The Top Niche TV Shows Fans Loved in 2020, According to Ranker

TV Fans Worldwide Voted the Best Sci-Fi, Animated, Reality, and Creepiest Shows of 2020

Ranker, known as the world’s leading publisher for fan-powered rankings on just about everything with over one billion votes, is announcing its top niche TV shows for 2020. The voting by TV fans everywhere provides deep, entertaining dives and niche perspectives into the many different genres of popular culture and beyond. 

While major titles like Netflix’s The Crown, HBO Max’s Westworld, Amazon Video’s The Boys, and others dominate the attention of streamers, there is still a large market for an audience filled with science fiction lovers, animated TV and comic book fanatics, reality TV junkies, and those who simply want to be scared out of their recliners. Whichever genre you prefer, Ranker harnesses the wisdom of the crowd and the opinions of millions of super fans to be far more relevant and predictive than the opinion of one blogger or critic

“At the very core, Ranker has the unique ability to reach audiences from almost every genre with millions of fans voting an average of 11 times per list,” said David Yon, General Manager of Ranker Insights. “Year after year, we take pleasure in offering deep, entertaining dives into niche perspectives and the many different nuances that weave through popular culture.”

Here’s what Ranker voters had to say:

2019’s selection of top science fiction series like Disney+’s The Mandalorian and Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy set new standards of innovation and awe leaving the best new sci-fi shows of 2020 a lot to live up to.

Top 5 New Sci-Fi TV Shows of 2020  Raised By Wolves  (HBO Max) Upload  (Amazon Video) Star Trek: Picard  (CBS All-Access) Brave New World  (Peacock) Snowpiercer  (TNT)

With the new decade of 2020 we’re well beyond the concept that cartoons are just “for kids.” There were dozens of new and returning animated series in 2020 that fell into every genre, offering animation for all.

Top 5 Best Animated TV Shows of 2020  Infinity Train  (Cartoon Network) Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts  (Netflix) Adventure Time: Distant Lands  (HBO Max) Hilda  (Netflix) The Owl House  (Disney Channel / Disney+)

The reality competition show seemed to be king in 2020. Most of which were shows such as old favorites The Masked Singer, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Hell’s Kitchen, and more. Our data indicates that The Great British Baking Show could be a top contender in 2021.

Top 5 Reality TV Shows in 2020  The Voice  (NBC / Peacock) The Masked Singer  (FOX) American Ninja Warrior  (NBC / Peacock) Love Island  (CBS) RuPaul’s Drag Race  (VH1)

What makes a horror show creepy has a lot to do with the level of suspense and outright shock that unfolds. These are the creepiest TV series in 2020, which were either new or continuing from a previous season.

Top 5 Creepiest TV Shows In 2020  Castle Rock  (Hulu) The Outsider  (HBO Max) The Haunting  (Netflix) Lovecraft Country  (HBO Max) American Horror Story  (FX)

This is just a sample size of the data-driven recommendations based on voting from over 35 million unique visitors per month on Ranker. From mainstream TV, to the incredible niche, Ranker keeps a finger on the pulse of millions of high-intent TV fans voting on lists featuring 13,000 TV shows – further proving Ranker’s continued dedication to exciting original content, curated by the public.

To find out more on all things 2020, please visit Ranker’s 2020 channel.