I didn’t watch a great deal of TV in 2022, in fact there was only a handful of shows that actually held my attention and some things that I really wanted to watch but didn’t get around to (sorry Andor). Such is the life of being the dad of a 2 year old I suppose! (Also I spent 1000 hours gaming in 2022, thanks for that one PlayStation Wrapped). That doesn’t mean I didn’t watch anything! In fact, I still watched enough to compile at least 10 entries for a list so Here. We. Go!
10) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
I ADORED The Rings of Power and am a massive Lord of the Rings fanboy, well Middle Earth in general I suppose. Rings of Power loses a few points from me for the sole reason of having some very questionable dialogue choices, some acting that was quite frankly wooden and some really weird story omissions.
All in all, I still absolutely loved this show from start to finish, I even wrote an article telling angry racists to shut up, which you can read here.
9) What We Do In The Shadows
Matt Berry is potentially my favourite comedic actor working right now, everything he delivers has me cackling for days, merely due to how he delivers in. In fact, in my friend circles we still walk around shouting FATHERRRRRRRRRRR! From IT Crowd.
So another series of him as a vampire? Yes please. This series focused on the gang creating a “Vampire nightclub like in Blade” while trying to adapt to parenting, the now teenage, Colin Robinson. If you liked the previous series then you’ll love this one as it’s basically more of the same.
8) Severance
At Respawning we have to sign quite a few Non Disclosure Agreements when it comes to reviewing games ahead of their release date. Severance takes the idea of this and twists it on its head so that when you leave the office… everything you did in the office is forgotten and you simply cannot take it home.
I won’t say much more about this one as I don’t want to give much away, going into this one blind is the best way to go.
7) Am I Being Unreasonable?
Daisy May Cooper is a hit right now. After the INCREDIBLE This Country, she is back with Am I Being Unreasonable? In this she plays a struggling Mum whose husband cheats on her, and becomes friends with a new mum to the area who under the surface appears to be a psychopath.
This one had me laughing and guessing the entire runtime and I cannot wait for more in 2023.
6) The Bear
Just watch the Bear. It’s so good.
5) This is Going To Hurt
In 2022 the government of the UK apparently forgot everything the NHS did for us during the pandemic and thought that clapping them on a Thursday was good enough. They went back to basics by stripping money out of the NHS, ensuring our hardworking doctors and nurses were not paid representative of their hard work.
This is Going To Hurt came at a perfect time, showing life on a maternity ward in all its grim glory. Whilst incredibly funny, This is Going To Hurt is also a really poignant discussion on how the NHS is working and showing how things COULD be in a privatised world.
Bit of a dark one but still fantastic nonetheless.
4) Atlanta
Donald Glover is back with Atlanta, the weird and wonderful Hip Hop based show that showcased just how talented Childish Gambino is and how he doesn’t leave any talent for the rest of the world at all.
If you liked the previous series of Atlanta then this one is even weirder and there’s a lot to love as we say goodbye to the show.
3) Stranger Things
WORTH. THE. WAIT. Albeit a bit messy at times, Stranger Things took the world by storm in its fourth outing. Featuring TV’s best character of 2022 in Eddie, Stranger Things 4 brought the heart and nostalgia it’s known for all over again, leaving the whole world guessing:
What the hell could be next?
2) Peacemaker
The standout character in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” was Peacemaker, played by everyone’s favourite wrestler turned actor: The Rock John Cena.
Peacemaker is crude, it’s violent and it’s heartwarming as hell. By far the funniest show of all of 2022, I just really hope that this is a series that Gunn doesn’t leave behind with his culling of the DC Universe.
It’s dropped a point for me though because I found it really weird that the main character was just a floating helmet and costume with nobody inside, but at least the side characters were funny I guess!
1) The Sandman
The Sandman is the best TV show that Netflix has ever put out. Go into this one blind for a fantastic romp through Neil Gaiman’s most beloved work.
So that was it! My top 10 shows of 2022. I missed loads right? Let me know in the comments below what you think I need to check out over the Christmas period.
Written by Luke.
Edited by Alexx.