40 Favorite Shows of 2022

As much of the country began to try to return to pre-COVID normalcy in 2022, the lingering effects of the pandemic on the economy and consumer behavior seem to suggest that this year might have been the apex of the Peak TV era.? Many entertainment companies have made deep cuts and surprising cancellations in recent months and the sheer overwhelming amount of quality content seems likely to ebb in the coming years.

In looking back at the past few years of making this list and comparing it to my faves from this year, it’s astonishing how many top notch shows there were.? Each year, I’ve had difficulty narrowing down how many shows to include, this year was the hardest yet.? There were at least 25 shows that could’ve been in my top 5 or 10 any previous year.? There was a whole year’s worth of great TV aired just between March and June.? This list represents the best of the bunch, in my opinion, of what I watched in 2022. This year, I’m doing my faves lists breakdown by categories again, to give some shine to some shows I liked in different ways and for different reasons.? Feel free to debate and discuss your own favorites in the comments. Let me know what I missed and share suggestions for things to check out next.

Favorite Thrills

Where one might expect to be on the edge of their seat for cop shows and murder mysteries, this year found thrills in surprising places.? Some of the most tense and exciting shows of the year took place in a restaurant, the Hollywood acting community, a London finance desk, an office building, and a prehistoric cartoon.? But don’t let that overshadow that there were also some great traditional thrillers in the fantastic spy drama Slow Horses and some riveting detective dramas Under the Banner of Heaven and Tokyo Vice. The Aldhani heist and the Narkina 5 prison break arcs on Andor were stunning and packed full of adrenaline almost unmatched anywhere else on TV.?

1. The Bear (FX on Hulu) 2. Barry (HBO) 3. Andor (Disney+) 4. Industry (HBO) 5. Severance (Apple TV+) 6. Primal (adult swim) 7. Better Call Saul (AMC) 8. Slow Horses (Apple TV+) 9. Under the Banner of Heaven (FX on Hulu) 10. Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)

Favorite Sci-Fi & Fantasy

August started the season of dragons with the head to head between HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff and Amazon’s pricey Lord of the Rings show.? Both made great use of their high price tags, with House of the Dragon much more my speed, though missing some of the charm of early Thrones seasons.? 2022 had a plethora of great sci-fi shows for all tastes within the genre, including great modern interpretations of the classic Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, coming of age bike-riding teen shows in Stranger Things and Paper Girls, the brilliant alt-history grounded sci-fi of For All Mankind, period sci-fi in 1899, and even Western sci-fi in the intoxicating Outer Range.

1. For All Mankind (Apple TV+)? 2. House of the Dragon (HBO) 3. Andor (Disney+) 4. Outer Range (Amazon) 5. Stranger Things (Netflix) 6. Paper Girls (Amazon) 7. Severance (Apple TV+) 8. Sandman (Netflix) 9. Westworld (HBO) 10. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) 11. Obi Wan (Disney+) 12. 1899 (Netflix)

Favorite Laughs

Such a great year for comedies of all stripes.? Abbott Elementary revived the broadcast sitcom, Nathan Fielder returned with a brand new format unlike anything else with The Rehearsal, Girls5Eva continued its rapid-fire joke fest, and She-Hulk and Peacemaker brought comedy and self awareness to the MCU and DCEU respectively.? Really, this was the place for ingenuity in 2022.? There was the whodunnit Afterparty early in the year, the surprising love story of Our Flag Means Death, and some of the most thrilling TV in Righteous Gemstones and Barry.? Plus, a great comedy year for The Property Brothers, both real (Girls5Eva) and fake (What We Do in the Shadows).? But the most impressive was the FX/Hulu trio of Atlanta, Reservation Dogs, and Ramy.? All three share similar DNA and do a phenomenally inventive job of exploring their characters, pushing boundaries of what’s expected in a sitcom, throwing in emotional gut punches and social commentary, and including a delightful mix of surreality and dream logic to make anything possible.

1. Atlanta (FX) 2. Barry (HBO) 3. Girls5Eva (Peacock) 4. Hacks (HBO Max) 5. The Rehearsal (HBO) 6. Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu) 7. Rick & Morty (adult swim) 8. The Afterparty (Apple TV+) 9. Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max) 10. What We Do in the Shadows (FX) 11. Ramy (Hulu) 12. Abbott Elementary (ABC) 13. Righteous Gemstones (HBO) 14. She-Hulk (Disney+) 15. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) 16. Reboot (Hulu)

Favorite Period Pieces

1. Winning TIme (HBO) 2. Pachinko (Apple TV+) 3. The Offer (Paramount+) 4. A League of Their Own (Amazon Prime) 5. Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max) 6. Peaky Blinders (Netflix)

Favorite Visuals

Several shows excelled at delivering eye-popping imagery with brilliant cinematography, production design, and effects.? Winning Time stood out by creating its own unique visual language by mixing film and video stocks, having on-screen graphics, fourth wall breaking, and a color palette that fit the era perfectly, all combining to create a perfect tone for the show.?

1. Andor (Disney+) 2. Winning Time (HBO) 3. The White Lotus (HBO) 4. Pachinko (Apple TV+) 5. Severance (Apple TV+) 6. Euphoria (HBO) 7. Undone (Amazon Prime)

Favorite IP Shows

1. The Boys (Amazon Prime) 2. Andor (Disney+) 3. House of the Dragon (HBO) 4. Sandman (Netflix) 5. She-Hulk (Disney+) 6. Moon Knight (Disney+) 7. Obi-Wan (Disney+) 8. Ms. Marvel (Disney+) 9. Peacemaker (HBO Max)

Favorite Water Cooler Moments

This year’s water cooler was a fun mix of word of mouth buzz elevating shows like The Bear, fun memes, speculation, and reactions to all the big holy shit moments.

1. The White Lotus (HBO) 2. The Bear (FX on Hulu) 3. Andor (Disney+) 4. The Boys (Amazon Prime) 5. House of the Dragon (HBO) 6. The Rehearsal (HBO) 7. Stranger Things (Netflix)

Favorite Getaways

The pandemic hangover combined with having a newborn kept me from traveling this year.? So once again, it was clutch to have so many shows that felt like they transported me to unique places around the world…and beyond.? In addition to spending time in Tokyo, Sicily, and even on Mars, some other favorites were the pastoral vistas of Wyoming in Outer Range, the one of a kind feel of Paris in Irma Vep, a return to Baltimore in We Own This City, and multigenerational Korea in Pachinko.? Plus, having two seasons of Atlanta this year allowed us to spend quality time in the titular city in one season, while gallivanting across Europe with the leads in another.

1. The White Lotus (Sicily, HBO) 2. Tokyo Vice (Tokyo, HBO Max) 3. For All Mankind (Mars/The Moon, Apple TV+) 4. Outer Range (Wyoming, Amazon Prime) 5. Atlanta (Atlanta/Europe, FX) 6. Irma Vep (Paris, HBO) 7. Pachinko (Korea/Japan, Apple TV+) 8. Industry (London, HBO Max) 9. The Bear (Chicago, FX on Hulu) 10. Hacks (Las Vegas/On Tour, HBO Max) 11. We Own This City (Baltimore, HBO) 12. Reservation Dogs (Oklahoma/California, FX on Hulu)

Classic Catchups & Rewatches

I continued my foray into anime this year with the enteraining Outlaw Star and the riveting Death Note (only half done both). I also finished my rewatch of The Sopranos (awesome, so much fun) and a first viewing of its companion Many Saints of Newark.? I also concluded my first watch through of Battlestar Galactica.? Despite its bleak plot, it was an awesome ride with a somewhat unfulfilling conclusion, but memorable characters.? Better Call Saul’s fantastic conclusion led me to start a rewatch of Breaking Bad.? I also rewatched The Knick, and that show is just so entertaining, now in my all-time faves.? Lastly, I caught up and checked out a fun mix of other shows that I’d missed over the years and really enjoyed–the gritty Quarry and Peaky Blinders, the curiously offbeat Patriot, and a bunch of hilarious comedies that had slipped through the cracks that gave me some of the biggest laughs of the year: Review, Detroiters, The Other Two, South Side, Miracle Workers, Harley Quinn, and Brooklyn 99.

Random Fun

Special note this year for two credit sequences that brought me such joy this year.? While many shows seem to be shying away from costly and extravagant opening credits for simple title cards, the dance sequences that open Pachinko and Peacemaker made me smile each time I watched.

The World Stage

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the heroics of the Ukrainian people, and the instant global stardom of Ukraine’s President Zelenksyy, it was astonishing to be able to go back and watch Servant of the People on Netflix.? The show, which helped catapult Zelenskyy to the presidency, is legitimately funny, heartwarming, and overtly political–attacking corruption and Putin with vigor.? Worth a watch to get a better insight into the country and its leader.

Special Note

Just wanted to shout out how awesome Yellowjackets (Showtime) was.? I watched it at the beginning of this year, after my list for last year, but since most episodes aired in 2021, it didn’t feel right to include on the 2022 list, but definitely was one of the best shows of the past couple years.? Nice to have another show set in Jersey (partially) filled with mystery, music, and excellent performances.

Here’s my overall Top 40 favorite shows of the year:

40. Westworld (HBO)

39. Sandman (Netflix)

38. A League of Their Own (Amazon Prime)

37. Reboot (Hulu)

36. Moon Knight (Disney+)

35. The Offer (Paramount+)

34. The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

33. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney+)

32. What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

31. Paper Girls (Amazon Prime)

30. Abbott Elementary (ABC)

29. Ramy (Hulu)

28. Under the Banner of Heaven (FX on Hulu)

27. Stranger Things (Netflix)

26. Rick & Morty (adult swim)

25. House of the Dragon (HBO)

24. Primal (adult swim)

23. Girls5Eva (Peacock)

22. Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)

21. The Afterparty (Apple TV+)

20. Better Call Saul (AMC)

19. Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)

18. Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

17. The Rehearsal (HBO)

16. Outer Range (Amazon Prime)

15. Euphoria (HBO)

14. Hacks (HBO Max)

13. We Own This City (HBO)

12. Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)

11. Winning Time (HBO)

10. For All Mankind (Apple TV+)

9. The Boys (Amazon Prime)

8. Pachinko (Apple TV+)

7. Industry (HBO Max)

6. Barry (HBO)

5. The White Lotus (HBO)

4. Andor (Disney+)

3. Severance (Apple TV+)

2. The Bear (FX on Hulu)

1. Atlanta (FX)

Didn’t get to yet: The English, Little America, Kindred, Fleischman is in Trouble, The Patient, Gaslit, probably a few others?

2021’s Top 5: 1) Foundation 2) Reservation Dogs 3) The White Lotus 4) Succession 5) It’s a Sin

All-Time Favorites: 1) The Wire 2) The Sopranos 3)Breaking Bad 4) The Knick 5) Atlanta? 6) Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown/No Reservations 7) The Good Place 8) Game of Thrones 9) Rome 10) Band of Brothers 11) The Simpsons 12) Black Mirror 13) Mad Men 14) Deadwood