Given that we spent the majority of 2020 in lockdown, I had plenty of time to invest in doing, well…nothing except for binging Netflix, podcasts and gaming. I was certainly not the type to bake lots of banana bread or get super fit when we were all stuck at home (although I did get into running in the summer!).
I love sharing recommendations on things that really grip me, so here’s what I loved to indulge in last year.
TV – NETFLIX/AMAZON PRIME/NOWTV/DISNEY+
In 2020, I obviously spent a lot of time having duvet days on the sofa, watching TV and snacking.
The Boys | NOWTV | This show gripped me from episode one! The Boys takes the usual superhero trope and turns it entirely on its head: superheroes are more celebrity figures than heroes, with fights being planned ahead of time so that everything is filmed and goes viral on social media. These corrupt – for the most part – ‘heroes’ constantly abuse their powers. From the other side, you have ‘the boys’, misfits and vigilantes who aim to bring down the famous Seven of superheroes. This show – based on a comic book – is raw, gory, thought-provoking and very witty. Karl Urban is the star of the show as the rugged and constantly swearing Butcher.
The Wilds | Amazon Prime | I binged The Wilds towards the end of 2020 and although it wasn’t my favourite show of all time, it kept me gripped throughout. Following the story of a group of teenage girls stranded on a desert island, it explores the themes of the insecurities that come along with being a teenage girl. I loved the way it explored Leah’s emotions following the break-up of an intense relationship – the show is set up to make it seem like she was being dramatic and almost psycho with the way she dealt with her feelings: but doesn’t everything feel like the end of the world when a relationship ends as a teenager? The acting in this show is phenomenal, but of course, trying to survive on a desert island is only the half of it, as very early on it’s revealed that they didn’t just survive a plane crash – in fact these teenage girls are on the island as part of a social experiment.
The Mandalorian | Disney+ | Whether you’re a fan of Star Wars or not, I urge you to try and resist watching this show once you lay eyes on baby Yoda. I enjoy Star Wars, but it’s not my favourite. I started watching this show purely because my boyfriend wanted to and I absolutely loved baby Yoda (a cute baby alien, basically). It didn’t take me long to get drawn in by the different adventures The Mandalorian and baby Yoda go on. And you don’t need to understand Star Wars to enjoy this: it’s a standalone story.
Upload | NOWTV | Upload is a quirky story about a digital afterlife – when humans die, they can choose a digital afterlife to be uploaded to where they live on. The afterlives vary from the expensive and lavish to the cheap and simple – and if you run out of money/credit, you stop simply stop working. The series follows Nathan who gets uploaded to the plush Lake View, with his digital afterlife paid for by his girlfriend Ingrid – who he was about to break up with before he died – as he tries to settle in and realizes there may be more to meet the eye to his premature death. It’s witty and actually easy watching, despite the sombre subject of death.
Buzzfeed Unsolved | YouTube | I can’t believe I never watched Buzzfeed Unsolved until late last year. It simply came up in our YouTube recommendations on a lazy Sunday afternoon and I instantly became hooked. I was really excited when the first episode I watched was 3 Horrifying Cases Of Ghosts And Demons, which almost seemed like fate, as the three places they visit absolutely fascinate me. The Winchester Mystery House, which I’ve wanted to visit probably for my entire life and inspired me to write my spooky American road trip post, the Island of Dolls in Mexico, which I’ve wanted to visit as long as I can remember and first inspired me to go to Mexico and Sallie House, which I’d never heard about until a week before seeing this episode, when I heard about it on a podcast and instantly became obsessed. So I absolutely fell in love with Buzzfeed Unsolved that day – there’s so much to watch – and I’ve even roped my boyfriend into watching it. Even if he watches it for the comedic factor as he doesn’t believe in the paranormal but finds Shane hilarious and relates to him so much. I am definitely Ryan, obvs.
GAMES
World of Warcraft | World of Warcraft is a game I used to hear a lot about but never simply got into because a) I thought it was only for geeks and b) I simply didn’t know how to get into it…despite getting the impression I’d probably actually really enjoy it if I gave it a chance. Once I found out it could be played as easily as a simple download to my laptop – and hearing my boyfriend’s experiences with the game – I finally decided to give it a go and, spoiler alert: loved it. Living in 2020 made it near impossible to travel, but thanks to Wow, I had the opportunity to travel (virtually!) to a number of different unique places, all very pretty and all totally fun to explore. In fact, I loved exploring so much that I even gave myself the New Year’s Resolution of achieving the Universal Explorer tag in game, which basically can be obtained by visiting every place in game. And there are a lot of places to visit. You can see my progress so far here, and expect some lighthearted content about the game in the near future here on this blog.
Stardew Valley | What can be said about this game that I haven’t already shared? I absolutely adore this cutesy, easy playing role-playing game, which quickly filled the Animal Crossing shaped hole in my heart. The premise is this: your Grandpa passes away and you travel to Stardew Valley to take over his farm. The game passes through four different seasons each year as you grow crops, take part in community events, forge friendships with other residents of Pelican Town and more. The open-ended game has a plethora of things to do: or you can simply take a break from everyday life and enjoy the repetitive process of farming to a beautiful backdrop on a rainy day. The game does wonders for players’ mental health and was an absolute godsend to me during lockdown. I’ve racked up around 186 hours in-game and still haven’t run out of things to do/discover.
Graveyard Keeper | Graveyard Keeper is kind of the darker and more oddball version of Stardew Valley, thought it’s much harder. And hilarious! In this game, you run a medieval cemetery (instead of a farm), and have to butcher and bury bodies, learn sermons to give in church and go on little adventures. I haven’t done a great job of explaining it here, but if you like games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing – but weird stuff too – you’ll love Graveyard Keeper.
Read more: 5 fun video games for couples to play together
BOOKS
I set myself the aim of reading 20 books in 2020, which unfortunately I failed spectacularly at, even though I joined a book club! I’ve set myself the Goodreads 2021 Reading Challenge again for next year, but here’s what books I read and enjoyed last year.
One Day in December by Josie Silver | I thought this book was really sweet and it was a nice seasonal read to indulge in over Christmas. It’s a ten-year story following the meeting of Laurie and Jack, who’s eyes meet through a bus window, just like fate. Although Laurie believes he is the one, she never finds him again (despite searching for a year) – at least until he’s introduced to her – as her best friend’s new boyfriend. This book definitely kept me turning the pages and I found it hard to put down. It was, essentially just chick-lit, but that’s all you need sometimes! Oh, and it’s probably one of my favourite ever book covers for a romance book, with the beautiful red and gold detail. So classy.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary | I had mixed thoughts about this book. I’d heard good things about it and thought the storyline was very innovative – as well as the fact that each chapter was from the perspective of the two main characters in turn – but I felt it was corny and unbelievable in parts. It was still a gripping read though, and a nice bit of fantasy to indulge in over lockdown.
Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace| Charlotte Street was probably my favourite read of 2020 – a modern love story set within London and told from the point of view of the male main character. I found it quite refreshing to read a male’s point of view of falling hopelessly in love and getting all worked up over a girl, whereas on the outside, most men try to play it pretty cool. It also featured many of my favourite places in London too.
In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk | I adore Lindsey Kelk’s writing, and In Case You Missed It was no exception. It follows Ros, who returns home after three years away to find life has changed entirely without her: friends are settled down, no one wants to go out dancing anymore etc. As usual, the main character was very relatable and likeable and this book had me gripped. Out of all the books Lindsey has released that aren’t under the ‘I Heart’ series, I think In Case You Missed It is probably one of my favourites.
MOVIES
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga made my year last year! I didn’t watch any other new movies (at least none worth writing about, if I can’t remember them!), but I just had to mention this. Despite not even being a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, I loved this film so much. I loved the humour, I loved the drama, I love the warmth of it all. Dan Stevens character is also hilarious. This film both made me cry with emotion and cry with laughter. It was definitely the ultimate film of 2020.
PODCASTS
My Favourite Murder | I’m sure you all know what MFM is about, but I enjoy the relationship between the hosts Georgia and Karen and there no holds barred chat about the struggles of life. It’s like listening to two of your best friends – only, they also talk about murder too.
Supernatural | I loved Supernatural by Ashley Flowers as the subjects she talks about, although mostly supernatural, are all varied between mysteries, hauntings and even aliens. It means each episode is different from the last and is a refreshing break from just true crime.
Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald | With being such a huge fan of Scrubs, it was no surprise I’d love this podcast based on the show and presented by the actors who play JD & Turk. Although I’m only a few episodes in so far, I love hearing behind the scenes gossip from a show that has long finished and that I miss so much.
My Dad Wrote A Porno | Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. That’s all I have to say about this podcast!
So that’s what I enjoyed in 2020: all the things I found time to indulge in. This year, as things eventually return back to normal, I want to remember to take the time to enjoy these things still. It’s easy to come home from a long day at work and want to aimlessly scroll through your phone or watch TV – but I’m making it my mission to take time for the above things, even if it’s just one new podcast episode a week.
I hope some of these recommendations will help you find some entertainment you like and some ways you can switch off and enjoy a break.
What entertainment did you love in 2020? Let me know!
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