What is there possibly left to say about 2020? This was a dumpster fire of a year for pretty much everybody, and the last person who should be commenting on it is me. I’m safe to say that I’m healthy and fine. I made it through this horrible year pretty well. So let’s wrap it up with my favorite movies, TV shows and comics from the year!

It’s the least we can do. I’ve done this for the past several years, and we might as well do it now. Because as someone who spent most of the year locked down at home, working from home, I definitely blasted through a lot of media. So much so, that I split television shows into two categories this year, just so I could talk about different shows in different contexts. This was also a year without any Marvel movies, which are usually my favorite in any given year, let alone major movie releases to begin with!

This was a crazy year, but there was still good stuff out there in the world! Granted, I didn’t see, read or play all of it…but I experienced enough! So join me after the jump for my favorite media from 2020!

6. Presents to myself: LEGO premium Ecto-1

I never know what to include in this first category. I don’t do music, so I can’t use that. I thought about doing things I liked about the pandemic, maybe as a comedy bit, but there was nothing. So how about gifts I bought myself during this terrible year? The best and most exciting is the several hundred dollars I splurged on the premium, highly detailed LEGO Ecto-1. Heck, I haven’t even started building the thing! But it’s a beauty and I’ll get around to it one day. It was just a nice thing I bought myself…among the tons of things I buy myself.

5. Movie: Over the Moon

This one took me by surprise. As some of you may remember, I do a movie review podcast for my newspaper day job, so I have been hunting down and watching a movie a week for a while now, and 2020 was no different. I found movies to watch and review. So I had a lot to pick from for this year…even though few of them were all that good. But Over the Moon was a truly excellent film! It was stunningly beautiful, and I loved the design most of all. But the story and characters were fun, too. I especially liked how the supporting characters got their own subplots and adventures. Very cool film all around.

Runner Up: Palm Springs

Palm Springs was fun, and that’s all it needed to be. It probably wouldn’t have made much of a dent on the world had it been released in theaters, but coming out on Hulu in 2020 has made it one of the most entertaining movies of the year. Andy Samberg is cool, and Cristin Milioti was especially great as the other lead. Their Groundhog Day adventure worked for me and this was a very fun movie.

4. Video Game: The Last of Us Part 2

This was a great game, dead stop. I was late to The Last of Us franchise as a whole, and I enjoyed the first game just fine, but it wasn’t the masterpiece that the rest of the internet seemed to believe. But Part 2 is so damn good! I am not one of those haters or one of those people who clung to the controversies when it was released. I’m someone who played an awesome and awesomely psychological shooter with a great story, great characters, great character moments and a wholly fascinating message.

Runner Up: Cyberpunk 2077

Oh man, Cyberpunk 2077…haha! This was my most anticipated game of the year, and while I’ll agree that it is a far cry from the be-all, end-all RPG we were promised, I’m still very much enjoying my playthrough. For some reason, I got insanely lucky and Cyberpunk works just fine on my PS4 Slim. It’s a little janky, and maybe the graphics aren’t as good as a high end computer, but since I’m never going to play on a high end computer, I don’t know what I’m missing and it doesn’t hurt me. Still, it’s a big, fun, open world, first-person RPG where I run around doing cool killings and fighting bad guys. I love these types of games, and Cyberpunk 2077 is a fine addition.

3. TV Show Finale: BoJack Horseman

Here is the reason why I split TV shows into two categories: because I want to say goodbye to my favorite shows, while also celebrating the new shows that have come along. BoJack Horseman is probably going to go down as my all-time favorite television show. And the final season (or half season) was a perfect ending, as far as I’m concerned. It brought BoJack to the lowest possible point in such a beautiful way, then proved its point even further with that great final episode. A lot of people think BoJack should have died at the end…but that would have defeated the point of the entire show. Sometimes life’s a bitch…and then you keep on living.

Runner Up: Steven Universe Future

There were so many good shows this year! I would have loved to have given the runner up spot to She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which was also great. But Steven Universe Future, the epilogue series to Steven Universe, hit me more in the feels. Future took everything we’d come to love about the show and the main character and put them under the microscope, finally turning everything around to examine Steven himself, and what this life had done to him. It was emotional, it was awesome, and it was a perfect ending.

2. New Television Show: Teenage Bounty Hunters

Teenage Bounty Hunters is probably not going to make a lot of lists like this. And I have more than a few complaints. But out of all the TV shows I watched this year, this one excited and interested me the most! There was such a palpable energy to it, I couldn’t wait to watch the next episode to see where this story was going. My biggest complaint was that the middle of the series didn’t actually have a lot of teenage bounty hunting, and I think this was two different shows crammed together, but I loved the characters, I loved their relationships, I loved the adventure and I loved this show!

So yeah, I’m very heartbroken that it was cancelled after one season. Curse you, pandemic!

Runner Up: Star Trek: Lower Decks

I finally have a Star Trek. I have never been a Trekkie. The shows and movies just weren’t for me. But I am a lover of TV, so I’ve watched all of the modern Star Trek shows and movies, just because they’re there. But it wasn’t until the animated series, Lower Decks, that I could finally latch onto a show that was mine to love and enjoy! Lower Decks is marvelous! Not only is it laugh out loud funny, but it’s also a very well-written series, with actual character growth, interesting conflicts and a deep and abiding love of Star Trek lore. This is Star Trek written by Star Trek fans for Star Trek fans, and it can even be enjoyed by those of us who know very little about Star Trek.

1. Comic: All the Power Rangers

This was a pretty crummy year for comics, if I’m being honest. There weren’t any new series that I fell in love with, not really. And few of the ongoing series were all that great. But one thing that has remained consistent is that I love all of the ongoing Power Rangers comics at BOOM! Studios. We started the year with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Go Go Power Rangers, and both those comics built to some great finales! Then a couple months ago, we saw the launch of a new era with Power Rangers and Mighty Morphin, both of which are starting off pretty strong. It’s the mix of great, grounded character exploration and development with big, Power Rangers action that makes these comics really stand out, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Runner Up: Legion of Super-Heroes

I struggled a bit trying to come up with other comics I really enjoyed this year, and I’m confident settling for Legion of Super-Heroes as the runner up. It’s a fun, well-rounded take on the classic team, and I’m looking forward to see where all of it is going.

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