With more streaming services around than ever, we're not going to lie, keeping track of the best TV shows has become a lot messier. Clearly switching between channels on weeknights to get into your next favorite show were simpler times. But all the while, it was an incredible year for long form storytelling across the 2022 TV schedule on just about all of the platforms you could turn on, especially when it comes to new shows from this year.
2022 will be remembered as a huge year for fantasy and science fiction series transporting us to new, yet often familiar realms in big ways. It was an especially clever year for comedy, and err… finding the comedy in ridiculous and tense places. The beauty of this moment for television where streaming hails above all, it’s still right there for you. You can catch up and binge them whenever you want. The reruns are easily accessible and fresher than ever. In the spirit of that, here are our favorites new TV shows of 2022 to either look back on or get added to your queues.
Severance
Many of us surely spend our time wondering how to better achieve work-life balance as our 9-to-5s inevitably bleed into our personal lives, or vice versa. Severance takes that question to the edge with its science fiction concept about a biotech company that implements a medical procedure for employees to separate their work and non-work memories. It’s received a nomination from just about every 2022 Emmys category you could be recognized for. Ahead of Season 2, there’s no better time to binge this ambitious and highly-entertaining debut.
Where to stream Severance: Apple TV+
Andor
There’s been no lack of Star Wars since Disney bought the rights of Lucasfilm, yet somehow Andor has become a gem among the galaxy far, far away’s canon. Reintroducing Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor five years before the events of Rogue One, the Disney+ series takes a blockbuster setting and tells a grounded story across the Star Wars universe that may very well go down in history as among the franchise’s best chapters of this overpacked era.
Where to stream Andor: Disney+
Heartstopper
Heartstopper is a rare romantic comedy that had us pausing dead in our tracks. Based on Alice Oseman’s web comic and graphic novel series of the same name, Season 1 tells the earnest and human love story between two British teen boys who fall in love. The LGBTQ+ inclusive Netflix series beautifully takes its time to develop the dimensions of Nick and Charlie’s romance in a wholesome, comforting and heartfelt way. Thankfully, Netflix has renewed it for two more seasons as well!
Where to stream Heartstopper: Netflix
Abbott Elementary
Admittedly, Abbott Elementary premiered right at the end of 2021, but it's essentially become 2022’s breakout sitcom. Somewhat following in the footsteps of half-hour network hits like The Office and Parks and Recreation, Quinta Brunson’s ABC series is a workplace comedy about a group of public school teachers dealing with daily hurdles of being underfunded and under appreciated for teacher the next generation. The Emmy-winning series is jam-packed with fun characters and takes some well-earned shots at America’s flawed education system.
Where to stream Abbott Elementary: Hulu
The Rehearsal
After five years away from the Comedy Central series Nathan For You, which captivated audiences with his clever docu-reality comedy, Nathan Fielder returned this year with a brand new HBO series. Taking his previous concept another level, The Rehearsal features Fielder helping ordinary people rehearse difficult conversations or life events (like motherhood) by going to crazy lengths to recreate real situations with sets, actors and dialogue trees. Once again, Fielder’s concepts walk a fine line between ridiculously stupid and actually kind-of genius that is just too fun to not look away from.
Where to stream The Rehearsal: HBO Max
The Sandman
Neil Gaiman’s work has been enchanting readers for decades, but this year Netflix's The Sandman finally captured the source material of his beloved The Sandman comic series that was often thought of as unadaptable, whilst bringing something wholly unique to TV. While Season 1 was sometimes bogged down by so many concepts, watching Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus navigate this imaginative version of reality is a whimsical and dreary place we’re excited to come back to, hopefully for many years to come following its Season 2 renewal.
Where to stream The Sandman: Netflix
Interview With The Vampire
Another beloved piece of literature that has long been shelved is Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. The new AMC series starring Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson and Aussie actor Sam Reid reinvigorates a gothic classic with an impressive blend of tones that move from a comical place to one of brutal horror, lustful sensuality and an apt discussion of race relations. Vampires are back and we’ll gladly answer their call for blood.
Where to stream Interview with the Vampire: AMC+
Mo
It’s not every year that we get to see a TV show debut as vulnerable and funny as Netflix’s Mo. The series created by comedian Mo Amer, Ramy’s Ramy Youssef and produced by A24, is a semi-autobiographical story of a Palestinean-American Texan who is dealing with numerous struggles in his life. He has an addiction, a rocky relationship with his Mexican-American partner and is in between jobs all as he and his family go through hoops to finally gain American citizenship. Mo’s push and pull between big laughs and drama come from a genuine place and we hope to see more of Mo’s story unfold in future seasons.
Where to stream Mo: Netflix
The Bear
Many of us also couldn’t get enough of Hulu’s new series The Bear and its breakout star Jeremy Allen White in 2022. The dramedy follows a fine dining chef who goes back to his home of Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after a loss. As he navigates a tough adjustment, he finds belonging in the ragtag kitchen he works to improve. The series opts for a stressful tone, likened to Uncut Gems, and expertly intentional filmmaking that make it an especially memorable new series of 2022.
Where to stream The Bear: Hulu
House Of The Dragon
Brimming with chaos between an onslaught of time jumps and death scenes made for a bumpy return to Westeros, but come on, admit it, you kind of missed it, didn’t you? House of the Dragon boldly reclaimed that Game of Thrones still very much deserves a place on television with the story of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her complicated early life as the female heir to Westeros. Faced with betrayal, scandal, war and raw passion, House of the Dragon is a distinct new Game of Thrones series that gives us a new hope for the franchise ahead.
Where to stream House of the Dragon: HBO Max
That's a lot of awesome television to get to! Once you've caught up on 2022's best new TV shows, check out the 2023 TV schedule to remain up-to-date on what's up next.
