“It may be hard to believe now, but at the beginning of the year, the most interesting development happening on TV was Netflix’s pivot to trashy reality shows.

“America fell head over heels for guilty pleasure series like Love Is Blind, The Circle, and Too Hot for TV, with no idea about the plot twist that reality had planned for us all just around the bend.

“In the months since — which have seen unprecedented departures, such as late-night talk shows filming over Zoom — a lot of amazing new series premiered. End of the year lists are chockablock with dazzling new shows such as I May Destroy You, Ted Lasso, P-Valley, Mrs. America, and How To with John Wilson, all of which are well worth seeking out.

“What’s more notable about the year in television, though, is the changes in how we watched TV in 2020. It turns out that if you barely leave your house for months on end, and are paralyzed with fear all the time but still trying to work, it affects your viewing habits.”

Source: Joe Berkowitz, Fast Company

AT A GLANCE:

Writing for Fast Company, Joe Berkowitz notes some of the more notable changes in television viewing habits in the U.S. over the course of the ongoing COVID pandemic, including binge-watching entire networks, saying no to sub-par content, completing older beloved series, watching shows on Instagram and other non-traditional viewing platforms, exploring tools like Zoom to create new ways to watch content with others, and cycling more quickly through what Berkowitz calls “monoculture” content, shows that dominated cultural conversations such as Netflix’s Tiger King and The Queen’s Gambit.

Head over to Fast Company to read the full story.