TV years have gotten a bit murky. It used to be if it was on broadcast tv you watched it or you didn’t. Now with so much cable and streaming we’re often catching up. I know I am. Including all the cable channels who could watch it all?
And if I had the time I definitely don’t have all the channels. The biggest shift was I finally got HBOMax, but not until late in the year. I have definitely not caught up on all the 2022 fare, though you’ll see I was able to get started. I am also dabbling with getting different options for a limited time (e.g. Paramount+ and Apple+).
Recency bias may have resulted in some of this ranking but as you know on any given day who knows but you gotta land somewhere.
- The Bear (Fx/Hulu) – If I’m lucky every season there is something new and special that draws me in, this was it for me this year, a very tense tale of a ‘real’ chef heading home to run a local restaurant after his brother dies and let’s just say things don’t go smoothly.
- Hacks (HBO) – I just just finished this but was so drawn into these two women and their dysfunction and personal growth together as they turn an old-school comedian’s act into something new, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder for the win.
- Barry (HBO) – I can’t help myself with these painful shows where you can’t imagine how this is all going to work out, and Bill Hader’s hitman looking for a change in LA does it to a T.
- Somebody Somewhere (HBO) – Ok so maybe the new HBOMax subscription was a good idea (and I’ve only scratched the surface); I was really drawn in by this look at a woman’s return to her small Kansas town and her struggle to fit in with family and found family.
- Ghosts (CBS) – Based on an English show which I have yet to check out, Rose McIver plays a woman who inherits a family home and can see the undead, it brings lots of fun as we learn more about the long-term residents and watch them try to make a future.
- Abbot Elementary (ABC) – You’ve likely heard about this one and for good reason, Quinta Brunson’s teachers in Philly has a ton of heart with its silliness.
- Yellow Jackets (Show) – My Paramount+ temporary subscription led me to this (though I tried not to add any new shows) and couldn’t stop watching this time-split tale of present-day and the immediate aftermath of a plane crash filled with a high school girl’s soccer team, I mean that would traumatize anyone right?
- Evil (Para+) – I’m a big fan of the King’s series and this is no exception, this show literally creeps me out with its trio of skeptics and believers investigating ‘occurrences’ for the church, and their personal lives are not unimpacted.
- Reservation Dogs (Hulu) – Indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma do what they gotta do to make it to California while dealing with family and local drama, a nice mix of off-format, story, and character/relationship focus.
- Ink Master (Para+) – This is my favorite reality show and as it was brought back it moved networks and changed judges but they were able to maintain the core of the thing (though I do miss Chris and Oliver), testing the skills of a tattoo artist to see who is the master
A few series that wrapped this year and while the final season might not hit the top ten, the series in their entirety were noteworthy (this is also a bit of a cheat to list more shows):
- Animal Kingdom (TNT) – I enjoy a good crime drama and this So Cal surfing crime family sure brought the drama, it was a little uneven but I think quite good for what it was.
- Atlanta (Fx) – Donald Glover really took artistic license but for the most part it was incredibly successful while also building rich characters and an interesting overall arc in this look at an up-and-coming rapper and his manager.
- Better Things (Fx) – I just love what Pamela Adlon did with this semi-autobiographical dramedy about her family and her life surrounding Hollywood, this show was consistently in my top ten.
- Claws (TNT) – Ok this was one heck of a campy show but if you want to watch a bunch of over-the-top nail artists take on some serious Florida crime these characters had heart and style.
- David Makes Man (2021-OWN) – The first season of this was one of my favorite looks at coming-of-age both through the story and visuals and while the second season’s time jump wasn’t as successful for me it was still really interesting.
- Dead to Me (Net) – Christina Applegate and Linda Cardelini play unlikely friends who won each other and me over with their approach to every ridiculous twist and turn they run into through their start with grief.
- Deutschland 83/86/89 (2020-Sund/Hulu) – I caught these after the fact but loved the Americans-ish spy drama and the time jumps to see where it all went.
- The Good Fight (Para+) – Christine Baranski can do no wrong and I enjoyed her years starting over at a new law firm following The Good Wife, they created something new but kept a lot of the elements of what made the former work through quirky characters, cases, and overarching issues, I actually paid to get the rest of this show.
- Grace & Frankie (Net) – This show wasn’t revolutionary but the throwback feel of a screwball buddy comedy worked with not only great leads of Fonda and Tomlin but a fun supporting cast.
- Killing Eve (BBC) – Ok this show kind of lost its way but that first season was enough to keep me in for moments of Eve and Villanelle’s relationship, assassins and spies, and some great outfits.
- Ozark (Net) – This show pushed the edges of dark both metaphorically and visually but this family, with great performances, doing everything they can to survive, and maybe even thrive, through a money laundering entanglement with the Mexican drug lord, don’t get in their way.
Honorable mention: Alaska Daily (ABC), Dark Winds (AMC), Get Shorty (Epix), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), Professor T (PBS), Reginald the Vampire (Syfy), Resident Alien (Syfy), Russian Doll (Net), Single Drunk Female (Free), So Help Me Todd (CBS), Upload (Am), Welcome to Wrexham (Fx), White Lotus (HBO).
There are also a few shows I am enjoying but not up to date on: Better Call Saul (AMC), Euphoria (HBO), and The Flight Attendant (HBO).
Is this just everything I watched last year? Sadly no. But I admittedly didn’t choose the smallest subset to mention.
For critics’ picks, there’s a good list at Metacritic. What were your faves?
There’s always room for tinkering but as it stands here’s what I’ve got on the plan, or at least the TiVo queue.