Netflix reveals the most popular movies and shows of 2020 in Australia

How would we have gotten through the year if not for Tiger King and The Queen's Gambit?

Georgia Dixon
Dec 11, 2020
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Well folks, we've done it. We're finally at the tail-end of the weirdest, most challenging and most sourdough starter-filled year in living memory. And, as we get closer to a worldwide vaccine rollout, the pressure is starting to lift and we can look back on 2020 with somewhat unclouded eyes, and realise that we owe the streaming services of the world a big ol' pat on the back for helping us forget - if only for a couple of hours.

To take us on a little journey down memory lane, the country's biggest streaming giant has rounded up all the most popular movies and shows on Netflix Australia from 2020 across nine genres - and yes, Tiger King is most certainly there.

Top movies and TV shows on Netflix Australia in 2020

Action

  • Movie: Extraction
  • TV Series: Cobra Kai

Comedy

  • Movie: Holidate
  • TV Series: Emily in Paris

Docos

  • Movie: American Murder: The Family Next Door
  • TV Series: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

Drama

  • Movie: Enola Holmes
  • TV Series: The Queen's Gambit

Horror

  • Movie: It: Chapter Two
  • TV Series: The Haunting of Bly Manor

Kids

  • Movie: Pokémon Detective Pikachu
  • TV Series: Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous S1

Reality

  • TV Series: Too Hot to Handle

Romance

  • Movie: The Kissing Booth 2
  • TV Series: Dash & Lily

Thrillers

  • Movie: Spenser Confidential
  • TV Series: The Sinner: Jamie

The team at Netflix Australia also identified a few noticeable trends in our viewing habits this year. Apparently, we loved our local content, with series like Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun and Love on the Spectrum getting plenty of love, but we also branched out into foreign-language titles with a 60 per cent increase in viewing time from last year.

Even though we couldn't travel ourselves, Aussies lived vicariously through the globetrotting adventures of Emily in Paris and Dash & Lily, which provided us with a little escapism from the 2020-ness of it all. And it wasn't just different countries we were enamoured with - the popularity of Cobra KaiThe Queen's Gambit and The Umbrella Academy proved we also enjoyed a brief trip back to simpler times.

Our love of anime and Korean drama also got a massive boost this year, with viewing time for both categories more than doubling from last year.

Georgia Dixon
Written by
Georgia Dixon
Georgia Dixon has over seven years' experience writing about all things tech, entertainment and lifestyle, with bylines in TechLife magazine, 7NEWS and Stuff.co.nz. In her spare time, you'll find her playing games and daydreaming about good food, wine, and dogs.

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