As the world was left with no choice but to self-quarantine due to the spread of the Coronavirus, many were left with a lot of time on their hands. With this, watching Netflix, along with other streaming platforms like Disney+, Hulu and Amazon Prime, was the go-to activity for almost every household. As Netflix released a new feature which shows the top 10 most viewed shows and movies in your country, tracking what was a hit to the public has gotten much easier.
To wrap things up, here are the most watched shows on Netflix during the year 2020:
Dark
Dark is a German television series that currently has three seasons. As children keep on vanishing, the different characters of Dark try to uncover what happened to a certain child’s disappearance. The first season takes place in 2019 and also includes the years of 1953 and 1986 as the cast discovers a way to time travel. Withheld secrets from various families, like the Doppler, Kahnwald, Nielsen and Tiedemann families, were exposed when the lead stars of Dark were able to figure them out.
The second season, released in June 2019, focused on the families’ attempt to deal with their exposed secrets and how they can regain the trust and love of others. Various storylines were added to the series as the years 1954 and 1987 were uncovered by the cast. Because of all the time travel, the second season of Dark makes it clear that an apocalypse is about to happen.
As the cast races through time, the third and final season of the series follow the four families as they prepare and find their way through the apocalypse. Set in the year 2020, the cast realizes that a parallel world is connected to theirs. The years 1888, 1954, 1987, 2019, 2020, 2052 and 2053 were seen throughout the episodes.
Detailed Index of Dark
Genre: Science-fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Written By: Jantje Friese, Ronny Schalk, Marc O. Send, Martin Behnke & Daphne Ferraro
Directed By: Baran bo Odar
Created By: Baran bo Odar & Jantje Friese
Country of Origin: Germany
Number of Seasons: 3
Number of Episodes: 26
Release Date: December 1, 2017 – June 27, 2020
Cast
- Jonas Gerzabek as Jonas Kahnwald (child)
- Louis Hofmann as Jonas Kahnwald (teen)
- Andreas Pietschmann as Jonas Kahnwald (adult)
- Dietrich Hollinderbäumer as Jonas Kahnwald (elder)
- Ella Lee as Hannah Kahnwald (teen)
- Maja Schöne as Hannah Kahnwald (adult)
- Lena Urzendowsky as Ines Kahnwald (teen)
- Anne Ratte-Polle as Ines Kahnwald (adult)
- Angela Winkler as Ines Kahnwald (elder)
- Florian Panzner as Daniel Kahnwald (adult)
- Lisa Vicari as Martha Nielsen (teen)
- Nina Kronjäger as Martha Nielsen (adult)
- Barbara Nüsse as Martha Nielsen (elder)
- Moritz Jahn as Magnus Nielsen (teen)
- Wolfram Koch as Magnus Nielsen (adult)
- Daan Lennard Liebrenz as Mikkel Nielsen (child)
- Sebastian Rudolph as Mikkel Nielsen (adult)
- Ludger Bökelmann as Ulrich Nielsen (teen)
- Oliver Masucci as Ulrich Nielsen (adult)
- Winfried Glatzeder as Ulrich Nielsen (elder)
- Nele Trebs as Katharina Nielsen (teen)
- Jördis Triebel as Katharina Nielsen (adult)
- Joshio Marlon as Tronte Nielsen (teen)
- Felix Kramer as Tronte Nielsen (adult)
- Walter Kreye as Tronte Nielsen (elder)
- Rike Sindler as Jana Nielsen (child)
- Anne Lebinsky as Jana Nielsen (adult)
- Tatja Seibt as Jana Nielsen (elder)
- Mariella Aumann as Helene Albers (child)
- Katharina Spiering as Helene Albers (adult)
- Antje Traue as Agnes Nielsen (adult)
- Gina Alice Stiebitz as Franziska Doppler (teen)
- Carina Wiese as Franziska Doppler (adult)
- Carlotta von Falkenhayn as Elisabeth Doppler (child)
- Sandra Borgmann as Elisabeth Doppler (adult)
- Stephan Kampwirth as Peter Doppler (adult)
- Stephanie Amarell as Charlotte Doppler (teen)
- Karoline Eichhorn as Charlotte Doppler (adult)
- Tom Philipp as Helge Doppler (child)
- Peter Schneider as Helge Doppler (adult)
- Hermann Beyer as Helge Doppler (elder)
- Anatole Taubman as Bernd Doppler (adult)
- Michael Mendl as Bernd Doppler (elder)
- Cordelia Wege as Greta Doppler (adult)
- Arnd Klawitter as H.G. Tannhaus (adult)
- Christian Steyer as H.G. Tannhaus (elder)
- Paul Lux as Bartosz Tiedemann (teen)
- Roman Knizka as Bartosz Tiedemann (adult)
- Lydia Makrides as Regina Tiedemann (teen)
- Deborah Kaufmann as Regina Tiedemann (adult)
- Peter Benedict as Aleksander Tiedemann (adult)
- Gwendolyn Gobel as Claudia Tiedemann (child)
- Julika Jenkins as Claudia Tiedemann (adult)
- Lisa Kreuzer as Claudia Tiedemann (elder)
- Sebastian Hülk as Egon Tiedemann (adult)
- Christian Patzold as Egon Tiedemann (elder)
- Luise Heyer as Doris Tiedemann (adult)
- Max Schimmelpfennig as Noah/ Hanno Tauber (teen)
- Mark Waschke as Noah/ Hanno Tauber (adult)
- Lea van Acken as Silja Tiedemann (teen)
- Claude Heinrich as The Unknown (child)
- Jakob Diehl as The Unknown (adult)
- Hans Diehl as The Unknown (elder)
- Sylvester Groth as W. Clausen (adult)
Ratched
Ratched is a psychological thriller that follows Mildred Ratched, a character based on Ken Kesey’s ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ novel in 1962. Mildred arrives in Northern California and starts looking for a job as a nurse. With a hidden agenda, Mildred gets employed by a psychiatric doctor who made unsettling and new experiments on the human mind. She portrays herself as the perfect nurse as she secretly takes a hold of the hospital’s system to get her way. Mildred’s character is said to prove that monsters are made and not born.
Detailed Index of Ratched
Genre: Psychological thriller, Drama
Created By: Evan Romansky
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 8
Running Time: 45 – 63 minutes
Release Date: September 18, 2020 to present
Cast
- Sarah Paulson as Nurse Mildred Ratched
- Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson
- Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs
- Jon Jon Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover/ Dr. Manuel Bañaga
- Charlie Carver as Huck Finnigan
- Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Bucket
- Sharon Stone as Lenore Osgood
- Corey Stoll as Charles Wainwright
- Vincent D’Onofrio as Governor George Willburn
The Crown
This famous historical drama series follows Queen Elizabeth II and her reign. With now four seasons, The Crown has covered the life of the young queen as the whole world watches her every move.
The first season focuses on Queen Elizabeth’s marriage with Philip in 1947 and her disapproval of Princess Margaret’s engagement to Captain Peter Townsend. The second season covers numerous events like Suez Crisis, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s retirement and the birth of Prince Edward. The third season, on the other hand, encompasses Harold’s experience as a prime minister and the introduction of Camilla Shand, the Duchess of Cornwall, who soon later married Prince Charles.
Lastly, the fourth season of The Crown shows the events that happened in the years 1979 to the early 1990’s, which included the marriage of Diana Spencer to Prince Charles.
Detailed Index of The Crown
Genre: Historical drama
Created By: Peter Morgan
Country of Origin: United Kingdom, United States
Number of Seasons: 4
Number of Episodes: 40
Running Time: 47 – 61 minutes
Release Date: November 4, 2016 to present
Cast
- Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth (Season 1-2)
- Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II (Season 3-4)
- Matt Smith as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Season 1-2)
- Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Season 3-4)
- Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret (Season 1-2)
- Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret (Season 2-4)
- Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary
- Jeremy Northam as Anthony Eden
- Ben Miles as Group Captain Peter Townsend
- Jared Harris as King George VI
- Alex Jenning as Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (Seasons 1-2)
- Derek Jacobi as Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (Seasons 3)
- Lia Williams as Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (Seasons 1-2)
- Erin Doherty as Princess Anne (Seasons 3-4)
- Josh O’Connor as Charles, Prince of Wales (Seasons 3-4)
- Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker Bowles (Seasons 3-4)
Friends
It’s clearly no surprise that Friends was able to make the top 10 list as the most watched shows in 2020. Because of its timeless comedy and its feel-good plot, this sitcom has surely made numerous people laugh during the pandemic.
If Friends isn’t familiar to you (which we highly doubt), the show follows the lives of six friends living in Manhattan, New York City. Each episode covers a different day of lives as friends. With their different personalities that complement each other, the series is known as one of the best television shows in the 90’s up to date.
Detailed Index of Friends
Genre: Sitcom
Created By: David Crane & Marta Kauffman
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 10
Number of Episodes: 236
Running Time: 20 – 22 minutes
Release Date: September 22, 1994 – May 6, 2004
Cast
- Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green
- Courteney Cox as Monica Geller
- Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay
- Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
- Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
- David Schwimmer as Ross Geller
- James Michael Tyler as Gunther
Space Force
Space Force was a newly released television show on Netflix when lockdowns around the world started happening. The series follows a new formed team under the United States Armed Forces, called the “United States Space Force”. Led by General Mark Naird, the group aims to send one of their people to the moon by 2024.
Detailed Index of Space Force
Genre: Comedy
Created By: Steve Carell & Greg Daniels
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 10
Running Time: 27 – 36 minutes
Release Date: May 29, 2020 – present
Cast
- Steve Carell as General Mark Naird
- John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory
- Ben Schwartz as F. Tony Scarapiducci
- Diana Silvers as Erin Naird
- Tawny Newsome as Captain Angela Ali
Money Heist
This Spanish crime drama has taken over the world when it was first released. Because of its plot twists and characters, the show definitely caught the public’s attention as its second season. The first season, composed of 2 parts, covers a group’s plan to rob the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid. Led by “the Professor”, eight robbers are carefully picked and trained to pull off the biggest heist in history. The robbers were assigned nicknames to avoid getting close to each other as this should only be looked at as a job, nothing further. As they try to rob the bank, many hindrances come their way that involve unnecessary killings, unforeseen love affairs and betrayal. In the end, most of the robbers are able to escape with 984 million euros.
The second season, on the other hand, follows the life of those who have escaped. After enjoying some time to themselves, the Professor reaches out to propose another heist. With this new plan, the group gets back together with added recruits. More plot twists, betrayal and obstacles come their way as the season ends with the Professor being held at gunpoint.
Detailed Index of Money Heist
Genre: Crime drama, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery
Created By: Álex Pina
Country of Origin: Spain
Number of Seasons: 2 (encompassing 4 parts)
Number of Episodes: 31
Running Time: 41 – 59 minutes
Release Date: May 2, 2017 – present
Cast
- Úrsula Corberó as Tokyo/ Silene Oliveira
- Álvaro Morte as The Professor/ Sergio Marquina
- Itziar Ituño as Lisbon/ Raquel Murillo
- Pedro Alonso as Berlin/ Andrés de Fonollosa
- Paco Tous as Moscow/ Agustín Ramos
- Alba Flores as Nairobi/ Ágata Jiménez
- Miguel Herrán as Rio/ Aníbal Cortés
- Jaime Lorente as Denver / Daniel Ramos
- Esther Acebo as Stockholm/ Mónica Gaztambide
- Rodrigo de la Serna as Palermo/ Martín Berrote
- Najwa Nimri as Alicia Sierra
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is an American TV series that follows a family of superheroes that aims to uncover the hidden truth behind their father’s death during the first season. This flawed family is met with surprising truths, intense fights and a threat to an upcoming apocalypse as they continue to search for mysteries they have yet to find out.
The second season continues where the first season left off. As the siblings fail to stop the apocalypse, they try to travel through time to change what has happened. Unfortunately, they all end up in different years and Five discovers that another apocalypse is coming their way. Now, they all have to find a way to reunite in order to successfully stop this new catastrophe.
Detailed Index of The Umbrella Academy
Genre: Drama, Science fiction, Fantasy, Action
Created By: Steve Blackman
Based On: Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy comic book series
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 2
Number of Episodes: 20
Running Time: 40 – 60 minutes
Release Date: February 15, 2019 – present
Cast
- Elliot Page as Vanya Hargreeves/ Number Seven
- Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves/ Number One
- David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves/ Number Two
- Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves/ Number Three
- Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves/ Number Four
- Aidan Gallagher as Give Hargreeves/ Number Five
- Colm Feore as Reginald Hargreeves/ The Monocle
- Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves/ Number Six
Lucifer
DC Comics character, Lucifer, comes to life as Warner Bros. released this urban fantasy television series that revolves around his journey on earth. As he, the Devil, leaves Hell to go to Los Angeles, he ends up creating his own nightclub and even becomes a consultant to the LAPD when he finds himself involved in a criminal investigation. Lucifer uses his powers to manipulate humans into revealing their secrets and desires which helps him solve cases.
The longer he stays in LA, Lucifer notices he’s changing into a different person. Nonetheless, he continues to find his way through the world as he is faced with more serious threats that he never expected.
Detailed Index of Lucifer
Genre: Urban fantasy, Comedy-drama
Developed By: Tom Kapinos
Based On: DC Comics’ Vertigo by: Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 5
Number of Episodes: 75
Running Time: 42 – 62 minutes
Release Date: January 25, 2016 – present
Cast
- Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar
- Lauren German as Detective Chloe Decker
- Kevin Alejandro as Detective Daniel Espinoza
- D.B. Woodside as Amenadiel
- Lesley-Ann Brandt as Mazikeen
- Scarlett Estevez as Trixie Espinoza
- Rachael Harris as Dr. Linda Martin
Emily in Paris
Netflix Original, Emily in Paris, follows Emily who moves to Paris in order to give an American point of view to the French marketing firm she was working for back in Chicago. As she adjusts to her new home and workplace, the story revolves around her exploring Paris where she falls in love and adapts to a new culture all while she continues to work hard for her job.
The show received mixed reviews where some thought it was a feel-good series while the others found the series very unrealistic.
Detailed Index of Emily in Paris
Genre: Romantic comedy, Drama
Created By: Darren Star
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 10
Running Time: 24 – 34 minutes
Release Date: October 2, 2020 – present
Cast
- Lily Collins as Emily Cooper
- Lucas Bravo as Gabriel
- Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie
- Ashley Park as Mindy Chen
- Samuel Arnold as Julien
- Bruno Gouery as Luc
- Camille Razat as Camille
The Queen’s Gambit (miniseries)
Based on the novel of Walter Tevis, The Queen’s Gambit miniseries revolves around the life of Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy. As she gets older, she continues to train and practice her talent for the sport while struggling with drugs and alcohol. Beth’s career in chess quickly soared when she started entering local tournaments. Before she knew it, she was competing in international tournaments that gave financial rewards which her mother relied on. This increased Beth’s stress and anxiety that worsened her drug and alcohol dependency.
Detailed Index of The Queen’s Gambit
Genre: Period drama
Created By: Scott Frank & Allan Scott
Based On: Walter Tevis’ The Queen’s Gambit
Country of Origin: United States
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 7
Running Time: 46 – 67 minutes
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Cast
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon
- Bull Camp as Wiliam Shaibel
- Moses Ingram as Jolene
- Christiane Seidel as Helen Deardorff
- Rebecca Root as Miss Lonsdale
- Chloe Pirrie as Alice Harmon
- Marielle Heller as Alma Wheatley
- Harry Melling as Harry Beltik
- Patrick Kennedy as Allston Wheatley
- Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Townes
- Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Benny Watts
- Marcin Dorociński as Vasily Borgov
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