2020 has seen oh-so many moods and moments. Although it’s been tough, in many ways there’s a universal feeling that we’ve all been through a lot together.
The end of the year is a great time to take a moment of reflection, and Netflix has compiled the most popular movies and TV shows of 2020, as well as some trends on what Aussies watched on Netflix this year. This year, Australians turned to female-led stories, iconic characters and worlds, and a heavy dose of romance.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular titles across genres in 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
Here’s some key 2020 trends for Australia:
Trend #1: Aussies share a love for local
The year has seen Aussies seek to #supportlocal in many different ways, and one of them was supporting local talent. Aunty Donna might have won over the world, but locally, Aussies revelled in the madness as Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun spent almost two weeks in the top ten in Australia. Aussie shows including Stateless, Love on The Spectrum and The New Legends of Monkey also found audiences and hit the most popular lists around the world on Netflix.
Trend #2: But we also love cross-cultural content
Aussies also enjoyed discovering great stories from other parts of the world, as non-English content saw an over 60% YOY increase in viewing hours compared to 2019, driven by titles like The Platform (Spain), Barbarians (Germany), and Money Heist (Spain).
Trend #3: Travel restrictions didn’t stop Aussies from “travelling”
While travel came to a halt for most part of the year, Aussies turned to armchair travel and escapism through stories, settings and characters as Emily in Paris and Dash & Lily hit the most popular lists.
Trend #4: There was a new wave of nostalgia
Not only were people letting their minds travel to different corners of the world, but time periods, too. Cobra Kai , The Queen’s Gambit, and The Umbrella Academy helped Aussies escape to different times.
Trend #5: Anime was loved across Australia and the world
In 2020, the love for anime got stronger. In nearly all Netflix countries around the world, there was a spike in viewing of anime in 2020 compared to 2019: In Australia, viewing time of anime titles on Netflix more than doubled.
Trend #6: Our love affair with K-Drama continued
The K-Wave is here to stay. Aussies cannot get enough of Korean content, as viewing hours doubled YOY in Australia compared to 2019, led by Kingdom S2, The King: Eternal Monarch, and it’s Okay to Not Be Okay.