From new shows like The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon to new seasons of For All Mankind and The White Lotus, 2022 marked one hell of a year for TV (and 2023 looks set to be no different). It's been a gift, too, for those of us who still haven't shaken off the pandemic habit of spending all our time in a pair of joggers in front of the small screen.
Whether it's Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+ or the BBC that takes up most of your viewing time, our round up of the best TV shows of the year will have you covered, from limited series prestige dramas to niche British gems.
All of Us Are Dead
Release date: 28 January (Netflix)
Vampires, witches and werewolves have all found happy hunting ground among TV high schools over the years. In this Netflix offering, it was the turn of the undead to walk the hallways in what adds up to a smart metaphor for Covid anxiety (as well as an entertaining drama in its own right). It all starts when a girl is bitten by a lab rat; before long, hormonal zombies are everywhere and suddenly you have your favourite South Korean show since Squid Game.
Andor
Release date: 21 September (Disney+)
Though it was a little slow to start, Star Wars off-shoot Andor came to wield two big things: firstly, a tremendous central performance from Diego Luna as the titular thief-turned-galactic rebel; secondly, some of the best writing we've seen in a Disney+ spin-off (beit Marvel or Star Wars). It became one for both the biggest franchise nerds and fans of quality prestige TV, a compelling espionage thriller that just so happens to be set in the most popular sci-fi universe of all time. A big yes from us.
Bad Sisters
Release date: 19 August (Apple TV+)
We love Sharon Horgan here at GQ, and the Irish TV-maker met all of our expectations with Bad Sisters on Apple TV+, a devilish black comedy adapted from the Flemish series Clan. Horgan herself plays the eldest sister of the Garvey family, caught in the center of a life insurance investigation after the unexpected death of Grace's (Anne-Marie Duff) abusive husband, John, played by Cales Bang. But did they do it? Only one way to find out.
For All Mankind (Season 3)
Release date: 10 June (Apple TV+)
Inarguably one of the best TV seasons of the year, For All Mankind season three brought the generations-spanning space race alt history into the '90s, introducing a new President, space tourism, and… Mars. Yep. An excellent instalment from a series that just keeps getting better and better with every episode.
House of the Dragon
Release date: 21 August (Sky/NOW)
Game of Thrones stabbed itself in the foot with its universally derided finale, so House of the Dragon — a prequel series focusing on the variously maniacal and hot-headed House Targaryen — had to claw back a lot of goodwill. Fortunately House of the Dragon surprised us all with compelling high-stakes politicking calling back to the best years of Thrones, boasting a grand array of performances from stars new and old: take Emma D'Arcy, one of the series' biggest breakouts, or Paddy Considine, who in the ailing King Viserys found a tragic figure worthy of all the Bard's grandest works.
Industry (season 2)
Release date: 27 September (BBC)
If you thought it couldn't get more cutthroat or, indeed, sexier, think again: Industry returned with a bump for its second season, continuing apace in its frenetic, coke-fuelled, fucked up world of London financiers. The standout, once again, was Myha'la Herrold's Harper, though the wider ensemble — not least Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson and Marisa Abela — of returning faces put in remarkable shifts as the Pierpoint gang, their livelihoods ever on the line in this terrific game of 5-D chess. Still haven't got a clue what any of the money jargon means, but it's a testament to the strength of drama here that we happily endure the jibberish.
Severance
Release date: 18 February (Apple TV+)
One of the year's earliest surprises came by way of Apple TV+'s dystopian psychodrama Severance, starring Parks & Rec's Adam Scott as a beleaguered biotech employee who volunteers for a Black Mirror-esque mindwipe. After that — and we wouldn't spoil anything for those of you yet to catch up — conspiracy abounds. Rich writing and a collection of A+ performances coalesced for some truly cracking telly, here.
Station Eleven
Release date: 30 January (StarzPlay)
We were still very much feeling the Covid hangover when Station Eleven premiered back in January which, paired with its unceremonious placement on little-known streaming platform StarzPlay, saw it a little underrepresented this side of the Atlantic. It's a shame: this frightful piece of post-pandemic apocalyptia, which imagined the world some decades after a flu outbreak threw a spanner well-and-truly in the works, ranks up there with the best series of the year, elevated by career best work from Himesh Patel and Mackenzie Davis.
Stranger Things 4
Release date: Part 1: 27 May / Part 2: 1 July (Netflix)
There are many ways you could describe Stranger Things 4 as the “biggest” season of the ‘80s-set sci-fi series yet: spectacle, yes; geographical scope, yes; the richness and variety of its new characters? Absolutely. Though not an entirely perfect binge-watch, Jamie Campbell Bower put in villain work to remember as the insidious, slimy Vecna, David Harbour continued to kick ass as Chief Hopper, and Joseph Quinn… well, Eddie Munson might well be the most popular character in the show after a single season. Shame he’s dead. (Or is he…)
This is Going to Hurt
Release date: 8 February (BBC1)
Known best for being both the marmalade-loving Paddington and Bond’s most recent Q, Ben Whishaw is a bonafide national treasure. This is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay’s telly adaptation of his own bestselling memoir, placed Whishaw as a junior doctor navigating NHS bureaucracy, private perils, and impatient patients to work his way up the ranks. It was a variously heartbreaking and witty dramedy — less Casualty than a complex medical drama anchored by its stirring central performance. Then there's Ambika Mod, who played junior doctor Shruti, unequivocally one of the most exciting breakouts of the year.
The Bear
Release date: 5 October (Disney+)
All hail the hectic restaurant renaissance. Between Boiling Point, The Menu and indeed The Bear, this was truly the year of the traumatic kitchen, where rich conflict boiled over in the furious backrooms of haute cuisine. The Bear itself stood out as one of the richest comedy dramas of 2022: breakout Jeremy Allen White played Carmy Berzatto, escaping the confines of fine dining to rule over his family's sandwich place. Time to sweat.
The Crown (Season 5)
Release date: 9 November (Netflix)
Imelda Staunton took over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II in the newest season of The Crown, which dives into the royally juicy events of the ‘90s, not least the tragic downfall of the resurgently en vogue Diana (played, now, by the very tall Elizabeth Debicki). It's a testament to the ever-enjoyable melodrama imagined by Peter Morgan that this season, inarguably the worst of the series so far, remained eminently bingeable. That was owed in no small amount to Debicki and Dominic West, the new Charles, who put on a show appropriate for any royal court.
The English
Release date: 11 November (BBC)
The English, set towards the end of the American Frontier era in the 1890s, saw an Englishwoman — Blunt, obv — on a quest to avenge the death of her son. She meets the indigenous Eli Whipp en route, discovering “a possible shared history” between them. Hugo Blick's series was a wonderful tribute to the Westerns of old, as bleak as it was exciting. Yeehaw, cowboy emoji, cowboy emoji.
The Staircase
Release date: 5 May (Sky/NOW)
Adapted from the acclaimed French crime docuseries by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, The Staircase cast Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, (wrongfully?) convicted of killing his wife Kathleen — played, here, by Toni Collette. You would've known the story if you were familiar with the doc, but even so, this extended dramatisation allowed a novel look into the interiority of the players of one of recent history's more notorious is-it-a-murder plots.
The White Lotus (Season 2)
Release date: 30 October (Sky/NOW)
First it was Murray Bartlett shitting in a suitcase… the second season of The White Lotus brought back Jennifer Coolidge (we stan) and transposed the high-society mystery from a big-money resort in Hawaii to a similarly one-percent-y getaway in Sicily. The thematic tilt from money and power to, well, sex and power paid off in dividends: this was a richly cynical — and deeply funny — look at our sexual anxieties, with an ensemble cast that gave the OGs a run for their money. Some bold story choices, too.
