From Andor to Better Call Saul: What Are the Best Tv Series Of 2022? Find Out with Us

It’s time to archive 2022 as well, which paradoxically kept us in suspense until the end or almost to draw up this list – just think of Peacemaker. So, let’s stop talking and let’s sum up: what year was it for seriality? An extremely dense year full of quality productions, a fact that would seem trivial but is rather curious if we consider that an impressive number of series that we were awarded last year have not yet returned. And the thought immediately turns to products such as Arcane, Squid Game, or Ted Lasso, but for the rest, we refer you to the best TV series of 2021. In general, for example, it can be said with confidence that the last 12 months have shown a fantasy genre with its multifaceted facets in dazzling form after some bitter disappointments.

What Are the Best Tv Series Of 2022

A success obtained, among other things, to the detriment of the Disney giants, extremely in trouble between Marvel series that never manage to overcome their obvious limits and a Star Wars saved in extremis by Andor and here we must however admit that it is a matter of a great rescue. If then it’s light sci-fi with strong fantasy overtones that disappoint, it’s clear audiences would have looked for those thrills elsewhere. But it is only one of the many interpretations of 2022 that have often seen the unsuspected triumph.

Andor (Disney+)

Let’s start with a bit of healthy science fiction, which seems to always be a little lacking in schedules, at least the quality one. Here, quality Andor (here you can retrieve our review of Andor) abounds all right, reaching levels – as well as maturity – that it was really difficult to expect from a Star Wars production. On the other hand, Star Wars is a brand that has been living on a roller coaster for many years, capable of giving its fans great joys and immense disappointments.

Andor is not the panacea for all ills, mind you, as it is a divisive product for many reasons, from the themes to pacing not exactly suitable for a show. But the whole remains of an immense splendour: beautifully characterized characters and settings, dialogues and goosebumps sequences that can be counted without a doubt among the best of the entire franchise and finally a cruel and sadistic Empire not only on paper or because of the Black Death. In short, not only a triumph for Star Wars but an excellent thriller in general from every point of view.

Black Bird (Apple Tv+)

Spoiler: it is not the last and not even the penultimate time that we will talk about Apple TV+ in this ranking, perhaps the clearest sign of how the catalog of the famous apple, despite not having the slightest possibility of challenging Netflix or Prime Video in terms of quantity, has nothing to envy in terms of quality. Black Bird (don’t miss our review of Black Bird) is exemplary in this since it’s an incredibly simple miniseries at the base: a prisoner, to get a discount on his sentence, must approach a serial killer and convince him to confess – moreover based on a true story.

We could praise many things about Black Bird, such as an exquisitely clean direction, excellent dialogue writing and an elementary but very functional management of different time levels. However, these are aspects that pale in comparison to the real show, or the off-scale interpretations of the protagonists Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser, a pleasure to be admired throughout all 6 episodes for their chemistry and versatility. A small masterpiece in practice.

The Legend of Vox Machina (Amazon Prime)

Animation can never miss this year-end appointment; it is a very dear theme to us. A year without animated series of a certain level would make us particularly sad, we admit it frankly. But fortunately, this is not the case in 2022, since it has given us The Legend Of Vox Machina (we refer you to our review of The Legend Of Vox Machina), a product based on the first Dungeons and Dragons campaign of the famous YouTube channel and Twitch Critical role.

And for this reason, the expectations, at least from the point of view of the general public and not of the enthusiasts, were rather low and veiled by the usual prejudices. Prejudices dead and buried immediately after the first installments were made available on Prime Video, which showed an amazing, fresh and well-crafted series; yet another demonstration of how fantasy treated with wisdom can still give so much. Retrieve it and cheer with us for these 7 outcasts who, in an attempt to make some money, will embark on an immense conflict.

Wednesday (Netflix)

The absolute surprise of the year could not fail to enter the standings. Let’s be clear, that a Netflix series based on the character of Wednesday Addams (here we leave you our review of Wednesday) with Tim Burton at the helm would have been successful was a bit of an open secret. That the product turned out to be a competent nostalgic coming age mixed with excellent investigative elements, that Jenna Ortega managed to bring an irresistible Wednesday to the screen thanks to a sensational interpretation and that in general the macabre charm of the Addams family survived like this well as time went on, however, it was much less predictable.

Yet the series is this and much more, landed on our screens probably at the best possible moment because, given our response and that of the public, it was clear that a return to a certain type of lugubrious comedy was somehow expected or wanted. With a pinch of cynicism, atmospheres reminiscent of the times of Harry Potter, a convincing cast of characters, and exciting storylines and the game is done.

Severance (Apple Tv+)

It’s time to talk more about Apple and the series that shocked everyone at the beginning of the year. Severance is describable in one word: masterpiece, across the board. And we could stop here, but the psychological thriller created by Dan Erickson and directed almost entirely by Ben Stiller with its amazing examination of dehumanization deserves much more space. As for Andor, we would like to specify that even Severance, due to timing and themes, is far from being able to meet anyone’s palate.

It is a production that seeks very few compromises with the viewer, which courageously puts its concept and the extreme alienation that follows at the center of everything, to dig as far as possible into the human psyche and what makes humanity such. The result is an anxiety-provoking show with a conglomerate, Lumon Industries, which tries in every possible way, both through science and the dream of the capitalist universe, to snatch away our individuality. Wonderfully creepy, that’s for sure.

The Sandman (Netflix)

Yes, The Sandman (here you can retrieve our review of The Sandman) is certainly the series with the most imperfections and problems in this ranking, especially in its second half. But on the other hand, the Netflix production succeeds in a mission that, according to anyone, was impossible: to adapt the great work of Neil Gaiman, that Sandman who simply made the history of comics and dark fantasy. How was it possible to bring such thoughtful, enigmatic and iconic work to the screen?

According to Neil Gaiman, he only had to do it after having “killed” dozens and dozens of other mediocre adaptations, most faithfully and respectfully possible of qualitatively excellent original material. Then the beginning of the Morpheus epic turns into a moving homage, a – pardon the pun – daydream for fans and an extraordinary initiation for those unfamiliar with Gaiman’s work. And it is only the first timid taste of a universe that still has no equal.

Peacemaker (HBO Max)

Not only did the latest episode of Peacemaker deliver everything it promised, but it also solidifies the character alongside the entire DCEU pantheon impressively. You can even complain about the direction of James Gunn, but the director got it right here in the same way as he did in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, bringing quality content, full of emotion and epic scenes.

And Peacemaker does not disappoint expectations, starting from the already viral – or at least, viral at the beginning of the year when it was broadcast – opening theme to arrive at an inevitable summation of Gunn’s style, bloody and insanely eccentric with delicious spikes of trash (find our Peacemaker review). Then it is evident that the plot is perhaps a little too simplistic and, as always when a film director launches into a serial product, the pace suffers, but the number of iconic sequences and the authenticity that the head of the new DCU has managed to extract from a hoard of euphemistically secondary characters are, like The Suicide Squad, an admirable achievement.

House Of The Dragon (HBO Max)

Let’s go back to fantasy territories, to go into the merits of the challenge between the titans of the genre that has been unleashed for a good part of this autumn: The Rings of Power and, indeed, House Of The Dragon, which we slightly preferred (we cannot but recommend our House Of The Dragon review). Perhaps it will be due to its compactness compared to the rival’s immoderate ambition or the return to a sparkling and once again morbidly fascinating Westeros will have struck us more, especially after the burning disappointments of the last acts of Game Of Thrones; the fact is that the HBO series, at least in our opinion, wins the first battle of a confrontation destined to be repeated in the coming years- very heated confrontation from which, among other things, we spectators will benefit above all.

Regardless of any comparison, House of The Dragon remains a return to the franchise with great fanfare, which reminds once and for all of its roots composed of dense political plots and delicate balances, without neglecting a generous dose of spectacularity. Now let’s try not to repeat the same parabola suffered by the mother series.

The Bear (Disney+ and FX)

Unquestionably the underdog of the year, nothing more and nothing less. The Disney+ series is simply the production you don’t expect, the most striking sign of how much freedom and maturity the serial medium has now reached. The Bear (don’t miss our review of The Bear) is a rather obvious series about a cook who returns home to take care of the family shop following his brother’s suicide. Had a more dramatic plot than usual, which however foreshadowed a now classic dramedy in the workplace.

Nothing could be more inaccurate: Christopher Storer’s creature is a continuous surprise, an 8-episode game of metaphors and emotional punches in the stomach in which even a common organization of the kitchen turns into a painful reflection on mourning and the meaning of life. We do not feel like adding anything else, since any further detail could reveal something too much and ruin the vision of a unique pearl of this 2022.

Pachinko (Apple Tv+)

And for the last time we find ourselves on the reassuring shores of Apple TV+ to talk about Pachinko (here we refer you to our review of Pachinko), the series based on the homonymous book by Min Jin Lee, also highly recommended.

Here, when the spectator perfectly understands what Pachinko wants to be, or a family odyssey that will last about a century, and manages to come to terms with a rhythm very far from the commercial comfort zone in which we are immersed willy-nilly most of the time, a product that borders on perfection stands out in front of it: masterfully punctuated and interpreted, with very high production values ​​and crowned by a story of unexpected continuous struggles tinged with cruel interludes of colonialism and racism. Pachinko is, like the novel, an all-encompassing work that exudes love and injustice from every pore, which deserves your attention. You will not regret it.

Dahmer (Netflix)

In one way or another true crime always triumphs and every year that product of a serial killer capable of catalyzing the attention of the entire planet arrives. For 2022 it was Dahmer’s turn (we leave you our review of Dahmer here) the Netflix proposal from the mind of the prolific Ryan Murphy, here curiously in a state of grace and far from his classic screenplay gimmicks. The result is a monstrous and inhuman production in every sense, which tries as much as possible to explain what Jeffrey Dahmer was without wanting to justify it in any way.

No flights of fancy, no attempt to surprise the viewer at all costs, Murphy has orchestrated a perfect symphony that culminates in the disturbing interpretation of Evan Peters, literally a show within a show that plays on the crazy combination of victim and maniac created in a disturbed individual from ‘childhood. For fans of true crime or not, it remains an unmissable series, which however in some moments will touch rather strong chords and images.

The Boys (Amazon Prime)

With the background notes of the Dropkick Murphys song screaming “The boys are back and they’re looking for trouble” and several months after its airing, we feel like stating that the third season of Billy Butcher and his boys (not you can miss the appointment with our review of The Boys Season 3) is now the best and above all the most constant: 8 episodes of pure and healthy bloody madness, improbable and absurd characters, even more, impossible missions and numerous plot twists that constantly change the cards on the table.

A seamless enjoyment that mixes the best of a dazzling first vintage and a more reflective second, with the hope of a formula that can evolve more and more – and Garth Ennis’s sublime original material can allow it. The only flaw is represented by an ending that once again struggles to shake the balance at stake once and for all, bringing everything back to the status quo with just a few changes. In short, if The Boys has already reached phenomenal heights, with the right corrections it can definitively enter the pantheon of the serial medium.

Better Call Saul (AMC)

And we conclude this list with the series that has come to an end. A more suitable ending than that is hard to find, isn’t it? For those asking the question, the answer is yes, we are referring both to our article and to the monopolizing closure of Better Call Saul (here we refer you to our review of Better Call Saul Season 6), a single more than a rare example of an impeccable mix between form and content, between a virtuosity that most likely has no equal in the current panorama and a screenplay that has nothing to envy.

A series that, between very few dips and jolts, has never lost sight of the goal, has never lost sight of its protagonist and has never forgotten to build step by step and season after season a dazzling portrait of the essence by Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman. Then surely a feeling of melancholy will remain due to the leave of these characters, but what Vince Gilligan has managed to build over the years will remain indelible, we are convinced.