Giving Thanks for TV Blessings in 2020

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It's time to discover the silver lining to 2020.

Today, we celeberate our blessings at home, so we're doing the same about our passion -- telelevision!

Join us in giving thanks for the things that have kept smile on our faces during this difficult year.

Surprisingly, we're thankful for the number of streaming services.

Just last year, it seemed like we'd be inundated with too many choices and extra costs, but when broadcast shut down and movie theaters closed, we were grateful to have vast libraries of entertainment available for less than a visit to the movies.

Who knew??

Harder Than Expected

We're thankful that Modern Family has finally ended.

The series had a great run but it makes little sense to keep these families going when the kids are all grown-up and have artificially been close to home for so long.

Besides, the immensely talented cast can now commit themselves to new opportunities.

Man of the Hour - Brockmire

We're thankful for Brockmire's happy ending as the IFC series concluded this year after four seasons.

Few TV characters have seemed as hopeless as alcoholic TV announcer Jim Brockmire.

His never-ending cycle of shame and self-sabotage has been entertaining, but the fact that he convincingly turned his life around step-by-step has been surprising, inspiring, and a little tear welling.

Happily Ever After - Supernatural Season 15 Episode 20

We're thankful that Dean and Sam found peace on the series finale of Supernatural, even if they found it at different times.

It would have been easy for the series to go out on a much darker note, but the Winchester brothers spending eternity with their family was a more optimistic end than we had ever hoped.

With Castiel rescued from the empty and free to roam heaven with Dean, and Jack righting all the wrongs of the afterlife, there was a lot to be thankful for. After fifteen years on the air, we're simply happy these characters can finally lay their weary heads to rest.

American Pie  - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

We’re thankful that NBC gave Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist a chance to shine. It was the surprise musical dramedy we didn’t know we needed to help survive 2020.

It’s a rom-com, a family drama, and a quirky musical all wrapped up in one gloriously optimistic package.

We laughed, cried, loved, grieved, and sang and danced our way through season one and we are even more grateful that the show will return in January 2021!

Daisy and Sousa - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 13

We’re thankful for a beautiful end to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It’s a rare occurrence nowadays for a show to serve up a happy ending for all of its main characters, especially on superhero series.

And to take its faithful audience on one final journey that stayed true to the core message of the show is more than we could ever ask for.

Plus, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 kept us entertained during a quarantined summer when TV options were bleak. Now, how about a Quake spin-off?

Without Training Wheels - Young Sheldon

We're thankful that Young Sheldon takes place long before COVID so that we can get a break from reality while spending time with the Cooper family.

Sheldon's odd behavior combined with the usual childhood concerns are genuinely funny and reminds us that the world used to be different and maybe will be again someday.

Atwater versus the police - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 2

We're thankful for Kevin Atwater's very existence on Chicago PD.

As one of the best characters of the Chicago franchise, he has revitalized the series with a strong, compelling storyline that is one of the show's best to date.

He's proven to be the show's moral compass, and during a time when police procedurals have had to adapt to a more conscious climate, Chicago PD has risen to the occasion in large part because of Kevin Atwater and LaRoyce Hawkins' impressive performance.

We're thankful for Lifetime and Hallmark kickstarting their Christmas movies early.

When the world is bleak during these unprecedented times, it's nice to escape into small towns filled with love, community, and holiday cheer.

We're also grateful for the measures both networks are taking to create more inclusive content for many demographics to enjoy.

We're thankful for coming of age/tween series such as The Babysitter's Club and Julie and the Phantoms that have raised the bar, not just for younger-skewed shows, but all series.

Also, the Julie and the Phantom soundtrack.

We're really grateful for that.

Piercing - Tall  - Prodigal Son Season 1 Episode 14

We're grateful for quirky, unique, genre-bending shows like Prodigal Son that can't be boxed in and gives you a little bit of everything.

From the dark humor, to the thrills, a great cast, and an intriguing lead, every episode is a blast.

Also, we're eternally grateful for Michael Sheen playing the most lovable cardigan-wearing serial-killer dad on the air.

We're thankful for amazing literary adaptations like His Dark Materials. and The Queen's Gambit.

They have breathed life into the words from the page, spinning narratives and fleshing out characters in beautiful, poignant, and enchanting ways.

We're thankful for the power of nostalgia and the geniuses behind Cobra Kai and the rebooted She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

They've successfully reframed well-known characters into contemporary retellings that have empowered, enriched, and enthralled fans, both old and new.

We're thankful for 'ships! All the 'ships!

With such little original content over the past few months, it's given us time to re-watch some of our favorite shows from years past and check out some recent ones as well.

And we remembered how fun it is to fall in love with a ship and watch it ebb and flow throughout a series. From the often maligned Scandal ships (Olitz for the win) to ships that never were (we're looking at you, Bellarke).

To ships that may be starting to set sail (we see you, Malex) and the all-time ships that never go out of style (Pacey and Joey forever), it's been wonderful discovering and re-discovering some of the greatest television pairings out there.

A Small Party - This Is Us Season 5 Episode 2

We’re thankful for the Pearsons! Even though

This Is Us is addressing COVID and police brutality in a time when we would love escapism, we’re so glad to have the Pearsons back.

We’re thankful for Kevin and this bizarre engagement. We’re thankful for Randall finding a Black therapist in a stressful time for Black people.

We’re thankful for Kate and Toby finding a child to adopt. We’ll always be thankful for more Pearsons.

We're thankful for a couple non-holiday, non-sappy, non-stupid streaming movies like Run on Hulu starring Sarah Paulson (our favorite performance to date) and Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix co-starring Glenn Close (who was ROBBED of her The Wife Oscar and is brilliant in this with her realistic, fake, sagging low hangers and her crass mouth).

And a shout out to David Atkinson for his all-too-brief appearance as Ray in that one, and Amy Adams also does real nice work.

Man, we needed to see these ladies at their best again, and these performances are something to be grateful for, for sure.

A Tense Battle - Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 7

We're thankful for zombies!

AMC continues to take us to a post-apocalyptic world with its The Walking Dead franchise, and this seems to be the year Fear the Walking Dead managed to deliver a better season than its parent series.

After years of weak storytelling, FTWD is blossoming into one of the better shows on TV.

We're thankful for 2021, lingering on the horizon like a beacon of hope on the TV landscape.

After the return of broadcast programming for only a scant few weeks, we'll be in full swing in the new year on both broadcast and cable.

The Resident, the 9-1-1 franchise, Discovery of Witches, American Gods, The Rookie, Prodigal Son, Servant, Walker, Cobra Kai, Wandavision, Batwoman, Dickinson, All American, Riverdale, Nancy Drew, and Charmed all premiere in January, and we are so ready.

What about you?? Share what you're thankful for in the comments below. Happy Thanksgiving!

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