WhoBob's Top 10 Best TV Shows of 2022

[WhoBibbles]

Hello everyone. 2022 is near closing and oh boy TV is once again kicking strong. There were a lot of great shows this year that I was so happy watching this year and there are those that I haven’t gotten to watch all of them. Shows like Abbott Elementary, House of the Dragon, The Bear, What We Do in the Shadows, The White Lotus, The Sandman, Only Murders in the Building, Amphibia etc got a lot of buzz this year that I would like to visit them someday. But this list is definitely something I’m proud of making. I watched more TV this year than I ever was before and I’m glad I gave these shows a shot and ran with them. Without delaying the inevitable, we can start now. Firstly I wanna go with shows that really made me entertained but didn’t make the cut this year.

Honorable Mentions:
 

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Love, Death & Robots (Netflix)

The animated anthology series finally reaches its third volume, so how are the episodes? I actually looked back and realized volume 2 wasn’t all that great save for one episode but this volume, most episodes hit so well. You get David Fincher to do a tale about fishermen having a dilemma of survival and betrayals. You get a cosmic journey on a marooned planet. You get a stylish and non-speaking episode about the dangers of colonialism. You get a beautifully animated violent episode with muscular men trying to kill a robot bear. So on and so on. Volume 3 is still not as strong as volume 1’s best hits but they really upped their game compared to volume 2 and I can’t wait to see what comes next with this crazy show.

The Expanse (Amazon Prime)

One last ride. We only got two episodes of the show premiering this year and they are actually the final two episodes of the show. I’m so mad at amazon prime for canceling the show and I wish we’d get at least three tv movies of sorta to wrap up adapting the books but oh well. At the very least, the show manages to tie up most of its loose ends and set up a storyline just in case it ever returns. I heard book 7, 8 and 9 go beyond usual expanse weirdness and I’m so sad we might never see make it to the screen but regardless, I’m so happy experiencing the show and I’m gonna miss the adventures of our beloved James, Amos, Naomi, Bobbie, Drummer and Chrisjen.

Helluva Boss (Youtube)

After being #2 on the list last year, it does actually surprise me this show ended up being in honorable mentions but primarily because we only got two episodes this year and while both of them ruled, there wasn’t enough content for me to bump the show even further. Still this show has no right to be this gorgeous, this funny, this sexy and this emotional and I’m all for waiting just to get more quality animated projects pop up. This show is so worth watching, don’t sleep on it.

Moon Knight (Disney+)

I have been somewhat cold on MCU lately with them cranking up as many shows and movies as they can. It really got tiresome for me to tune into every single project of theirs. With that being said, Moon Knight won me over this year. Unlike most MCU shows I have seen (ones that are being acknowledged anyways), the show knows how to be a standalone tale with no need for MCU connections and exists just to tell a story of a guy who struggles with DID. I loved a new spin on the show as we saw Steven Grant sharing the lead with Marc Spector, instead of it being mostly a Marc Spector driven show. And it really worked with fleshing out both of these characters and what makes them so different from each other. We learn more about why Marc Spector is Moon Knight and why his god Khonshu is following him wherever he goes. We see an actual beautiful portrayal of Egypt as a country and its people. Oscar Isaac put so much soul into playing two characters at once and I’m happy with the way this show turned out for me as I have been a fan of Moon Knight comics. I may be tired of MCU this year but this show is worth keeping.

Chainsaw Man (Crunchyroll)

One of the most popular mangas of recent times finally gets an anime adaptation and how does it do its job? I actually went far ahead with the manga after I decided to watch this show but I’m not gonna compare how accurate it is to manga because a lot of manga adaptations tend to be respectful to the source material. So the show already does a pretty good job adapting the manga. But what about other things? Voice acting, story of itself, animation? All of it is done pretty well. I love the story of Denji who wants to live his life to the fullest except he is stuck in the devil hunting job after merging with his pet devil. I love the world around this show, it’s quite interesting with lore. Characters are fleshed out so well. Action sequences are bloody. Humor is top notch. I love that there is a different outro with a different animation style in each episode. It really is a fun anime worth seeing. My only problem with this show is the show’s overreliance on its CGI on quieter moments which can look pretty jarring but aside from that, the show is bloody amazing.

Harley Quinn (HBO Max)

What else can I say more about this sapphic villain/anti-hero show that hasn’t been said already? It keeps making me laugh and making me feel with enough levels of violent action sequences. It’s 2022 and DC is finally giving us some real nice queer representation (and I don't mean just Harley and Ivy, HELLO RIDDLER AND CLOCK KING) while writing a complex relationship drama between our two lead characters. My only problem with this show is that the animation doesn’t look as good as it used to be in the first two seasons.I really felt like they cut some of budget this season and it really does look choppy in certain scenes but action is still well animated and the storylines are written well, so I don’t have too much complaint about this season. Oh and James Gunn cameos, bless this man. If you haven’t seen the show, you really must, especially considering it’s getting a fourth season.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Netflix)

Ever since I noticed this show’s trailer thanks to my twitter feed, I had been keeping an eye on it. It really looked bonkers and exciting and people hyped it up for it being animated by one of the most famous anime studios ever, Trigger. So I wanted to check it out for curiosity despite it being a Netflix anime (thankfully Netflix did not produce this, only had the licensing rights) and my god, It did not disappoint me. It’s a really depressing show that tackles how capitalism is damaging the society and it does it under the disguise of being a gorey and horny action anime. Good cyberpunk stories are the ones that criticize the structure of our society and our systems and the show nailed on it. I felt so bad watching David dealing with a shitty ass life and then witnessing a tragedy that no one is stepping up to help him but some cyberpunk gangster. And from there, you get a powerful anime. The show is so good that it even brought back the hype of the game which takes place before the game. That’s when you know it’s good.

Peacemaker (HBO Max)

It saddens me that HBO Max’s condition is so bleak with the WB and Discovery merge and many shows and movies ended up being canceled because of David Zaslav’s incompetence. What an embarrassing situation. I’m so glad shows like this are gonna stay because Peacemaker fucking rules. I was unsure why this show was greenlit ahead of The Suicide Squad’s premiere but now I know why they put so much faith in this. It really is one of the best DC shows ever. It knows how to be goofy violent fun with the classic James Gunn humor and John Cena is at the top of his game as Peacemaker himself, pulling both comedic and seriousness of the character. Never felt this much fun I had with a conservative-esque superhero parody and how hard they go with the music they play here.

Atlanta (FX)

4 years of wait and Atlanta returns with not only one but two seasons and it is unfortunately the end for this show. But despite all that, Atlanta’s comeback was pretty strong. Season 3 was the cast spending their time in Europe whereas a couple of other episodes featured episodes without the main cast on Atlanta. The results were kinda mixed for me. While I did admire the ambition of focusing on what is going on in Atlanta while the characters are away from there, not all episodes worked for me and I thought it got way too ambitious for its own good. So season 3 ended up being my least favorite season of the show but it was still pretty good with really insane episodes like Alfred going on a drug trip and really starting to lose his mind, Van losing her shit pretending to be french, a really simple, yet funny episode of Alfred’s phone missing and the cast trying to get it back with interrogating some strange people. And season 4, which was just an amazing way to finish the series. We got to see Earn, Van, Alfred and Darius’ wacky and heartfelt journeys one last time and the show’s trippy series finale that captures what Atlanta is about. I’m gonna miss this show for real. Hats off to Donald Glover and co. for giving us four seasons of entertainment and good luck on their next project.

Inside Job (Netflix)

This show returns at last with part 2 (of season 1? or are they doing parts as seasons? idk) and things are going even more crazy and nonsensical for Cognito Inc. I love how they doubled down on conspiracy theory parodies in part 2 while giving us sharp social commentary and incredible pop culture humor. I continuously crack up on a lot of stuff in the show and we get to see Reagan’s journey here with her having daddy issues and having a complicated relationship drama with someone from Illuminati and it’s all really good stuff. I love seeing side characters get developed as well. Gigi shines so much in part 2 premiere. Brett dealing with family negligence makes for a really sad, yet entertaining piece. We get to explore Myc’s species and why he feels distant from them. and some really cool twists and turns this part 2 with the lore of deep state expanding and making us get even more invested in the worldbuilding of the show. Shows like this can be an example of how adult animation can go beyond its raunchy humor and sitcom plotlines.

Now that we got honorable mentions out of the way, here we go!

WHOBOB’S TOP 10 BEST TV SHOWS OF 2022

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10. The Boys (Amazon Prime)

Finally the best superhero show of this decade so far is on this list. I have known Eric Kripke since his run on Supernatural and he once again has done it to this wonderful violent show. Especially season 3 when shit hits the fan on an even higher level. This season asks the question of “what’s the cost of taking risks to stop powerful people in charge?”. Characters go through vicious trials this season, especially Butcher, Hughie, Starlight and Mother’s Milk as they are challenged into breaking their limits. Homelander finally allows himself to be fully himself which is causing nothing but carnage. And this season’s archnemesis Soldier Boy, played by the magnificent Jensen Ackles as he is playing the most horrible white supremacist ever. These along with glorious dark humor, awesome gorey action sequences, Black Noir’s character study and the biggest event of the year, Herogasm which wasn’t as wild as it should have been but still provided excellent tension between these characters. And a glorious season finale ending which sets the stage of Homelander becoming the worst of the worst. I can’t wait to see what challenges these characters will face in season 4.

 

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9. Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)

Maybe it really is the power of fandom but thanks to them, I noticed this glorious show rising into popularity and I have decided to give it a shot. It has every right to be beloved, that I can tell you. After a lot of popular queerbait shows like Supernatural, Sherlock, Teen Wolf etc, Our Flag Means Death asks the question: “What If we did the same tropes those shows did except actually deliver the promise?” and my god they did it. From the genius mind of David Jenkins, this humorous and silly pirate show gets to have two main characters who are captains of their crew and have nothing but romance with each other. This show made me recognize Rhys Darby and how talented he is in the role of Gentlepirate and his co-star Taika Waititi in the role of Blackbeard. Those two have excellent chemistry with each other and went through a lot of developments to become different people than they were supposed to be. The show also gives us a great look at characters like Jim, our vicious non-binary pirate played by Vico Ortiz, jealous and angry Izzy Hands played by Con O’Neill and so much more colorful characters. If you love pirates so much and want them to be as queer as possible, this is a show for you. and being renewed for a second season at HBO Max when many shows and movies went through purge thanks to the stupid Discovery merge is a blessing.

 

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8. Dead End: Paranormal Park (Netflix)

How come we got to have not only one but two seasons of this brand new show this year? Netflix spoiled me real good with this impressive queer kids cartoon about a transgender jewish gay boy having to deal with supernatural threats in an amusement park. Created by Hamish Steele who is actually the creator of Deadendia comics the show was adapted as, this show is a great coming of age tale filled with hilarious jokes, exciting action, suspenseful drama and incredible character study. I came to like these characters in season 1 and now I love them so much in season 2. Ongoing mystery surrounding the park and different realms of this universe makes the show compelling to watch. By the time I reached the season 2 finale, I was having so much emotion towards it. Please watch this show If you want a great queer representation in kids cartoons.

 

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7. Interview with the Vampire (AMC+)

Throughout this list, we have seen cute queer shows we got to see. What about when we reach a queer show that is very intense, dark and violent? Adaptation of Anne Rice’s hit vampire book series comes to light as a show except all the queer subtext the books had now are texts. We actually get to see Louis and Lestat, two main characters in the book series, being bloodsucking vampires and romantic with each other and it was just amazing to see. But also really terrible in the show’s context as we see how toxic their relationship has become throughout this season, especially when they adopt Claudia which adds more to the toxicity of their relationship. I was so happy when AMC renewed the show for a second season and already got a series within the same universe called Lives of the Mayfair Witches, meaning they plan on extending this universe and I hope they do. They have confidence in this universe and having watched season 1 of their first show, I’m more convinced that this is gonna become something beautiful.

 

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6. Severance (AppleTV+)

Don’t you miss your mystery sci-fi shows like Lost or Fringe? Well, I have good news for you, Severance is here to fill that gap. A brand new show that came out this year and It impacted me so good. From the premise alone, you start questioning why the hell are these characters doing in this work place that doesn’t allow any information to come out to the public? I love how this show explores the dreadfulness of capitalism and how it damages employee rights. It is a show that makes me keep guessing what happens in it and what is it about these characters that we don’t know. By the time season 1 ends, we witness two huge revelations and they’ll certainly come to play in the second season and I hope it’ll be worth the wait. This is a sci-fi drama show you cannot miss.

 

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5. The Owl House (Disney Channel)

One of the biggest hits of this decade so far with a massive following (including many of us sbcers tuning in this year) and a poor treatment by good ol’ Disney. I was so glad I decided to binge this show last year and I get to experience watching new episodes this year weekly. The show is better than ever with developing Luz and her cast, sending them to new places, new twists we all saw coming but still gasped, quality humor, powerful sapphic romance and kickass action sequences. Now it’s heading towards the end with their last three episodes and we have seen the first episode premiering this year and it doesn’t stop with its drama and character work. I can’t wait to see how this show will end next year and I hope we get a sweet conclusion.

 

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4. Andor (Disney+)

I still find it hard to believe that the show I was questioning its existence a couple of years ago turned out to be this high on my list this year. Cassian Andor was a character I did not give a shit about in Rogue One, so my skepticism of his own show was valid. Then I heard what the creator, Tony Gilroy has said about it and it pretty much raised my curiosity. When I finished season 1, it not only was as great as I expected, it exceeded my expectations. Andor is like no other Star Wars project since Lucas stopped making films. It’s deeply rooted in little people fighting against oppression and that’s to me is the beauty of Star Wars. That’s why the show is on my #4 spot. The show managed to make me feel so hard for these nobodies Cassian has known his entire life. I love how this show is structured like story arcs of Clone Wars which made each build up stronger than ever before and it all culminated in a climactic battle that made me cry so hard and made me cheer for these characters. Now Cassian is one of my favorite Star Wars characters because of this show. And this show felt like nothing else in the Disney era. It felt like lightning in a bottle and unfortunately we probably will never see something like this in Star Wars ever again. Right now I’m impatiently waiting for season 2 which is gonna tie into Rogue One and I’m so excited to see how this amazing show will conclude.

 

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3. Barry (HBO)

I binged the first three seasons of Barry this year and I absolutely am glad for it. I needed a show in the same tone as BoJack after the show was over and Barry gave me exactly that. Still the show had its own structure and tone which is why I loved it so much. Season 3 especially was really strong with questioning “does Barry even deserve redemption?”, we see him broken to bits this season and it only grows more and more into chaos which made me captivated. And this season was not only strong for Barry but also for Sally too, we finally see her toxicity clearly here which makes her all the more fleshed out and compelling to watch. And we get to see other characters like Gene, Hank and Cristobal be fleshed out or be even worse than ever before like Fuches. This season gave us a lot of highlights to be entertained like the motorcycle chase sequence in episode 6 or Barry confronting a person from his past and completely breaking down in the season finale. This show was really strong in season 3 this year and I can’t wait to see how it’ll conclude next year.

 

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2. Mob Psycho 100 (Crunchyroll)

This is the best anime I have ever seen. There is no other way of putting it. The impact this show had on me this year only grew more and more with its third and final season. Without spoiling much to those who have never heard of this show, Mob is a show about finding your true self. In a set full of psychics and spirits. This show blessed me with its absurd humor, gorgeous animation, emotional gut punches, exciting action and most of all, its characters. Shigeo aka Mob has come a long way since the very first episode and how his story ends was nothing but perfection. We get to see his mentor Reigen, his brother Ritsu, his spirit companion Dimple and more go into many places and have their lives affected by him. Shigeo’s search for who he is and what he wants to be is one of the greatest TV experiences I have had and I cannot thank the brilliant people who adapted One’s critically acclaimed manga and make it such a joy to watch.

And now for my #1 which is no shocking:

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1. Better Call Saul (AMC)

Of course Better Call Saul was gonna end up at my number 1 on this list. I binged all of this show until I caught up with weekly episodes of the final season and I can say that there was no other show that made me feel and talked this much compared to Better Call Saul this year. Not only it brought back my old love for Breaking Bad and made me appreciate it even further, it was an amazing story of the downfall of a man who could have chosen to be better but he had to bring himself down along with people he cared about the most. The story of Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman finally concludes this season with us learning about how Jimmy became a corrupt lawyer in Breaking Bad and how he dealt with the fallout of Breaking Bad. It made me look at Mike and Gus in a different light with us learning more about what makes Mike tick and us finding new layers to Gus’ character especially with him finally confirmed to be gay as people suspected. It made me love characters like Kim Wexler who was the person of her own struggles and biases and we saw how her having to spend time with Jimmy lead to her downfall alongside him, Chuck who is Jimmy’s brother that envies him, Nacho who made the wrong choices but always wanted to keep the person he loved the most safe, Howard who was a charming lawyer but a really biased person towards his lawyer friend Chuck who only saw worst in Jimmy and Lalo who was our chaotic big villain of the season and went toe to toe with Gus on who is more menacing throughout Breaking Bad universe. All the crew members and cast did a phenomenal job in this series and they went out with a bang in a powerful series finale that caps off the Breaking Bad era for good. I’ll never forget the impact this show had on me. This was the best year I have ever had in a long ass time and Better Call Saul was one of the reasons why. Thank you Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan for this masterpiece and I look forward to both of your next projects. And please let Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn win an Emmy next year!!!

Thanks to all of you who made this year extra special for me.