THE BEST OF 2022 - The Best TV Shows of The Year
- Wow, it's been a while. 2022 has been ... a year. Some extremely cool and exciting things happened, and some extremely not-so-cool and not-so-exciting things happened. But through it all, pop-culture was there in abundance and helped to get me through the tough times. So I'm excited to finally sit down and write out my annual year in review posts - because there was SO much great content this year, and a lot of it ultimately has special meaning to me given the circumstances in which I enjoyed it.
As for TV, there was seemingly more TV than ever this year. Seriously, I watched a lot. Like, a lot. And yet my list of still-need-to-watch series remains extremely long. So yeah, apologies in advance for not including such favorites as The Bear, Star Trek: Discovery, and Station 11 on this list. Hopefully I'll circle back to some of those series in 2023. That said - I joke, but we once again find ourselves in a seemingly unsustainable TV ecosystem. Several major, studio-backed streaming services competing for market share. Cable and network TV, more so than ever, struggling to attract viewers - with this year's Better Call Saul finale, airing on AMC, feeling like the end of an era for a certain age of cable-driven prestige TV.
There's a glut of content - much of it not getting the awareness or time needed to have a decent shot at attracting an audience. I was so disheartened earlier this year, for example, when the breathtakingly original HBO Max sci-fi series, Raised By Wolves, was unceremoniously canceled after a second season that launched with extremely minimal fanfare. I think it's also increasingly difficult for non-franchise series to compete with the pull of Disney's regular stream of Star Wars and Marvel series. TV has traditionally been a medium where original ideas can thrive, and I hope it stays that way even in the face of so much new content based on massive IP (even if a lot of that content - i.e. the impressively sophisticated Star Wars drama Andor - was pretty damn good).
It's interesting to think about - the golden era of modern prestige TV has ended ... so where does that leave us now? It does sometimes feel like we've gone from an era of consistent A-level series to a lot of good-but-flawed B+ content. I think a lot of us will, for a long time, look back with wistful fondness on the halycon days of The Sopranos, Lost, Breaking Bad, Justified, The Americans, and Better Call Saul. And I say that, but ... I also know that there were an absurd number of great TV series this past year. So much so that I've been agonizing over my Top 10 list, worrying that I'm leaving out some absolutely killer TV.
So let's get to it. Here's the list.
DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2022:
1. BETTER CALL SAUL
- With as much great TV as there was in 2022, #1 was an easy choice for me this year. Better Call Saul's final season was a masterclass in writing, direction, action, and in damn good television. Fans will eternally debate which was better: Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. But the fact that anyone is even having that conversation is a testament to the remarkable talent of Vince Gilligan and his team of writers, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn (where's her Emmy?!), and the rest of the incredible cast, and all the many others who brought this superlative show to life. One of the great TV series of all time, and it ended on the highest of high notes.
2. RESERVATION DOGS
- If you haven't seen Reservation Dogs, get to it. This Hulu dramedy, about wayward teens lost in place on a Native American reservation, is alternately hilarious and moving and poignant. The cast is filled with breakout talent, the writing is second to none, and the show has genuinely taught me so much about a culture and way of life that I had only passing familiarity with. I hope there's a lot more of this series to come.
3. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
- It's always a pleasure to see a great TV comedy just completely find its groove. And that's what happened with Season 4 of What We Do In the Shadows, which fired on all cylinders and was an absolute joke machine. The five main cast members crush it every time, the characters are now TV comedy icons, and some of the episodes in S4 had me absolutely rolling with laughter. Time to give this vampire sitcom its due - it's up there with the all-time great comedies.
4. THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES
- Thank the lord for Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jody Hill. The trio behind such dark comedy classics as Eastbound & Down and Vince Principals is working their unholy magic once again with HBO's gemstones, and it's a joy to behold. The series brilliantly and hilariously satirizes Big Religion while also delivering a surprisingly epic saga of family power struggle.
5. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
- Just when you thought cable TV was dead ... AMC releases this delightfully dark series about the undead. Forget what you know from the 90's movie, this series takes the Anne Rice source material in several bold new directions, using its lead to tell the story of a black, gay man in 1910's New Orleans - whose life is forever changed when he's bitten (and smitten) by the mysterious vampire Lestat. Brilliant writing and acting make this one an absolute must-see.
6. STRANGER THINGS
- I didn't anticipate that this latest season of Stranger Things would rank so high on this year's list, but man, after a bit of a lull, S4 brought it. This year, the show delivered its best season since the first, packed with memorable character moments, creepy horror, and epic action. I mean, "Running Up That Hill" - need I say more? Okay, how about Eddie Munson rocking out to Metallica's Master of Puppets in the Upside Down? I'm geeking out just thinking about the awesomeness. It was great to see Stranger Things in top form once again.
7. THE AFTERPARTY
- In a year filled with great murder mysteries, this Apple TV series stands out as maybe my favorite. The story of a high school reunion gone wrong, the show had the brilliant conceit of framing each episode from the point of view of a different character - with each ep taking on an appropriate genre trapping that reflected the POV character. And so we got, for example, the brilliantly hilarious Ben Schwartz-led musical episode - one of the best and funniest episodes of TV I've ever seen. More, please.
8. ATLANTA
- The final season of Atlanta was a tour de force, cementing it as one of the best ever. Long ago, Donald Glover and co. established this as a series that could do literally anything with a given episode - but even so, I never expected things like a late-series ep that took the form of a mockumentary about how Disney's first black CEO created A Goofy Movie in order to reflect the black experience. This final season was one hell of a send-off, filled with hilarity and poignancy and randomness. End of an era.
9. THE WHITE LOTUS
- This is a surprise. I was a big fan of the first season of The White Lotus, but this year's S2 - even if it took a little while to really get going - ultimately became something truly special. Mike White is simply a master when it comes to exploring social dynamics. This season was funny, awkward, and then, in the incredible finale, ridiculously gripping. What a cast, too - from Aubrey Plaza's wound-tight newlywed to Jennifer Coolidge's nervous-energy-filled socialite. It's a tribute to this season that we all went from "wait, another one?" to "a new White Lotus every year, please."
10. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
- Okay, I was kind of torn about which series to give the #10 slot here. And let's face it, House of the Dragon got off to a slightly rocky start, had some fits and starts, and had a huge legacy to live up to as the first official spin off of Game of Thrones. But then ... I kept coming back to that one scene. Paddy Considine's Viserys, weakened and near death, making that long walk to the Iron Throne one final time. I mean, it doesn't get more epic than that. And I can only hope that we're in for more such epicness in future seasons. Because if we are, this is going to be one kick-ass show.
The Next Best:
11. THE HANDMAID'S TALE
-For anyone who gave up on The Handmaid's Tale, I've got some news for you: this show just had a pretty amazing season - its best in years. S5 brilliantly focused on the rocky relationship between June and Serena, taking it in many unexpected directions.
12. SEVERANCE
- This Apple original has one of the most compelling series premises in a while: a near future world in which people can "sever" their brains in order to experience a work life that's completely separate from home life. Of course, this all leads to intriguing mystery, conspiracy, and lots of weirdness - all delivered in thrilling and often darkly funny fashion. I'm excited for S2, no question.
13. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
- S2 of this excellent Steve Martin / Martin Short / Selena Gomez vehicle matched S1 in just about every way - a compelling whodunnit, plenty of hilarious schtick from its two comedy legends, and more great characterization for their younger companion, played with wonderfully sardonic wit by Selena Gomez.
14. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH
- Taika Waititi's subversive pirate saga was one of the best new series of the year. While at first I assumed this would be, essentially, What We Do in the Shadows but with pirates - this one proved to be a very different beast. Anchored by the amazing Rhys Darby, Our Flag is often extremely funny, but is also a surprisingly soulful and nuanced look at heavy concepts like masculinity and sexuality.
15. ANDOR
- 2022 saw some really fun Star Wars content (I'll still go to bat that The Book of Boba Fett was a lot of fun), but who saw this one coming? Andor is Star Wars as true prestige TV - with writer Tony Gilroy lending real gravitas and grittiness to this story of a rogue turned reluctant rebel. The series takes a little time to hit its stride, but by the time we get to the episodes set in one of the Empire's work-camp prisons (featuring an amazing supporting turn from Andy Serkis) - hot damn, business picks up.
16. THE GREAT NORTH
- The best and funniest new FOX animated sitcom in I don't know how long, The Great North is poised to take its place alongside the greats like The Simpsons, King of the Hill, etc. With an amazing voice cast (including Nick Offerman, Will Forte, and Jenny Slate), the show is a great comfort-food watch that never fails to make me smile.
17. SEARCH PARTY
- I binged through all of Search Party leading up to its early-2022 fifth and final season - and if you haven't seen it, I'd encourage you to do the same. I love the show's cast (Alia Shawkat! John Erly!), its guest stars (Jeff Goldblum is fantastic in S5), the way it deals with Millennial aimlessness and angst (better than almost any other show ever), and the way it isn't afraid to go pretty much anywhere (S5 gets into insane sci-fi/horror territory in a way I was not expecting whatsoever). I will miss this show.
18. RAISED BY WOLVES
- One of the toughest cancellations of 2022, I was so bummed when HBO Max gave Raised By Wolves the proverbial axe. Especially because it felt like, after two seasons, the show was still just scratching the surface of the epic story still to come. But man, this show was just a mind-bending blast of dark, hardcore, horror-tinged sci-fi that evoked classics like Alien and Blade Runner. In a fair world, its cast would get Emmy noms and the show would have six seasons and a movie.
19. THE REHEARSAL
- Nathan Fielder, of Nathan For You (quasi) fame, finally returned to TV in 2022 for his most talked-about project yet. The Rehearsal was some of the most flat-out compelling and awkwardly hilarious TV I've ever seen, and it walked that fine line between reality and fiction in a way that only Fielder can really do. What was real here and what was staged? Who can say. But that is, I think, exactly the conversation that evil-genius Fielder wants us all to be having.
20. PEACEMAKER
- Okay, so let's state this upfront - Peacemaker has maybe the greatest opening credits sequence ever in TV history. But, it also saw James Gunn take a DC Comics D-lister and make him the lead in one of the funniest, weirdest, and most entertaining superhero comic book adaptations ever. Who knew John Cena had this in him? This is, easily, his role of a lifetime.
21. WESTWORLD
- Personally, I don't get those who jumped ship on Westworld. Okay, perhaps it struggled, over the years, to live up to its zeitgeist-y first season. But there's IMO no denying that its fourth and final season was truly top-notch science fiction TV. The show boldly took its premise to new places - a mysterious world in which every aspect was controlled by Tessa Thompson's Charlotte Hale and Ed Harris' Man in Black, where only synthetic freedom fighters (played by the always great Aaron Paul, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and Evan Rachel Wood - among others) stood in their way.
22. COBRA KAI
- After having fully caught up on Cobra Kai last year, I was excited to jump into the latest season and get even more awesomely melodramatic line-readings, epic fight scenes, and pro-wrestling style face and heel turns. Cobra Kai is just a ridiculous amount of fun, and an easy show to love if you're of a certain age.
23. RESIDENT ALIEN
- I've really developed an affection for SYFY's lovable alien dramedy. Alan Tudyk is so effortlessly hilarious as an awkward extraterrestrial who's taken on human form. But the show also does such a great job with its large supporting cast, really creating this feeling that, with each episode, you're visiting all your old friends in a quirky small town. Don't sleep on this one.
24. THE BOYS
- Season 3 of The Boys gave us more timely superhero satire that pulled zero punches. Antony Starr keeps getting better and better as sadistic superman Homelander, and his highly meme-able facial expressions are always a highlight. Give props too to Erin Moriarty as Starlight, who, as was the case in the comic book series, is so often the heart and soul of the show.
25. BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD
- Paramount Plus' revival of Beavis & Butthead is, believe it or not, freaking fantastic. Series creator Mike Judge proves himself as genius as ever with these latest episodes, which alternate between segments where Beavis & Butthead are teens, and ones where they've aged in real time and are now middle-aged losers (even more haplessly and hilariously pathetic than ever). For years, lazy critics blasted this show as being dumb. Time has shown that, if anything, it was (and continues to be) brilliantly prophetic.
Just Missed the Cut:
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:
The Best TV Heroes of 2021:
1.) Ms. Marvel - Ms. Marvel
2.) Cassian Andor - Andor
3.) Starlight - The Boys
4.) Eddie Munson - Stranger Things
5.) Wednesday Addams - Wednesday
The Best TV Villains of 2021:
1.) Gus Fring and Lalo Salamanca - Better Call Saul
2.) Homelander - The Boys
3.) Serena Joy Waterford - The Handmaid's Tale
4.) Terry Silver - Cobra Kai
5.) Charlotte Hale - Westworld
The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2021:
1.) Peacemaker - Peacemaker
2.) Lestat and Louis de Pointe du Lac - Interview with the Vampire
3.) Saul Goodman - Better Call Saul
4.) Rhaenyra Targaryen - House of the Dragon
5.) Harry Vanderspeigle - Resident Alien
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