Twenty years ago, there were more good TV episodes per year, but today there are more good TV shows. They just have shorter seasons, and shorter overall runs. My No. 1 pick is unusual in that it aired 20 episodes – but that covers two full seasons, and it had been four years since the previous campaign. With so many good titles, it was tougher than ever to narrow it down to 10, and I’m sure I’ll hear about the snubs. (But feel free to make your own lists.) These were my 10 favorite TV shows of 2022:
10. “The Boys” (Season 3, Amazon Prime)
The year in subversive superhero TV began with James Gunn’s darkly comedic “Peacemaker” in January, but then “The Boys” returned in June and reminded us of its elite status. If the 2020s marks the drawn-out fallout after the 2010s superhero boom, “The Boys” is the perfect show for this period — one I’ll keep on my schedule after I’m sick of all other things “superhero.” It’s a snapshot of this weird time when the populace distrusts institutions (the government and corporations such as Disney, fictionally mirrored by Vought), yet still worships them – and self-serving “heroes” such as Homelander (Antony Starr) — in a zombie-like way. (Full review.)
9. “Under the Banner of Heaven” (miniseries, FX)
Although this true-crime book adaptation includes mystery and tension, it gradually morphs into a “whydunit” more than a whodunit. A small-town Utah police detective (Andrew Garfield) struggles with the increasing likelihood that an extreme branch of his own Mormon religion inspired the murders of a pretty young mother (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her child. With wood-paneled 1980s backdrops and a great supporting turn by Gil Birmingham as the ironic Native American voice of morality, “Under the Banner of Heaven” makes a harrowing case that faith is best if it’s not totally blind. (Full review.)
8. “Dream On” (documentary miniseries, ESPN)
USA Basketball commissioned hours upon hours of footage of the women’s Dream Team’s run-up to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but it stayed in a vault until director Kristen Lappas dug it up for this “30 for 30” installment. This one is poignant because 25 years is enough time for some to still be at the height of their powers (like still-gorgeous Lisa Leslie and coaching genius Dawn Staley) while others have been dealt harsh blows. We see how Rebecca Lobo was bullied for being the token college player and recall how Sheryl Swoopes was briefly the female Michael Jordan. Ultimately, they are all just people — people who went undefeated when anything less than gold could’ve set back American women’s hoops for generations.
7. “Only Murders in the Building” (Season 2, Hulu)
Murder mysteries are having a moment. That could be a bleak commentary on society. But thankfully we have cozy, funny, not-too-serious murder mysteries, too, and “Only Murders in the Building” is the standout. The decades-in-the-making chemistry between Steve Martin and Martin Short smoothly accommodates Selena Gomez for inter-generational jabs. But it’s not all laughs: They’re in the midst of another killing in their Big Apple apartment building — a smart, twisty whodunit involving secret corridors, guest stars (Cara Delevingne! Tina Fey!), and a better “They all could’ve done it” grand finale than “Clue’s.”
6. “Beavis and Butt-head” (Season 9, Paramount Plus)
The 11-minute episodes are tasty snacks amid the gourmet meals of Prestige TV. It’s arguable whether they are nutritious snacks, but there’s little debate that Mike Judge’s writing team delivers a smart brand of idiotic comedy. Beavis and Butt-head aren’t merely dumb, they are dumb in ways that only intelligent comedy writers could dream of. The standout episode finds Old Butt-head hiring Old Beavis (via taxpayer money) as a daily helper — a “Scanner Darkly” level of absurdist comedy about careless government waste. (Full review.)
5. “Cobra Kai” (Season 5, Netflix)
Give a Silver medal to this season, as in Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). He was a scary villain in the ridiculous “Karate Kid Part III,” but now he’s a scary villain backed by teleplays that are both legitimately dramatic and aware of the inherent absurdity of a suburban karate feud. The Gen-Z characters’ arcs are likewise filled with that smile-worthy type of tension, highlighted by a showdown between rival dojos at a water park that’s so Eighties-via-2022. Of all the nostalgia-laden legacy sequels, “Cobra Kai” remains the best as it delivers not merely further adventures, but essential adventures of Daniel (Ralph Macchio), Johnny (William Zabka), et al. (Full review.)
4. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Season 4, Amazon Prime)
Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino explore how one gains a public voice in censorious 1960, inviting us to make parallels to modern cancel culture. The danger of backlash is similar, as Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) finds out via her rule-breaking act (she attacks fellow comics!) and Abe (American treasure Tony Shalhoub) learns via his newspaper column. Still, what I’ll most remember from Season 4 is the plain ole romantic chemistry between Brosnahan and Lenny Bruce actor Luke Kirby, as they escape a snowstorm to his hotel room – the best version of this trope since Buffy and Angel in “Surprise.” Positioning Bruce as Midge’s mentor, and now lover, is a bittersweet ret-con of a tribute. (Full review.)
3. “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” (Season 1, HBO Max)
Positioned between docu-drama and parodic exaggeration, this adaptation of Jeff Pearlman’s book vibes on Magic Johnson’s first NBA season. As the Seventies turns into the glitzy Eighties, John C. Reilly’s Jerry Buss fakes it till he makes it as the Lakers’ owner. Great performances abound, never an easy thing in portraying famous athletes, from Quincy Isaiah as smiley Magic to Solomon Hughes as Zen-like Kareem to Sean Patrick Small as nasty Larry Bird. Adrien Brody (as Pat Riley) and Jason Segel (as Paul Westhead) entertainingly portray coaches at different ends of the ingenuity spectrum. Remarkably, Season 1 chronicles only one NBA campaign, but I’m on board for the complete tour of the Showtime era. (Full review.)
2. “Evil” (Season 3, Paramount Plus)
The primary factor in what makes TV shows click is chemistry, and Robert and Michelle King’s series has it with Katja Herbers, Mike Colter and Aasif Mandvi. They play Catholic Church-funded investigators who approach cases from psychological, religious and practical angles, respectively. The mutual love and respect among the trio is enough to make “Evil” a delightful comfort-watch, but on top of that, the Kings aren’t scared of wildly horrific concepts. It’s remarkable how the familiar issues of Kristen’s teen daughters fit side-by-side with Kristen’s mom (Christine Lahti) working for an honest-to-God beast demon with hooves.
1. “Atlanta” (Seasons 3-4, FX)
Donald Glover’s brainchild, already one of the best shows of the 2010s, returned as the most 2022 show of 2022. Season 3 and the conclusive Season 4 satirically and subversively analyze issues of the day, often through a racial lens – but that only serves to show that all of human civilization is absurd, regardless of what subjective categories you belong to. These two seasons are like “Black Mirror” without being sci-fi, offering many “What if” episodes (what if there were Reparations, what if a black man ran Disney). Yet “Atlanta” can also be one of TV’s most down-to-earth, pleasant-to-watch shows. Earn’s (Glover) heartfelt monolog to Van (Zazie Beetz) in a freezing overnight tent might be what sticks with me most. (Full review.)