We make the case for the 30 best TV shows of 2022, from The White Lotus to Andor to Severance and beyond.
From subsequent installments of fan-favorite series to breakout debuts, 2022 featured a host of shows across genres, worlds and themes that dominated conversations, engaged our senses and thrilled us to our cores.
Whether it was the plethora of memes that came out of “The White Lotus” Season 2 finale, the numerous analyses about what “Severance” says about our relationship to work-life balance or the collective Twitter fervor over the budding romance between Janine and Gregory in “Abbott Elementary,” we were entertained, shaken, enthralled and captivated by these excellent TV shows.
As we look toward 2023 — and the many, many series (returning and new) that are sure to grace our screens — members of TheWrap staff and TV team took a moment to reflect on some of the standout shows we loved this year. “Pachinko” moved us, “Bad Sisters” made us cackle, “The Bear” stressed us the f— out and “The Rehearsal” pushed the boundaries of our understanding of television.
Read on for our picks for the best TV shows of 2022 in alphabetical order.
Fresh off an Emmy win for Outstanding Comedy, “Abbott Elementary” has not disappointed in its sophomore season so far. After splitting up with Tariq, Janine (Quinta Brunson) returns to Abbott determined to not let her troubles at home spill into the school day — the same overenthusiastic attitude that Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Ava (Janelle James) love to hate. With one season already under their belts, Season 2 dives deeper into our favorite friendships — cue Barbara and Melissa — and the love story we’ve been waiting so long for between Janine and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) — even taking us out of the classroom to a hookah club in the mid-season finale. — Loree Seitz
It wasn’t enough for creator Christopher Miller and EP Phil Lord to make a whodunit TV series. In addition, the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “21 Jump Street” filmmakers set up a unique challenge: each episode of “The Afterparty” is not only told from the perspective of a different suspect, but also shot and presented in a unique genre style. The result — with all episodes directed by Miller — was one of the most refreshing and purely fun shows of the year, as we watched this terrific ensemble (led by Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, Tiffany Haddish and Zoe Chao) commit to everything from rom-com to slasher to full-on musical. A pure delight. – Adam Chitwood
Since “The Mandalorian” debuted with the platform, we’ve come to expect a certain kind of “Star Wars” show on Disney+. (And, certainly, “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” have stayed very much in the “Mandalorian’s” lane.) Part of what made Tony Gilroy’s “Andor” such an explosive surprise was just how much it veered from this formula. Ostensibly a prequel to 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (itself a prelude to 1977’s “Star Wars”), “Andor” was a rich character study of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) an orphan and refugee who would become radicalized by the Rebellion and, eventually, grow into one of its most impactful leaders. Weaving in elements of a spy thriller, prison drama and space opera, “Andor” revealed the interior lives behind the people responsible for shaping the course of galactic history, with stunning performance by a uniformly excellent cast (including Kyle Stoller, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis) and a brilliant score by Nicholas Britell. (“Niamos!” for life.) If your faith in “Star Wars” had wavered, then “Andor” restored it. You are now one with the Force and the Force is one with you. — Drew Taylor
The most boring conversation around Bill Hader’s “Barry” is whether the show is funny enough to be a comedy anymore. Even in Season 1, arguably the most traditionally “comedic” season thus far, the focus has always been on telling a compelling story, and Season 3 continued that trajectory while still managing to find laugh-out-loud humor in even the bleakest of situations (like an assassin on the roof of a used car lot). But what makes “Barry” one of the best shows of the year is how the series continues to deal with the consequences of its characters’ actions. There’s no reset button, and the trauma everyone has experienced in past seasons/episodes lingers and directly affects their actions at this point in time, all the way up to that jaw-dropping finale. Is a human being capable of real change? We still don’t know the answer, but it’s enlightening watching Barry try. — Adam Chitwood
This breakout drama about a mom-and-pop sandwich shop struggling to stay afloat and adapt in a rapidly changing Chicago restaurant scene went from producing low-simmering chatter to boiling over in conversations online when it premiered on Hulu in the summer. Starring Jeremy Allen White as a prodigy chef burning the candle at both ends, the story is told with the urgency reserved for a pressure-cooker environment that can only exist in a disorganized, archaic kitchen. The delectable, stress-inducing series also boasts one of the best episodes of the 2022 TV year, with the penultimate “Review,” a stunning, deftly crafted, near 20-minute one-shot episode where all hell breaks loose. Naturally, FX on Hulu has ordered another course of the runaway favorite, which is poised to score big at the Emmys next year. — Natalie Oganesyan
The final episodes of “Better Call Saul” solidified it: This series is better, pound-for-pound, than “Breaking Bad.” That’s not a knock on “Breaking Bad” at all — it remains one of the best TV shows ever made. But it’s a testament to the talent of the writers, producers, directors, performers and craftspeople who carried over into this prequel series and continued to hone their craft to the point of near-perfection. Most would be too fearful to attempt something like a time jump to a post-“Breaking Bad” world for fear of treading on (or tampering with) an already well-received series ending. That “Better Call Saul” not only attempted this but managed to give us something surprising, emotional and fitting all in the same go (and for a handful of episodes, not just one) is a minor miracle. God bless this show. — Adam Chitwood
As X-rated as ever, “The Boys” Season 3 kicked it up a notch with hilarious spoofs (Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad, I’m looking at you) and a handful of bone-chilling scenes that excoriate the rise of the alt-right and mob mentality. With spot-on performances by the ensemble, led by the ever-terrifying Homelander (Antony Starr) and new addition Soldier Boy (an equally terrifying Jensen Ackles), the Boys delve deeper into the conspiracy while navigating crises of identity and moral conundrums. An explosive finale sets up what’s sure to be an uproarious fourth installment, as well as new college-based spinoff “Gen V,” set for release in the new year. — Natalie Oganesyan
Netflix’s prestige drama series “The Crown” went through its third and final cast reset this year as we entered the 1990s in the timeline of the Royal Family, and the result was a thrilling and emotional season that put Princess Diana in the spotlight. Elizabeth Debicki is a revelation here, transcending mimicry to inhabit Diana fully, making viewers feel as though they’re getting to know a side of her they’ve never seen before. It’s a layered, complicated performance in a season that’s wrestling with the dwindling popularity of the Monarchy but also the strain the Monarchy puts on basic relationships, both in Diana and Charles but also in Elizabeth and Philip. — Adam Chitwood
Amanda Seyfried gives a career-best (and Emmy-winning) performance in the limited series based on the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the unscrupulous founder of Theranos, a company that stood to revolutionize the health care industry — that is, if its products worked. Created and executive produced by Elizabeth Meriwether (“New Girl”), the eight-episode series tightly weaves a narrative about narcissism, desperation and the lengths one will go to achieve infamy. Seyfried’s performance is complemented by none other than the Emmy-nominated veteran Naveen Andrews’ Sunny Balwani, a match for Holmes in both ego and malice. — Natalie Oganesyan
What a refreshing surprise of a series. “The English” is a bloody revenge Western with a modern twist — not in terms of setting or characters, but sensibility. The premise is well-worn territory: A wealthy woman (Emily Blunt) arrives in the American West looking for revenge, and ends up paired with an ex-calvalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation (Chaske Spencer) on her quest. But the way in which writer/director Hugo Blick unfolds this story in six episodes is sprawling yet intimate, and emotional in the most profound of ways.
