Daniel Woodiwiss' Best Television of 2022

Both in terms of quantity and variety, I've watched more television, I think, in the last three years than I had in the previous decade. Call it a "blessing" of continuous-come-intermittent quarantine, or a curse, but after years of having finally consumed enough content to formulate a ranking of the best, here's my opinion on the best shows, programs, and events TV had to offer in the year 2022:

10. This Is Us, Season 6 (NBC)

This Is Us flirted with going stale in the middle of its six-season run, but its final season was a satisfying reward for those like me, who stuck with it through some of its more laborious moments in Seasons 3-5. Some of the individual characters' conclusions felt contrived, but for the most part, Dan Fogelman and co. managed to stay true to the main things we loved about watching the Pearson family dynamics, and give a proper emotional farewell to our favorite characters.

9. Only Murders In The Building, Season 2 (Hulu)

I always appreciate a show that becomes widely popular in its first season, and stays true to its formula in ensuing seasons rather than pivot to strictly fan service. For example, although Ted Lasso's second season eventually found its footing to end up among the best of last year's TV, its early episodes of Season 2 were hampered by blatant attempts to placate its fans rather than advance believable storylines. I don't watch Euphoria, but heard similar critiques. Only Murders, however, though not quite as acclaimed or popular as either of those programs, managed to avoid this fate. The show brought back the same fun interpersonal dynamics between the famous comedy duo of Steve Martin & Martin Short and the dry-humored Selena Gomez, and managed to find another engaging, fairly believable mystery for all of us to follow throughout Season 2.

8. The Dropout (Hulu)

Going up against heavy hitters like Dopesick and The White Lotus-- both late 2021 programs--this miniseries' only consistent wins on the awards circuit was for Amanda Seyfried's portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes. And it's true that the marvelous Seyfried was the best part of The Dropout, but even if you initially watch solely for her, you'll find yourself hooked on the slow-burning, 'true crime' appeal. I appreciated how the series managed to humanize and explain Holmes without making her sympathetic, or rendering any of hers and her peer's actions forgivable.

7. Barry, Season 3 (HBO)

After waiting nearly three years with bated breath for Barry's return, I'll confess it took me several episodes to begin enjoying, or at least appreciating its third season. Despite what its nominations at the 2022 Emmys or 2023 Golden Globes might indicate, Bill Hader's brilliant HBO series threw off almost all trappings of being a 'comedy,' and instead leaned into the very dark trajectory of its main character. It was a fairly harsh turn from the first two seasons, which had enough of Hader's and Winkler's trademark humor to counteract the obviously gritty storylines, but once I adjusted to the tonal shift, I found myself every bit as entertained and enthralled with the twists and turns for Barry, Gene, NoHo Hank and Sally as I was in previous years. And that finale...woof.

6. Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show (NBC)

The Super Bowl halftime show has the advantage of not needing to come up with additional content for additional episodes like the other programs on this list, but unlike everything else, it was a T.V. spectacle that required everything to go right on one take. And boy, did it ever. The set design, setlist, choreography, and cinematography for the first hip-hop-centric Super Bowl Halftime Show were all flawless. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent comprised a motley crew, but the 'West Coast' theme that functioned as a common thread was a nice tribute to the big game being hosted in L.A., and the transitions between each track worked to exciting perfection.

5. Stranger Things, Season 4 (Netflix)

Given the long gaps between seasons, and the rapid aging of most of the show's main characters, each season of Stranger Things has felt radically different from each other, so much so that it's difficult to even really compare to each other. That might explain why this summer, for the third time in six years, I told people "That was the best season yet." Season 4 of the 80s sci-fi Netflix megasmash saw the Hawkins crew in their most perilous state yet, as the show ventured more into bona fide horror territory. The increasing maturity of the characters' personal lives, thematic content, and storylines has been handled expertly by the Duffer Brothers, all without losing most of the charm that drew us to the gang in the first place.

4. Abbott Elementary, Seasons 1 & 2 (ABC)

Few new shows, programs, or miniseries in 2022 were as revelatory, or as 'THE cultural moment' as Abbott Elementary, the brainchild of comedy ingenue Quinta Brunson, who writes, directs and stars in the ABC sitcom. Abbott, with its mockumentary style and heartwarming storylines, feels like it belongs in last decade's 'Mike Schur-niverse' alongside The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and yet, feels extremely fresh at the same time. Well-meaning teachers in the public school system, a predominantly black cast; hell, even a show set in Philadelphia that seems to actually like Philadelphia... there's a lot of necessary and welcome representation here. But, lest you worry this show gets too mired in either the saccharine feel-good, or the heavy, Emmy-chasing, worry not: it's hilarious. You're bound to find at least a few characters (Jacob, Gregory, and Principal Coleman for me) that make you laugh out loud in every single scene.

3. Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (HBO Max)

From the mind behind my #1 program of 2021 comes another brilliant special that transcends merely comedy. Okay, to be fair, Bo Burnham played only a small part this time; while his direction of the special was expertly done, creating a vulnerable yet intimate environment for our subject, it's his friend Jerrod Carmichael himself who is, obviously, the star. The comedian's masterful hour-long set is groundbreakingly honest and personal, and tinged with real sadness regarding family, identity and secrecy. But it's also rip-roaring hilarious throughout, and for all its serious and thought-provoking content, ends on a clear optimistic note.

2. The Bear, Season 1 (FX)

I wasn't very far behind the zeitgeist with The Bear, but far enough behind that I came in skeptical about its quality. Why was everyone on Twitter blowing up about this new show that takes place in a restaurant kitchen? Was it just that everyone thought the protagonist was hot? What's to like about this show?

A lot, as it turns out. Jeremy Allen White is phenomenal-- and yes, hot --as the titular character, and Ayo Edebiri is a revelation. In fact, the whole cast is brilliant in this nonstop hilarious, stressful, intensely sad and deeply heartwarming dramedy. I can't wait for next season, and yet, this first season was so perfect and self-sustained that I wouldn't have minded if they just went ahead and called it quits after one. .

1. Severance, Season 1 (Apple TV+)

In a brilliant year for new shows, Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller's eerie, dystopian thriller is the toast of them all. Severance is a slow burn; I'll confess it took me nearly half of the season to make it through an episode without falling asleep. But once you're hooked on the mystery of Lumon Industries, you won't be able to stop watching, thanks to some of the most wildly original writing and most believable acting there is. The Drama categories at this year's Emmys were loaded, but it's a crime that this didn't win a single statue.