What was on in 2022

The best of the year, according to me

Happy new year’s eve! Before the chime of midnight I’m here to share my personal favorite shows of 2022. (Here’s 2021’s list if you want to flash back to where our minds were 12 months ago. Below, I put an asterisk on the titles that also made my list last year.) I only managed to write 15 newsletters this year, but I covered most if not all of these shows at least briefly. Here are the 18 shows that kept me sitting on the couch this year.

Top Tier, A-List, No Notes

Andor (Disney+) - My favorite show of the year. Aaron Bady wrote my favorite piece about it. It works on all levels: plot, character, design, writing, acting. It’s the show I was most excited to watch every week.

Severance (Apple TV+) - Visually stunning and smart and cohesive, and it nailed the last episode.

Reservation Dogs* (Hulu) - An original and exciting show, surprising in small moments, with person-sized conflicts that feel huge.

The Bear (Hulu) - I don’t care if any of the ins and outs of the restaurant business make sense; I just wanted to swept along with this show’s energy. It has confidence and style, and that goes very far.

Funny, Dark, Silly, Joyous

Derry Girls (Netflix)

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)

Atlanta (Hulu)

Our Flag Means Death (HBO)

Girls5Eva* (Peacock)

Starstruck* (HBO)

I Loved These Too!

For All Mankind* (Apple TV+)

Only Murders in the Building* (Hulu)

The Good Fight (Paramount+)

Rings of Power (Amazon)

White Lotus* (HBO)

The Station Eleven Award for Incredible Shows That Air Episodes Over Two Calendar Years

Station Eleven* (HBO)

A few others barely missed my arbitrary emotional cut off, including Fleishman is in Trouble, Pachinko, and Stranger Things, to name a few. Let me know what you loved that I have brazenly snubbed!

The tally: HBO wins this year with 5 shows on the list, followed closely by Hulu with 4 and Apple with 3. (I didn’t distinguish between HBO and HBOMax because I can never remember which is which and most people at this point have both.) The rest (Disney, Netflix, AMC, Peacock, Paramount, and Amazon) had 1 each.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to happy watching in 2023!

xoxo

Maggie