Awards Daily’s Megan McLachlan tracks her 10 favorite television shows of 2022.
There were so many heartwarming (Somebody Somewhere), “heartbreaking” (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and questionably heartless (The Rehearsal) shows that I enjoyed watching this past year, but these 10 are my favorite.
10. Fleishman is in Trouble (FX)
Fleishman is a quiet burn of a show (even outlets like Vox have mislabeled it as “boring”). And interestingly enough, it’s Toby Fleishman’s (Jesse Eisenberg) storyline that is probably the least compelling of the series. Oh, we get it, Toby. Your life has been upended when your ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) disappears, and you suddenly have to play Dad while holding down a full-time job; women have been doing this for decades. It’s when the series highlights what’s going on with Libby (Lizzy Caplan) and Rachel that the show really becomes a fascinating study of its female characters. The episode “Me-Time” should be Danes’ Emmy submission and is one of the best episodes of television this year.
9. Real World Homecoming: NOLA (Paramount+)
The Real World is a landmark television show that brought seven strangers together, and now more than 20 years after Real World: New Orleans, it reunited the gang to live in the same city and make for similarly groundbreaking television. Over the course of just 8 episodes, the show once again tackles racism—only this time, it not only demonstrates how the group has evolved, but how we as audiences have, too. Tokyo (formerly known as David in the 2000 series) is the show MVP for becoming the best version of himself despite struggling with the attention from the show.
8. The White Lotus (HBO)
Confession: I didn’t care for the first season of The White Lotus. But maybe I just needed a change of scenery. In Season 2, Mike White ups the stakes with more dead bodies and swaps class for sexual politics. He also develops more nuanced characters, especially in the foursome of Will Sharpe/Aubrey Plaza and Theo James/Meghann Fahy. They say that good art involves being able to imagine the characters beyond the final page, and we all can’t stop thinking about what becomes of these two couples.
7. Alaska Daily (ABC)
A two-time Academy Award winner stars as a canceled public figure who heads to a remote location to rebuild her career? No, this isn’t Tar (although it kind of is), it’s Alaska Daily. Hilary Swank stars as disgraced reporter Eileen Fitzgerald as she attempts to rebuild her reputation by investigating the growing number of missing indigenous women in the state. But it’s not just a Swank-centered series—the supporting cast really shines, including her partner on the case, Roz (Grace Dove).
6. We Need to Talk about Cosby (Showtime)
W. Kamau Bell’s four-episode docuseries breaks down the life and crimes of Bill Cosby, including the offenses we as audiences commit when we idolize entertainment personalities. Bell is so thorough in his examination, with compelling testimonies and interviews from former friends, colleagues, and victims of the legendary comedian. You may think you know everything there is to know about this story, but through Bell’s thoughtful lens, We Need to Talk about Cosby shows us that Cosby’s crimes were right in front of us this whole time.
5. Severance (Apple TV+)
Who doesn’t wish they could decompartmentalize work life from their personal life? This Apple TV+ sci-fi drama examines the repercussions of this lofty goal as it follows the innies and outies of Lumon Industries, featuring an outstanding cast that includes Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, and John Turturro. This show is “a mood,” from the dead-of-winter outside world to the colorful disco lights at the “Waffle Party.” It’s amazing where the brain of showrunner Dan Erickson can go.
4. Girls5eva (Peacock)
It’s criminal how underrated Girls5eva is. First of all, there’s the talent in that cast (Renee Elise Goldsberry was robbed of an Emmy nomination this last year), and second, the fact that they sing original songs that are not only funny—but also good (“B.P.E.” should be on everyone’s Spotify and dance playlists). Here’s hoping the Season 3 move to Netflix might reintroduce it to new (bigger) audiences.
3. Abbott Elementary (ABC)
It’s hard to believe that Abbott Elementary has really only been on for a year, and already we’ve been gifted with nearly two excellent seasons. While “teacher” shows have come before her, showrunner and star Quinta Brunson finally figured out the formula to an award-winning, much-watch network series: You take a documentary-style format plus a reason for the cameras to be there (documenting the workings of an underfunded school) minus “after-school special” storylines and you get a workplace comedy that saved network TV.
2. The Bear (Hulu)
Anyone who has ever worked in the service industry knows how intense it can be, and while some movies and television shows have depicted its hilarity (Waiting. . .) and the existential crisis of it all (Party Down), The Bear conveys the pressure and how it’s not an industry everyone can survive in. There’s a sense of mystery when we meet Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), as he attempts to pick up the pieces from his deceased brother’s failing sandwich shop, and with each episode, the series adds more flavor to the story with flashbacks and high-pressure situations, like Episode 7’s “Review.” A show like The Bear shouldn’t work, but its colorful characters and presentation make for compelling drama.
1. The Dropout (Hulu)
One of the reasons why we’re all so fascinated with true crime stories is because we wonder what’s running through people’s heads when they do it. Of all the projects to tackle the downfall of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes, Hulu’s The Dropout gets us closest to a sense of understanding and provides the biggest clues as to why Holmes did (or more aptly didn’t do) what she did. It also toes the line between building the case against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, played to perfection by Amanda Seyfried, while also showing her as more than the villain of her own story.
