Plethora of ‘you might like’ television in ’22
“You might like” is the mantra of the algorithm era. You watched this thing before; here’s an OK-enough new version of it.
There was a lot of “You might like” TV in 2022. A deluge of ripped-fromtrue-life limited series made sure you had another story about a murder/ mogul/scam as soon as you finished the last one. We got sequels, prequels and expansions of reliable intellectual property, including “House of the Dragon,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “Andor.”
The best of the best shows, though, have a passion to give you what you haven’t seen before. They grab you by the shirtfront and declare, “I need to show you this.” Here are some of the shows that did that for me in 2022.
‘Reservation Dogs’ (FX on Hulu):
I do my list in alphabetical order because numbering a bunch of shows that I love for very different reasons feels arbitrary and dishonest. But it would also be dishonest not to recognize that this was by far the best thing on TV in 2022. In its second season, this series from Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi became weirder, funnier and more heartbreaking as its Indigenous teens tried to grapple with loss and hang on to hope — or, if necessary, steal it. (Streaming on Hulu)
‘Abbott Elementary’ (ABC):
Back to alphabetical order, Quinta Brunson’s “Abbott” is in many ways a familiar thing — a workplace sitcom on a broadcast network — but one that showed us a side of public school we haven’t seen the same way before. With a superb cast and a sharp eye for detail, it paid
attention to the people who make schools our multipurpose service providers, while providing the public service of straight-up belly laughs. (Hulu)
‘Atlanta’(FX),‘Better Call Saul’ (AMC), ‘Better Things’ (FX), ‘The Good Fight’ (Paramount+):
This quartet of justconcluded classics is a good microcosm of what was best in the most recent generation of TV: a dream
odyssey through hip-hop celebrity and modern Black life; a motor-mouthed antihero’s journey to get his life right; a single mom’s idiosyncratic observations of family and the universe; and a razor-sharp legal fantasia of life in the Trump era and after. (Hulu, AMC+, Hulu, Paramount+)
‘Los Espookys’ (HBO) and ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX):
Season two of “Espookys” leveled up
its winsome magic realism with a story that combined presidential politics and beauty-pageant intrigue. Meanwhile, the latest outing for Staten Island’s favorite vampires showed a big, bloody heart as Laszlo (Matt Berry) explored the highs and heartbreaks of quasi-parenting, raising the reborn Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) through an accelerated childhood. (HBO Max, Hulu)
‘High School’ (Freevee):
In a year full of based-ontrue-life TV series, the undersung standout was this series adapted from the memoir of singer-songwriters Tegan and Sara (Railey and Seazynn Gilliland). Set in Calgary in the mid-’90s, it combined an eternal teen-show premise — adolescents finding their personal and sexual identity — with an artistic origin story. (Freevee)
The Jan. 6 Committee Hearings (various
networks): It’s no insult to call this investigation into the attack on democracy a TV show; that was its power and its accomplishment. Deploying deft editing, story structure, graphics, suspense, social-media virality and a touch of showmanship, the hearings made a public service into the show of the summer and the most important TV of the year.
‘Killing It’ (Peacock) and ‘P-Valley’ (Starz): Where is the American dream? These series found it in a snake-infested Florida swamp and in a Mississippi strip club. “Killing It,” with Craig Robinson, set a fevered satire of gig-economy hustle and desperation against the backdrop of the 2016 election. And season two of Katori Hall’s sex-work soap continued its tribute to the hustle. (Peacock, Starz)
‘My Brilliant Friend’ (HBO): TV has become the world’s flashiest library, with adaptations of novels from “Pachinko” to “Fleishman Is in Trouble.” But the class of the field remains this gorgeous and emotionally incisive rendering of the Elena Ferrante series. Season three continues its febrile story of friendship as Elena (Margherita Mazzucco) matures into an author and intellectual in violence-torn 1970s Italy. (HBO Max)
‘The Rehearsal’ (HBO):
Nathan Fielder’s reality-TV experiment in perfecting one’s life by simulating it was the comedian’s most elaborate stunt yet and a philosophical, sometimes disturbing exploration of fate, regret and the impulse toward control. (HBO Max)
‘Severance’ (Apple TV+):
“Bring your whole self to work” may be a mantra of the modern office, but not at Lumon Industries. In this loopy sci-fi thriller, employees at that shadowy firm undergo a brain procedure that splits their work and home selves into two separate consciousnesses. (Apple TV+)
Wait, you forgot: “Station Eleven”? Nope — it was on my 2021 list. Something else? Probably. There’s too much TV out there, even for a professional watcher.
Honorable mentions: “As We See It” (Amazon Prime Video), “Barry” (HBO), “The Bear” (FX on Hulu), “The Dropout” (Hulu), “The Kids in the Hall” (Amazon Prime Video), “Ramy” (Hulu), “Rothaniel” (HBO), “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO), “Undone” (Amazon Prime Video), “We Need to Talk About Cosby” (Showtime)
Flawed but fascinating:
“For All Mankind” (Apple TV+), “Irma Vep” (HBO), “Minx” (HBO Max), “Raised by Wolves” (HBO Max)