Note: It would actually be impossible to watch all of the scripted series that came out in 2022, but 100 shows is certainly nothing to sneeze at. I usually just do a movie countdown, but I figured I watched enough TV series to be close to complete for the year’s best shows (somehow I just couldn’t squeeze “Emily in Paris” in), and this is probably the first year since Alabama Liberal started (2011) where TV was generally a bit better than movies. Just like with my end-of-the-year movie countdown, listees that have the same grade are still ranked from the worst-to-best, meaning not all C+’s or B-‘s are created equal…
100. “The Girl Before”…I knew fairly early on this would be one of the worst TV series of the year, but was a little surprised nothing “topped” it throughout the rest of 2022. In the “Worst TV Characters of 2022” list I explained most of what’s wrong with this “mystery” (a creepy control-freak lead character the series refuses to take to his logical place of tech-tyrant villainy, an easy-to-guess mystery if you know media’s segregationist bent, dumb characterizations, generally uninteresting performances) but didn’t quite do justice to how numbing an experience actually watching this is. Grade: D-
99. “Man vs. Bee”…I feel conflicted putting this comedy series so low since there’s nothing particularly offensive about it, but 2022 was jam-packed with more great shows than one person could possibly watch so you almost feel like things need to be better than “not offensive” to justify a show’s existence. With “Man,” we’re watching a man destroy a house over nine tedious, unfunny episodes (that feel longer than they are), and that’s pretty much the entire show. One of the “best” gags involves Rowan Atkinson taking a face full of poop after putting on a dog’s collar; whenever people say “British humor is more sophisticated than American comedy,” Rowan is there to prove them wrong. Grade: D+
98. “Willow”…At long last, we have proof that Disney pays critics to positively review their movies and TV shows. How in the hell does something this bad get an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes otherwise? I’m thrilled that Warwick Davis is getting paid again (this is a callback to the underrated “Life’s Too Short”) and he’s one of thew few actors here that fully commits to the material. Unfortunately, he’s saddled with a younger cast that come off as rejects from a Ren Faire (just look at Ruby Cruz in the early episodes and tell me she’s not been told she’s in a different show) and a sloppy plot that repeatedly devolves into something the CW would’ve rejected. Truly, Warwick deserved better. Grade: D+
97. “Halo”…Solid action sequences but this is a remarkable dull, flavorless sci-fi action drama that feels sewn together out of the spare parts of better series. Grade: C-
96. “The Thing About Pam”…In some ways, I actually feel “Pam” is worth watching as a rare original in the true-crime genre. After all, not many series would have the galling bad taste to treat a real-life murderer like a Dr. Seuss villain–complete with whimsical storybook narration. Whatever presentation you were hoping to get out of this wild true story (there’s an alternative universe where Reese Witherspoon is in a chilling HBO series about these same crimes), it’s probably not this. Grade: C-
95. “The Flight Attendant”…Another lousy show that’s been rubber-stamped by critics who may not have actually watched a single episode. How else to explain something this haphazardly plotted, tonally inconsistent, and (frankly) grating getting critical praise that should’ve been redirected towards a smaller show few people have even heard of. Grade: C-
94. “Inside Man”…I probably would not have watched this at all if the peerless Stanley Tucci weren’t the lead. Unsurprisingly, he remains the best part of the series, and almost manages to single-handedly save it from itself even though he’s confined to a prison cell (or interview room) for its entirety. The problem is that he’s really more of a supporting character and the central plot is a moral conundrum that is hard to care about since the would-be victim isn’t believable (Dolly Wells immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion about a teenager she’s spent loads of time with but is morally flexible enough to plot her husband’s murder in the show’s final post-credits scene) and the conflicted possible killer is an idiot. I just thank the media Gods for brisk British pacing since this show is a mercifully brief four episodes. Grade: C-
93. “The Boys”…Many would think I’ve lost my mind ranking this acclaimed drama so low–and I’ll freely admit that I’m frustrated to be doing so as well since I truly believe there is a good show buried somewhere within what we’re shown in season 3. I particularly enjoy it when “Boys” spoofs the shameless marketing of our own identities (“Brave Maeve!” is like something Disney would actually come up with), but beneath the show’s surface cynicism is a foundation of surprisingly dumb characters and maddeningly repetitive plotting. Over and over, we’re asked to believe character fallacies like Homelander going out of his way not to kill a single member of the main squad trying to kill him or Butcher choosing the strangest moments possible to throw out his main goal of killing Homelander to save someone he barely gives a damn about. By the end of season three, the core characters are in exactly the same place they were at the end of the first episode, making me feel “The Boys” has at least one thing in common with the Marvel-universe it’s satirizing: prioritizing the milking of the corporate udder over anything else. Grade: C-
92. “The Walking Dead”…This is probably the only show in this ranking that most people will have a problem with not being ranked lower than I chose to. It’s true that “Dead”‘s final season mostly sucked, but I would argue that this series was never exactly great. One of the many faults of “Dead” is that the series heroes never seem fully aware that they might actually be the bad guys since they keep showing up to new territories, immediately wreaking havoc, and eventually toppling over the existing structure in a way that gets a lot of people killed. The final season is no exception, but at least the long-friend-zoned Eugene finally found romance with the wonderful Margot Bingham. Grade: C-
91. “Shantaram”…I debated deliberately ranking this series dead last as a perfect example of why so many “TV shows” should really be movies. “Shantaram” is an adaptation of a novel that’s been stuck in development hell for a while (Russell Crowe and then Johnny Depp were supposed to play the lead for a while), and has been stretched out to a 12-episode series with more seasons planned. The sheer greed of making this a multi-season story when the first one already felt heavily repetitive and padded ruins interesting source material. Also, Charlie Hunnam is a likable actor, but he will probably never be truly riveting to watch. Grade: C-
90. “Ms. Marvel”…I freely admit that I’m not the target demographic for this Young Adult superhero show, and by the third episode I was thinking “Oh, so this is why I haven’t watched any shows on the CW.” However, a great TV show can reach almost anyone and at least tries to speak to something universal. “Marvel” is cheesy, waaaay too squeaky (I think the heroine in “Turning Red” has a harder edge), hazily plotted, generically directed (parts look like one of those “Afterschool” shows that were syndicated in the 90’s), and overall a little dull. Grade: C-
89. “Dexter: New Blood”…The majority of “New Blood” aired in 2021, but I just wanted to point out that “Dexter” specifically came back for a bonus season to “fix” the original’s awful ending, but might’ve come up with an ending that’s even worse. The first 4/5ths of “New Blood” aren’t bad, but the series finale only proved that sometimes it’s best to leave bad enough alone. For most of the season, Dexter’s estranged, violent son Harrison seems more likely to be someone Dex would have to kill himself than someone self-righteous enough to kill Dexter–who had given up his past homicidal tendencies until Harrison himself bombarded his way back into his life. In the finale, we’re asked to believe that Harrison tracks Dexter across the country specifically because he has nowhere else to go, but soon chooses to kill that same person so he could wind up in the same desperate position. Makes sense right? Grade: C-
88. “Obi Wan Kenobi”…I was shocked at how little I cared for this aimless, pointless drag. “Andor” gave mature “Star Wars” fans the series they were looking for this year–despite being centered around a peripheral (at best) character in the “Wars” universe–while this prolonged bit of lifeless fan service had icons like Obi Wan and Darth Vader moving in circles. For me, this was one of the biggest TV disappointments of 2022. Grade: C-
87. “The Tourist”…Shalom Brune-Franklin’s smooth criminal is so magnetic that I kept wondering if we could ditch Jamie Dornan’s hazy protagonist and follow her instead. Sadly, this is one of the many TV shows that doesn’t understand who its best characters are as all the best ones are dead by season one’s end–giving us little incentive to come back for season two. Grade: C-
86. “The Peripheral”…Amazon has so many shows like this that they really have cornered the market on bland, overly-technical, bone-dry Sci-Fi or Fantasy that get a pass from critics but actually aren’t good (“Tales From the Loop,” “Wheel of Time,” and a behemoth that we’ll see shortly). “Peripheral” has a ton of ideas but none of them are executed are in a way that is compelling to watch. Grade: C
85. “Yellowstone”…I’m usually a fan of this show, but season 5 is slow (they showcase so many unnecessary shots of playing around with cows and horses that it begins to feel like fetish porn after a while), repetitive (mostly the same conflicts since season 3), and overly dependent on the show’s two worst characters: Beth (who’s like Marjorie Taylor-Greene if she were born into a wealthy family) and “Governor” John Dutton, who the show doesn’t realize showcases the worst instincts of modern politicians as he cares nothing for 99% of the people he’s been elected to represent, instead prioritizing his own enormous land holdings as the largest private land owner in America. The only real “plot” of the 5th season has been John repeatedly turning down a fortune so he can continue to hold the biggest ranch in America…how relatable! The great irony of the gifted Taylor Sheridan’s working class empire is that it’s centered on one of the most powerful families in America and “Yellowstone” classic is the weakest show in his universe. Grade: C
84. “Murderville”...A show I wanted to like more than I wound up liking. Truthfully, many of the jokes don’t work and drag on forever (like a painful recurring gag about lead detective Terry Seattle being separated from his black female police chief who’s openly dating a black male officer in their precinct–hyuk yuk yuk), and for a show that is centered so heavily on improv, it’s weird that they didn’t prioritize getting “guest detectives” who are known for their improvisational skills. As you can imagine, the episode quality depends heavily on the “guest detective” (like a Christmas episode making great use of Jason Bateman’s wry reactions). Grade: C
83. “The Rings of Power”…A curious dud of a series as each episode almost feels more like an outline for a complete episode than a fully formed entity with professionally crafted dialogue and interesting characterizations. [I think you can read the Wikipedia summaries of each episode and not miss a lot.] So much controversy was spent on black hobbits or female warriors that nobody seemed to notice how flavorless and stiff the end product wound up being. If I were not so afraid Tolkien’s formidable (…ly annoying) horde would show up to talk down to me about how I don’t “comprehend” a franchise that is literally written for children with its black-and-white depictions of good and evil, I would probably rank this even lower. Grade: C
82. “Irma Vep”…I have a killer idea for a show: a tedious, repetitive director has been able to perform a mass brainwashing on every intelligent person on the planet so that they believe he is infinitely talented when cranking out pretentious, indulgent Eurocentric student films (they’re not passionate enough to be polemics nor cogent enough to approach philosophical meaning), but one lonely blogger is somehow immune to this. This is roughly the experience of (apparently) being the last film and TV lover on Earth who doesn’t have love for Olivier Assayas. Sitting through his 8-hour “Vep” miniseries was all the “fun” of an Assayas movie stretched out to four times the length–but with the same quantity of plot. Grade: C
81. “See”…I was relieved when this ended. The series finale delivered some moments we’ve wanted to see for years (the death of villains that stayed around loooooong past their realistic expiration date), and showcased a few last moments of irritating characters doing dumb things (like Kofun wanting to blind himself out of a foolhardy belief a “sighted” king shouldn’t rule a tribe of blind people…even though he’d be uniquely suited to protect them) which feels like a “See” trademark. Grade: C
80. “Mike”…This retelling of Mike Tyson’s story is based so closely off his one man show that I’m not sure how it doesn’t qualify for plagiarism. [Tyson has said he had no involvement or compensation from the series.] Tyson’s lack of involvement is especially puzzling since Trevante Rhodes’s likable performance portrays him as mostly a misunderstood teddy bear instead of highlighting how dangerous a young Tyson actually was (imprisoned for rape, multiple allegations of beating women, his infamous ear-biting of Evander Holyfield). If Tyson was going to be upset no matter what, why not really go for the “warts and all” treatment to put you fully inside the head of someone who was the best fighter in the world and mentally ill? Grade: C
79. “Prehistoric Planet”…This was an Apple+ nature “documentary” that tries to imagine life when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. It might be a good show to put on in the background as you do something else, but it’s hard to imagine this filling anyone with the childlike wonder of seeing a dinosaur for the first time. Grade: C
78. “Mammals”…James Corden finds out his wife is cheating on him, and seeks to unravel the mystery of who the guy is or even how many guys she’s actually seeing other than him. I found Amandine to be a limited character (the stereotypical faux-intellectual Eurotrash that’s really just narcissistic), making it hard to fathom why everyone in her orbit is ready to blow up their lives just to have sex with her. “Mammals” actually has a riveting final 10 minutes when Amandine–at long last–begins to explain herself (Corden barely moves because he’s finally seeing a side of his wife that’s been hidden from him) and it’s not at all what you expect. However, getting to that part can feel like a slog. Grade: C
77. “Lego Masters”…It pains me to rank this series so low, but “Masters” is a good concept for a series that is undone by having the worst judges I’ve ever seen on a competition show. “Jaime and Amy”‘s decisions feel motivated by favoritism more than merit (the season 3 winners bare a striking physical resemblance to the judges), and they have systematically eliminated teams of color–to the point of having an all-white final eight teams this season. Lego is primarily a toy brand for kids, and it completely sends the wrong message to kids of color by having a pair of judges so oblivious to representation. As this show is incredibly subjective, I do feel bias propels some teams (like a mediocre Canadian team that host Will Arnett clearly favored) unfairly over others, and the actual entertainment value of the series outside of the final builds is mostly just Arnett making lame jokes that the contestants visibly have no interest in. Grade: C+ [Although there was a “Lego Masters Celebrity Holiday Edition” featuring the late, great Leslie Jordan that actually worked pretty well as the judgements were largely irrelevant.]
76. “The Pentaverate”…Despite a few notable supporting roles (“Inglorious Basterds,” “Bohemian Rhapsody”) Mike Meyers has barely acted over the last decade. In fact, “Pentaverate” is his first lead since flopping out of movies in 2009. I would not say his jokes have gotten fresher with age–even if I was rooting for this original premise about a conspiracy of people who are trying to make the world a better place. However, the central plot of the series is almost immediately undermined by having a sinister plot within the Pentaverate rather than an external crisis they have to face. Although Meyers keeps the pacing brisk (it’s only six episodes and cutaways or inside jokes punch up the sagging middle episodes), the decision to undermine the Pentaverate’s benevolence when we’ve barely gotten to know them makes the whole thing feel pointless. Grade: C+
75. “The Essex Serpent”…The type of show for which a “C+” grade was invented as this isn’t bad exactly, but you’ll probably forget you’ve seen it at all a few weeks after viewing. Grade: C+
74. “The Terminal List”…Exciting action sequences but the overall conspiracy plot gets dumber as it keeps going. Ordinarily, I think the blogosphere gets too paranoid with shows that have even a whiff of “conservative leaning” to them, but the season one finale certainly came across as a QAnon fantasy with Chris Pratt’s trigger happy, screwed-over macho man hunting down Jeanne Tripplehorn’s Hillary Clinton stand-in. Grade: C+
73. “She Hulk: Attorney at Law”…The show everyone hated before they actually saw a full episode of it. I’ll admit that the middle of the season had its moments, but the ridiculously self-referential finale (wherein She Hulk breaks the fourth wall to talk Kevin Feige into not giving the show a “bad ending”) felt like penny pinching to deprive us of the battle sequences all season had led up to. Still, this was the rare Marvel show that had moments I actually enjoyed, such as Jameela Jamil’s influencer villain or the genuine chemistry between Tatiana Maslany and Charlie Cox. Grade: C+
72. “Moon Knight”…Yeah, yeah, I know, this “is one of the best Marvel shows,” just like they said for “Wandavision” and “Loki” and “Ms. Marvel” and any other show that critics rubber-stamp because Disney pays them. But even the excellent pairing of Oscar Isaac and national treasure Ethan Hawke (having a robust 2022) aren’t enough to save this series from the usual Marvel-glut: repetitive setups, nonsensical character actions, and a “climax” that is more silly than thrilling. Grade: C+
71. “Pachinko”…A show that seems destined to be overpraised by critics as it is a multigenerational foreign language drama (you can practically hear them panting already) that’s “finely observed” (slow), “quietly impactful” (no seriously, this thing is sloooow), and “devastatingly crafted” (I’m telling you, this could cure insomnia). I can’t deny that obvious skill and attention-to-detail went into making this, but I also can’t deny that I had to restart most episodes multiple times while struggling to stay awake. Grade: C+
70. “Undone”…A great example of a show that should’ve left well enough alone by ending with one season. The second season feels bloated, repetitive, and (frankly) unnecessary. Not bad exactly, just like a grasping continuation of a series that said most of what it had to say in its first season. Grade: C+
69. “Super Pumped”…I would strongly recommend reading the book instead. The TV series both pads out the story (Travis Kalanick’s showy, fabricated monologues) and omits curious details (the entire section on the maneuvering within the board to pick the next CEO once Kalanick was ousted isn’t included here for some bizarre reason). For me, it’s also very generous to Kyle Chandler’s Bill Gurley, who doesn’t come off as well in the book (or real life). Grade: C+
68. “Raised By Wolves”...I loved the first season of this hidden gem sci-fi series–one of the first in eons to successfully explore deeper issues (many go the “Westworld” route of faux-depth, “weighty” diatribes, and bathtub-deep pondering). And so I was puzzled at why season two was such a massive letdown. HBOMax must’ve felt the same way as one of their most promising dramas was cancelled after a measly two seasons, which is long enough to deliver unsatisfying resolutions to some plots (the creature Mother gave “birth” to at the end of season one) but not long enough to grant real answers to some of the show’s biggest mysteries (like what is the signal that wants to hurt them so badly). Grade: C+
67. “Trying”…For the entirety of this series, the central couple has wanted kids. In the third season, they finally have a successful adoption…maybe. After all the court wrangling and gamesmanship with social services, you would think the season 3 finale would be a natural stopping point for “Trying.” However, Apple gave us the horrifying news that the series will keep going for yet another unnecessary season–signifying that this show just might outlive Apple+ itself. Grade: C+
66. “Ozark”…Earlier in the year, I gave the final season a C- but that honestly doesn’t feel quite right given how much I’ll miss seeing Marty and Wendy Byrde. Season 4 may have been overstuffed and over-caffeinated but the series finale delivered almost everything you could hope for. Grade: C+
65. “Outer Range”…A genuinely intriguing mystery lies at the heart of this Amazon series. This is a show that would’ve been better as a miniseries (tighter pacing and a definitive conclusion to the otherworldly sci-fi mysteries at the center), and you might find yourself beginning to lose patience with its “deliberate” pacing towards the end of the season. Still, any show that has Will Patton as a devious rascal, and inventive set pieces like a herd of time-traveling buffalo has more going for it than most series do. Grade: C+
64. “Vikings Valhalla”…A decent, unexceptional series that is about the same as the original’s last couple of seasons–meaning few truly remarkable actors, repetitive conflicts, and sporadically great action set pieces. Grade: C+
63. “The English”…Have you ever wanted to see a vision of the Wild West where nearly every male character is a psychopath, but speaks in (unrealistically) intelligent monologues? “English” just might be for you then. Grade: C+
62. “The Gilded Age”…You know if this show is for you or not by the time the first 10 minutes have gone by. This is a relaxing, nothing-earth-shattering romp through a time period of inherited wealth and iron-clad class snobbery. Personally, I’m not as nostalgic for this age as Julian Fellows (of “Downton Abbey” fame) seems to be, and found more than a few scenes eye-rolling. However, the overall cast is much better than “Abbey,” as we’ve got turns from always-welcome performers like Christine Baranski, Morgan Spector, Carrie Coons, Audra McDonald, and standout Denee Benton. Grade: C+
61. “The Bear”…Dear readers, I…have…tried. I have really and truly tried to pretend I like this critically-worshipped show from Hulu, but I just simply don’t. Sure, Jeremy White is fantastic, but the supporting cast around him simply isn’t (Elon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie made my “Worst TV Characters” of 2022 list for a reason). More importantly, I didn’t give a crap about anything I was watching the entire season: not whether or not the restaurant goes under; not whether or not any of the supporting characters kept working there; and definitely not whether the “head chef” (at a fast casual grease trap) can keep his zen in the high pressure environment of…making food. [I have never understood why restaurant managers act like they’re defusing bombs in the kitchen, and I actually think it’s an incredibly stupid job to be so stressed out over delivering perfectly.] Grade C+
60. “The Mayor of Kingstown”…On the one hand, this is a propulsively watchable anti-hero drama where things actually do happen (no wistful stares or entire episodes centered around an obscure flashback here), and I can’t recommend that highly enough in an age where TV is limitless but our time isn’t. On the other hand, I’d be lying if I said this was yet a great crime drama that’s unquestionably worthy of your time. For starters, some of the dialogue is Godawful, as characters seem to think they’re in the purplest of melodramas instead of a tense noir thriller. But there’s no question I’ll be watching season two to see if there’s the improvement I believe the series is capable of. Grade: B-
59. “The Santa Clauses”…Another Disney+ trifle that has no real reason to exist since “Santa Claus 3” felt like a definitive ending for a franchise that was always pretty thin. The result is something that feels like an uncalled-for cash grab for not only Disney, but Tim Allen (probably trying to get one last big check before tweeting something irredeemably offensive), who even manages to shoehorn his real-life daughter into the easy-paycheck part of “Santa’s daughter. Nepotism that blatant pretty much undercuts the show’s message about Christmas being more for giving than receiving–which the series only half-heartedly commits to anyway. But hey, I’ll choose a mediocre Christmas show over a regular mediocre show every time. Grade: B-
58. “Reboot”…Hollywood never gets tired of making stories about itself. [Taylor Sheridan’s non-navel-gazing shows have found a real audience by remembering 99% of the country doesn’t work in TV or Film.] “Reboot” has a first episode that cuts deep into unnecessary remakes and even lamer attempts to make them “edgier” (joyless) for a contemporary audience that’s only watching for nostalgic purposes, as if our contemporary world actually is grittier than the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or even 90’s. But the satire wanes over the following episodes, ending with a show that has a great cast (Keegan Michael Key and an against-type Judy Greer are especially good) but also no true reason to keep going. Grade: B-
57. “From Scratch”…A show that is perhaps too sensitive for its own good (it’s sometimes in danger of drifting off into “boring” territory) as a stereotypical Italian man (who lives for nothing but cooking Italian food and making love) romances Zoe Saldana. The first half of the season makes for a good show to watch while you’re eating, and even the heavier last couple of episodes are presented in such an ethereal way that it still never lands hard enough to trip up the show’s “Travelogue Fantasy” vibe. Grade: B-
56. “The Peacemaker”…What I wouldn’t give to see this character freed from the judgmental clutches of James Gunn–who has trapped one of the year’s best leading characters into a vehicle uniquely designed to dilute his strengths. For starters, “Peacemaker”‘s supporting cast is weak (Steve Agee’s Economos is like if Twitter was a real person, and Gunn’s girlfriend Jennifer Holland won’t be going up against Jessica Chastain for parts anytime soon). And instead of giving Peacemaker–a hero so committed to peace he’ll kill anything that threatens it–a morally tantalizing real world mission (possibly in Russia, you know, no particular reason…), Gunn gives him an irrelevant plot about bug aliens or some shit. I have no idea why Warner Bros. saw Gunn’s early misfires in the DCU (this and the forgotten flop “The Suicide Squad”) and decided to let him be in charge of all of it, but I think the early days have shown the “wisdom” of that decision (outrages over a scrapped third “Wonder Woman,” Jason Momoa out as Aquaman, and Henry Cavill permanently put on ice as Superman even after a “Black Adam” cameo that was better than anything in the movie at getting people excited). Grade: B-
55. “Picard”…This will never be mistaken for riveting television, but it’s a pretty good series that mostly gives an audience what they want (after seeing “Obi Wan” and “Willow,” it’s not a small thing for a show to actually know what would satisfy its viewers). The second season is arguably better than the first as we see a totalitarian-version of Picard in a timeline from hell that (surprisingly) doesn’t hinge on a version of reality where Trump secured a second term. The puzzle box plot is an okay way to spend an afternoon, and the pacing is obviously much tighter than the first “Trek” series that featured Picard–that had approximately 5,000 episodes. Grade: B
54. “Tulsa King”…”King”‘s pilot episode asks us to swallow things that make little sense: 1. After a long prison sentence, a 75-year-old mafia capo is commanded to “go West” to “set up” Tulsa from a mob “family” he will get no support from, but who still want him to “kick up” five-grand a week. 2. Stallone’s Dwight Manfriedi actually does this (parole or probation restrictions be damned) at an age when you’d think a 75-year-old would be allowed to retire and/or want to. 3. Within hours of arriving in Tulsa, Dwight–who has never been to Tulsa before–gets a 100K payday, a loyal driver, and a recurring revenue stream…I mention all these things to showcase that “Tulsa” isn’t overly concerned with realism. If you can forget your cynicism for a minute (or fifty), you’ll learn “Tulsa” is a fun crime Dramedy that moves quick, is funnier than most Taylor Sheridan shows, and gives the real-life intelligence of Stallone a proper showcase. Grade: B
53. “The White Lotus”…For me, this season is an improvement over the original. The scenery may not be as good (sorry Italy, there’s only one Hawaii), but that only emphasizes the fact that we’re no longer watching a glorified travel show with lightly-explored class themes in the background. This season is about sex, betrayal, trust (if there is such a thing among this crew), if monogamy can ever be fully achieved, and the transactional nature of relationships today (from prostitutes selling a “rescue me” fantasy to a naive college-aged boy/man to “old friends” that just want your money to sinister new “friends” who seem too good to be true). The cast is probably better (who wouldn’t watch F. Murray Abraham and Michael Imperioli trade generational barbs over dinner?) and the climax finds Jennifer Coolidge’s blurry Tanya turning into John Wick…with devastating results. Grade: B
52. “Mo”…Unpopular opinion: “Mo” is a good show with a bad leading character. That’s not uncommon with critically-beloved autobiographical comedy series (“Atlanta” and “Masters of None” were the cool kids…until they weren’t), but it’s especially frustrating since all Mo would have to do is take it down several (dozen) notches. How can we root for an ethnocentric blowhard who picks fights with nearly everyone he comes into contact with for something stupid?…In one episode, he berates his sister for marrying a non-Muslim man, lectures the child of that union about Islam, insults his brother-in-law, flips off a Little League umpire, and curses out a fast food manager. In the season finale, he decides to lecture his own border-crossing coyote about the dismal civil rights of human smuggling. You might be looking at this event thinking “Suuuuuure you would say that Mo. Just like Dev in ‘Master of None’ was pretty self-righteous…until Aziz Ansari had a ‘Me Too’ allegation derail his career and was basically written out of his own show in season 3.” At this point, I would welcome such a fate for “Mo”‘s Mo. Grade: B
51. “Stanley Tucci’s Searching For Italy”…There isn’t much to this show other than Tucci scarfing down Italian cuisine and learning a little bit about the history of the dishes he eats. You’d be surprised at how we don’t need much more than that. This is a good show to watch as you’re eating or cooking, and Tucci is a cool, inviting host just going about town, meeting friends, and generally being someone you look forward to hanging out with. Grade: B
50. “Tokyo Vice”…A curious thing might happen as you watch this Tokyo-set crime drama. I remember being (mostly) enthralled as I watched the show, but can barely remember it a few months later. So why isn’t this show more memorable? Some of it is because–and I’m speaking amongst friends here–nothing really happens. We see various intrigues and machinations throughout the show, but most of them fizzle into anticlimax. And unlike with previous works from Michael Mann, the cast isn’t strong enough to add flavor to his sometimes dry-style. Grade: B
49. “Inside Amy Schumer”…Schumer was contractually obligated to make this fifth season, and the results make that obvious: it’s only 5-episodes long, most of the episodes are not even 20-minutes long if you take out the lackluster end musical numbers and filler “commentary” between sketches, and some of the sketches have an almost grudging quality–as if you can feel the reluctance to be forced into producing another season of a show that ended in 2016. After all, Schumer has not produced a new episode since Trump was elected, and the sketches we get here display their most topical political fire towards…Hallmark Christmas movies and white ladies searching for drafts in closed rooms. [And I’m someone who actually enjoyed the first four seasons of “Inside” and wished the show hadn’t ended right when Amy would’ve had her biggest target.] Grade: B
48. “The Old Man”…This show alternates between being excellent and irritating in almost equal measure. The action sequences (what few there are) are well-staged, the performances crisp (how could they not be with Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, and Alia Shawcat?), and there is an eventual narrative that comes into focus after a few episodes of setup. However, this show should’ve been a miniseries, and I’m disappointed that something that feels padded-out already will have an unnecessary second season. If the show hadn’t wasted endless time with repetitive monologues and/or the entire character of Zoe (Amy Brenneman), this could all be told in one tight, eight episode season that doesn’t try the audience’s patience. Grade: B
47. “Night Sky”…Another show about lovable codgers that tempts fate by trying to stretch a tight miniseries into a bloated multi-season series. J.K. Simmons and Sissi Spacek could do just about anything and make it watchable, so why not a show where they (inexplicably) have a portal to another planet in their shed. The frustrating pacing is compounded by horrible supporting characters like Jude and some vague cult he’s escaped from. But the last ten minutes of “Sky” are so strong that you can’t help wish the pilot episode had ended on that note instead of the series finale (Amazon cancelled it). Grade: B
46. “The Big Conn”…A straightforward docuseries about a notoriously fraud lawyer who actually was helping people while breaking the law (and stuffing his own pockets) plays like a real-life of “Better Call Saul.” Grade: B
45. “The After Party”…Because the tone (and sometimes genre) of what we’re watching changes with each episode of “Party,” the episode quality can vary wildly. Everyone may have their own personal favorites but I particularly enjoyed the animated episode, and the always-gonzo Ike Barinholtz in a parody of some Mark Wahlberg “street wise” action movie. Just like the episodes, the performances felt (to me) uneven–with the usually-solid Sam Richardson being atypically grating here (his “nice guy” character is almost too goofy to be believable), but the sometimes bombastic Tiffany Haddish doing some of her best work as an underestimated cop. Grade: B
44. “Pam & Tommy”…Sebastian Stan is certainly believable as Tommy Lee, but this is still one of the year’s most annoying characters. He bursts into every scene with so much “Balls to the wall” belligerence that I couldn’t believe how strongly I was rooting for Seth Rogen’s screwed-over laborer to rip him off. The underrated Lily James becomes Pamela Anderson in a way you wouldn’t think possible given that she doesn’t look, sound, move, or act much like Pamela at all. This story might’ve been better as a movie or perhaps a shorter miniseries (6 episodes), but this is still good character work from three often-overlooked actors. Grade: B
43. “A Friend of the Family”…Similarly to “P&T,” this would’ve worked better in a shorter miniseries format (6 episodes…if that long). Still, the creepy opening scene of a man’s shadow looming over a child’s window sets the horrifying mood–as does Jake Lacy’s against-type turn as one of the year’s most disgusting characters. [Between this, “Significant Other,” and “White Lotus,” Lacy must really want to shatter that nice guy image.] However, Peacock had a documentary-style “Dateline” special also available to watch after the show, and I was confused why this 9-hour miniseries didn’t have all the details of the 90-minute movie. Truthfully, the full story is even wilder and harder-to-believe than what we’re watching in “Family” (where the family’s naivety is severely watered-down). Grade: B
42. “A Very British Scandal”…Compared to “Friend” this scandal is absolutely nothing. However, the show does contain great performances from Paul Bettany and especially Claire Foy. Grade: B
41. “1923”…It feels strange to include this show at all because it’s only aired three episodes so far. It’s hard to say if this will wind up being better or worse than the original “Yellowstone,” but it’s already got more going for it plot-wise. In the first three episodes we’ve seen shoot outs, hangings, a range war between sheep and cattlemen, horrific abuse towards a Native American schoolgirl at a Catholic school, a lion attack, a leopard attack, and the near-death of Harrison Ford’s main character. It’s hard to deny it’s off to a strong start. Grade: B
40. “We Crashed”…Even though the story of Uber made for the more compelling book, “Crashed” is the more compelling TV show. I may not like how they soft pedaled the overt Karen-ism of Anne Hathaway’s character (who fires people at her husband’s company for the mildest offenses to her ego), but “Crashed” is still a decent exploration of the image-conscious flim-flam of modern companies, and how that fakery bleeds over into the subconsciously transactional nature of Adam and Rebekah Nuemann’s marriage. Grade: B
39. “The Righteous Gemstones”…Like “Yellowstone,” these are characters with goals we aren’t sure they should achieve. [Danny McBride is actually somewhat kind to real-life televangelists and mega-church preachers, who are not nearly as likable as the characters presented here.] Personally, I’m cooler towards “Gemstones” than McBride’s excellent previous HBO shows “Eastbound and Down” and “Vice Principals.” But the cast remains uniformly excellent, especially Edi Patterson and the reliably-great Walton Goggins as the bonkers “Baby” Billy. Grade: B
38. “Dark Winds”…Zahn McClarnon’s slow burning detective Joe Leaphorn is the big reason to watch here. Overall, this is a slow-building, quietly suspenseful “thriller” that’s really more a character-study. Grade: B
37. “The Crown”…Let’s face it: Queen Elizabeth is a dull character. This is the royal that presided over the collapse of the British empire (India, Israel, Nigeria, Canada, Australia, and dozens of other countries got their independence while she was Sovereign) and the “Crown” makes all that look like mere background noise for whether the royal yacht will get refurbished or distractions that keep her from having lunch with her sister so they can sigh vaguely about past “regrets.” However, the fifth season of “The Crown” is my favorite in a long while as Elizabeth is feeling the pressure to step aside for her son Prince Charles (Dominic West has been flatteringly cast as Charles must not have liked the bitter, “big-eared, jughead” doofus they had previously playing him) and pressure of a different sort from Diana’s popularity. Elizabeth Debicki’s effortlessly sexy, sly take on Diana is compulsively watchable. Grade: B
36. “Bob Hearts Abishola”…Few critics actually like this ignored CBS comedy, but “Bob” has been quietly pulling off a sitcom miracle for four seasons: it’s the first traditional multi-camera comedy I’ve consistently watched in over a decade. In the “dead” art form of the traditional, stage bound sitcom, you find unglamorous, lived-in plots that you wouldn’t on any other TV show (this show is heavily invested in telling you about the sock business). With this Detroit-set sitcom you’re seeing a return to an age where not every comedy had to be fronted by someone that looks like they’re on the cover of a fitness magazine. “Hearts” is really a love letter to the many forms of Americans too often airbrushed out of the media. Grade: B
35. “Love, Death, and Robots”…The show has never looked better. The segment “Jibaro” is jaw-droppingly beautiful, and the rest are an eclectic mix of animation styles (“Bad Travelling” looks like a gorgeously rendered pirate shoot-em-up arcade game, “The Very Pulse of the Machine” a Richard Linklater head trip). Do I wish the plots were stronger and offered up more than variations of horror? Sure, but I’ve been hoping the series would mature tonally for a while now, but it seems to be heading in the other direction. Grade B
34. “Avenue 5”…An excellent cast is reunited for a second season of being stranded in space. “5” is another series that really sounds more like a one-off miniseries doesn’t it? I assumed the second season finale brought the series to a close since the major plot line appears to be wrapped up–but apparently another season is being considered…but why though? Grade: B
33. “Oni: Thunder God’s Tale”…Just a nice, quick show you can watch with your kids that won’t stress them out too much, and won’t bore you either. There’s an environmentalism to this G-rated rivalry that reminded me of “Pom Poko.” Grade: B
32. “Reacher”…The Jack Reacher adaptation fans have been waiting for. Not only is the casting actually correct this time (no offense to the wildly miscast Tom Cruise in the film versions–the first of which isn’t bad), but the overall plot, tone, and atmosphere are closer too. Even if you’re not a fan of the books, I still believe this is one of the better action series you could watch–it’s almost as quality as those Cinemax series like “Banshee” before they quit making original shows–and definitely one of the better shows on Amazon in general. Grade: B
31. “Upload”…The second season has fewer episodes and generally tighter pace, but the real advantage is that the series stops yanking our chain with the Nathan-and-Nora romance which is probably half the reason you’d still be watching this series since almost all facets of the digital afterlife were pretty well covered in season one. Grade: B
30. “We Own This City”…Sadly, David Simon’s latest polemic isn’t as good as “Show Me a Hero” (comparing to “The Wire” would just be cruel) because he forgets to fashion interesting characters or recognizable dramatic arcs around his wonkier instincts. [Luckily, Jon Bernthal’s memorable, layered corrupt cop Wayne Jenkins enlivens the proceedings whenever he blusters into a scene.] Still, even lesser-Simon is still pretty damn good in comparison to most everything else on TV. Still, I wish he could’ve at least found time to ask the controversial question at “City”‘s core: “Many of the crimes portrayed here were committed by an aggressive unit of bad cops called the Gun Trace Task Force–would a War on Guns be just as destructive as a War on Drugs?” Grade: B
29. “Gudetama: An Excellent Adventure”…You would not think a quick animated miniseries about a depressed egg trying to find the chicken “mother” that hatched it so it can be “reborn” would be one of the better TV shows of the year, right? However, “Gudetama” packs more profundity in a few 15-minute episodes than multiple seasons of ponderous bores like “Westworld.” This “kid’s show” has a lot to say about life, death, rebirth, and the struggle to even care what happens to you if you aren’t meant to survive. Grade: B+
28. “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”...Many critics have described this as the best “Trek” series since the original. That might be too much high praise, but this is still a wonderfully stripped-down showcase for what “Trek” (and episodic TV in general) has to offer: characters you don’t hate getting into various scenarios that aren’t dull every week. The underrated Anson Mount leads the ace cast with quiet, empathetic strength. Grade: B+
27. “1883”…So far, this is the strongest series in the Taylor Sheridan-universe. Led by a soulful Sam Elliott as a cowboy who knows for a fact he’s on his last ride–and has an extremely goal once he gets to Oregon–this TV Western offered fans of the genre the fix they’ve been desperately craving. Truly, this is the best Western produced in years–TV or big-screen. Grade: B+
26. “Once Upon a Time in Londongrad”…A docuseries that details all the Russia-connected murders that have happened over London in the last few years. If you’re looking for a crash course on London’s easy money laundering atmosphere, reliance on Russian loot, and why some oligarchs got chased out of Russia by Putin in the first place, this is your show. Grade: B+
25. “Under the Banner of Heaven”…A solid true(ish) crime thriller that offers a compelling mystery and a peek behind the hyper-protected curtain into the bizarre dealings of the controlling Mormon Church. I watched this in one sitting. Grade: B+
24. “Bosch: Legacy”…For me, Amazon’s original “Bosch” had a disappointing final season, so I was delighted this spin-off restored the good will “Bosch” had accumulated previously. Sure, the new theme song sucks, but Titus Welliver’s Bosch as a private detective is allowed to embrace a newfound moral ambiguity that looks great on him. Grade: B+
23. “Jack Ryan”…Amazon Prime dumped this red-headed-stepchild onto its platform in the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which practically guarantees no critic had a chance to review it for their own “Best of” 2022 lists and/or not many viewers would probably even notice it was there for a week. That’s a shame because “Ryan”‘s third season may be its topical yet–as it follows an ex-Soviet conspiracy for Russia to invade and “restore” all the territory it stole after WWII. Production on season 3 of “Ryan” began in the Summer of 2021 meaning there’s no way they could know real-life events would mirror their work so closely (a TV show stumbling backwards into real world relevance might’ve been why Amazon got so scared and dumped this into the waning days of 2022). Grade: B+
22. “Black Bird”…R.I.P. Ray Liotta! Liotta has a few films that have yet to come out, but almost all of them are thrillers and probably unlikely to showcase Ray’s true range. In all likelihood, “Bird” will be Liotta’s last great performance (we’re talking about an actor who was never nominated for an Oscar), and I hope people see his desperate father for a reminder of just how good Liotta truly was. Also, Paul Walter Hauser is memorable spooky as a serial killer hiding in plain sight with a dozen false confessions…for crimes he may actually have done. Grade: B+
21. “The Patient”…Steve Carell does excellent, subtle work as a captive therapist hoping to survive a shark-like patient (Domnhall Gleeson, whose eyes go ferociously, fully black when he kills) that’s deluded himself into thinking there’s a way he can get “better” with a few therapy sessions. Parts of this can feel meandering, and the setup proves to be surprisingly limited (their forced-therapy sessions never ask what you might think of as obvious questions like “Are all Gleeson’s victims men?” “Does he become aroused during or afterward?” “Do all his victims look the same?”). Carell’s therapist seems strangely unconcerned with identifying any pattern to Gleeson’s crimes and his half-hearted attempts at escape also don’t fully track for a man who seems to genuinely want to survive his predicament. Still, I didn’t notice this much as I watched the series because I was too riveted to see what would happen, and maybe it’s the mark of a good show that you’re still debating it days or even months later. Grade: B+
The Top Twenty
20. “The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window”…Sometimes, even a critic just wants pure, dumb-assed laughs. As dead-on parody of Domestic Thriller novels, “Dateline” specials, and Lifetime movies, “Woman” delivered (for me) belly laughs. Kristen Bell proves once again that she’s the slyest actress Hollywood hasn’t really utilized yet (I predict she will blow people away in a dramatic movie within a few years), perfectly satirizing the blurry, nosey white woman who inserts herself into some ludicrous plot, right down to the delightfully ridiculous climax that feels like something I might have actually read in some British potboiler from a years back.
19. “The House of the Dragon”…Shows like Amazon’s subpar “The Wheel of Time” or “The Rings of Power” exist so you can see how good “Dragon” actually is. This show is actually easy to under appreciate as you’re not trained to see what isn’t there: flavorless characters (which most fantasy series have), unrealistically high moral standards (which most fantasy series have), a conflict that quickly grows repetitive or ridiculous (which most fantasy series have). “Dragon” avoids all the usual pitfalls of high-fantasy to give us something that is deceptively high quality, bingeable (viewers inhaled each episode so they wouldn’t have it spoiled), and (admirably) takes its time setting us up for the kill.
18. “Candy”…Not many shows could have a sympathetic axe murderer as their protagonist and wind up not sliding over into self-parody (“The Thing About Pam” sure couldn’t). But Jessica Biel is one of the hardest-to-read characters of 2022, hiding behind a frumpy, unflattering wig and cheerful Texan demeanor. Is she a misunderstood, horny housewife? A conniving panther on the prowl for someone to seduce? A raving lunatic? Maybe all three? We don’t know, and “Candy” never really tells us, preferring to let Biel’s career-best performance intrigue us infinitely.
17. “Barry”…The third season of HBO’s impossible-to-define existentialist black comedy is still too inconsistent to be one of the true greats on television, but this season did a great job getting us to care about characters we wouldn’t normally want to spend time with on a TV show (a psychotically off-balance lead, a narcissistic actress whose jealousy borders on violent, phony TV executives, an egomaniac acting teacher). And “Barry” has a lot going for it in its penultimate season (this is the only show that can do a scathing satire of the marketing around “strong women’s entertainment” by women who will cancel your show before a full day has gone by from when they were praising it and a thrilling motorbike chase in the same episode), even if it defies plausibility all of the main characters are still alive after so many violent encounters. [I’m particularly thinking the resentful handler Fuches would’ve been killed off by now.]
16. “Somebody Somewhere”…A show that you would have a hard time describing to someone else. “Well, it’s about this woman who’s in her 40’s but is still trying to find a direction or figure out what she even really wants to do, and it’s set in Kansas–hey wait! Where are you going?” And that’s what makes it so worth watching. Few shows are brave enough to essentially move beyond plot into real character exploration (or to get it right even if they do try it).
15. “Documentary Now”…The most Eurocentric season of IFC’s documentary satire series features hilariously weird satires like a sports documentary that’s about rock throwing or “My Monkey Grifter,” which explores a noir-esque plot seeping into a nature documentary. Still, most critics are right to single out the bonkers Werner Herzog parody “Soldier of Illusion,” complete with a deranged Klaus Kinski stand-in (August Diehl, clearly having a blast as a “genius” actor who’s probably just psychotic).
14. “Slow Horses”…This listing is really for the first two seasons of “Horses,” since they both aired in 2022. Either one is terrific, as the first is a hilarious time waster involving a false flag operation centered around the UK’s far right conspiracy loons (jokers who inadvertently become dangerous–not unlike the U.S. Capitol rioters) and the second is just as topical, as Gary Oldman’s legendary (and over-the-hill) spy master takes on a Russian sleeper cell (or the appearance of one) in London. “Horses” is subtlety relevant, excellently scripted (the dialogue crackles more than actual Le Carre ever did), and involves enjoyably knotty espionage puzzles.
13. “The Dropout”…Most of my praise for this miniseries can be found over on “The Best TV Characters of 2022” where I talk about Amanda Seyfried’s mesmerizingly complex work as one of the chief anti-heroines (or villains) of our time: Elizabeth Holmes, who built a faux-empire out of medical fraud and negligence to become an icon of ambitious fakery. Elizabeth wants to become “the next Steve Jobs” so badly, she doesn’t seem overly concerned with whether or not the cornerstone of her business actually works. The title of the show underscores a culture that wants to be “big” so fast, they’ll sacrifice genuine achievement to get there.
12. “The Rehearsal”…Nathan Fielder’s trick mirror comedy springboards from a deceptive premise: to help people during their difficult moments, he’ll let them “rehearse” life. These could range from revealing you don’t have a Master’s Degree to someone on your trivia team or something slightly larger like having a kid. [I’m assuming a subsequent season will include death, and can only imagine what Fielder will get up to while staging someone’s funeral.]
10. (tie) “Hacks” and “Only Murders in the Building”…Critics are so damn fickle. One minute, you’re the “hot kid” in town (at 70-something in the case of Jean Smart, Steve Martin, and Martin Short), and the next year they’ve moved on to other “hot” shows. Well, forget that because “Hacks” and “Murders” were just as hilarious and well-acted in their second seasons as they were in the first. On “Hacks,” Deborah Vance had to revive her career against one humiliation after another (performing during a calf birthing and getting kicked off a lesbian cruise are my personal favorites) but kept on swinging. Not every plotline in season 2 of “Murders” worked (for example, Martin Short’s unnecessary paternity headache felt like something to pad out the runtime), but Tina Fey was a welcome full-time addition to an already-sparkling cast. These were my picks for the most purely enjoyable shows of 2022.
9. “This Fool”…I wish “Fool” was getting one-quarter of the critical hosannas that “hotter” shows are getting. It’s possibly the funniest show ever made about just how hard it truly is to change your nature, and do good works. There’s an excellent supporting cast here (Frankie Quinones as Julio’s recently paroled cousin, Michelle Ortiz as Julio’s sporadic girlfriend, and Michael Imperioli as Julio’s disheveled boss at “Hugs not Thugs,” a perceptive man who knows all too well how hard it is to merely keep a non-profit’s lights on), but it’s incredible how skillfully the show manages to get belly laughs out of stuff that other shows would be using for their “dramatic” award’s bait.
8. “The Good Fight”…Critics were mostly asleep on “The Good Fight”‘s final season, and–of course–it’s my favorite one to date. Diane Lockhart had an all-too-relatable arc as a liberal who isn’t sure if the forces of reactionary evil can be overcome or even what “victory” looks like; and it’s a smart decision to make a show called “The Good Fight”‘s final season about the search for the best way to fight (Andre Braugher’s brash new character thinks he can brand his way into being a civil rights hero, Jon Slattery’s low-key doctor thinks hallucinogenics might be the answer) with answers ranging from hopelessness to love to Jay’s discovery of a top secret black organization dumping white supremacists into an Antarctic prison.
7. “For All Mankind”…I’ve seen this show routinely dismissed as a “dad” show, as if you probably couldn’t say that about nearly all the best shows on TV (if dads would watch this, why would they not watch “Better Call Saul,” “Andor,” or “Slow Horses?”). That label might have you thinking this is some dry, sloppily-plotted nostalgia trip, but “Mankind” is anything but. It’s exciting (if the race to Mars doesn’t get you going, I doubt a single scene of “Somebody Somehwere” will), at least semi-plausible, and has a much higher body count than most “edgy” shows where people run in place for seasons (“The Boys,” “Barry”). What would it really take to put a colony on the moon or actually step foot on Mars? Could you defeat the forces of ignorance both aboard (the Soviet Union still exists in “Mankind”‘s alternate history) and at home (the closeted first female President has picked a Mike Huckabee-esque running mate and far-right conspiracy loons plot terror attacks) to do it? More than any other show this year, “Mankind” might make you feel the faint embers of imagining what’s possible in a world that’s steadfastly small.
6. “Andor”…One of the year’s best TV surprises. You might have hoped that “Andor” would be in the same universe of quality as “Rogue One,” but Disney’s abysmal record with both “Star Wars” and its Disney+ originals probably gave you little hope. [And since they pay critics to rubber-stamp all their TV shows and movies, it’s not like they really need deserved critical praise.] Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor is one of the few characters in the “Wars” universe that’s allowed to have some ambiguity, and it’s thrilling to watch him try to outwit and evade an incrementally-oppressive empire where everyone is struggling to survive–even the low-level goons who are fanboys of the “stability” the empire will bring (like Kyle Soller’s pitiful Syril). “Andor” is a vivid exploration of how fascist systems don’t work, but shown through a thriller plot (systems are shown not to work as Cassian is robbing or escaping from them) with some genuinely good action set pieces.
5. “Primal”…Dear reader: “How in the hell is an animated series the fifth best TV show of 2022? Alabama Liberal has really lost it with this pick.” …Just watch it. Trust me. “Primal” is pure visual storytelling working at the highest level. There’s barely a word of dialogue for entire episodes, and it’s completely unnecessary when we do receive it. The visuals and characters are that strong.
4. “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey”…I would hate to copy and paste my write-up from “The Best TV Characters of 2022,” but there’s a reason Ptolemy Gray was my top choice, and that might explain it the best as I felt this criminally overlooked series managed to show a full life in only six episodes so that Ptolemy feels like a real person.
3. “Our Flag Means Death”…A pirate comedy that’s actually good?…In 2022? Trust me friends, I was as surprised as you. This is the show I tirelessly talk up to others and they say “what’s that?” even after I’ve explained it to them 50 times. [Something about the title may not catch in the mind.] But “Flag” is hilarious, hopeful, inventive (each episode is almost procedural because the plot changes so much), and just all-around one of the year’s most surprising shows. Not all of them can feature an unlikely romance that also makes perfect sense. Stede Bonnett’s restless search for adventure turns out to be one of the best “hangout” shows in years.
2. “Severance”…An allegory for just what our jobs actually take from us, and what they ask us to give up. [There can be no better symbolism than the character who literally has no idea his “home self” has kids.] I think I particularly enjoyed that the jobs they’re doing that are so “classified” would be indecipherable to anyone who doesn’t work there (the way most “encrypted” Zoom calls make little sense to those who even could eavesdrop on them) or really even to the people who are doing them, making the compartmentalization unnecessary except to dehumanize them.
The Best Show of 2022: “Better Call Saul”…How could I pick anything else? “Saul” had the most fully-formed cast of characters on TV (Howard Hamlin would be an arrogant, one-dimensional villain in any other show), it had the tightest writing on TV (moving a narrative forward and backwards at the same time to create the feeling of a noir film where the hapless hero is cornered by fate), and just so happened to be the best directed show on television too (look at those gorgeously bleak, dread-soaked Nebraska scenes and try to argue). As an added bonus, the show was working on a deeper level than anything else on TV with flashes of brilliance like having Saul’s commercial be in color over Gene’s unflattering glasses or the final lit-cigarette between Jimmy and Kim being his last ember of a life or the “future” sequences being in black-and-white (a reversal because these characters don’t have a future). And for a show to be this good after six seasons? Honestly, I never even considered picking anything else.