I watched one-hundred seventy TV seasons and mini-series this year. Here are my top 12 for the year. There are no seasons that fell into the 'worst' category because if a season/show is bad I drop it. This is based simply on what I watched this year, not on what was released this year.
Check out the previous year-end reviews.
The Top 12 of 2022:
Station Eleven (2021-2022)
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2021-2022)
Buy the novel (paid link)
Created by: Patrick Somerville (created for television by)
Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler, Daniel Zovatto, Lori Petty
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
A post apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines, telling the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and re-imagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what's been lost.
Verdict
The multiple timelines can be a bit much at first as they generate so many questions, but as this progresses it ties characters and plots together. This is about starting over in different ways, and also about the cruelty of humans and what it takes to survive. What really sets this apart is the show's title which refers to a book in the series that connects the characters that know this book over the timeline.
The Wonder Years (2021-)
Season 1 - 22 episodes (2021-2022)
Buy The Wonder Years on Amazon Prime (paid link)
Created by: Saladin K. Patterson
Starring: Elisha Williams, Dulé Hill, Saycon Sengbloh, Laura Kariuki, Don Cheadle
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
A man recalls his experiences growing up in Montgomery, Alabama during the late 1960s.
Verdict
This show is so wholesome. It's an amazing companion to the original series. We see a kid surviving life as a teen, but this time we see the other side with a black family. Seeing this point of view is even more powerful from the current day vantage point, but the fact is what Dean experiences is relatable regardless.
Dopesick (2021)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2021)
Buy the Book that Inspired the Series on Amazon Prime (paid link)
Created by: Danny Strong
Starring: Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosario Dawson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, Kaitlyn Dever, Phillipa Soo
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
The series takes viewers to the epicenter of America's struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Purdue Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA.
Verdict
This manages to capture such a vivid picture of the crisis from the boardroom to the streets. While the timeline jumps around, it really adds to the drama. This is informative, arresting, and engaging. It's not an uplifting show by any stretch, but it creates such a complete picture of the crisis. It's an incredible mini-series on all fronts.
Season 5 - 10 episodes (2020)
Buy Better Call Saul Season 5 on Amazon Video (paid link) // Watch Better Call Saul on Netflix
Created by: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Michael Mando, Tony Dalton, Giancarlo Esposito
Rating: TV-14
Plot:
Jimmy McGill is a former grifter who is now a lawyer. He wants to do the right thing, but at the same time, becoming a lawyer hasn't been the dream he imagined. In season five Jimmy fully embraces the Saul Goodman persona and the criminal elements that accompany that.
Verdict:
Somehow season four didn't make my best of list, but that's just an oversight. This show is excellent. It's easy to compare and contrast this to Breaking Bad, but this is a much different show and arguably better. This has a focus and attention to nuance the original show didn't. Though both shows deal with a character going deeper into the criminal underworld, Walter and Jimmy have very different reasons.
Few shows feel so well crafted. This one has the benefit of knowing where everything ends up and that's been a boon to the series. This show is a joy to watch. There's only one season left which began airing in 2022.
Cheers (1982-1993)
Season 1 - 22 episodes (1982-83)
Season 2 - 22 episodes (1983-84)
Season 3 - 25 episodes (1984-85)
Season 4 - 26 episodes (1985-86)
Season 5 - 26 episodes (1986-87)
Season 6 - 25 episodes (1987-88)
Buy Cheers on Amazon (paid link)
Created by: James Burrows, Glen Charles, Les Charles
Starring: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Nicholas Colasanto
Rating: TV-PG
Plot:
The regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.
Verdict:
With great characters and great writing, this show grabs you. The first season rests on Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane's (Shelley Long) sexual tension and the will they won't they. They're class opposites, but their dialog is witty and smart. This references classical authors in one sentence and baseball players in the next. While the whole thing takes place in a bar, that's part of the charm. Simple episodic story lines manage to be really funny and often meaningful. This tackles some issues. Very few shows are so easy to watch and this compelling. I couldn't stop watching or wanting to watch this show. The second season is just as good. In this season it's not whether they will get together, but how are they going to stay together. I wondered how long I would continue the show. While the first two seasons are the best, this stays really good. It does seem the show decided to coast a bit, but this show's version of coasting is better than many other shows. It changed in season five, and season eight is where this really started to feel like the quality had significantly dropped. I skipped season ten, and only watched the three part finale of season eleven. Season nine became more over the top and a bit sillier.
We Own This City (2022)
Mini-series - 6 episodes (2022)
Watch the trailer
Created by: George Pelecanos, David Simon
Starring: Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles, McKinley Belcher III, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Delaney Williams
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
Tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it.
Verdict:
From the creators' of The Wire, this delves into Baltimore again to look at the systemic problems with the police force. While the problems and disjointed departments looking for answers are compelling, the fact that this is real and Googling almost any name reveals almost everyone is in prison, from the cops to the mayor, is gives this such an impact. The series is clear that there is no easy fix. When the desired results are numbers and stats, cops or anyone will make sure those numbers are met. This is an incredible series that is more of an education than entertainment. These events happened. These characters are real. The residents of Baltimore were terrorized. Even the accused have a right to a just process.
The Killing (2011-14)
Season 1 - 13 episodes (2011)
Watch the trailer
Created by: Veena Sud
Starring: Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Billy Campbell
Rating: TV-14
Plot:
A police investigation, the saga of a grieving family, and a Seattle mayoral campaign all interlock after the body of 17-year-old Rosie Larsen is found in the trunk of a submerged car.
Verdict:
The first season is great, with an odd couple pairing of two detectives and a sweeping murder investigation. The season can't hold that momentum, as everyone becomes a suspect, and it doesn't even resolve the investigation, instead dragging it out to another season. If the first three quarters of the season wasn't so good, I wouldn't include this show, but this develops characters that are flawed yet determined. That's something you don't often see. That gives this season a lot of depth.
The Bear (2022-)
Season 1 - 9 episodes (2022)
Watch the trailer
Created by: Christopher Storer
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
A young chef from the fine dining world returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop.
Verdict:
This show really is incredible. It grabs you from the start and remains intense throughout. The setting is unique, but the writing sets it apart. We dive into the culinary world, and it's clear the writers and/or creator know this world well. There's plenty of strife behind the counter, but this sets that up well. The characters are well developed, and we get to see them grow with every episode. White and Edebiri, really the entire cast, deliver great performances.
Primal (2019-)
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2019)
Watch the trailer
Created by: Genndy Tartakovsky(story)
Starring: Aaron LaPlante (voice)
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
A caveman and a dinosaur bond over shared tragedy and work together to survive in a perilous prehistoric world.
Verdict:
It's nearly silent aside from ambient noise and soundtrack. It's not easy to craft a silent story, but this show does it effortlessly. Despite being animated, it can be brutal. It's a kill or be killed world, but this bond between caveman and dinosaur is incredibly deep.
Ted Lasso (2020-)
Season 1 - 10 episodes (2020)
Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+
Created by: Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Phil Dunster
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer
Plot
American
college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC
Richmond, a struggling English Premier League football team.
Verdict
This
is such a wholesome show, and that's a credit to the writing. This
isn't saccharine or juvenile. This is a show that is somewhere between a
workplace comedy and a drama. Ted is a mid-westerner that truly cares.
He wants to help everyone he meets. This show doesn't make him dumb,
something other shows often do in this situation. Ted is sharp and aware
but caring, dedicated, and goofy. It's difficult not to like him. He's
up for a challenge which is part of what lands him in this coaching
situation. With such a fun character, and his positive attributes, he's
also a very effective coach. There aren't many shows like Ted Lasso, and even fewer shows that create such a great character and such solid scripts around him.
Full Review
Kennedy (1983)
Mini-series - 7 episodes
Written by: Reg Gadney
Directed by: Jim Goddard
Starring: Martin Sheen, Blair Brown, John Shea, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Vincent Gardenia, Kelsey Grammer
Rated: NR [TV-PG]
Watch the trailer
Plot
Biography of the 1961-1963 Presidency of John F. Kennedy. This landmark mini-series covers the momentous presidential years and the lives, loves, and triumphs of one of the most controversial families of the twentieth-century.
Verdict
This is really well made. Sheen does a great job portraying the President. This is a history lesson, but it's never boring. Kennedy's tenure faced the Cuban Missile Crisis, civil rights, and Vietnam. This series does mention Kennedy's affair, but it doesn't explore it other than a few mentions. Of course we know where this is going, and the series does such a great job with that. This aired on network television, but I really like the restraint. That keeps a focus on the facts while keeping the audience broad, as it should. A modern remake wouldn't be nearly as good as it would want to explore all the salacious details.
Full Review
Frasier (1993-2004)
Season 2 - 24 episodes (1994-95)
Season 3 - 24 episodes (1995-96)
Season 4 - 24 episodes (1996-97)
Season 5 - 24 episodes (1997-98)
Season 6 - 24 episodes (1998-99)
Rent Frasier on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee
Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, John Mahoney
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
Dr. Frasier Crane moves back to his hometown of Seattle, where he lives with his father, and works as a radio psychiatrist.
Verdict
This show's dialog is excellent. It's witty and smart while managing to make two aloof psychiatrist's comedic and relatable. Frasier's father is the every-man that calls out his sons' antics as needed. It's incredibly funny and smart. That's not an easy combination, and this show does that effortlessly. From the premise to episode situations, this show exhibits a mastery of the medium. Even when talking about wine or opera, this show manages to make those jokes funny. Maybe even most impressive is that this show remains excellent through six seasons, though it runs for eleven total.
Full Review
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