#Matt Roush’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2020

In a year when TV may never have been so important a lifeline, as a portal of information or an avenue of escape during months of sheltering in place to survive a pandemic, narrowing the field to a critic’s “Top 10” — it’s a yearly tradition, what can I say — was especially difficult.

These are the shows that most surprised and/or satisfied me during the challenging months of 2020. Any regrets? (Leaving out Apple’s adorable Ted Lasso is probably my biggest.) There’s always next year.