Let’s be super real here. 2022 was a ridiculously great year for TV series. Although we can stream an episode whenever we want, this year’s crop of shows gave us compelling reasons to stop everything we were doing in order to see the newest episode the moment it dropped.
Who thought that we could get excited and shocked by a Game of Thrones story again? House of Dragon did that to us. Better Call Saul gave us a heartbreaking, but satisfying, ending to Jimmy and Kim’s relationship. Severance and Atlanta kept us guessing as to what would happen next every week.
And can we talk about Servant?
Marvel didn’t deliver a WandaVision-level type of series this year with Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk. But there were other reasons to tune into Disney+.
Obi-Wan Kenobi used “The Force” to elevate Star Wars back to triumphant form and Andor showed us what kinds of possibilities the decades-old franchise can open. And was there anything more shocking and disgusting than the Emmy-nominated We Need to Talk About Cosby?
It was perfectly acceptable to make a TV date to watch the next episode of White Lotus. And it was perfectly acceptable to break a date in order to watch White Lotus.
Yes, TV was that good.
Here is the list of shows that kept us on the couch:
10. We Need To Talk About Cosby | Network: Showtime
Bill Cosby is talking about going on tour. Maybe he should watch the documentary about himself and reconsider.
Comic director W. Kamau Bell explores the disgraced comedian’s life and work, weighing his actions against his indisputable influence through interviews with comedians, cultural commentators, journalists and women who share their personal encounters with him.
You will never want to touch Jello Pudding again.
9. Only Murders in the Building Season 2 | Network: Hulu
Three strangers share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living among them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.
I admit I was a season late coming to this, but I’m so glad I did. The trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez work perfectly together. It has just been renewed for a 3rd season in 2023.
8. Obi-Wan Kenobi | Network: Disney+
So you were wondering what Obi-Wan was up to on Tatooine in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope? Now you have your answer!
The Jedi Master contends with the consequences of his greatest defeat — the downfall and corruption of his one-time friend and apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
7. Reboot | Network: Hulu
I can’t believe no one is talking about Reboot. The series from Modern Family creator Steve Levitan, is laugh-out-loud funny. An early 2000s family sitcom is rebooted, and the dysfunctional cast must deal with their unresolved issues in today’s fast-changing world.
While at its heart the series is about a father/daughter relationship, the show is rude, shocking and just funny. Here’s hoping it gets a Season 2. It deserves it!
6. Atlanta Season 4 | Network: FX
I never knew from week to week what surreal adventure Earn, Vanessa, Alfred “Paper Boi” and Darius would get into. Or even if they would appear in the episode. But I waited and watched.
Season 4 showcased Donald Glover for the creative genius he is from Darius being stalked by a scooter-bound woman to the faux documentary, “The Goof Who Sat by the Door.” Atlanta had already proven it could pull off almost any kind of story in its previous three seasons. This season just solidified it.
REELated:
5. Severance | Network: Apple TV+
Very Kubrick in its look and performances, Mark (Adam Scott) leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives; when a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
What can I say about Severance that hasn’t been said already? Nothing really. Just trust me and watch this gem if you haven’t.
The show also featured the year’s most original opening credits.
4. White Lotus Season 2 | Network: HBO Max
Oh, Jennifer Coolidge, what are we going to do without you? I admit again I was late getting on the White Lotus bandwagon, but Season 2 which looked at sex and different levels of masculinity was a vacation from ordinary TV. Mike White wrote and directed an ensemble that literally took us away with their performances.
3. Andor | Network: Disney+
Andor was not only the best Star Wars series to come out yet. It was simply one of the best series on TV in 2022. The prequel to the best film of the new Star Wars film – Rogue One – is grounded and deeply engrossing as we watch Cassian Andor’s journey from thief to Rebel Alliance leader against the backdrop of the rebellion forming against the Empire.
2. Abbott Elementary Season 2 | Network: ABC
If I could write for a current show on TV it would be Abbott Elementary. With Better Call Saul (see next) gone, it is the best show on TV. It is our new Office. Our new Parks and Recreation. Quinta Brunson has created a show with physical comedy, one-liners that sting and cause laughter, and heart. I can’t wait to attend this show every week.
1. Better Call Saul Season 6B| Network: AMC
Is Better Call Saul better than its birth show, Breaking Bad? Possiblyyyyyyy? For six seasons, I got swept up in this Shakesperean tragedy as we watched Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) unsatiated desire to be successful flush all the way down to his sleazy creation – Saul Goodman. Why would I watch such a thing with dedication – because of Kim played by the brilliant Rhea Seehorn. It was their relationship that kept me hoping that Jimmy would see the error of his ways.
Of course just like the Titanic or Hindenburg, I knew where the story had to go no matter how much I yelled at the TV, “Hard left!” But there was still more story to tell after Jimmy’s downfall and creator, Vince Gilligan, as he did with Breaking Bad, ended the series the only way he could. And it was satisfying as hell.
Honorable Mentions: Peacemaker, Yellow Stone, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Stranger Things, Kevin can F*ck Himself, Bill Maher, 1899, Young Justice, Westworld, Ozark, The Bear, Hacks, The Boys, The Watcher, Wednesday, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Superman and Lois.
Happy New Year!
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
