As per tradition, former president Barack Obama is joining us (and everyone else on the Internet) with year-end listicles recapping his favorite things from the last 12 months. Today, he’s shared his picks for the year’s best movies and television shows.
In introducing his list, Obama wrote, “Like everyone else, we were stuck inside a lot this year and with streaming further blurring the lines between theatrical movies and television features, I’ve expanded the list to include visual storytelling that I’ve enjoyed this year, regardless of format.”
On the film front, his picks include Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock (which also happened to be our favorite film of 2020), in addition to David Fincher’s Mank and Chadwick Boseman’s final film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. It seems like Obama also received early screeners for Nomadland and Pixar’s Soul, which have yet to officially receive a wide release, but still made his list.
In terms of TV, Obama thoroughly enjoyed The Queen’s Gambit (who didn’t?), season 5 of Better Call Saul, season 2 of The Boys, the final season of The Good Place, and ESPN’s Chicago Bulls documentary series The Last Dance.
In an interview with EW, Obama elaborated a bit on some of his TV picks (and also mentioned Watchmen as another show he enjoyed this year): “Better Call Saul, because of its great characters and examination of the dark side of the American dream. The Good Place — it’s a wise and sweet combination of goofy comedy and big philosophical questions. And Watchmen and The Boys, for how they turn superhero conventions on their heads to lay bare issues of race, capitalism, and the distorting effects of corporate power and mass media. Oh, and the NBA playoffs — because it’s hoops!”
You can find all of Obama’s favorite movies and TV shows of 2020 listed out below. He also recently shared a list of his favorite books, and we can expect a playlist of his favorite music to follow in the near future.
Like everyone else, we were stuck inside a lot this year, and with streaming further blurring the lines between theatrical movies and television features, I’ve expanded the list to include visual storytelling that I’ve enjoyed this year, regardless of format. pic.twitter.com/a8BS8jDkSs
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 18, 2020
