TV Categories in the 2020s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Science Fiction

An adaptation of the novel series "Remembrance of Earth's Past" by Chinese author Liu Cixin, the American sci-fi series "3 Body Problem" was released by Netflix in 2024. The series takes its name from the title of the first 2008 novel, which in turn is a reference to an orbital physics problem. In short, an alien society is attempting from afar to prepare Earth for invasion.

Answer: Science Fiction

The American sci-fi psychological thriller series "Severance" could be said to be a different take on the work/life balance. In the series, employees undergo a medical procedure to ensure that they forget about life outside work whilst at work, and vice versa. Essentially, people develop two personalities. The series is not without its humour. It was first released by Apple TV+ in 2022.

Answer: Science Fiction

Set in the "Star Wars" universe, "Andor" is described as a political spy thriller. The streaming service Disney+ first released the TV series in 2022. It is a prequel of a prequel to the original 1977 "Star Wars" film. The prequel to the 1977 original is the 2016 film "Rogue One".

The series tracks a thief, Cassian Andor, who becomes a spy against the Galactic Empire. It is set in the five-year period before "Rogue One".

Answer: Science Fiction

The sci-fi TV series "The Peripheral" is loosely based on William Gibson's 2014 novel of the same name. Set 50 years in the future, a North Carolina virtual reality gamer earns herself some money by playing on behalf of others. She receives a peripheral, which is delivered by a mysterious Colombian company.

This is a gaming accessory that sees her being controlled by another gamer while connected to a darker future, alternate-reality London. Amazon Prime debuted the series in 2022.

Answer: Crime

"Dept. Q" is a British TV series based on a book series by Danish crime fiction writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. An under-resourced misfit team of detectives is put together and assigned a portfolio of cold cases to resolve. The highly-rated detective Carl Morck, recently recovered from being badly wounded, heads up this unit called Dept. Q. The series premiered on Netflix in 2025.

Answer: Crime

HBO premiered the multi-award winning mini-series crime drama "Mare of Easttown" in 2021 where Kate Winslet portrays the protagonist Mare who investigates a small town murder whilst dealing with difficulties in her own life. Mare is the police detective Marianne Sheehan and Easttown is a fictional suburb of Philadelphia. An unusual aspect is the use of the Delco accent, a version of Philadelphia English found in Delaware County.

Answer: Crime

This HBO mini-series is based on and shares its title with the 2018 novel "The Outsider" by Stephen King. It premiered in 2020. As well as crime, it also falls into the category of psychological horror thriller and a number of the award nominations were for this genre. The opening episode starts with the discovery of a mutilated corpse of a young boy.

Answer: Crime

The award-winning "Only Murders in the Building" series could fit in either the crime or comedy categories. There are four other comedy series and only three other crime ones so it goes in crime. The series premiered on Hulu in 2021 with new seasons following from 2022. Three strangers become friends when they start investigating suspicious murders in their apartment building.

They produce a podcast about their investigations which they title "Only Murders in the Building". Co-created by comedian Steve Martin, he also co-stars.

Answer: Comedy

The multi-award-winning TV series "The White Lotus" is a black comedy drama series that premiered on HBO in 2021. It has an anthology format with each season using a (mostly) different set of characters and actors. The series is named after a fictional resort chain, with each season being at a different resort hotel. The series revolves around the exploits of staff and guests.

Answer: Comedy

Released by Hulu in 2022, "The Bear" is another series that could be categorised either as comedy-drama or psychological drama. It has won multiple comedy awards, although it has gradually changed focus more to psychological drama. The series follows a chef who has returned to Chicago to manage a chaotic kitchen.

Answer: Comedy

Premiering on Apple TV+ in 2020, the sports comedy-drama "Ted Lasso" takes its name after the main protagonist, who is a sports coach. The character is based on a series of TV commercials made for NBS Sports in 2013. Jason Sudeikis revisits his role as Ted Lasso in those commercials which were to promote the English Premier League for the channel.

This time, his character is hired to coach a fictional Premier League team. The series earned 20 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, the most of any first-season comedy at the time.

Answer: Comedy

"Abbott Elementary" is a multi-award-winning mockumentary sitcom made for ABC and premiering in 2021. It is a workplace comedy set in Willard R Abbott Elementary School, a fictional mainly black public school in Philadelphia. The script is written by Quinton Brunson, who also stars as one of the teachers, with a documentary crew recording the working lives of the teachers in an underfunded and mismanaged school.