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Best TV Shows of 2022

2022 was another stellar year for television in an era when it’s easy to see why so many people favor streaming over movies. The quality is just that good. For my list, I only chose to focus on the best of the best while once again splitting the list into two categories of new and returning shows, so here we go.

Best New Shows of 2022:

8. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

This show surely isn’t for everybody as it’s quite gruesome in its violence and subject matter, but it is an essential viewing for any crime genre fan as it’s both disturbing and also genuinely moving in its second half. The central performance from Evan Peterson was superb, but the highlight of the miniseries is how it honored the victims instead of exploiting them. Hopefully, the subsequent seasons focusing on other serial killers will be as good as this one.

7. Spy x Family

One of the best new anime shows of 2022, Spy x Family is an enjoyably quirky and funny action comedy that is versatile in tones employed and universal in its appeal. The characters are instantly iconic while the comedy is some of the best in recent anime history. It has a huge heart, which made it bypass its episodic nature. It’s rare to find a recent anime that is instantly timeless, but this one most surely is.

6. Cabinet of Curiosities

Cabinet of Curiosities is by far the most underrated new show of the year. This is another terrific Guillermo del Toro-produced product that features his signature knack of traditional horror storytelling. It’s an anthology show, so it is uneven in quality, but most episodes were  superb and a couple were downright incredible with the alien parasite one stealing the show. It’s such a treat for genre fans.

5. The Cuphead Show!

Netflix ended up releasing all three seasons of The Cuphead Show! in the span of a single year, which signals mistreatment of animators. Still, the show is undeniably great and one of the best video game adaptations that we have right now. The characters are instantly iconic, the humor is stellar and the 30s style animation is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a perfect show for kids and the fans of the game alike.

4. The Staircase

This HBO Max crime drama featured an outstanding turn from the great Colin Firth and such a juicy real life story that is full of excellent twists and turns. The highlight is its very ambiguous ending that leaves you both confused and intrigued. It is a very artistically inclined crime show that elevates its genre in every single aspect. A must see for sure.

3. Blok 27

I am purposefully putting this series so high on this list because I am from Serbia myself and finally seeing a show from my home country that is genuinely great is worthy of a celebration. Blok 27 is an obvious take on Germany’s ‘Dark’, but it ended up being its own thing due to very relevant themes and subjects explored for the country and an excellent ominous atmosphere that made it consistently riveting to watch. It’s still unbelievable to me how good it was.

2. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

The best new anime of the year, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is another great case for the high potential of video game adaptations in visual media. The curse is finally over and we are getting more and more amazing movies and shows adapting great games. Strong characters, powerful storytelling and amazing action set pieces made Cyberpunk entertaining throughout. It also features a superb soundtrack and gorgeous animation.

1. The Sandman

The Sandman is a terrific fantasy series and one of the best things that Netflix has done so far. It has its problems, but the character development is surprisingly strong for a show that has so many characters, the storytelling is thematically rich and moving and the world building is quite intricate. It is a messy, but consistently entertaining series that is particularly adept at powerful dialogue and impressive one-off installments. Let’s just hope that the second season is as good and that it will arrive sooner rather than later.

Best Returning Shows of 2022:

6. Rick and Morty Season 6

Rick and Morty returned to form this year. The sixth season overall was superb and the second best season of the entire show. It has its weaker episodes, but most range from very good to outstanding. The highlights are the creative high-concept stories that were wildly entertaining. It was also wonderful seeing Rick finally get some exploration as his arc here is quite meaningful.

5. South Park Season 25

South Park also returned to their old-fashioned style and approach this year for the better. While it is ridiculously short and some of the voices of the characters felt off, their personalities were intact, the storylines were both funny and smart while the strongest episodes here represented South Park at its best in many years. Finally, this show is getting rid of serialization and going back to the way things were back in its heyday.

4. Big Mouth Season 6

The sixth season of Big Mouth has its less effective episodes and some arcs are only okay, but most characters got terrific arcs and a lot of superb development. The themes and characterization are the highlights while the humor is also stupendous with many laugh-out-loud one-liners and edgy jokes throughout. This is definitely the best season so far in a show that constantly keeps improving.

3. Hacks Season 2

The second season of Hacks has its issues, but for the most part this is such a good sophomore season that is a genuine improvement of an already great first season. Deborah and Ava continue to be superbly defined and their arcs and especially their relationship are both complex and highly emotionally rewarding. The show is still very funny, quite sophisticated and very honest in its depiction of Hollywood and standup comedy in particular.

2. The White Lotus Season 2

Somehow the second season of The White Lotus ended up being better than the first. Yes, it gets crazy toward the end, but it is undeniably entertaining from start to finish with incredible dialogue, humor and acting performances. The characters are uniformly fantastic and incredibly well developed while the conflicts are also grounded in reality and quite juicy to follow. It’s just a fantastic show that only gets better with each new season and it’s a great example of just how incredible HBO Max is at dramatic storytelling.

1. Primal Season 2

The one show that was even better than the above masterpiece is Primal, which in its second season again fired on all cylinders. It’s a bit less artistic and even more unbelievable, but when it counts, the show employs tremendous realism, unflinching brutality and unpredictable twists that really worked. The animation and score are brilliant once again while the characterization and emotional investment are undeniably impressive. You cannot really decide whether the first or the second season are better as both are insanely good. It’s a brilliant series that is one of the best animated shows ever created.