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20 Shows That Can Help You Live Your Best Life in 2020
How to totally revamp your life...watching a whole bunch of TV!
Each new year offers an opportunity to be a little better than we were last year, but 2020 is especially significant for resolution-making. The number itself says it all -- this is the year for sharpening our vision -- and it's the start of a new decade, giving us all even more motivation to get things right and tight. But resolutions for 2020 need not come from fitness coaches and money gurus: you can actually get quite a bit of new year "inspo" from TV.
That's right, some of the best shows of 2020 have awe-inspiring heroes or important messages at the heart, such as the ever-aspirational RuPaul in AJ and the Queen, or The CW's Katy Keene, about an aspiring fashion designer determined to make it in the big city. The mere thought of overhauling your finances, cluttered space, and dietary habits is totally overwhelming, and though you very well can do it all, maybe you can ease into this whole new you by balancing all that work with some appointment TV viewing. Here are 20 shows coming in 2020 that might help you plot those goals, and maybe even reach them. Chilling out and watching TV totally counts as self-care, right?
1. Stand up for what you believe in like Picard on Star Trek: Picard (Jan. 23 on CBS All Access)
Star Trek: Picard details what happened in the 15 years since Picard left Starfleet, and executive producer Alex Kurtzman says the CBS All Access series will see Picard stand up and do some soul-searching. Hey, it's never too late, right?
Mehdi Dehbi, Messiah
Hiba Judeh/NetflixEverything We Know About Star Trek: Picard
2. Gain a whole bunch of followers like the hero of Messiah (Jan. 1, Netflix)
A man in the present-day Middle East claims to be a divine ruler and starts performing miracles, drawing the scrutiny of some very powerful (and dangerous) people. The 10-episode series may or may not reveal if he's really the chosen one, but either way, watching this might inspire some strategies for increasing your online army.
RuPaul, AJ and the Queen
Saeed Adyani/Netflix3. Take a young person under your wing like RuPaul does on AJ and the Queen (Jan. 10 on Netflix)
Mama Ru RuPaul stars inAJ and the Queen, a scripted comedy created with Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, 2 Broke Girls) that has the Drag Race phenomenon playing a down-on-her-luck drag queen who discovers an 11-year-old stowaway in the RV she's driving across the country. It'll have heart, it'll have sassy advice, and it'll have an uplifting message about stepping up to support people who need you.
4. Have a LOT of sex like the people of Normal People (Spring, Hulu)
Hulu's adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling novel tracks Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) as they start a heady romance. Troubles follow, but they navigate them with aplomb...and lots of boning. LOTS.
5. Take on a new role like Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (August 2020, Disney+)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finds Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprising their fan-favorite roles as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, respectively, with both characters navigating the events after Avengers: Endgame. How will Sam fare with the Captain America shield, and how will Bucky deal with coming back from being Thanos-snapped? If they can figure that out, surely you can figure out how to overhaul your life too.
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6. Chase adventure like Ruby on Phoebe Waller-Bridge's show Run (TBD, HBO)
TV's It-Girl of the moment Phoebe Waller-Bridge has a new show in HBO titled Run, about a young woman, Ruby Dixie (Merritt Wever), who lives a humdrum life until she accepts a dare from a former flame to chase the dreams they talked about as youths. Given how Phoebe Waller-Bridge's characters in Fleabag and Killing Eve do whatever the hell they want until it hurts, expect Dixie to inspire some bold, out-of-the-box thinking.
Ashleigh Murray, Lucy Hale, Katy Keene
Barbara Nitke/The CW7. Follow your big, wild career dreams like the kids of Katy Keene (Feb. 6, The CW)
This Riverdale spinoff has Katy Keene (Lucy Hale) breaking her way into the New York City fashion world and giving us squad goals with her roommates, including musician Josie (Ashleigh Murray). Get your life, and get motivated!
8. Reexamine your romantic mistakes like Rob on High Fidelity (Feb. 14 on Hulu)
When cool-kid queen Zoë Kravitz steps into the role made immortal by John Cusack in the film adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, she won't change the character too much, other than the obvious gender flip. In the Hulu series, the character lives in Brooklyn, and she's a general pop culture junkie instead of being totally immersed in music, but the most important element -- she's looking back on her Top 5 heartbreaks -- remains intact. Maybe Rob 2.0 can get you to survey what went wrong with old flames too, allowing you to move forward a little more enlightened.
9. Fight for your family like Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington on Little Fires Everywhere (March 18 on Hulu)Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington star in and executive produceLittle Fires Everywhere, based on Celeste Ng's 2017 best-selling novel about two families in an Ohio suburb whose lives become entwined and upended by arson, the adoption of an Asian-American baby, and many deeply held secrets. The series,, addresses racial and socioeconomic fault lines in America, as well the fear parents have of losing their children, meaning Witherspoon and Washington are about to light up the screen while showing us what it takes to really stand up for your clan.
10. Brush up on your survival skills by watching Snowpiercer (Spring, TNT)
Snowpiercer takes place on a train that's 1,001 cars long -- 10 miles -- where the underprivileged dwell in the back and get their protein by eating bars made of bugs (yum!), among other survival techniques. Surely that'll motivate you to make sure you've got fresh granola bars in your disaster kit!
11. Take your career into your capable hands like the young adults on Twenties (early 2020 on BET)
Lena Waithe's new series for BET Twenties follows Hattie (Jonica T. Gibbs), a queer black woman, and her friends' journey as they look to level up in L.A. Hattie is a broke, aspiring TV writer in the eight-part story, but with cameos from legends like Vanessa Williams and Jenifer Lewis, Hattie will no doubt be rubbing shoulders with the best -- and she'll show us how to seize the moment in the process.
12. Make boss moves like...whoever makes it to Power Book II (TBD, Starz)
Power, the groundbreaking crime drama on Starz, comes to an end this spring, but its spin-off,Power Book II: Ghostpicks up just hours after the events of the finale -- and has Mary J. Blige as one of the lead characters. Details on how exactly "Ms. No More Drama" herself fits in the Power universe are scant, but it's hard to imagine she'll be anything but the fierce queen she is in real life. If Ghost really is dead, and budding drug boss Tasha (Naturi Naughton) makes it to the finale, chances are she'll become a major player in the game, with Mary's character a friend or foe. Whoever runs the city, best believe they'll be a master class in making big boss moves.
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13. Learn how to leverage juicy family secrets like brood on Bridgerton (TBD, Netflix)
Bridgertoncomes from mega-producer Shonda Rhimes, who's now creating a galaxy of content for Netflix. This story, an adaptation of the romance novels by author Julia Quinn, is set inEngland's early 1800s Regency period and follows a family of eight people who maneuver and manipulate intel on each other. Watch closely for tips on keeping your own siblings in check.
14. Be great for your family like Awkwafina on Awkwafina is Nora from Queens (Jan. 22 on Comedy Central)
Rising star Awkwafina leads her very own show Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, a Comedy Central tale about a 20-something slacker who lives with her dad and potty-mouthed grandmother. Lots of laughs and love ensue.
15. Reconnect with your old friends like on the Lizzie McGuire revival (TBD, Disney+.)
Lizzie McGuire is returning and reconnecting with friends we haven't seen in ages. Will things be awkward or smooth sailing? Let Lizzie light the way!
16. Tap into your dark side like Sarah Paulson on Ratched (TBD, Netflix)
This upcoming Netflix series asks the crazy question only the demented genius mind of Ryan Murphy would dare ask: how did Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest come to be one of the most infamous villains of all time? Knowing Murphy's ability to make viewers empathize with the misunderstood, we'll likely see Ratched (played by Sarah Paulson) pushed past any reasonable person's breaking point and come to hail her as a hero for all of us who've had enough.
17. Keep a song in your heart, like the lead on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (Jan. 7, NBC)
In the whimsical romp Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Zoey (Jane Levy) develops psychic abilities after a mishap and can now read people's thoughts -- as songs and musical numbers. That'll teach you to lighten up a bit, huh?
18. Focus on your total wellness like the poor souls on Nine Perfect Strangers (TBD, Hulu)
Nicole Kidman reunites with the team behind Big Little Liesto play Masha, a boutique health-and-wellness resort director who's on a mission to help nine strangers participating in a 10-day retreat. Unfortunately for them, these nine "perfect" strangers have no idea what is about to hit them, but surely their deep breathing or juice cleansing or whatever will inspire you to squeeze in some R&R when and wherever you can.
Rob Lowe, 9-1-1: Lone Star
Miller Mobley / FOX19. Learn what it takes to be a hero like Rob Lowe or Liv Tyler on 9-1-1 Lone Star (premieres Sunday, Jan. 19 on Fox after the NFC Championship Game, then moves to Mondays at 9/8c).
Rob Lowe and Liv Tyler expand the 9-1-1world with 9-1-1: Lone Star, set in Austin, Texas. Lowe plays Owen, a New York City firefighter who relocates to Austin, and Tyler is chief paramedic Michelle Blake, so there's gonna so much life-savin' between them, you might be able to draw an instructional poster if you watch enough.
20. Keep an iron grip on your empire like Margaret Monreaux on Filthy Rich (TBD, Fox)
Kim Cattrall stars in Fox's Southern Gothic comedy about a suddenly widowed woman whose late husband's Christian television empire makes her very wealthy. One wrinkle though: She soon finds out her husband has three kids she knew nothing about, and they're quite intent on getting a piece of their dad's fortune. How will she keep the little crumb-snatchers in check? Get your notebook ready.
(Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.)