Year-End Lists

Steve Erickson: The Best in 2020 Music, as published by Gay City News

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019]

• Seguridad
  Gaika
• Sawayama
  Rina Sawayama
• Folklore
  Taylor Swift
• Never Will
  Ashley McBryde
• The Goat
  Polo G
• Fetch the Bolt Cutters
  Fiona Apple
• God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
  Backxwash
• Impazamo
  Menzi
• On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment
  Ambrose Akinmusire
• Heaven to a Tortured Mind
  Yves Tumor

Runners-up

• Healing Is a Miracle
  Julianna Barwick
• Peaceful as Hell
  Black Dresses
• Life Goes On
  Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, and Steve Swallow
• Dark Matter
  Moses Boyd
• Punisher
  Phoebe Bridgers
• Copycat Killer
  Phoebe Bridgers
• skins n slime
  Oliver Coates
• 13lood 1n + 13lood Out
  Denzel Curry
• No era sólida
  Lucrecia Dalt
• Force Majeure
  Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger
• The Unraveling
  Drive-By Truckers
• Ravening Iron
  Eternal Champion
• No Dawn For Men
  Feminazgul
• Un Kuza Runhu
  Scúru Fitchádu
• SOURCE
  Nubya Garcia
• Alphaville
  Imperial Triumphant
• Legends Never Die
  Juice WRLD
• It Was Good Until It Wasn't
  Kehlani
• Imploding the Mirage
  The Killers
• Don't Shy Away
  LOMA
• Zona II
  Paul Marmota
• Chicago Waves
  Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
• Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
  Perfume Genius
• UWA
  Pongo
• I Disagree
  Poppy
• RTJ4
  Run the Jewels
• Send Them to Coventry
  Pa Salieu
• Live Forever
  Bartees Strange
• Heavy Light
  U.S. Girls

Jeremy D. Larson: Favorite Albums of 2020

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Microphones in 2020
   The Microphones
2. Fetch the Bolt Cutters
   Fiona Apple
3. Saint Cloud
   Waxahatchee
4. SOURCE
   Nubya Garcia
5. Eno Axis
   H.C. McEntire
6. Melee
   Dogleg
7. Have We Met
   Destroyer
8. Græ
   Moses Sumney
9. The Passion Of
   Special Interest
10. Peel
    KMRU
11. Workaround
    Beatrice Dillon
12. To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1
    Alabaster DePlume
13. City on My Back
    Rio Da Yung OG
14. Live Forever
    Bartees Strange
15. Room for the Moon
    Kate NV
16. Suite for Max Brown
    Jeff Parker
17. Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?
    The Soft Pink Truth
18. Songs to Yeet At The Sun
    Soul Glo
19. LIVE
    Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood
20. Mt. Marci
    Roc Marciano
21. Hannah
    Lomelda
22. Imploding the Mirage
    The Killers
23. First Flight
    Chris Forsyth / Dave Harrington / Ryan Jewell / Spencer Zahn
24. Punisher
    Phoebe Bridgers
25. Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
    Oneohtrix Point Never
26. Country Westerns
    Country Westerns

Maggie Fremont: The Best TV Shows of 2020, as published by Shondaland

[see also 2010s • 2019]

• The Baby-Sitters Club
• Better Call Saul
• City So Real
• The Crown
• The Good Fight
• Dead to Me
• I May Destroy You
• Insecure
• The Last Dance
• Mrs. America
• Never Have I Ever
• The Queen's Gambit
• Schitt's Creek
• Unorthodox
• What We Do in the Shadows

LaToya Ferguson: The Best TV Shows of 2020, as published by ScreenCrush

[see also 2019 • 2018]

1. I May Destroy You
2. Better Call Saul
3. Ted Lasso
4. BoJack Horseman
5. Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet
6. Lovecraft Country
7. What We Do in the Shadows
8. Saved by the Bell
9. The Last Dance
10. A.P. Bio

Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

• Black Monday
• Brockmire
• Evil
• Feel Good
• The Great
• High Fidelity
• Hightown
• P-Valley
• PEN15
• The Queen's Gambit
• Ramy
• Search Party
• Teenage Bounty Hunters
• Unorthodox

David Fear: The 20 Best Movies of 2020, as published by Rolling Stone

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2018 • 2017 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Collective
   Alexander Nanau
2. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
3. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
4. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
5. Bacurau
   Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
6. Time
   Garrett Bradley
7. Minari
   Lee Isaac Chung
8. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
9. Martin Eden
   Pietro Marcello
10. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
11. Tigertail
    Alan Yang
12. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
13. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
14. Night of the Kings
    Philippe Lacôte
15. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
16. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
17. Boys State
    Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
18. La Llorona
    Jayro Bustamante
19. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
20. Mank
    David Fincher

This list contributes to:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2020

K. Austin Collins: Top 20 Movies of 2020, as published by Rolling Stone

[see also 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
1. Time
   Garrett Bradley
2. Vitalina Varela
   Pedro Costa
3. Fire Will Come
   Oliver Laxe
4. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
5. Small Axe: Red, White and Blue
   Steve McQueen
6. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
7. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
8. Fourteen
   Dan Sallitt
9. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
10. Residue
    Merawi Gerima
11. Tesla
    Michael Almereyda
12. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
13. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson
14. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
15. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
15. I Was at Home, But
    Angela Schanelec
16. Ham on Rye
    Tyler Taormina
17. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
18. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
    Jason Woliner
18. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
19. Kajillionaire
    Miranda July
20. Mank
    David Fincher

honorable mentions

• Capone
  Josh Trank
• Collective
  Alexander Nanau
• Da 5 Bloods
  Spike Lee
• Gunda
  Viktor Kosakovskiy
• His House
  Remi Weekes
• La Llorona
  Jayro Bustamante
• Minari
  Lee Isaac Chung
• Nomadland
  Chloé Zhao
• Possessor
  Brandon Cronenberg
• The Wolf House
  Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña

The Wild Honey Pie: Top 30 Albums of 2020

[see also 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Punisher
   Phoebe Bridgers
2. Saint Cloud
   Waxahatchee
3. Free Love
   Sylvan Esso
4. The Neon Skyline
   Andy Shauf
5. Women in Music Pt. III
   Haim
6. Giver Taker
   Anjimile
7. The Baby
   Samia
8. Miss Anthropocene
   Grimes
9. Shore
   Fleet Foxes
10. The Caretaker
    Half Waif
11. The New Abnormal
    The Strokes
12. songs
    Adrianne Lenker
13. Breach
    Fenne Lily
14. Hold Space For Me
    orion sun
15. The Greatest Part
    Becca Mancari
16. Song for Our Daughter
    Laura Marling
17. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
    Perfume Genius
18. Likewise
    Frances Quinlan
19. Beginners
    Christian Lee Hutson
20. Folklore
    Taylor Swift
21. acts of rebellion
    ela minus
22. Grand Plan
    Dan Croll
23. Making a Door Less Open
    Car Seat Headrest
24. Miss Colombia
    Lido Pimienta
25. Fetch the Bolt Cutters
    Fiona Apple
26. Hey u x
    Benee
27. Ricky Music
    Porches
28. I'm Your Empress Of
    Empress Of
29. how I'm feeling now
    Charli XCX
30. Point The Flashlight and Walk
    Told Slant

Alan Sepinwall: The 20 Best TV Shows of 2020, as published by Rolling Stone

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Better Call Saul
2. Lovecraft Country
3. Brockmire
4. I May Destroy You
5. The Good Lord Bird
6. Normal People
7. What We Do in the Shadows
8. We Are Who We Are
9. How To with John Wilson
10. PEN15
11. Bluey
12. Better Things
13. My Brilliant Friend
14. Dave
15. The Great
16. BoJack Horseman
17. High Fidelity
18. Ramy
19. The Plot Against America
20. Grand Army

Magnet Magazine: Top 25 Albums of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. The New Abnormal
   The Strokes
2. Every Bad
   Porridge Radio
3. Surrender Your Poppy Field
   Guided By Voices
3. Mirrored Aztec
   Guided By Voices
3. Styles We Paid For
   Guided By Voices
4. songs
   Adrianne Lenker
4. instrumentals
   Adrianne Lenker
5. Suite for Max Brown
   Jeff Parker
6. The Unraveling
   Drive-By Truckers
6. The New OK
   Drive-By Truckers
7. Temple
   Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
8. American Head
   The Flaming Lips
9. Daughter
   Lydia Loveless
10. Jump Rope Gazers
    The Beths
11. Twelfth
    Old 97’s
12. Karma & Desire
    Actress
13. Total Freedom
    Kathleen Edwards
14. Microphones in 2020
    The Microphones
15. Untitled (Black Is)
    Sault
15. Untitled (Rise)
    Sault
16. Never Not Together
    Nada Surf
17. Chaos Wonderland
    Colorama
18. Old Flowers
    Courtney Marie Andrews
19. A Hero's Death
    Fontaines D.C.
20. Nobody Lives Here Anymore
    Cut Worms
21. To Love Is to Live
    Jehnny Beth
22. Songs for Pierre Chuvin
    The Mountain Goats
22. Getting Into Knives
    The Mountain Goats
23. Gold Record
    Bill Callahan
24. Moon Shot
    The Lees Of Memory
25. Sideways to New Italy
    Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

The Guardian: The 50 Best Albums of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Fetch the Bolt Cutters
   Fiona Apple
2. Future Nostalgia
   Dua Lipa
3. Sawayama
   Rina Sawayama
4. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
   Perfume Genius
5. Untitled (Black Is)
   Sault
6. Saint Cloud
   Waxahatchee
7. Women in Music Pt. III
   Haim
8. Big Conspiracy
   J Hus
9. Folklore
   Taylor Swift
10. Græ
    Moses Sumney
11. Róisín Machine
    Róisín Murphy
12. Ungodly Hour
    Chloe x Halle
13. Rough and Rowdy Ways
    Bob Dylan
14. What's Your Pleasure?
    Jessie Ware
15. A Written Testimony
    Jay Electronica
16. Punisher
    Phoebe Bridgers
17. A Hero's Death
    Fontaines D.C.
18. RTJ4
    Run the Jewels
19. Chromatica
    Lady Gaga
20. Miss Anthropocene
    Grimes
21. Heaven to a Tortured Mind
    Yves Tumor
22. Workaround
    Beatrice Dillon
23. Suddenly
    Caribou
24. Inner Song
    Kelly Lee Owens
25. Untitled (Rise)
    Sault
26. Gold Record
    Bill Callahan
27. Song for Our Daughter
    Laura Marling
28. It Is What It Is
    Thundercat
29. Circles
    Mac Miller
30. Shore
    Fleet Foxes
31. Heavy Light
    U.S. Girls
32. Forever, Ya Girl
    KeiyaA
33. how I'm feeling now
    Charli XCX
34. Alfredo
    Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
35. Working Men's Club
    Working Men's Club
36. Notes on a Conditional Form
    The 1975
37. Savage Mode II
    21 Savage & Metro Boomin
38. I Think I'm Good
    Kassa Overall
39. Suite for Max Brown
    Jeff Parker
40. Positions
    Ariana Grande
41. Karma & Desire
    Actress
42. DISCO
    Kylie Minogue
43. Made in Lagos
    Wizkid
44. All the Time
    Jessy Lanza
45. Rare
    Selena Gomez
46. Three
    The Necks
47. The Album
    Teyana Taylor
48. color theory
    Soccer Mommy
49. Have We Met
    Destroyer
50. Visions of Bodies Being Burned
    clipping.