My Best TV of 2022: A (Unexpectedly) Long List
This is not a problem I expected to have, early in 2022.
Back then, the quality of TV shows was so disappointing, I considered writing one of those cranky, old-school critic’s columns complaining about how the glut of shows in our modern, streaming-fueled media environment was ruining everything.
I should have just waited around a bit. Because, even though I was mightily disappointed by some of the biggest TV projects on the docket – everything from CNN+ to Lords of the Rings: Rings of Power (the repetition in the title should have been warning enough) – lots more TV shows surprised and delighted me this year. Too many to fit on a top ten or top 12 list.
In fact, there were too many to fit on this excellent roundup prepared by me and five other critics at NPR.org (we each got about eight choices). And I will fess up now – I didn’t vibe with FX’s Reservations Dogs in its first season, so I didn’t keep up with the second and it’s not on my list. Many apologies to devoted fans of a show I’m very glad exists and so many love. But I’m not among you devotees (at least not yet).
Here’s my list of fave shows from 2022, in no particular order. It’s by design very subjective, so I welcome debate, but it’s about what touched ME on TV this year:
Andor (Disney+) – Started slow, but turned into a masterful reinvention of the Star Wars universe, focused on the gritty, merciless beginnings of the Rebel Alliance. Who knew a Star Wars show with no lightsabers, no Jedi Knights and no Force could be just what the franchise needed? REVIEW
Atlanta (FX/Hulu) – The last two seasons, both released this year, weren’t nearly as impactful as its first two. But this show remains an excellent showcase for creativity and ambitious storytelling in portraying the lives of a quartet of Black millennials.
Here’s a Q&A I moderated w/Atlanta cast and producers at SXSW
Better Call Saul (AMC) – This Breaking Bad spinoff stuck the landing in series finale that capped both the origin AND ending stories of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. REVIEW
Abbott Elementary (ABC) – Sidesplitting mockumentary-style comedy about teaching in a Philadelphia school that is so good, because it’s absurd humor is so close to the actual truth. PROFILE of star Quinta Brunson.
The Patient (Hulu) – Steve Carrell delivers his most impressive dramatic role as a therapist interrogating his own messy personal history while kidnapped and forced to help a serial killer. REVIEW.
The U.S. and the Holocaust (PBS) – Star documentarian Ken Burns reveals how antisemitism in America busted the myth that the U.S. was always on the side of the angels as Adolf Hitler took power in Germany and began implementing his Final Solution.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) – Focused on the Starship Enterprise 10 years before James T. Kirk would take command, it’s a welcome return to a rollicking, adventure-a-week series that recalls the spirit of the original Trek series better than any other modern reboot/revival. REVIEW
Severance (Apple TV+) - for review, click here
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) - REVIEW
Euphoria (HBO) - for review, click here
A League of Their Own (Prime Video) -REVIEW
This is Us (NBC) - interview w/creator Dan Fogelman here
Sidney (Apple TV +) - REVIEW here
Under the Banner of Heaven (FX/Hulu) - for review, click here
We Own This City (HBO) - for interview w/EP David Simon, click here
Barry, season three (HBO) - for review, click here
Stranger Things (Netflix) - REVIEW
We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime) - PCHH discussion here
Harley Quinn (HBO Max) -
The Sandman (Netflix)
As We See It (Prime Video) - REVIEW
The Good Fight (Paramount+)
The Dropout (Hulu) -
The Crown (Netflix) - DISCUSSION here
The Handmaid’s Tale, season 5 (Hulu)
Ozark, season 4 (Netflix) - REVIEW here
Ms. Marvel (Disney+)