--- title: "Death to 2020: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/death-to-2020/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/death-to-2020" critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Death to 2020 (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 52 from 10 reviews: 3 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews split evenly, with a slight lean against. Most critics agree the cast is the reason to watch: Lisa Kudrow, Cristin Milioti and Diane Morgan are singled out repeatedly, even by writers who dislike the rest, and Samuel L. Jackson and Leslie Jones are credited as its voices of sanity. The kinder notices call it a sharp, cathartic send-off to a wretched year, with the election-night coverage and Charlie Brooker’s short, cutting descriptions of public figures drawing the warmest words. The reservations cluster on the writing. Several critics find the satire broad and familiar, a recap of a year too painful to be funny yet, and the Evening Standard says it is weaker than Brooker’s Screenwipe and that seventy minutes is too long. The spread is wide: NME finds it hilarious and cohesive, while The Hollywood Reporter and Vulture call it hacky and limp, a special that feels as long as the year it describes. ## Los Angeles Times — Lorraine Ali Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 2020. Ali finds the mockumentary a bitingly funny, cathartic send-off to a terrible year. She singles out the cast’s inspired performances and the sharp satire of the election-night coverage. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-12-31/death-to-2020-netflix-review) ## The AV Club — Zack Handlen Rating B-. 27 December 2020. Handlen finds the special largely unnecessary, though it offers a mildly cathartic recap of a chaotic year. He praises Samuel L. Jackson’s role as a steady voice of sanity and notes that a few character bits build effectively into absurdity. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/death-to-2020-offers-an-unnecessary-summary-of-a-misera-1845951588) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 30 December 2020. The article appears to review the 2020 special, but its verdict and specific praise or criticism are not available in the supplied page text. The page returned only a JavaScript and ad-blocker message. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/arts/television/yearly-departed-death-to-2020.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 62/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/death-to-2020-netflix-tv-review) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 14 January 2021. The critic finds the satire intermittently effective but too familiar and blunted by its broad, predictable approach. Cristin Milioti’s performance as a bigoted conspiracy theorist is singled out as especially compelling. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/death-2020-charlie-brooker-netflix-satire-annus-horribilis) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio Rating D+. 27 December 2020. Lattanzio finds the special profoundly unfunny and an ill-judged recap of a year too painful to revisit. He singles out the tired stereotypes and jokes, while noting that Leslie Jones provides the most sensible center. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/death-to-2020-netflix-review-mockumentary-special-1234606724/) ## Evening Standard — Nancy Durrant Rating 2/5. 27 December 2020. Durrant finds the satire weaker than Screenwipe and says its 70-minute runtime outstays its welcome. She praises Lisa Kudrow’s chilling performance and the script’s inspired incidental jokes. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/death-to-2020-review-charlie-brooker-b526524.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 27 December 2020. Fienberg finds the special hacky, unfunny, and lacking a distinctive angle, making it feel as interminable as the year it recaps. He praises Diane Morgan’s performance as Gemma Nerrick as a clear highlight with a specific voice and perspective. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/death-to-2020-tv-review-4109480/) ## Vulture — Kathryn VanArendonk Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 28 December 2020. The critic finds the special a limp, unimaginative recap that fails to make its political comedy fresh. Lisa Kudrow’s pitch-perfect performance is singled out as a highlight, though the script gives her little to work with. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/death-to-2020-netflix-comedy-special-review.html) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 88/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the mockumentary hilarious and cohesive, calling it a sharp comic account of a chaotic year. It especially praises Brooker’s concise, cutting descriptions of public figures and the show’s satire of documentary conventions. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/death-to-2020-review-black-mirror-2846011) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/death-to-2020.md