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Fresh Air Weekend: The Best TV, Music And Movies Of 2020; Remembering Jazz Legends

(Clockwise from upper left) Eugene Levy in <em>Schitt's Creek,</em> Leslie Odom Jr. in <em>Hamilton,</em> Anya Taylor-Joy in <em>The Queen's Gambit,</em> Jurnee Smollett in <em>Lovecraft Country,</em> Sacha Baron Cohen in <em>Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, </em>and Kristen Bell in <em>The Good Place.</em>
Pop TV, Disney , Phil Bray/Netflix, Eli Joshua Ade /HBO, Amazon Studios, Colleen Hayes/NBC
(Clockwise from upper left) Eugene Levy in Schitt's Creek, Leslie Odom Jr. in Hamilton, Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit, Jurnee Smollett in Lovecraft Country, Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and Kristen Bell in The Good Place.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Best TV Of 2020: Great Shows Brought Us Together In A Difficult, Distanced Year: COVID-19 precautions kept us physically apart, but Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli says shows such as Schitt's Creek, Better Call Saul, Fargo and Lovecraft Country provided virtual connection.

A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism: The pandemic, along with unprecedented political and social upheaval, created a year in which listeners sought to be transported. Enter these 10 albums. At the top of the list: X's Alphabetland.

A Terrific Year For Smaller Films: Critic Justin Chang Pairs 10 Favorites From 2020: Even though most of us stayed away from movie theaters, 2020 was a banner year for independent narrative films, feature-length documentaries and pictures of all types and genres from overseas.

Remembering The Jazz Legends Who Died In 2020: Dozens of notable jazz musicians passed away this year, many from COVID-19. Fresh Air critic Kevin Whitehead remembers some of the legends we lost, including Bucky Pizzarelli, Ellis Marsalis and Jimmy Heath.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

Best TV Of 2020: Great Shows Brought Us Together In A Difficult, Distanced Year

A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

A Terrific Year For Smaller Films: Critic Justin Chang Pairs 10 Favorites From 2020

Copyright 2021 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

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