Even if Hollywood dissaspoints you with consistent churning out of sequels, reboots and franchises, TV/Streaming has become a reliable source for good writing and high performance shows.
This year has been really good for television as more and more new storylines and ideas has been brought to the screen.
And this is true for accessing the genres. There are too many shows to suggest to you, and there will surely be a separate list altogether for the best shows of 2022 but for now, you have to work with a few good suggestions this year.
These 6 are the highly recommended TV shows of this year, so far in different genres and styles to watch, catering a wide kind of audience.
The Staircase
HBO now has been quite known for its long list of well-written and high-performance, good-quality mini-series, and the newly released The Staircase is another feather on their cap.
It is about an American novelist who becomes a controversial figure in the era of the early 2000s as blamed for her wife’s death and on trial for the murder.
The show has a stellar cast, including actors like Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Colin Firth, and Parker Posey.
In the series, you will also see Game of Throne’s Sansa actor Sophie Turner as Michael’s daughter.
This show simply is one of the best true crime dramas we get, and certainly the best in this year.
The case on which the story is based is quite peculiar. It goes back in 2000s where he was accused and eventually found out to be guilty of murdering his wife, after her body mysteriously found dead at the bottom of the staircase of his house.
There is even a 13-part Netflix docuseries on the same case documenting the trial, conviction and all that happened during and after the case.
In fact, the documentary filmmakers become a part of the story making it quite a meta element in the story.
But now you get to see a bit more dramatized version of the story with much more fleshed out characters and much more contextual information to the case, in this TV series.
Where to Stream: HBO
The Boys
Rarely happens that the second or third season of any show tops the very first season, and that came out to be more than true for Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys.
The series’ third season came out this year with more narcissistic superheroes. We are talking about boys-getting temporary superpowers, superhero orgy, and a lot of gross stuff, but all in the name of the blast the audience had with this season.
This show isn’t just about all gore or superpowers but always delivers more than promised, especially when it comes to the writing of the show.
Since the first season, The Boys boast clever writing and commentary on corporate culture, politics, and hero worship, and somehow they’ve managed to extend it even better to this season.
In fact, in season 3, we see a smart spin on Black Lives Matter as it becomes “All Supes Matter” in the show; it seems the makers are getting more and more political without being propagandists, at least so far.
But more than that, the audience gets to see more depth in the characters, such as Homelander’s vulnerabilities and insecurities, his power struggle with corporates, and accepting how he is rather than getting caught in the validation loop, which is weirdly relatable to anyone.
Overall, this season exceeded the expectation and was certainly way better than the second season but surprisingly better than the first one.
Where To Stream: Amazon Prime Video
We Own This City
Jon Bernthal plays Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, a member of the Gun Trace Task Force created by Baltimore Police Department in this powerful and quortable six-episode mini-series.
The show follows his story taking a significant part in the corruption and payouts that goes around.
The show is essentially the successor of The Wire, produced and written by David Simons.
David Simons returns for this as well where the focus of the story is about the role of ethics in law enforcement agencies.
He is known for portraying realistic storytelling in the genre of crime and corruption, in this case through the police department.
This show is highly rated by the redditors where they shared how this story talks about issues in the real world which we don’t even fathom.
Some redditor even said “It’s a bit less realistic because it recounts events that actually happened. Life’s funny like that.”
Where To Stream: HBO Max
Severance
Severance is certainly one of the most impressive shows of this year streaming on Apple TV. It is a sci-fi series that can be proudly claimed as one of the best pilot seasons to stream in the last decade of television.
The show was created by Dan Erickson and developed by Ben Stiller, yes, the actor!
It shows us this world where a secretive company that makes a certain section of their staff goes through this extraordinary surgical process that divides a person’s consciousness into two distinct parts i.e work self called the inne and personal self called the outtie.
The show uses the sci-fi eleemnts to comment on the notion of work-life balance and the impact of corporate culture on people but wrapped very well in this conspiracy thriller zone, making it so interesting that you get hooked to the end very easily.
More you go into the story, the better it gets, and you cannot stop yourself from watching the whole season, and then further.
The writing of the show is the strength of the show that you get the reminder everytime you pause to sink in the shifts and changes in the story.
Where To Stream: Apple TV+
Better Call Saul
Undisputedly, one of the best dramas to watch on TV in decades is this Breaking Bad spin-off series Better Call Saul which released its sixth, final season just recently.
The show is now getting more respect than ever, more appreaciation is going around and people are talking about how great the writing of the show is, the performances are celebrated and it has become a part of the culture.
Well, all can be said that this show is getting long due, and with its finale season, it feels to be the right time for the show to get credit for what they have done over the years.
So much credit goes to Vince Gillians and Peter Gould, the creators and writers of the show who never rushed the story.
They created this series that aged like a wine, and only going better as due to their meticulous, patient, detailed and character-driven storyline with extraordinary performances from their ensemble cast.
Everything the show sets up emotionally, physically or in the narrative of the characters got the great pay off this season, their arcs beautifully ended without rushing or skipping complexities of their journey.
The show, the characters and what it is narrated is so much internal, self-relfective and inward that it will only surprise you.
Where To Stream: Netflix, AMC+
Abott Elementary
So, what’s really good about Abott Elementary? Well, what is one thing that makes a TV show great, at its very foundation.
It is writing but you have to back it up with great performances and relatable characters. And that’s it, that’s what actually works for this show.
The show is created by Quinta Brunson, who is also the writer, producer and plays an essential character, Janine on the show.
The format of the show basically is a sitcom where you relate with these characters hard, the show goes with this mockumentary style, similar to The office.
It is about this scrappy elementary school set in Philadelphia with these characters whose life we follow.
The show is known to be unique and breaking out the molds of traditional sitcoms as a tv format, and also breaking rating records as well.
What truly makes this show stand out is its core, where it really hits home for the people, relating with the real struggles of people, teachers to be precise and their caring attitude towards the kids who aren’t privileged like others.
Where To Stream: Hulu, ABC, HBO Max
Featured Image Source: PrimeTimer