Top Television of 2022 (Part 1)
It’s January here at Do You Know What I Love The Most?, and that means it’s time to sum up the last 12 months with Year End Lists! I’ll be devoting the rest of this month to rounding up and discussing the various media released in 2022 that meant the most to me — just like every other website on the internet! Isn’t that special?
Today we’re going to talk about the best TV shows of 2022! As always, this is not meant to be a definitive list of the best out there, because I simply cannot and have not watched it all. These are simply the shows released in 2022 that caught my attention and/or tugged at my heartstrings the most throughout the year, in no particular order. Enjoy!
Due to size restrictions for these emails, we’ll be discussing the first half of this list today, and the remaining entries in Part 2 within the next few days.
Peacemaker (HBO Max)
Who knew John Cena could act? Anybody who watched Blockers, that’s who — or anybody who watched The Suicide Squad, where Cena’s Peacemaker practically stole the movie from titans like Robbie Margot, Idris Elba, and Viola Davis. So it was no shock when Peacemaker got his own series, despite dying in The Suicide Squad and essentially being the film’s villain — in fact, writer James Gunn is able to build on the events of the film to create a compelling and, more importantly, believable redemption arc for Cena’s Christopher Smith. It’s Cena, though, who brings both the absurdities of Peacemaker and his surprisingly deep hidden depths to life, providing a powerful emotional center to the show. Don’t get me wrong, Peacemaker has an absolutely stacked cast of rich characters, and I could probably have written this paragraph about any one of them, but it’s Cena who centers Peacemaker through its unrelenting action, absurd, mile a minute humor, and legitimately shocking twists and cameos (it also has an all-time classic theme song!), and who helps make the show so incredibly watchable — though, I also have to give a huge shout out to Freddie Stroma’s1 patently absurd Vigilante, who probably had me laughing more than any other character on TV this year.
Paper Girls (Amazon Prime)
Paper Girls is the rare adaptation — of Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang’s Image comic series of the same name — that manages to surpass its source material. Its crew understands that, despite its flashy time travel conceit, this show isn’t really about sci-fi at all; it’s about four young women meeting their future selves, and the identity crisis that, understandably, follows. The central cast of Sofia Rosinsky, Riley Lai Nelet, Fina Strazza, and Camryn Jones are immensely watchable and liven every scene they’re in, making it all the easier for the audience to share in their joy and their pain as they grapple with their sneak peek into their own futures and what it means about who they are and who they may someday become. The character work is really where Paper Girls dazzles, but it’s also impressive in how it does handle its genre trappings; while the comic’s broader ongoing plot often felt like pure nonsense, the show actually manages to make the cross-temporal, cross-generational conflict the paper girls find themselves caught in the middle of clear and compelling, even granting humanity and agency to their pursuers in the process — and the casting of the Old Timer’s leader is a delightful surprise I’m certainly not going to spoil here. The biggest issue with Paper Girls, frankly, is that it was unceremoniously cancelled on a cliffhanger, but it’s still more than worth checking out. It did a lot incredibly well in its far too short life.2
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW)
Last we spoke about Legends of Tomorrow back in 2020 it had just finished its excellent 5th season. 2021 wasn’t too kind to the series, as Season 6 struggled to incorporate both Covid restrictions and the seemingly corporate mandated loss of one of its most important characters, but thankfully, Season 7 — and especially its final stretch of episodes heading into 2022 — was a resounding return to form. Legends re-found its expert balance of heart, humor, and sheer strangeness, and found a stronger core story and group of villains that was able to turn any restrictions it faced to its advantage. It found success with its “new” characters, too, and did so by turning to familiar faces. Amy Louise Pemberton had been voicing the Legends’ timeship, Gideon, since their adventures began, but joined the cast full time this year as Gideon in human form; this charming take on Gideon brought delightful new sides out of every character she interacted with. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan — who had portrayed demonologist John Constantine in Seasons 3-6 — took on an entirely new role as forlorn WWI vet Dr. Gwyn Davies, who invents time travel solely to save his forbidden gay love. It’s Gwyn who finally allows the Legends to reach their final form, coming full circle from a group who preserve the time stream to one who will eagerly alter it if it means making a friend happy. That’s a high note to leave these characters on, and helps make Legends’ abrupt cancellation (on a cliffhanger, nonetheless!) go down just a little bit better. I’ll forever miss these characters — and the fact that we never got that promised full season of Donald Faison’s Booster Gold! — and I’m still holding out (scant) hope for some kind of finale movie, but I’m at least glad they could go out on such a strong season.
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
Back in Season One, who would have thought that in just a few short years, Allison of all characters would become the most compelling member of The Umbrella Academy’s cast?! Though 2022’s Season 3 as a whole falls just slightly short the high point set by the unimpeachable Season 2, what it does better than ever before, perhaps better than just about any other show on television, is build a rich, compelling conflict with no right or wrong answer, no good guy or bad guy. The entire season is driven by the conflict between Allison and Viktor, with the team’s typical zany sibling rivalry giving way to legitimate hatred and aggression. The writers do phenomenal work grounding this conflict in everything that’s happened to these two characters throughout the course of the series and in their tentative, fraught, complex relationship throughout that time. You can disagree with either of them or their actions — both have valid points and both do pretty awful things — but you absolutely understand where they’re both coming from, and it makes for a story far more captivating than simple good vs. evil or save the world — though both are there too, pulled off with The Umbrella Academy’s signature eccentric aplomb. This was a season of television that stuck with me long after it was over as I continued to examine its central conflict from new perspectives and marvel at some of the risks it took with its characters, Allison and her heel-esque turn especially. That’s damn terrific storytelling.
Andor (Disney+)
It’s kind of mind boggling that Andor ever made it to our screens at all. It’s not just because it’s a Star Wars show with no Force, no Jedi, no Skywalkers, nor because its fairly radical (at least for Disney) messages are so clearly and devastatingly delivered — it’s because it’s so patient. Honestly, Andor moves so slow at times (especially in its first two episodes, which I nearly didn’t finish) that it’s sometimes painful, but it’s always in service of something greater. Andor is a show obsessed with the banality of evil, with the way fascism slowly and steadily takes over societies right under their noses, with the sacrifices this constant creep of transgressions can drive people to make in the name of their freedom. Slow tension builds for episodes and episodes at at time for both the characters and the viewers until things suddenly snap, and in an instant you’re fighting with all you have for survival against chaos and violence, whether it be in the form of a fire fight, a daring heist, a prison break, or an all out riot (one so gritty and visceral that it legitimately made me think I was going to see a woman drawn and quartered on Disney fucking Plus). It’s an often jarring and upsetting experience, but one that lingers with you. I’m grateful to have experienced a show with a point of view and modus operandi this specific and unique; I’m still, frankly, rather stunned it was released under the Star Wars banner, which makes its accomplishments all the more notable.
Stranger Things (Netflix)
The punk in me chafes a bit at throwing something so widely, broadly, wildly popular on my list, but you know what? That’s a stupid attitude. Season 4 of Stranger Things lives up to the hype. Even with the overlong episodes, the plot is taut, with just about every thread tying together into the best kind of grand, spectacle-laden finale. New pairings helps keep the cast fresh and gives characters who have felt neglected a chance to shine; how cool was it to see Nancy, who had spent the past few seasons stranded in aimless C-Plots, take on such a prominent role and finally drive the plot? And even characters who spent the season on the back-burner were given at least one chance to remind us why we care about them (Jonathan? Still a great brother, if nothing else). And you absolutely cannot talk about Stranger Things Season 4 without talking about Max. Sadie Sink deserves an Emmy — no, all the Emmys — for “Chapter Four: Dear Billy,” an episode that runs Max through a physical and emotional gauntlet. The exploration of Max’s trauma surrounding the death of her brother, her survivor’s guilt, and her confrontation with Vecna is incredible writing and incredible acting coming together to create unforgettable television. Yeah, the Joyce/Hopper plot in Russia is a dud, but it’s easy to forgive when the rest of the season is so damn strong. Stranger Things has spent the last few years struggling to live up to the quality that made its first season such a sensation, but Season 4 is a rousing return to form. I can’t wait to see if Stranger Things can keep up this level of quality for its final season, but even if it can’t, I’m so happy I got to experience this breathlessly thrilling season of television along with the rest of the world.
What’s that you’re saying? “Boy Spencer, there’s sure a lot of genre shows on this list! Where’s the comedy? Where’s the romance? Where’s the animation?” Well, you’ll just have to come back in a few days for Part 2 to see!
Do You Know What I Love the Most’s “Best Of 2022” series:
2022 In Review
2022: A Playlist
Top Comics of 2022 (Part 1)
Top Comics of 2022 (Part 2)
Top Television of 2022 (Part 1)
Top Television of 2022 (Part 2)
Top Movies of 2022
Top Albums of 2022
And for more, check out last year‘s “Best of 2021” series!:
2021: A Playlist
Top 10 Newsletters of 2021
Top Television of 2021
Top Comics of 2021 (Part 1)
Top Comics of 2021 (Part 2)
Top Albums of 2021
As well as our “Best of 2020”!:
Top 10 Newsletters of 2020
Top Television, Podcasts, and Movies of 2020
Top Books and Comics of 2020
Let’s Talk About Substack
2020: A Playlist
Top Albums of 2020
ABOUT
“Do You Know What I Love the Most?” is a newsletter from Spencer Irwin about his relationship with the stories he loves. Spencer is an enthusiast and writer from Newark, Delaware, who likes punk rock, comic books, working out, breakfast, and most of all, stories. His previous work appeared on Retcon Punch, One Week One Band, and Crisis on Infinite Chords, and he can be found on Twitter at @ThatSpenceGuy. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!
Though one thing the creators of Peacemaker couldn’t do was make Freddie Stroma ugly, and they were trying real hard.
And if you finish the Paper Girls television show and want to know how the story could have ended, the comic is absolutely worth checking out. Narratively it could be a bit of a mess, but the art is beyond gorgeous, the character work still shines, and the final issue is an all-time great series finale if I’ve ever read one.