My top 10 TV shows of 2022
The year is coming to a close so it’s time to have a look back at my top 10 TV shows of 2022.
I must state first of all that I am not as on it with TV as I am with film so I haven’t seen everything and have plenty of gaps I still hope to catch up on.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s my list from 1 to 10 (click on the title for related articles).
WHAT. A. SHOW! This story has such an original concept and makes you wonder what your life would be like if you underwent the severance procedure and your work memories were totally separate from your personal ones. The show follows Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro and Zach Cherry as workers at Lumon Industries, where things are not what they seem. This mystery is fascinating and gripping and that finale was insane. More now, please!
I didn’t care much for the first season of The White Lotus but this instalment totally won me over. I found the characters, their relationships, the writing and the unpredictability of it all so good. That season finale was amazing, wasn’t it?! My favourites were Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Mia (Beatrice Granno). Roll on season three!
Bad Sisters
This black comedy was a huge word-of-mouth hit for Apple TV+ and it’s easy to see why. The premise is simple – what did John Paul (Claes Bang) die of and was foul play involved? He was abusive to his wife Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) and the finger points to her and her four sisters. A character has not made my blood boil this year quite like the awful JP. He made my skin crawl! The sisters are brilliant and the whodunit keeps you guessing until the end. A second season has been announced but I’m not too sure about that.
Another word-of-mouth hit this year. The show follows players on a girls’ soccer team after their plane crashes in the wilderness in the ’90s as well as some of the adult survivors in the present day, played by the likes of Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis and Tawny Cypress. I’m getting cannibal vibes but the girls haven’t devolved that far yet. What did they do to survive and how did they get out? I cannot wait for my questions to be answered in the next season.
This BBC drama, starring Ben Whishaw and Ambika Mod, channels both the comedy and the eye-opening seriousness in Adam Kay‘s book of the same name. The show proves why junior doctors deserve more money and respect given the stressful, all-consuming environment they work in. I saw this months ago and the jaw-dropping twist in episode six still makes me well up.
Much like The White Lotus, I did not go much on the first season of Euphoria but this series was fantastic and I tuned in every Monday (in the UK) to watch the next episode. Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney were the stars of the show this year and the episodes with the play were unbelievable.
The Dropout
Amanda Seyfried should be winning all the awards for her portrayal of disgraced biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, who defrauded investors by pretending that her device could successfully test for loads of health issues using a single drop of blood. It blows my mind how she managed to get away with it for such a long time. Seyfried has never been better.
Derry Girls S3
I actually watched the whole of Derry Girls this year because I missed the boat and wanted to catch up before the final season. What an ending! From Orla’s dance through the streets to Dario G’s Sunchyme to the moving election scene at the end, Derry Girls had a bit of everything – fun laugh-out-loud comedy and tearjerking moments. I learned more about the Good Friday Agreement from the show than I did in school.
The plot of this show has gone a little crazy, I will admit, but I absolutely adore the unlikely friendship between Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini). Their conversations crack me up one minute and make me emotional the next. They both brought their acting A-game for the final season (particularly Applegate, pushing through after her MS diagnosis) and the story ended beautifully. Yes, I cried!
Wednesday
I was torn between Wednesday and Never Have I Ever S3 but ultimately picked Wednesday, which is a huge hit for Netflix for a very good reason. Jenna Ortega is terrific as the weird Wednesday Addams and I loved her cheery roommate Enid (Emma Myers), who is her polar opposite. I had a lot of fun with the show and the dance scene is iconic!