The 10 Best TV Shows of 2022

After two years of pandemic-related production delays, the networks more than made up for lost time in 2022. As the industry was on track to easily surpass last year’s record output of 559 scripted series, several beloved-yet-long-MIA TV shows—which have appeared on multiple Adweek top 10 lists over the years—finally returned with new seasons. But that’s not the only reason that 2022’s lineup of top 10 TV shows features only two returning series from last year’s list. Because this year also ushered in a very formidable group of freshman debuts—four in all, making up nearly half the list—as well as a sophomore show that realized its full potential in Season 2. The result was such a bountiful lineup of TV offerings that even though my role at Adweek has shifted this year (as I’ve stepped back from television to oversee the magazine), I couldn’t resist returning to write a final top 10 list, to honor one of the strongest annual TV slates in recent memory. And here they are: 2022’s 10 best TV shows. (For programs that aired on linear networks, we’ve also included the name of the platform they are currently streaming on.) 10. Evil (Paramount+) Because Evil didn’t officially relocate from CBS to Paramount+ until late in Season 2 production last year, Season 3 marked the first time that the series—in which a new priest (Mike Colter) and psychologist (Katja Herbers) investigate unexplained mysteries for the Catholic Church—could really embrace the relaxed content guidelines of its new streaming home. The result was the supernatural drama’s most terrifying, and confident, season yet, delving into the horrors of social media apps, cults and memes. And while Evil has already established itself as TV’s first worthy heir to The X-Files, its final Season 3 twist puts it on track to go toe-to-toe with yet another pop culture icon: Rosemary’s Baby. 9. Andor (Disney+) The Mandalorian (and Baby Yoda) aside, Disney+’s recent Star Wars TV efforts have been as disappointing and frustrating as the franchise’s recent film output. But Andor—a prequel series to the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy (Rogue One, which featured Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor)—ends the slump by going back to basics: focusing on character instead of cameos, and genuine emotion instead of CGI, as it fleshes out Andor’s backstory against the creation of the Rebel Alliance. The show’s stellar supporting cast (including Stellan Skarsgård and Andy Serkis) keep raising the dramatic stakes, but the show doesn’t skimp on action, with several sequences—including a harrowing prison break—among the most pulse-pounding of the entire franchise. 8. Abbott Elementary (ABC, streaming on Hulu) It turns out the reports of the broadcast sitcom’s death were greatly exaggerated. While several new comedies helped breathe new life into the genre last season, none did so as successfully as creator/star Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary look at a Philadelphia elementary school. Brunson—Adweek’s Game Changer of the Year—managed to score on both sides of the camera, crafting a show that feels simultaneously like comfort food (a workplace comedy with a crackerjack ensemble) and also wholly original. Plus, its second season has so far been even more assured than the first, indicating that the best is likely yet to come. 7. Better Things (FX, streaming on Hulu) Throughout the comedy’s five seasons, Pamela Adlon (who co-created, starred, directed every episode since Season 2 and wrote most scripts) was so adept at raising the bar each year—both comedically and dramatically—that it was easy to sometimes take this jewel of a show for granted. But there were no shortage of better things to be found in its fifth and final season, which saw Adlon’s Sam Fox and her family (including three daughters and her aging mom) embracing new phases of their lives. Emmy voters shamefully overlooked this show during its run, but it has earned its spot in the TV pantheon. 6. The Bear (Hulu) I’ll admit it: after getting through the first couple episode of this FX-produced series about a chef on the rise (Jeremy Allen White) who must instead return home to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop, The Bear seemed decidedly Not For Me. But its unremitting intensity turned out to be a feature, not a bug: the series quickly became addictive (and cathartic), and by the time of its bravura seventh episode–seemingly shot in a single take—it was clear that all of the ingredients had deftly morphed into a sumptuous, Michelin star worthy feast. Yes, chef! 5. Severance (Apple TV+) Apple TV+’s early original efforts fell short (sorry, The Morning Show), but the platform has finally found its signature series. Adam Scott stars as a worker at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a “severance” procedure in which their work and personal lives—and all corresponding memories—are completely disconnected from one another. Creator Dan Erickson and executive producer/frequent director Ben Stiller then forged a world just as absorbing as the show’s premise (two words: defiant jazz)—building to a frenetic end-of-season twist that sets up what should be an even more engrossing Season 2. 4. Atlanta (FX, streaming on Hulu) After an agonizing four-year hiatus, Donald Glover and his team returned with not one but two seasons of one of the last decade’s finest shows—and picked up right where they left off. Last spring ushered in a divisive (though rewarding) third season that alternated episodes of the cast in Europe (where Brian Tyree Henry’s Alfred was touring) with one-off vignettes involving new characters. Then this fall’s Season 4 brought everyone home to Atlanta for a magical final run that kept expanding the boundaries of what was possible on television, down to the show’s final moments, which questioned all that had come before. While Atlanta felt like it still had several more seasons of brilliance left in it, I give Glover credit for going out on top—though I will continue to hope he decides to revisit these characters down the road. 3. Barry (HBO, streaming on HBO Max) Peak TV is littered with programs that would have been best served as limited series but were instead stretched into ongoing shows, usually to their detriment. Consider Barry the exception to the rule: a show whose quirky premise—a despondent hitman (Bill Hader, who also created the show) decides to become an actor instead—had “one and done” written all over it. Instead, Hader has cultivated an enthralling series that gets deeper, and darker, each season, unafraid to confront the horror of Barry’s radioactive psyche. (It’s not all gloom and doom: a subplot about the whims of algorithm-driven streaming services was a true delight, as was a riveting motorcycle chase scene.) At this point, Barry might only occasionally be accurately classified as a dark comedy, but it’s become a far more spellbinding series. 2. Better Call Saul (AMC, streaming on Netflix) Throughout its run, Better Call Saul had improbably become the little prequel that could: the Breaking Bad spinoff grew more confident by leaps and bounds, until it suddenly had evolved into a show that could live alongside of, and not in the shadow of, the series that birthed it. The series cemented its legacy as Breaking Bad’s equal with its breathtaking final run of episodes that weren’t afraid to shatter conventions: multiple shocking deaths, wrapping up major storylines far earlier than expected and ultimately jumping ahead of the Breaking Bad timeline and presenting several of the final episodes almost entirely in black and white. Bob Odenkirk continued to astound as the titular lawyer, formerly known as Jimmy McGill, who fully embraced his slick Saul Goodman persona, though Rhea Seehorn’s devastating breakdown on an airport shuttle was the year’s true TV acting highlight. We may forever debate whether Saul or Breaking Bad was ultimately the better show, but one thing is clear: Better Call Saul now stands alone as television’s all-time greatest spinoff. 1. Reservation Dogs (Hulu) It’s difficult enough for a series to arrive fully formed and break out during its first year, as Reservation Dogs did (I named it 2021’s best new TV show). But the even rarer feat is when that same program elevates its game in Season 2, proving itself more than just a one-season wonder. And that’s exactly what co-creator Sterlin Harjo pulled off with Season 2 of the FX-produced Reservation Dogs, which follows four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma. He doubled down on everything that was so successful about the Season 1: one-off episodes (some outlandish, some heart-shattering) focusing on supporting characters, and anything-goes style that—like FX’s Atlanta before it—keeps the audience guessing, and continually dazzled, from one week to the next. When so many great shows bowing out in the same year (as was the case with Better Call Saul, Atlanta and Better Things), it’s tempting to talk about the end of an era in TV. But as long as Reservation Dogs keeps breaking TV’s rules on a weekly basis, television will easily maintain its title as our most exciting entertainment medium. Honorable Mentions These incredible shows just narrowly missed out on making the Top 10, but they’re also well worth your time. The Good Fight (Paramount+)Los Espookys (HBO, streaming on HBO Max)Pachinko (Apple TV+)The Patient (Hulu)Ramy (Hulu)Russian Doll (Netflix)Somebody Somewhere (HBO, streaming on HBO Max)This Is Going to Hurt (AMC+)We Own This City (HBO, streaming on HBO Max)What We Do in the Shadows (FX, streaming on Hulu) Check back on Wednesday for the 10 Best New TV Shows of 2022.

Year in Review

The 10 Best TV Shows of 2022

Better Call Saul, Abbott Elementary and Atlanta were among the year’s most bingeworthy programs

Jason Lynch

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Jason Lynch