2020s Lockdown Television Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tiger King

A controversial docuseries to hit Netflix right as the world went into strict COVID-19 lockdowns, it might be considered that "Tiger King" was a win on circumstance alone. What people found turning this on was a complicated story about exotic cat ownership in the United States and the feud between Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic resulting from their apparent rivalry and the revelation that the latter hired a hitman to kill the former.

The first season was a viral hit, and when the second season released in late 2021, the excitement wore off.

Answer: Too Hot to Handle

Though shows like "The Circle" may have come out just before the pandemic and depicted a reality show in which isolation was key, "Too Hot to Handle" might have been the perfect escapist dating show to come out in April 2020. In this one, the featured sexy singles were sent to Turks and Caicos and encouraged to mingle...but not too much.

The gimmick behind this one was that all contestants were prohibited from any sexual contact or kissing. Anyone unable to do so would put a communal amount of money at risk, with potential winnings amongst the group amounting to $100,000 USD provided they abstain.

Answer: The Queen's Gambit

A massive hit as far as limited series go, "The Queen's Gambit" won eleven Emmy Awards and topped the charts for Netflix's streaming service for weeks, becoming the most-watched miniseries on the platform in more than five dozen countries. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, the show follows her success in the chess world despite her hardships and battles with addiction. Though the series swept award season for the most part in 2021, it did some in virtually all categories except acting-- Taylor-Joy would be beaten by Kate Winslet in "Mare of Easttown".

Answer: Emily in Paris

Though little more than a cliche rom-com, "Emily in Paris" flew up the streaming charts in late 2020 due to its simple premise. A woman in a marketing firm heads to Paris to start a new job and a new life and finds love and experiences along the way. Set against the backdrop of the City of Lights, it was easy viewing at a time when people needed to be somewhere else for a change. Creator Darren Star is also known for having created "Sex and the City" though this show is a little less...that.

Answer: WandaVision

With the well-established Marvel Cinematic Universe film series wrapping up its Infinity Stones Arc with "Avengers: Endgame", the series continued to expand into a new era with new film phases, and this included a grander plan to feature canonical TV series featuring characters from the world that'd been created.

The first of these was "WandaVision", starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, following the pair after the tragic events they faced in the battle against Thanos. The series was praised as a genre-bending spin on the classic superhero formula.

Answer: The White Lotus

Launching on HBO in July 2021, "The White Lotus" was a six-episode series following a group of people staying at a fictional luxury resort and spa in Hawaii. Kicking off with a murder (solved by the season's end), this black comedy poked holes in the lives of the wealthy on vacation and the workers at the White Lotus itself.

A massive hit for HBO, it became a water cooler show at a time when people were still working from home. The show has since been nominated for numerous awards, especially for Jennifer Coolidge, who starred in the first and second seasons.

Answer: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

While, technically, the original "CSI" show was called "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and took place in Vegas, the newer "CSI: Vegas" is considered the fifth iteration of the franchise...despite being a reboot. With William Petersen returning as Gil Grissom in season one and Marg Helgenberger coming back as Catherine Willows in season two, the series revisits the old procedural with a modern eye, even if it occasionally dips back into the nostalgic, older cast from time to time.

Answer: Ghosts

In "Ghosts", a couple inherits a house that, as they find, is filled with the ghosts of several ghosts caught between their place of death (the property) and the afterlife, forcing all of them-- living and dead-- to come to a mutual agreement to reside there together.

While the British version of the show, starting in 2019, was highly praised, the U.S. version proved to be a ratings hit for CBS and a major critical success. The program stars Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar amongst others in the cast.

Answer: Midnight Mass

With Mike Flanagan leading the charge on prestige horror television on Netflix, "Midnight Mass" was clearly developed as a passion project. Blocked by COVID-19, it ended up being Flanagan's opportunity to film a remote miniseries involving a topic close to his heart-- the complexity of religious upbringing-- while also making what critics described as 'the best Stephen King story that King never wrote'. Set on Crockett Island, the show followed its citizens as they came face to face with a true evil that would test their resolve.

Answer: Yellowjackets

Debuting on Showtime, "Yellowjackets" is a unique thriller starring a cast of characters who, en route to a soccer tournament, crash in remote, wintery Canada and have to fend for themselves. The story jumps between the present day and the events that occurred and, as it turns out, something much more mysterious and potentially supernatural occurred during their nineteen months in the wilderness. Critically renowned, the show was praised for its performances by cast members like Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, and others.