Fetch’s Favourite TV Shows of 2022

It’s that time of the year again when we wrack our brains trying to remember everything we have watched in the last 12 months and pick out the cream of the crop. Below is a glimpse of the Fetch editors’ favourite television viewing of the year, made up of a mix of brand new series and returning shows with new seasons. Take a look and see if any strike a chord with you, then seek out ones you may have missed.

Adam

1. Severance (Apple TV+)
2. Better Call Saul S6 (Stan)
3. The Bear (Disney+)
4. House of the Dragon (TV Store)
5. The White Lotus S2 (TV Store)
6. 1883 (Paramount+)
7. This is Going to Hurt (BBC First)
8. Station Eleven (Stan)
9. The Dropout (Disney+)
10. Evil S1-3 (Paramount+)

What a great year for TV it was in 2022. I know this because I hated having to rank these 10 shows above. In a sense, they were all my number ones at some stage this year, so it was virtually impossible to put one higher than the other.

My top 3 are hard to separate, but it was Severance by a nose due to its sheer willingness to be something completely new and “out there”. An ingenious premise, a beautifully bland, clean and frankly disturbing set design, and a cast that felt perfectly suited to the surrealistic nature of the show.

Pound for pound, Better Call Saul has been my favourite show to come back to over the past 6 seasons. Unique and compelling as always, the final goodbye was an absolute treat for fans and saw the show go out very much on top. Newcomer The Bear was 8 episodes of sheer, frenetic brilliance that seemed to come from nowhere and slap us all to attention. For me, it could just be the most easily bingeable show of all time.

Ignore the naysayers, House of the Dragon was everything a Game of Thrones appreciator could want and more. Fanboys can pick apart the two shows until they run themselves in circles, but House of the Dragon was no more than a “sit back and enjoy the madness” kind of experience for me, and for those 10 weeks, no other TV series came close.

The first season of The White Lotus was my number one in 2021, and while I’ve yet to watch the finale, season 2 is just as good, if not better. 1883 was the biggest surprise of the year – a smart, steady-paced and beautifully made Western that was nothing like its sister show, Yellowstone. Contemplative and even meditative in parts, my gut tells me this show could be one day looked back on as a genuine classic.

While This is Going to Hurt was shocking and thought-provoking throughout, it also had a devilish sense of humour and a knockout performance from Ben Whishaw. Station Eleven was incredible and wholly original, a challenging series with depth, heartbreak and emotion. Just beautiful.

I loved every minute of The Dropout despite it being a show I was pulled into by my partner. This kind of true crime dramatisation is not usually my drink of choice, but The Dropout offered more than it said on the tin. Even though I knew the story of Elizabeth Holmes quite well, every episode was a new revelation. Evil was the strangest procedural drama I’ve ever seen…it feels a little like a CSI or a NCIS, but it is absolutely nothing like those shows once it takes hold of you. Great, compelling characters and some of the most frightening scenes of horror I’ve ever witnessed in a TV show.

Andrew

1. Severance (Apple TV+)
2. The Bear (Disney+)
3. Andor S1 (Disney+)
4. Evil S1-3 (Paramount+)
5. Station Eleven (Stan)
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video)
7. Players (Paramount+)
8. The Afterparty (Apple TV+)
9. Deadwind S3 (Netflix)
10. Only Murders in the Building S1-2 (Disney+)

As I sat down to think about this list it became clear to me that the brain-melting complexity of Severance, the powder-keg drama of The Bear and the action-espionage of Andor were ahead of the pack. Each of these are, in my opinion, wonderful and transcendent shows that would reward future return viewings.

Having had a falling out with the Star Wars franchise in recent years I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the writing in Andor, which is surely the best Star Wars-related content since the original trilogy?

Evil is too good to be a ‘guilty pleasure’, but this unique series – driven by the relationships between the likeable core team – is an addictive malevolently-charged procedural with a devilish sense of humour. On the flip side Station Eleven, based on the acclaimed novel by Emily St. John Mandel, is a rich and rewarding experience that is best discovered and considered one thought-provoking episode at a time.

While The Rings of Power has proven to be somewhat divisive amongst Tolkein fans, I was thoroughly impressed by this ultra-expensive looking return to Middle Earth. Visually breathtaking, with epic set pieces, this series impressively forged a fresh vision without feeling indebted to Peter Jackson’s films, and it successfully balances multiple compelling story arcs, while disguising some rather surprising plot twists.

I quickly binged Players, a hilarious and often cringe-worthy sports mockumentary series. I was enthralled by this very realistic interrogation of the culture of professional gaming, team dynamics, and the unique personalities that make their living in that world.

The Afterparty, with it’s awesome comic ensemble and shifting episode-specific genre inspiration, was an inventive modern take on the whodunit. The potential motives of the former classmates (attending their high school reunion afterparty) are gradually teased out by a cunning detective (Tiffany Haddish) with an unusual method.

Deadwind, a grim Finnish police procedural, is one of the best crime dramas you likely haven’t heard of. I am very invested in further cases involving the detective pairing of Karppi and Nurmi.

There’s just so much TV to watch. I didn’t even get to the latest seasons of some of my favourite returning series – Atlanta and Barry amongst them. Where’s House of the Dragon you may ask? It remains unfinished, with progress hampered by a lack of opportunity to watch the series communally, paired with general lack of enthusiasm for what has transpired so far. What can you do?

Drew

1. The Bear (Disney+)
2. The Boys S3 (Prime Video)
3. House of the Dragon (TV Store)
4. The Midnight Club (Netflix)
5. 1883 (Paramount+)
6. From (Stan)
7. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney+)
8. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (Netflix)
9. Peacemaker (TV Store)
10. Love, Death + Robots S3 (Netflix)

2022 has been the year for TV shows, with some amazing titles causing buzz typically only worthy of blockbuster hits. The Bear, one of the year’s most critically-acclaimed series, took the spotlight with its explosive storytelling and talented but flawed main character, brilliantly played by Jeremy Allen White.

House of the Dragon, as was true of Games of Thrones, had everyone talking around the water cooler at work. I’m particularly not a fan of Game of Thrones (I know, terrible!) but I actually found myself hooked and ready to watch House of the Dragon the moment a new episode dropped.

As shows progress a dip in quality is natural, though The Boys S3 chose to ignore this trend. The latest season is arguably the best yet. Homelander keeps topping his psychotic behaviours and Butcher continues to justify doing the wrong thing for a good cause. The limelight is stolen though by the hilarious, fresh addition of the new ‘boomer’ superhero Solider Boy, played by Jensen Ackles. With a step up on the stupid levels of gore and the not-so-politically-correct humour The Boys S3 is a must-watch.

As a fan of horror this year’s Halloween season really came through with the release of The Midnight Club and Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Fans of Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House will want to check out The Midnight Club as soon as they can. Flanagan has again successfully created a suspenseful world that keeps you guessing to the very final credits roll and will have you excited for more stories in the future.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is an 8-part horror anthology series. These well-crafted stories explore different themes within the horror sphere, with each episode creating a unique viewing experience that make you feels as if you are watching a completely different show each time.

With 3 of my top 10 being superhero related shows it’s probably no shock that I’m a fan of the genre and this year has kept me more than happy. Though I’m a fan, I’ll be the first to admit that this kind of content is slightly overplayed and in need of some fresh vision. In saying this She Hulk: Attorney at Law and Peacemaker both bring an out-of-the box approach to this genre, separating themselves from the norm.

She-Hulk plays out more as a well-crafted 2000s sitcom, and is a much watch for any fans of Marvel. Peacemaker is an arrogant, socially inept, insensitive and misogynistic hero, but one that saves the day anyway. John Cena is Peacemaker and really shines in bringing this eccentric character to life.

With so much TV this year it’s been hard to keep up. As a fan of the Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe I shamefully have to admit that The Rings of Power is still on my watch-list untouched. As a new fan of Yellowstone the latest season would have also been included in this list if I was up to date, but it will just have to settle with an honourable mention for now.