Thanks to our great writers, we were able to nominate ten series in fifteen categories. Naturally, you could also vote with your wildcard if the series you wanted wasn't part of the nominees.
Just like last year, it was pretty clear in some categories which series was going to end up on top. In other categories, it was quite close to the very end. This year, in some categories, the end results were ridiculously close. A wildcard ended up in the top 10, which is quite the feat!
These are the results of the MySeries of the year 2020 elections
More votes have been cast than last year, 29.579 times. 92.39% revealed that they watched series on the small screen, the least of us use a PC/desktop, 18.51%. Through television, most people use Netflix (85.02%). Apple TV+ is used the least (9.05%).
Let's start off with the best actress. We'll end with the best series.
Best actress of 2020
Last year, it was the first time we had this category. This year it received 1968 votes. The results are probably not a surprise. The lady who made chess exciting, Anya Taylor-Joy, managed to be on the number one spot from the start. Sometimes, Claire Danes started getting a bit closer, but that didn't last long. Her position at #1 was never in doubt.
Down below you can find the top 6 of the 'best actress' category of 2020:
1. Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon (The Queen's Gambit, Netflix) – 646 votes(33%)
2. Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison (Homeland, Showtime) 547 votes (28%)
3. Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher (The Crown, Netflix) – 349 votes (18%)
4. Christina Applegate as Jen Harding (Dead to Me, Netflix) – 251 votes (13%)
5. Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler (Better Call Saul, AMC) – 142 votes (7%)
6. Natasia Demetriou as Nadja (What We Do in the Shadows, FX) – 33 votes (2%)
Best actor of 2020
For the actors, it wasn't entirely clear who was going to win. The guys received fewer votes than the women, 1873 votes in total. Sometimes the difference was minimal and at other times it appeared as if Bob Odenkirk was going to beat Asa Butterfield. But in the final week, it became clear that Odenkirk would bite the dust against the 35-year younger Butterfield. David Tennant managed to do quite well as the wildcard and he ended up on the fifth spot alongside Matthew Rhys.
Down below you can find the top 6 of the 'best actor' category of 2020:
1. Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn (Sex Education, Netflix) - 445 votes (24%)
2. Bob Odenkirk as James ‘Jimmy’ McGill (Better Call Saul, AMC) – 419 votes (22%)
3. Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access) – 348 votes (19%)
4. Ricky Gervais as Tony (After Life, Netflix) – 249 votes (13%)
5. Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason (Perry Mason (2020), HBO) – 206 votes (11%)
5. David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen (Des, ITV) – 206 votes (11%)
Best non-English series of 2020
With this category, it was pretty clear who was going to win. Just like last year, the other international series didn't stand a chance against the brilliance of the Spanish Netflix series La Casa de Papel. Maybe this result just shows the most popular and not necessarily the best. In between the number three and four, the difference is only one vote. There are three wildcards that received the same number of votes.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'non-English' category of 2020 (1904 votes):
1. La Casa de Papel (Netflix) – 753 votes (40%)
2. Dark (Netflix) – 269 votes (14%)
3. Elite (Netflix) – 176 votes (9%)
4. The Rain (Netflix) – 174 votes (9%)
5. Barbaren (Netflix) – 172 votes (9%)
The wildcards with the most votes are Alarm for Cobra 11, Hjem til jul and Brot with 3 votes!
Most disappointing series of 2020
Taste is infallible, but one thing becomes incredibly clear in this category, people can be incredibly disappointed if a series doesn't live up to expectations. One thing was pretty clear, the fourth season of 13 Reasons Why did not need to happen.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'most disappointing' category of 2020 (1747 votes):
1. 13 Reasons Why (Netflix) – 378 votes (22%)
2. The 100 (The CW) – 224 votes (13%)
3. Ares (Netflix) – 189 votes (11%)
4. Cursed (2020) (Netflix) – 182 votes (10%)
5. The Walking Dead: World Beyond (AMC) – 179 votes (10%)
The wildcards with the most votes are La Casa de Papel, Westworld, 1000-lb Sisters, Batwoman, Andy niet te vermeijde, The Haunting and #blackAF with two votes!
Best ended series of 2020
After a week or two, it became clear that Homeland would most likely end up on top. The Showtime series has known lesser seasons, but the final season was one of the best and that paid off. The question who would end up at number four and five was something way more exciting. In the end, Arrow won over KLEM (Dutch series).
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best ended' category of 2020 (2091 votes):
1. Homeland (Showtime) – 453 votes (22%)
2.The 100 (The CW) – 307 votes (15%)
3. Modern Family (ABC) – 266 votes (13%)
4. Arrow (The CW) – 219 votes (11%)
5. KLEM (VARA) – 211 votes (10%)
The wildcard with the most votes is 13 Reasons Why with 7 votes!
Best animated series of 2020
Up until the very last, it was undecided. Was it going to be Rick and Morty or Star Wars: The Clone Wars. A couple of days before the final voting day, it became clear who was going to win. The noticeable thing in this category is that the wildcard Family Guy ended up on the 10th spot and that the nominated Dorohedoro ended up on the 18th spot.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best animated series' category of 2020 (1375 votes):
1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Disney Channel) – 316 votes (23%)
2. Rick and Morty (Adult Swim) – 311 votes (23%)
3. BoJack Horseman (Netflix) – 156 votes (11%)
4. Harley Quinn (DC Universe) – 115 votes (8%)
5. Castlevania (Netflix) – 102 votes (7%)
The wildcard with the most votes is Family Guy with 15 votes!
Best binge watch series of 2020
Binge watching is quite new, but it is definitely part of our viewing behaviour. For some, certain series may be quite easy to watch, but the other could find it difficult. And the other way around. It was clear that for most of you Homeland was easy to binge. And another thing.... one might expect miniseries to be the most prominent here, that isn't true at all.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best binge watch' category of 2020: (2057 votes):
1. Homeland (Showtime) – 404 votes (20%)
2. Emily in Paris (Netflix) – 314 votes (15%)
3. Sex Education (Netflix) – 260 votes (13%)
4. The Last Kingdom (Netflix) – 233 votes (11%)
5. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) – 195 votes (9%)
The wildcards with the most votes are Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit with 7 votes!
Best superhero series of 2020
It was quite exciting! Would Arrow or The Umbrella Academy win? Until the very last day, these two were neck and neck. With only a couple of votes between the two, The Umbrella Academy ended up on top. Next year, Arrow will not be on this list anymore. It was quite noticeable that only two wildcards were chosen here, Supergirl and Black Lightning.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best superhero' category of 2020 (1812 votes):
1. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) – 409 votes (23%)
2. Arrow (The CW) – 406 votes (22%)
3. The Boys (Amazon) – 329 votes (18%)
4. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) – 204 votes (11%)
5. The Flash (2014) (The CW) – 158 votes (9%)
The wildcard with the most votes is Supergirl with 13 votes!
Best science-fiction/fantasy series of 2020
These results aren't entirely surprising, although I personally expected that The Expanse would have a lot more votes as a wildcard. The Mandalorian from Disney+ is a true science fiction hit, although this may be in part due to Baby Yoda and the fact that the series is very nostalgic for both old and new Star Wars fans.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best science-fiction/fantasy' category of 2020 (1966 votes):
1. The Mandalorian (Disney+) – 475 votes (24%)
2. Outlander (Starz) – 336 votes (17%)
3. Westworld (HBO) – 232 votes (12%)
4. Supernatural (The CW) – 229 votes (12%)
5. Locke & Key (Netflix) – 215 votes (11%)
The wildcard with the most votes is The 100 with 13 votes!
Best crime series of 2020
Many will disagree with these results as some will be of the opinion that there are better crime series than La Casa de Papel. However, the Spanish crime series is unstoppable. The popularity of the series is so immense that even (escape)games have been released with the paper house as its theme. The series is big on merchandise. It has games, masks, suits and all kinds of other stuff. If you've got that in the back of your head, these results aren't all that strange. Although I do wonder when reading who became number two.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best crime' category of 2020 (2177 votes):
1. La Casa de Papel (Netflix) – 493 votes (23%)
2. The Blacklist (NBC) – 455 votes (21%)
3. Ozark (Netflix) – 340 votes (16%)
4. Undercover (VRT/Netflix) – 301 votes (14%)
5. Killing Eve (BBC America) – 196 votes (9%)
The wildcard with the most votes is Lucifer with 6 votes!
Best limited and anthology series of 2020
These results will definitely not come as a surprise. All of a sudden chess is exciting and sexy. And even though the competition wasn't bad, the other series just didn't stand a chance against The Queen's Gambit. The Sinner and The Haunting ended up on the 2nd and 3rd spot, respectively.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best mini and anthology' category of 2020 (1996 votes):
1. The Queen's Gambit (Netflix) – 695 votes (35%)
2. The Sinner (USA Network) – 376 votes (19%)
3. The Haunting (Netflix) – 221 votes (11%)
4. Fargo (FX) – 217 votes (11%)
5. Unorthodox (Netflix) – 182 votes (9%)
The wildcard with the most votes is Bridgerton with 9 votes!
Best Dutch series of 2020
Most votes count, that's pretty clear. Starting from the very first day, it was clear that Undercover didn't have any competition. At all. With these tremendous results - well over 1000 votes -, it is crystal clear that this series can rightfully call itself the best. And this all happened even though the viewers were disappointed in the second season. But apparently, it was still better than all the other nine series.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best Dutch' category of 2020 (1986 votes):
1. Undercover (VRT/Netflix) – 1060 votes (53%)
2. Meisje van plezier (Videoland) – 241 votes (12%)
3. De twaalf (Eén) – 142 votes (7%)
4. Hollands Hoop (BNN-VARA) – 132 votes (7%)
5. Baantjer het Begin (Videoland) – 95 votes (5%)
The wildcard with the most votes is KLEM with 17 votes!
Best comedy series of 2020
Comedy may be one of the most difficult categories there is. One joke could result in the other person laughing hysterically and someone else might not find it funny at all. Humour is rather personal. Nonetheless, it was pretty early on when it became clear that Sex Education would win. Even though Modern Family isn't far behind. I'm curious whether or not Young Sheldon will ever become as popular as The Big Bang Theory. For now, it doesn't appear to be that way.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best comedy' category of 2020 (2015 votes):
1. Sex Education (Netflix) – 464 votes (23%)
2. Modern Family (ABC) – 436 votes (22%)
3. After Life (Netflix) – 269 votes (13%)
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC) – 257 votes (13%)
5. Dead to Me (Netflix) – 176 votes (9%)
The wildcards with the most votes are Young Sheldon and Ted Lasso with 5 votes!
Beste Nieuwe serie van 2020
The question wasn't if this series was going to win, but in which category. That chess can be very exciting is something we learnt this year, thanks to The Queen's Gambit. The series has easily overpowered the other series in this category.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best new series' category of 2020 (2046 votes):
1.The Queen's Gambit (Netflix) – 783 votes (38%)
2. Locke & Key (Netflix) – 347 votes (17%)
3. Snowpiercer (TNT) – 203 votes (10%)
4. Ratched (Netflix) – 145 votes (7%)
5. The Outsider (2020) (HBO) – 115 votes (6%)
The wildcard with the most votes is Bridgerton with 17 votes!
Best Serie van 2020
The most exciting struggle was found here. One day, the grandmaster was at the number one spot and the other day, the bankrobbers were. There was even a time when the gang of El Profesor was going to lose against the intelligent grandmaster. But two days before the voting polls closed, it became clear that the paper house was going to end up on top.
Down below you can find the top 5 of the 'best series' category of 2020 (2566 votes):
1. La Casa de Papel (Netflix) – 443 votes (17%)
2. The Queen's Gambit (Netflix) – 434 votes (17%)
3. The Mandalorian (Disney+) – 371 votes (15%)
4. The Crown (Netflix) – 267 votes (10%)
5. Outlander (Starz) – 202 votes (8%)
The wildcard with the most votes is Vikings with 11 votes!
The complete results and statistics can be found when pressing the green button down below. Keep in mind, these are in Dutch.
Complete series of the year 2020 results
I would like to thank all writers for nominating the series and writing the beautiful columns. And I would also like to thank all MySeries readers for casting your votes and I hope to welcome you again during the Series of the Year election 2021. Starting from January 2021 till November 2021, you can vote on a series each month. This can be done through the MySeries of the year election polls.
With kind election regards,
Mandy
