The Ten Best TV Shows Of 2022

It’s 2023 now and I am just catching up on my year-end best lists for 2022, which includes a very difficult one to make, given how much great TV was released this past year.

It’s a wide range, from all manner of streaming services, but here is what I would consider the best TV shows of 2022.

10. Our Flag Means Death Season 1 – I went into this series expecting a What We Do In The Shadows type goofy parody of pirates. What I was not expecting was one of the most touching onscreen romances of the year that involved Blackbeard, the famed pirate. A truly unique series that thankfully secured a season 2 after a massive groundswell of fan support.

9. Warrior Nun Season 2 – I watched both seasons of this show this year, just in time to be as disappointed along with the rest of the fanbase when Netflix canceled the series without a conclusion. Warrior Nun season 2 really was stellar, an upgrade over the first as they lean into the true insanity of the universe they’d created, and it’s a shame it won’t be back for more.

8. Cyberpunk Edgerunners Season 1 – A show so good it sparked a surge of sales for Cyberpunk 2077 itself. Proof of concept that Night City has a ton of life in it as an IP, thanks to the script from CDPR and animation from TRIGGER. Animated or otherwise, this is easily one of the best shows of the year and one that has rarely left my thoughts since I watched it.

7. The White Lotus Season 2 – I don’t know how Mike White did it, but he managed to create a dark comedy that’s easily as gripping as any blockbuster high fantasy series that comes out on Sunday nights. Season 2 was even better than season 1 with its more interesting cast and truly wild finale. Cannot wait for season 3.

6. The Boys Season 3 – This show just cannot miss, and the resurrection of Soldier Boy and the exploration of the roots of Vaught made for perhaps the best season of the show so far. It’s so on the nose in terms of our current political climate, and season 4 with an “unleashed” Homelander is going to be terrifying to witness, I can already tell.

5. The Bear Season 1 – A show that perfectly encapsulates the stress of working in a kitchen, and also a terribly human story with a memorable cast. It also features one of the best episodes of any show this year with its one-take seventh episode that is an all-timer that everyone should witness.

4. House of the Dragon Season 1 – I was not convinced that any series would be able to rinse the taste of the last few seasons of Game of Thrones out of my mouth, but House of the Dragon is a stellar series that refocuses back on politics rather than global-scale wars. Phenomenal performances all around here, especially from Paddy Considine.

3. Better Call Saul Season 6 – Better Call Saul is probably best taken on the whole rather than any one specific season, but this was about as good a finale as we could have hoped for, for one of TV’s most underappreciated series. Bob Odenkirk survived a heart attack to finish the series with a career-best performance, and it also helped create a star in the form of Rhea Seehorn.

2. Andor Season 1 – If you would have told me a year ago I would have Andor on my list in second place here, I would have said you were crazy. The Disney era of Star Wars has been more downs than ups, and Andor felt like a totally extraneous series that didn’t need to exist, given that we know it’s conclusion in the form of Rogue One. What we got instead was a gorgeous, thrilling exploration of fascisms and rebellion that is miles deeper than anything we’ve ever seen out of the past or present Star Wars universes. It very well may be the best piece of Star Wars fiction we have.

1. Severance Season 1 – It’s a show that will top many lists, my own included. Severance is one of the most bizarre series you’ll ever see, but a crown jewel in Apple’s line-up. It’s a surrealist masterpiece full of mystery and top-tier performances from underrated actors, and easily the show I’m looking forward to seeing return the most.

Honorable mentions:

• Stranger Things season 4
• Wednesday season 1
• Slow Horses season 2
• Reacher season 1
• Reservation Dogs season 2
• She-Hulk season 1
• Black Bird
• The Rehearsal season 1
• Peacemaker season 1

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.