Jeff’s Three Best Shows of 2022
I’ve watched a lot of television over this past year, but coincidentally, the three shows that I liked best (that were also released in 2022) were three of the most recent shows I watched. So, what show will inherit the mantle held by Arcane in 2021 as Jeff’s Top Show of the Year? And what other shows round out the top three best TV shows of 2022?
SECOND RUNNER-UP
The White Lotus Season 2
HBO, 7 Episodes
The second season of Mike White’s comedy-drama primarily follows three different groups of guests staying at a White Lotus property in Sicily over the span of a week. The show is filled with dark humor as we watch the ultra-rich navigate their relationships at the hotel. The focus of this season is even more defined than the first season of The White Lotus with each storyline focusing in some way on sex — sexual desire and sexual selection.
The White Lotus can definitely be dark at times, with this season, like Season One, opening with a murder where we don’t know the victim’s identity until the final episode. At the same time, this is an extremely funny satire with great characters and fantastic acting by the entire cast, even though the groups we’re following at the hotel might not be necessarily comprised of the most traditionally “morally good” people. There are clearly a bunch of award-worthy performances.
The writing and direction on the show (every episode is written and directed by White) is really crisp and well-done, with the story being extremely well-paced. The locations around Sicily where the season was filmed is noteworthily beautiful too. The White Lotus is definitely the “it” show of the moment, and it’s easy to see why since it almost feels like it should be just a “guilty pleasure”-type show, but then it’s really expertly crafted overall.
Grade: 8.5/10
RUNNER-UP
The Serpent Queen
Starz, 8 Episodes
Period dramas about different royal families have been a pretty popular basis for television shows over the past few years, but the best quality of these types of historically based shows is unquestionably The Serpent Queen. Based on a nonfiction book written by Leonie Frieda, this show is substantially more historically accurate than most works claiming to be based on reality are, and, in this case, what really happened is extremely engaging.
The Serpent Queen tells the story of Catherine de’ Medici, who after marrying into the French court at 14 years old, must navigate a political world filled with different alliances and ambitions. The story goes back and forth between an older Catherine, as the the Queen of France, and the story of herself when she was younger, as she tells it to a servant girl. Both storylines are filled with various political maneuverings as characters attempt to gain power. The show has a Game of Thrones sort of feel, except without the dragons or the writing drastically deteriorating as it progresses.
While The Serpent Queen was renewed for a second season, it’s also nice that this first season does stand on its own and tell a story that feels complete. For both history buffs and fans of quality television, The Serpent Queen is a must-watch.
Grade: 9/10
JEFF’S TOP SHOW OF 2022
Andor
Disney+, 12 Episodes
I know that lots of people are big fans of the Star Wars universe. Personally though, I’ve never really connected with any of the movies or TV shows in the franchise on anything more than a “this is fine”-level of enjoyment. Well, until Andor that is. Andor is everything that I wish the entire Star Wars universe was, because it’s really quite fantastic. This science-fiction action-adventure series is the best piece of television I’ve seen in 2022.
Andor has a depth to its characters and universe that I haven’t seen before in Star Wars. We’re not simply told “the Empire is bad” and “the resistance is good,” we fully delve into the goings on of different aspects of both sides, with complex characters, portrayed by actors with a level of talent that I think collectively surpasses that of other entries in the franchise. Any of the goofy aspects of Star Wars that I never enjoyed, from the Ewoks to Jar Jar Binks, are also completely absent. Instead we have an expertly crafted space rebellion story that also gets into the more political side of Star Wars.
On the show, we follow Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, on his journey from a common thief to becoming something more. The series is split into almost mini seasons with episodes grouped together that feel distinct, yet are still very much connected as part of Cassian’s story. For example, there’s a heist storyline and a prison break storyline. Both feel as though they could’ve been stretched out to cover an entire season’s worth of episodes, but each is allotted the perfect amount of time.
The portions of Andor that show us more of the political goings on are equally engaging. A member of the Imperial Senate who is secretly working against the Empire and funneling money to Rebel Alliance is expertly played by Genevieve O’Reilly. We also gain a clear perspective as to what’s going on from the Empire’s point of view, largely from the perspective of an ambitious supervisor for the Imperial Security Bureau.
It would be unfair to write about Andor without mentioning the action on the show. There are several fantastic action scenes throughout this season that are some of the best in any television show or movie in recent memory. Andor will have a second, concluding season that will lead into the events of the movie Rogue One (2016). I can only hope that the next season is as good as this one.
Grade: 10/10