Coffee Table News
Reality TV Shows and Docu-Series That You Have to Watch in 2020
2020 seems to be the year for “reality TV.”
While many staple franchises like The Bachelor, Catfish, and The Voice continue reigning supreme, Netflix and other streaming services are gaining momentum with their innovative and addictive offerings.
It seems like the only thing anyone has talked about lately has been Netflix’s Love Is Blind and The Circle.
If you’re a reality TV fan or just want to know what all the buzz is about, check out our list of reality TV shows that are addictive and necessary to watch in 2020.
Special shout-out to a few docu-series for making the list!
Love is Blind (Netflix)
Would you be able to marry someone you’ve never seen and only knew 40 days? Well, that’s essentially the basis of Netflix’s Love is Blind. The dating show is on a whole other level as contestants meet in pods without seeing each other, get engaged, and then meet and live together for 40 days before getting married. Is true love possible in such a short time? The series has seen so many reactions including people who think the show is ridiculous to those getting emotional at how it is an accurate description of our current dating climate. The trailer teases that “ethnicity, race, physical appearance,” none of it matters when it comes to true love. See the funniest tweets from the show right here!
The Circle (Netflix)
The Circle is described as Big Brother meets Catfish and questions the authenticity of the image people put out there. Is what we see on social media true? How can we tell? It’s an interesting social experiment of our time as a handful of strangers live in the same apartment building, but they never meet face-to-face as they interact only through a social app that allows them to portray themselves as whoever they want to be. Players then try to figure out who is lying, rate each other, and the lowest-rated ones get eliminated or blocked from the game. You can read our interview with The Circle’s Best Friend Bill now!
Love Island (iTV)
Getting inspiration from The Bachelor, Love Island finds singles arriving at a luxurious villa and completing tasks to stay standing and walk away with the grand prize.
Cheer isn’t a reality TV series, per se, but the docu-series has taken the world by storm and allows viewers to tap into the world of competitive cheerleading as it follows the nationally ranked 40-member Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team fro Texas as they prepare for a competition in Florida. Five individual members are profiled throughout the 6-episodes.
The Masked Singer
It’s a singing competition unlike you’ve ever seen before. Nick Cannon hosts, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke serve as judges in a show that finds celebrities from all walks of life dressing up in elaborate costumes to conceal their identity and singing. Everyone must guess based on the vocals and a few clues.
La Brea has officially been canceled by NBC.
The series is gearing up for a third and final season, which will also see fewer episodes.
The news was announced on November 20, and while it’s not what fans wanted to hear, NBC is at least giving fans closure.
The final six episodes will premiere on January 9, 2024. It will be a lead-in to the season’s final two episodes of the hit fall drama Found.
The first and second seasons consisted of 10 and 14 episodes, respectively. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes then forced NBC to release the actors from their contracts.
With six episodes to tie up loose ends, let’s hope that the storyline will be wrapped up in a sufficient way that answers any and all questions and leaves fans feeling satisfied.
Zyra Gorecki, who plays Izzy, shared the news on her Instagram, writing, “I’m truly so proud of the work everyone put into #LaBrea Season 3. It was an absolute joy to be a part of. Thank you guys for all of your support these past three years.”
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The cast also includes Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, Tonantzin Carmelo and Michelle Vergara Moore.
La Brea was NBC’s latest sci-fi series that transported audiences and some Los Angeles residents to 10K B.C. via a mysterious sinkhole. At the center of it is the Harris family, who are eventually reunited when it’s revealed that the patriarch Gavin (Macken) has deep connections to the prehistoric timeline.
As you await the third season, here’s a little season 2 finale refresher!
As Goosebumps wrapped up its first season on Disney+ on Nov. 17, things ended on quite a shocking cliffhanger, leading fans to question if a second season was in the works.
And it seems like season 1 is just the start as there are definitely plans to continue on with the series featuring the same cast, which includes Isa Briones, Ana Yi Puig, Zack Morris, Will Price, and Miles McKenna.
With the first chapter closed, a second chapter will explore the aftermath of Briones’ massive decision (you can read our review right here), but first, Disney+ needs to renew the season officially.
As of writing, Goosebumps has not been renewed for season 2, however, everything was created with the intention of there being additional episodes.
And naturally, since the series takes inspiration from the popular R.L. Stine novels, there’s the question of which books will be adapted next to explore the aftermath of Kanduu’s devious plan.
Disney released the first season ahead of Halloween, dropping the first five episodes all at once on October 13 before adopting a weekly release format, which kept up the intrigue.
Through the course of 10 episodes, fans created a special bond with the give teens trying to save their town of Port Lawrence from a tragedy that connected to their parent’s past and included their new high school teacher, Mr. Nathan Bratt played by Justin Long.
Once Disney renews the series and announces a premiere date (which can happen as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over), we’ll update this post accordingly!
Miss Universe, the global event of the year, will bring together over 90 delegates from all over the world who are competing for the prestigious crown and title.
The 72nd pageant will air on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, from 7 pm to 10 pm Central Time.
It will take place at the José Adolfo Pineda Arena in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Current Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel, from the United States, will crown a successor at the end of the event.
John Legend is set to perform, with plenty of A-list presenters taking the stage including Jeannine Mai, Maria Menounos, Olivia Culpo, Zuri Hall, and Grey’s Anatomy star Catriona Gray.
Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is where can you watch the show? Miss Universe 2023 will air live on the USA Network in the U.S., while those watching in Latin American countries can tune in via the simulcast on Telemundo Internacional.
It was also recently announced that you can watch through the Roku Channel.
Watching from the USA? Here’s how to tune in with @TheRokuChannel 📺
We are only 4 DAYS away from the 72nd MISS UNIVERSE Competition! Streaming for the United States from Roku at 7p CT on November 18th! pic.twitter.com/L2QpGi8VeL
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) November 14, 2023
Countries being represented include Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Poland, Venezuela, Colombia, the Philippines, Thailand, and many more. Pakistan will be making its debut with its first-ever representative nominated.
This year, there will be two transgender women represented from Portugal and the Netherlands, Marina Machete and Rikkie Kolle, respectively.
Throughout the past years, the Miss Universe pageant has been called on to increase diversity, inclusivity, and representation. This year, there will also be two married contestants with children after the rules were adjusted.
Per the Miss Universe website, which hails itself as the “greatest celebration of women,” the organization’s mission is to “create and provide a safe space for women to share their stories and drive impact personally, professionally, and philanthropically.”
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