The streaming boom from the pandemic continues unabated and viewers are spoilt for choice with excellent options in genre as well as prestige telly. Fantasy, crime, sci-fi, drama, satire and comedy, were all represented in divinely delicious shows. Horror, however did not have a great 2022… Sophomore seasons of Euphoria, Undone, Upload and Only Murders in the Building were as good their debuts.
There were three shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2022. Jeremy Slater’s Moon Knight featured a mind-blowing Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector, Moon Knight and Steven Grant among many others (he suffers from dissociative identity disorder), and Ethan Hawke was the chief antagonist. Iman Vellani made for a charming Kamala Khan in Bisha K. Ali’s Ms. Marvel. Jessica Gao’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, with a delightful appearance by Mark Ruffalo, was super fun.
Biographies ran the gamut of good (Pam & Tommy, The Crown Season 5), to downright icky. Dahmer— Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which was as clumsy as its title, takes the top spot.
Lee Child’s nomadic ex-military policeman got the streaming avatar it deserved in Reacher, while William Gibson’s Peripheral was translated into an exhilarating neon-drenched series. Stars shone bright in shows including a brilliant, conflicted Andrew Garfield in Under the Banner of Heaven and Samantha Morton as Catherine de’ Medici in The Serpent Queen. Now that we are done with a none too comprehensive overview, here is a list of the ten best shows of the year in order of their release.
Severance, February 18 (Apple TV+)
This star-studded psychological, sci-fi thriller created by Dan Erickson is directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle and deserves every one of accolades. Featuring a brilliant turn by Adam Scott, Severance also stars Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette. Sci-fi staples of altered memory and mind-wipes, get a zany twist in the severance program, which divides work and non-work memories.
Better Call Saul Season 6, April 18 (Netflix)
The sixth and final season of the multiple-award winning Breaking Bad spin-off, gave a perfect send off to former lawyer and con artist, Saul (Bob Odenkirk). The show, which serves as a sequel and prequel to Breaking Bad, has been dubbed better than its predecessor for its masterful storytelling and character study.
Stranger Things Season 4, May 27 (Netflix)
Though each of the nine episodes is the size of a mini-movie, they all grab one’s eyes and keep it. All the elements that made the Duffer Brothers’ show a cultural phenomenon is present in generous quantities from the rocking ‘80s soundtrack to the analogue devices. As the Hawkins’ kids grow up, the tone gets darker, and there is a new evil, Vecna, targeting troubled teenagers. We learn more about Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) origins, and a certain American needs to be broken out of a prison in Russia.
The Bear, June 23 (Disney+ Hotstar)
There is drama, action, laughter and tears in a restaurant kitchen. Christopher Storer’s pitch-perfect show about an award-winning New York City chef (Jeremy Allen White) coming home to Chicago to resuscitate his late brother’s failing sandwich shop does not lack either warmth or tension — will Carmy slice off his finger as he slices and dices with alarming dexterity? And what other secrets do those sad blue eyes hide? Hopefully season two will reveal some of them.
The Rehearsal, July 15 (Disney+ Hotstar)
The concept of Nathan Fielder’s series is mind-boggling, surreal, absurd, philosophical and bruisingly tender. Through the six episodes of the reality show, Fielder helps people rehearse for difficult moments in their lives through installations and actors. The idea for the show came out of the elaborate rehearsals that Fielder and his crew did for his earlier show, Nathan for You.
The Sandman, August 5 (Netflix)
Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic book series about the lord of dreams, Morpheus, and the story of stories finally gets a screen avatar after years in development hell. The cast from Tom Sturridge (Morpheus) to Boyd Holbrook as the Corinthian, the nightmare with teeth for eyes, the music and production design contributed to creating a version of Gaiman’s vision. And just when you were feeling lost and lonely in every way after the show ended, there was a bonus episode; a happy dream come true.
House of the Dragon, August 21 (Disney+ Hotstar)
While it does not have the scale and expansiveness of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, set 200 years before King Aerys was killed by Jaime Lannister, tells of the ruin of House Targaryen and the war of succession, Dance of the Dragons that followed. There is a faithful following of the GOT template with extravagant production design, gratuitous gore and sex. While the best friends-turned-sworn enemies, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) are as fire and ice, Matt Smith rocks the Rogue Prince, Daemon.
Andor (September 21) Disney+ Hotstar
Andor is the Star Wars show we have all been waiting for. After the star-studded, yet vaguely underwhelming Obi-Wan Kenobi, came Andor, which traces how a revolution-averse petty thief, Cassian Andor, (Diego Luna) became a martyr in Rogue One. Writer and creator Tony Gilroy’s avowed non-fan approach to the world of Star Wars, is one of Andor’s greatest strengths apart from a superb cast led by Luna and Stellan Skarsgård, stellar writing and eye-popping production design.
Abbot Elementary Season 2, September 21 (Disney+ Hotstar)
Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary about a documentary crew filming teachers at underfunded schools goes behind closed staffroom doors to reveal that teachers are humans too. Led by Brunson, who plays an idealistic second grade teacher, Abbot Elementary looks at solving small problems while shining a light on big issues.
White Lotus Season 2, October 30 (Disney+ Hotstar)
Mike White is back with another bunch of badly-behaved rich white tourists. With action moved from idyllic Hawaii, to sexy, violent Sicily, White’s opulent social satire dissects on toxic masculinity, desire and jealousy. Eschewing a discourse on colonialism and privilege, White described season 2 as a “bedroom farce with teeth,” and what jolly teeth they turned out to be!
