show is brilliant in its own right and very different from the other.
Dark was special not only because of creating a parallel universe with its own rules, but also its consistency in following the rules. Time was masterfully used as a tool in story-telling. There were a million ways the creators could have got the story wrong, but they didn't. Every single element of the show, whether it was the title track (check the video below), the sets, or the script, deeply reaffirmed the feeling of mystery and wonder the show was trying to evoke.
I saw Dark at the peak of the first long lockdown that was imposed in India. Its story, in many ways, reflected a world whose rules seemed unfamiliar and therefore hard to accept, much like the world I was living in when I saw the show. The show reaffirmed how being open and paying attention with your head and heart can help you understand and cope with realities that initially seem alien to you.
Schitt's Creek caught my attention after it swept the Emmys in its category. It is a show that runs solely on the strength of its script and performances. It is easy to get put-off by the absurdity of the show in the first few episodes, but you get rewarded when you begin understanding the motivations of each character with every passing season and witness their gradual transformation. The show stands out because of its commentary on the concept of prosperity and happiness. The fact that it can be ridiculously funny is a bonus!
I have made certain life choices this year that seemed to put me on the path of financial uncertainty. These choices have also made me happier than ever before. The show reaffirmed that wealth is essential to ensure survival, but happiness is rooted in fulfilling our deeper needs of purpose, harmony, balance, challenge, connection, and love. Yes, love!
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Anne with an E is a show based in rural Canada of the 1800s. It is named after its chief protagonist, Anne, a teenage orphan who has for the first time been adopted by a family that loves her. Like the title track says, "she is ahead by a century," thanks to her strong feminist, inclusive, scientific ideals. You can't help but empathize with the feelings of a young, articulate Anne who swings between being deeply perceptive and intelligent on one hand and emotionally charged and occasionally reckless on the other. The show must get credit for not mellowing down difficult issues even though they are seen mostly through the eyes of young school-going children. Despite its flaws (especially in its last season), the show is a celebration of the indefatigable human spirit.
I know things seemed terrible at many times this year. However, this show was a great reminder that we have come a long way as a society and many a time, for the better. We will get there again. At the same time, this show was also a reaffirmation that it is okay to be a misfit. Sometimes you are just ahead of your times and you can visualize a future that others are incapable of imagining.
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The Queen's Gambit captures the life of a prodigy, Elizabeth Hammon who finds her place in the male-dominated world of chess while fighting addiction and dealing with deep life scars. The show leverages nonlinear storytelling as well as a genius use of sound and visuals to add effect to complete the story from start to finish in just seven episodes. You can't help but jump with joy at Elizabeth's wins each game as an underdog while feeling trapped in her struggles with drugs and alcohol. Even when it ends, it leaves you guessing about Elizabeth's future.
The show reaffirmed the power of having the right people in one's life, who stand by you and believe in you even when you don't. Personally, I have been blessed to have many such people in my own life and this show was a reminder to acknowledge their presence.
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David Attenborough: A Life On Our PlanetThis list would have been incomplete without Sir David Attenborough's witness statement on the transformation of our planet due to human actions. It is narrated through Sir David's own journey from a young boy to an old man and how he has felt experiencing the changing natural habitats. For the first time, he makes the stark effects of our actions visible through the dying species of plants and animals and the diminishing ecosystems essential for our planet's survival. I was in tears by the end of listening to his story as he moves through the decades until the present. Thereafter, he steps into the future where he demonstrates an alternate possibility, leaving us with examples of positive change in some parts of the world and the hope that we can be a part of this effort to save our planet. Needless to say, the documentary is a visual delight and transports you back to nature from the comforts of your home.
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These shows helped me transport myself to different worlds. The plots became alternate topics of conversation at home, away from the day-to-day happenings and the depressing current affairs. They helped me know the lives of strangers, even if fictitious ones. They helped me feel joy, connection, love, excitement, hope, among other things (at least in this world, there were happy or satisfying endings). Occasionally, I saw a reflection of my own self in many characters in these shows and received an alternate interpretation of my own current reality. Hence, I feel grateful for each one of them.
- The Family Man for all the Mumbai nostalgia as well as offering a nuanced commentary on many issues impacting India today
- Broadchurch for allowing me to understand the greys in family and friendship, along with a visual treat of beautiful cinematography
- A Good Place for pushing me to think about the deeper philosophical questions of life while being a lot of fun to watch
- Planet Earth II for letting me bring nature to my home
- Cheer for helping me witness the power of an adult who believes in the life of young people, allowing me to go back to my own teaching days
- Afterlife for offering a deep and nuanced perspective on humanity and dealing with loss, making me both laugh and cry in a span of minutes
- Modern Love for showing me how the human need for love is universal, that love knows no boundaries and can strike anywhere
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