What are the best TV series of 2022? We’re living in an era of peak television, and it’s getting more and more difficult year to pick the best shows of the year. After a bit of thought, though, these were the TV series that entertained us the most in 2022.
OK, so before we begin, let’s quickly establish some rules. We’re basing this off UK releases, not when they premiered in the US. Just a reminder as well that this is a subjective list, and it’s totally fine to disagree with us on our choices for the best TV series of the year.
Finally, before we get into our best 2022 TV series, here are a few honourable mentions for Bridgerton, Stranger Things, Slow Horses, The Sandman, Abbott Elementary, Barry, The Old Man, and This Is Going To Hurt. OK, with that out of the way, let’s get to the main event.
What are the best 2022 TV series?
- Ms Marvel
- Peacemaker
- Derry Girls
- What We Do in the Shadows
- Severance
- The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power
- The White Lotus
- The Boys
- Better Call Saul
- Andor
- House of the Dragon
Ms Marvel (2022)
We’ve been excited for Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) to join the MCU since her Marvel series was announced, and we weren’t let down. Much like the comics that inspired the show Ms Marvel was vibrant, bold, and confident.
What really sold the show, however, was Vellani’s performance. She embodied the MCU character of Kamala, perfectly channelling both her brave and heroic side with the dorky superhero-obsessed fan girl.
Peacemaker (2022)
In 2022 James Gunn asked superhero fans a simple question, “Do ya really wanna. Do ya really wanna taste it?” What was the “it” in question? Well, it was Peacemaker (John Cena), of course, the murderous anti-hero from the superhero movie The Suicide Squad who got his very own spin-off TV series.
Silly and irreverent Peacemaker was a middle finger to people who think superheroes always have to be grim and gritty. We loved Peacemaker for its wild and hilarious characters and can’t wait to see them return in Peacemaker season 2.
Derry Girls (2022)
All good things must come to an end, and this year we got the final season of the comedy series Derry Girls. While there were plenty of laughs along the way, the third season was a lot more poignant than we expected, especially the last episode, which did more to educate me on the Good Friday Agreement than 18 years in the British school system.
What We Do in the Shadows (2022)
It would be bloody rude not to include our three favourite vampires (and Colin Robinson) on our list of the best 2022 TV series, considering how great What We Do in the Shadows season 4 was.
The horror series has always revelled in being really, really weird, but season 4 took that to a whole new level introducing truly bizarre concepts like Baby Colin, Lazlo’s obsession with flipping houses, and whatever was going on with Nandor and the Djinn.
As bonkers as things got, though, it was still very as sharp and funny as ever, and we’re already very excited for What We Do in the Shadows season 5.
Severance (2022)
Severance came out of nowhere early in the year and blew audiences away, completely justifying an Apple TV Plus subscription. The sci-fi series follows a group of employees who undergo an operation known as severance that completely separates their working lives from their personal lives.
What seems like the dream, however, is quickly revealed to be a nightmare. Wonderfully surreal and exquisitely shot, Severance is a withering takedown of corporate America, and a thought-provoking look at the way work has bled into everyone’s personal lives.
If you want to know more about the next series, then we have a guide to the Severance season 2 release date.
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (2022)
Amazon spent millions this year taking us back to Middle-earth with its epic fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It was always going to be tough following Peter Jackon’s Lord of the Rings movies, but the TV series more than rose to the occasion.
Set millennia before the War of the Ring and the Third Age, it wasn’t quite the place we thought we knew, but we quickly grew to love this new host of elves, harfoots, dwarves, and men as we watched them battle Sauron’s growing evil.
Choosing our favourite thing about the show’s difficult – it looked beautiful, the characters were well rounded, and the villains suitably dastardly – but it was probably Durin and Elrond’s bromance, and we can’t wait to see what happens in the Rings of Power season 2 after that gut-punch of an ending.
The White Lotus (2022)
Vacationing has never been as terrifying as it watching The White Lotus. Created by Mike White, this follow-up to the HBO sleeper hit swaps the sandy beaches of Hawaii for the twisted streets of Sicily but loses none of its sharpness along the way.
Part puzzle box mystery, part comedy, The White Lotus was a captivating and wildly entertaining treat to end the year on. The entire cast was dazzling but let’s be honest, the star of the show was Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya
The Boys (2022)
On the surface, The Boys is a black comedy series about corrupt superheroes, but if you rip off this Clark Kent-Esque secret identity, you’ll find a smart and subversive satire about white supremacy, nationalism, and the corrupting nature of power.
Impressively despite its politics, The Boys never feels smug or lecturing. Instead, it revels in over-the-top audaciousness and violence, with every season getting filthier and wilder. God knows what The Boys season 5 release date will bring, but we’re gonna have to buy some wet wipes before watching.
Better Call Saul (2022)
Name a show better than Breaking Bad. What’s that you can’t? Well, we can. It’s called Better Call Saul. That’s right. We’re not afraid to say what we all know to be true. Better Call Saul’s final season was better than Breaking.
Questionable hyperbole aside, Better Call Saul came to an end this year, and we finally learned the ultimate fate of Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, aka Gene Takavic. It was sad, it was funny, it was shocking. Basically, it was perfect.
However, the thing that gives it the edge over its meth-based predecessor is its character work. It’s easy to take Mr Chipps and make him into Scarface. It’s something else entirely to make a sleazy comic relief character like Saul into one of the greatest television characters of all time.
Andor (2022)
We’ve had a lot of Star Wars series by this point, and it’s fair to say the shows set in a galaxy far, far away have been of variable quality. As such, we can’t say we were too excited for Andor, a show about the third-billed character in a spin-off Star Wars movie most people (wrongly) forget about.
Well, we were very wrong. Andor wasn’t just good. It was great. The entire series was masterfully plotted with a tight story that showed how a normal man – Cassian Andor – can turn from a selfish cynic to a flag-waving freedom fighter. What was more impressive, however, was the show’s unflinching commitment to demonstrating how war, even a morally just one, can darken the soul.
Aside from the story and themes, Andor also looked great, and we hope the near-universal praise for the show convinces Disney to let Star Wars out of its green screen prison again. Honestly, there’s an argument to be made that this is the best Star Wars series we’ve ever got. Roll on, Andor season 2!
House of the Dragon (2022)
After Game of Thrones’ disastrous final season, it’s safe to say expectations were pretty low for House of the Dragon, but like with Andor, we should have known HBO wouldn’t let us down. This prequel, which explores the Targaryen family’s brutal civil war, the Dance of the Dragons, was a real return to form for the franchise.
The fantasy series recommits itself body and soul to everything people love about Thrones; basically, it’s all about politics, plotting, and murder. Throw in some dragons, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for one of the best shows of the year.
While the entire House of the Dragon cast was brilliant, we want to shout out our Paddy Considine for his role as King Viserys Targaryen. Considine was the heart and soul of the show, and his layered take on Viserys was a joy to watch. Here’s hoping House of the Dragon season 2 can live up to the first.