There are a whole load of criteria that we use to select the television shows on this list. Some are here because of their artistic merit and technical proficiency. Others were truly revolutionary. Some had singular performances. While others made the cut simply because of how they made us feel. There are never any objective standards behind these things, just informed opinion that is bolstered by good taste, reasoned judgement, and experience. So what are the best television shows of 2022? These are our picks. In no particular order.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
As many online “experts” have already pointed out, The Rings of Power may not pass an academic reading of the original material, but as an extension of the movies, this eight episode series was more than just enjoyable. It was written in a way that captured the essence of Tolkien. It was shot in a way that made it so completely immersive. It made us want to reach out for the books again. It made us want to be back in that world again.
The Bear
The most stressful show you’ll see this year is also one of the best things on television. An expertly paced, beautifully observed, and brilliantly written character drama that’s set in a struggling Chicago diner that is, all at once, a rebuke of single-minded ambition, a meditation on grief, a compelling look at masculinity, and the most astute metaphor for our times. This is perfect TV.
Severance
Severance is so fucking smart it will hurt your brain. Sparse in its writing, stylish in its production, and utterly terrifying in the questions that it poses. What makes a self? Does free will exist? Or do we just have the illusion of choice? It is deeply philosophical stuff that is brilliantly undercut by a razor sharp wit. You would be in a fetal position and weeping if you weren’t laughing so hard.
Pachinko
Everything about Pachinko just sings. From how cinematic it looks, to how the series pulls off its multilingual format, to Lee Min-Ho. This is a love-letter to the Korean experience, to all those who endured under the fist of Japanese colonialism, and the stateless Koreans forced to carve out new lives in Japan. Pachinko perfectly manifests the push and pull between the struggle to endure and the desire to break away from confines that hold them. It is profound, devastating, and beautiful all at once. It is a Korean story like no other, and it is excellent.
Andor
Despite a meandering (and a little pointless) first three episodes, the series truly comes into its own from episode four onwards. Andor feels like the kind of Star Wars content that a lot of jaded fans were waiting for. This is a complex and nuanced mediation on family, politics, and the nature of rebellion. It’s all character, and tension, with just the right amount of cool. This is Star Wars at its most mature.
Peacemaker
An entire series about a DC character that no one really knew or cared about didn’t seem like a winning recipe, but in James Gunn’s capable hands (and John Cena’s tight pants), Peacemaker turned out to be a crude, irreverent, sometimes sad, beautifully chaotic, and profoundly thoughtful meditation on what it means to be a third tier superhero.
Slow Horses
Slow Horses is the best kind of spy thriller. One that’s full of palpable tension, high espionage thrills, pratfall comedy, and politics that hit a little too close to home. But what makes it truly shine are the relationships between this found family of lost and broken characters who have no one else but each other.
The Sandman
Could this be the definitive adaptation of what was widely regarded as an impossible graphic novel to adapt? We think so. Neil Gaiman was able to not only convert The Sandman from one form to another, but also make changes to it that still feel honest and true to the original work. The 10 episode series (plus 2 specials) were able to keep the tone, emotion, and heart of the original work, without ever being slavish to the fans, nor alienating to the newcomer.
The Afterparty
The Afterparty was a comedy series like no other. With each episode being told from a different point of view, and in a different genre, you never quite know what to expect week to week. From slasher, to musical, to animation, this was a series that was smart, funny, imaginative, and wildly inventive.
Bad Sisters
Bad Sisters is best described in two words: dark comedy. Never has the plot to murder a man been so delicious, so worthwhile, so aggravating, and so earned. The everyday villainy of the murder victim made it all feel so justified. Just like murdering Hitler in his prime, this feels like one crime that is well and truly worth the sin.
Notable Mentions
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The Peripheral. Welcome to Wrexham. WeCrashed. The Dropout. Ms. Marvel. House of the Dragon. She-Hulk. Pam & Tommy. jeen-yuhs.
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