The 10 Best TV Shows Of 2022

2022 is coming to an end, so it's time to celebrate the best television that was released this year.

Dec 27, 2022

Honorable mention: The Bear

The Bear' Is the Great Chicago TV Show | GQ

I can’t say I was as fond of this high-pressure cooking series as much as many other critics, but it certainly did a successful job at throwing the audience into the breathless world of a Chicago kitchen. The peak of the directing was “Review”, a stress-inducting episode that was flawlessly shot and edited to appear as if it was one-take, standing as one of the finest episodes of television I’ve seen all year.

10. Peacemaker (Season 1)

Peacemaker review: HBO Max' Suicide Squad series lets John Cena slay - Polygon

In a year where most of the output from DC and Marvel failed to make an impact, James Gunn managed to take a fairly cartoonish character from The Suicide Squad and center a surprisingly fun show around him. Since Gunn penned the majority of the series, it’s packed with his trademark gratuitous violence and juvenile, yet infectiously zany brand of humor. Likewise, he forms another team of slightly bad, slightly good people whose charming banter help differentiate them from being just another cast of Gunn’s bickering characters who find family within each other. His most notable accomplishment was humanizing Peacemaker from being an obliviously macho villain, instead giving him a tragic backstory that even allows John Cena to flex his acting muscles. Packed with another killer soundtrack and plenty of crazed action, the show used Gunn’s signature style to deliver superhero pleasures that differentiated itself from the rest of the sanitized genre. Thankfully, this show was spared from the DC massacre of 2022 and will soon give us even more from these characters.

9. The Rehearsal (Season 1)

Strangely, Somehow, 'The Rehearsal' Manages to Be the Most Moving Show on TV | Vogue

Scripted? Fake? Comedy? Drama? People have been trying to define The Rehearsal ever since its release, and that’s all attributed to the sheer originality of Nathan Fielder’s premise. The HBO series blends reality and fictitious storytelling as Fielder trains people (and himself) for monumental life events like raising a child or revealing a secret to a friend. The latter scenario was the most successful of his in its elaborate scheming to perfect this confession to a tee, from building exact sets to unknowingly telling the subject fun facts so he wouldn’t have to waste brain power on winning trivia night. When COVID hit, Fielder was put to the test and had to creatively incorporate rehearsals about raising a baby and going to incredibly mind-boggling lengths to teach his actors about how to get into character. Not all of it was as successful as others, but it was always fascinating to wonder how everything was happening. The show frequently blurred the lines between hilariously over-the-top situations and a study of human experiences, creating an imperfect but special study of how people interact with each other. Though not as successful as Fielder’s other social experiment Nathan For You, The Rehearsal showed his ideas getting even more ambitious in his attempts to outwit both his subjects and his audience.

8. Reboot (Season 1)

Inside the fun of 'Reboot,' the sitcom behind the sitcom - Los Angeles Times

This Hulu sitcom serves as a harsh mockery of the modern trend to dig up any old property and revive it years later. While many shows like 30 Rock have already attempted to skewer showbiz, Reboot quickly found its voice with Modern Family creator Steven Levitan’s satire on Hollywood laziness. Using a talented ensemble of Judy Greer, Keegan Michael-Key, Johnny Knoxville, Rachel Bloom, and standout Paul Reiser, the endearing characters amuse in their on-screen personas that contrast with their often egotistical personalities. Through a fairly short but consistent season, the chemistry between the ever-bantering cast only grew to be more entertaining as the meta commentary set in writer’s rooms and the sets of intimacy scenes got even more biting. The writing never lost its wit when dealing with the production of TV, constantly finding new jokes that tackle outdated writing staffs or frequently mocking famous pop culture figures. The series has yet to be renewed even with positive reception, so hopefully this will serve as a plea to Hulu to renew the gem that they have on their hands.

7. Servant (Season 3)

Servant” Season 3 Trailer Is Stalked by a Cult [Video] - Bloody Disgusting

After a plodding sophomore slump, M. Night Shyamalan’s horror series was revitalized for an exciting third season. Servant’s biggest weakness is the pleasure it gets out of continuously teasing its audience, and has frustrated this viewer at its tendency to resort to filler in order to stretch out explanations as much as possible. Though the season still left some long-time mysteries up in the air, a renewed focus on the chaos that Leanne brings to the family brought back a spark to the show. Leaning into the supernatural control she has, Nell Tiger Free gives a quietly terrifying performance against Dorothy and Sean’s growing desperation to escape. Packed with shocking, horrific moments in nearly every episode, the rising unpredictability causes the horror to return to edge-of-your-seat quality. The focus may still be on the intrigue of Leanne’s connection to Jericho, but the characters drive the investment in the plot as their inability to protect the baby puts them in a completely hopeless place. As the series draws to a close next month, let’s hope the crew can build off of this season’s intense basis and conclude the story in a satisfying manner.

6. Black Bird (Limited series)

Apple TV’s harrowing true crime drama explores the story of a serial killer from a new lens, as a felon goes undercover at his prison to coerce a confession out of him. The show’s highlight is the quality acting, both from the charismatic Taron Egerton who becomes more traumatized over his friendship with Paul Walter Hauser’s Larry Hall, turning in one of the year’s best performances as a haunting killer whose mild-mannered speaking makes his sadistic tendencies even more frightening. The effective character development of Hall as a severely unsettled man who still manages to have the audience question his innocence, which emphasizes the horrific subject matter without needing to show outright brutality, so much so that simple dialogue exchanges or snippets of a young girl’s childhood are more visceral than any violence could be. Some of the plot’s aspects inside and prison are occasionally underdeveloped, but the investigation into these vicious crimes is compelling while Keene’s need to befriend Hall thickens in tension with every passing minute. Black Bird ranks as the most disturbing show of the year, but wisely relies on its writing and performances to affect the audience.

5. Abbott Elementary (Seasons 1 and 2)

Opinion: How 'Abbott Elementary' became more than a hit | CNN

The breakout comedy of this year perfectly captures the long-lasting plight of teachers doing their best at an underfunded public school. Surrounded by sitcoms sleepwalking through overlong runs like The Goldbergs (I warn every reader to stay 25 feet away from that show at all times), Abbott is a fresh look at a network sitcom by taking a view into an underrepresented setting. Rather than cheaply punching down to find laughs, the mockumentary format and a delightful cast allows for cutting observational humor that’s painfully relatable for any teachers. Creator and star Quinta Brunson takes untapped, refreshing comedy that has rarely been seen in a mundane school, particularly revealing her strengths in perfecting all of the personalities in the cast. Everyone brings a welcome brand of hilarity, but it’s principal Ava (Janelle James) who never fails to steal every scene she’s here. The honest portrayal here goes further than the exhaustion of education, and is filled with heartfelt beats that realize the sweet satisfaction that teaching can bring. Few shows have figured out that hilarity can be good-natured and witty at the same time, without relying on a cynical edge to elevate their writing (Parks and Rec and Brooklyn Nine-Nine also mastered this art). For Abbott, it’s simply elementary.

4. Barry (Season 3)

Barry' Review: Season 3 Finds HBO's Bill Hader Comedy in Fine Form – The Hollywood Reporter

Barry Berkman is tired. As much as the former hitman continuously attempts to reform into acting, his past sins always lead to him getting entangled in an endless trail of corpses he leaves behind, while dragging down innocent friends like Sally and Gene down with him. The first two seasons dabbled in this moral conflict but kept the dark humor at the forefront, but the third shows a sharp turn into Barry’s pained struggle that leads him to his bleakest places yet. Bill Hader’s contrite performance is more poignant than ever, particularly when seeing the families and pasts of the people he killed never out of joy but out of strict compliance. It’s just as interesting to see Gene be utterly disillusioned with everything he believes in, Sally facing rejection at the time when she has been most poisoned by her success, or NoHo Hank still providing his reliable comedic relief (“It's like that line in The Shawshank Redemption—get rich, or die trying”). Barry continues to get us more engrossed in the world of killing as it’s used to further the somber themes prevalent since episode 1, whether that’s a propulsive motorcycle chase (directed by Hader himself) or the shattering finale that sees every character be swallowed in the void of violence around them. Barry Berkman may be tired, but it’s a testament to the writing and Hader’s performance that even though he may have committed some unforgivable acts, we still aren’t tired of Barry.

3. Stranger Things (Season 4)

Review: 'Stranger Things 4' Drags Despite Hair-Raising New Threat

After nearly three years off the air, Stranger Things returned bigger, darker, and longer than ever before. The story is more ambitious than ever, utilizing a colossal budget and dividing our characters among multiple territories to make the story far more expansive than ever before. Likewise, the arrival of new villain Vecna brought a renewed sense of mystery to our characters, and even resulted in some of the show’s most powerful sequences like Max using the power of Kate Bush to save her life. Max’s arc of someone so guilty yet relieved over the death of Billy, Eleven having to reunite with Brenner to rediscover her powers, and Eddie’s immediate catapult into pop culture prominence were highlights of the ensemble that was less compressed than the earlier seasons. Season 4 benefited from more set pieces and action-centric moments, giving the pace a sense of constant momentum but did disappoint in its risk-averse conclusion that failed to deliver on the stakes that the previous episodes worked so hard to emphasize. One can never accuse Stranger Things of being boring, and that undeniable fun mixed with the stellar high points of this season are resonant enough to overlook some of the evident issues.

2. The Boys (Season 3)

The Boys Season 3 Episode 8 Review: The Instant White-Hot Wild | Tell-Tale TV

An X-rated Ant-Man, Black Noir talking to his animated friends, Soldier Boy being Homelander’s father, and The Deep having to devour an octopus as it prays to him (and we won’t even mention the other scene he shares with an octopus). These are just some of the wildest moments of season 3, and proves that The Boys hasn’t lost a bit of its unpredictable energy. This is a show that builds up a new supe to ally with Starlight in the fight against Homelander, only for our favorite caped psychopath to show Starlight his faceless corpse episodes later. Homelander is the key to this season’s success, spiraling even further to the rage that he’s been forced to hide while we unveil the love that he continues to desire, flawlessly portrayed by Antony Starr’s ability to flip between both emotions on a dime. The season uses the return of the machismo Soldier Boy, Butcher losing his humanity in his thirst for superpowers of his own, and A-Train’s semi-redemptive rivalry with Blue Hawk build some of the overarching ideas about the proper uses of power (many of which culminated in the series’ best episode ever, “Herogasm”). Unfortunately, it’s held back by a slightly anticlimactic conclusion that fails to resolve many of the storylines in a meaningful way. Nevertheless, season 3 of The Boys continues to build the long-lasting rivalries and brings many fantastic characters to their darkest points yet.

1. Severance (Season 1)

Severance' Review: Adam Scott in Thrilling Apple TV+ Sci-Fi – The Hollywood Reporter

With a wildly creative concept in tow, the brilliant first season of Severance was the most impressive piece of television this year. Creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller skillfully helmed this puzzle-box thriller that instantly built intrigue among the audience through the eerie production design of the offices and the offbeat habits of the bosses (defiant jazz, anyone?). The writers decided not to rely entirely on the seeds of mystery and uncover the moral implications beneath the splitting of your brain to live two lives, which makes the ultimate reveals even more exhilirating when the stakes are been fully developed. At the same time, the mythology that they crafted was subtly built to reinforce the mystery of this new society that left you curious without feeling cheated that all of the questions weren’t resolved by the end. All of the characters, particularly Mark and Helly, are swiftly given nuanced development that naturally build out their relationships and twist your expectations of their motivations behind their “severance”. The finale was an absolutely nerve-racking achievement, rapidly building the tension as the innies discover the lives of their outies that crescendoed in one of the most impeccable cliffhangers that have ever graced television. Though some may want to follow Ms. Casey’s advice to “enjoy every show equally”, Severance was a gripping series that told a clever story in one season while simultaneously leaving all of its viewers craving the next season.

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