The Best Shows I Watched in 2022
Also the Good and the Just OK
Hello fellow TV lovers! It’s that time of year for my annual review list.
I’m a collaborative TV watcher, which you know if you’re in my Dear Nina Facebook group. We have TV/book chats in there every few weeks.
That’s also why I’m leaving the comments open on this post for all readers. Please tell me what you thought of these shows if you watched them! Or if you loved something else or were disappointed by other shows, I want to hear what you think.
If your comment is, “Wow you watched a lot of TV,” you can definitely keep that one to yourself. Thanks! TV is my weight-lifting, treadmill, and cleaning/organizing/cooking background. Wait! Why I’m being defensive about an imaginary comment?
My 2022 book review newsletter will come out in a few days. I’m trying to see if I can finish one more novel!
And everyone is welcome to join my very occasional Zoom book club. Our first one is 2/5/23. Come to one, some, or all! Signups are for one book at a time. No long term commitments.
The Absolute Best Shows I Watched in 2022
The Last Kingdom: All seasons! This is a gory show, but if you like epic historically-based drama and adventure in the spirit of Game of Thrones but with less mystical elements (no White Walkers here), this show is for you. I miss Uhtred, the main character. He’s the handsome man in the upper right corner of my collage above. He can do no wrong.
Station Eleven: This was my favorite book in 2015, and I waited many years for the long-promised screen adaptation. The show was well done even though parts were different from the book. That doesn’t bother me. I was drawn to the character of Kristen as a child and as an adult, which can be hard to pull off with two different actresses. Jeevan’s character was beefed up for the show and it worked well. I loved his storyline and character.
Fleishman Is In Trouble: I’m still watching this one, but I was blown away by the twist in episode 7 and the seeds planted before the episode. I didn’t read the book so I was truly surprised by the change in tone in the middle of the series. It’s almost like 1-6 is a different show, which speaks to the excellent writing and acting. I cried real tears in episode 7. I’m so proud of Claire Danes. I feel like I grew up with her. (My So-Called Life, Little Women, etc.) She and I are definitely in a para-social friendship.
Very Good
Euphoria: All seasons. I teetered between “best” and “very good” for Euphoria, but some parts were so hard to watch. I can’t call it “the best” when I’m grimacing through long scenes of drug deals and so on. The acting and writing are excellent; it’s just not that pleasant to watch teens the same age as my kids get into so much trouble. Zendaya is brilliant. As I stated recently on my Instagram page, Maddy and Cassie have the most dysfunctional friendship I watched in 2022.
Never Have I Ever: season 3. This show is a palate cleanser to Euphoria. I love Mindy Kaling’s creation and the sweeter version of teenage life, but still with real, recognizable angst. I especially liked the mother/daughter nuances in season three.
Abbott Elementary: Another sweet show to watch between gory ones. I am always watching the Abbott staff with a smile. I love the writing and the characters and the old-fashioned, simple feel of the show. Gregory and Janine forever!
The Handmaid’s Tale: season 5. The first handful of episodes were very boring. But as Serena’s circumstances change, her character’s trajectory gets more interesting and the plot thickens. The last three episodes kept The Handmaid’s Tale high on my list.
The White Lotus: season 2. I might have liked the discussion of the show more than the watching of the show, but that’s all part of the experience of collaborative TV. I loved chatting about the Cameron/Daphne—Ethan/Harper marriages with fellow watchers. I wasn’t as interested in the other storylines.
Bridgerton: season 2. I know not everyone loved this season. I really enjoyed the will-they-or-won’t-they classic storyline for Anthony and Kate. They were a steamy pair!
Emily in Paris: season 3. Yet another will-they-or-won’t-they. Abbott Elementary has that element too. I guess I never tire of the concept. I also adore all the eye candy of Emily in Paris. Great end-of-the-year vacation show.
Good
Reinventing Anna: This was a fun show. Nothing especially memorable, but I liked watching it.
Hacks: season 2. I preferred season one, but the work/mentor relationship between Deborah and Ava is so good. Jean Smart is the best.
Time Traveler’s Wife: Cameron from White Lotus season 2 is the lead in this show and he’s great to watch. I read the book so long ago that I can’t remember what’s different. Liked the show. Needs another season to tie up huge loose ends.
The Summer I Turned Pretty: Fun, quick show. I enjoyed comparing notes with my daughters. Not a “must see.”
Beauty Queen of Jerusalem: This one grew on me, but it took way too many episodes.
Just OK But Watched Anyway
The Gilded Age: I enjoyed the setting and the costumes. The characters were generally forgettable.
Tell Me Lies: I was into this show at first, but I started deeply hating the characters.
Outlander: season 6. It kills me to say it, but this season was so boring.
The Patient: Steve Carell is great in this, but I kept hoping for something uplifting to happen. It doesn’t. Not enough of something anyway. And it was so disturbing.
And Just Like That: Very meh. But I’ll never give up on this crew.
The Sex Lives of College Girls: season 2. I preferred season one a lot. I got tired of Bela’s antics in this one, and I found the sex parts of all the storylines really over the top.
The Crown: season 5: The whole season was pretty boring, but I watched it anyway. Not sure I needed to see the Romanov’s demise up close like that in episode 6. You’ve been warned.
Come back in a few days for the quick book reviews of 2022!
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I always love your lists!
Very Good
Fleishman Is In Trouble is exceptional. It is very faithful to the book. Episode 6 (Libby's longing/desires) & episode 7 (Rachel's despair) are amazing. I wish there was a TV club (vs book club) to discuss those two women. Also, I love how Seth, Libby, and Toby met in Israel over the summer and how these friends knew each other when they were "full of potential." It's such a specific and popular summer experience for Jewish American teens, and I haven't seen that on TV before.
I would put Hacks Season 2 here though. Ava and Deborah are more developed, and I laughed and cried. It's heartbreaking and hilarious.
Yellowjackets- Very disturbing (think: plane crash, cults, cannibalism). It also merges lots of genres (survival, drama, romcom, horror, comedy). Think Lord of the Files, but it's 1996 and a girl's soccer team are stuck on the island. Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis are amazing and so are the young actresses who play them. I think it really asks what happens in the face of childhood trauma and the different ways adult respond.
Good
Firefly Lane- Season 1 and Season 2. I love any show that explores decades-long friendship. I binged it, and I loved it. It's based on (but differs from) Kristin Hannah's novel. Kate (Sarah Chalke) and Tully (Katherine Heigl) have great friendship chemistry.
I would put Tell Me Lies here. I hated the characters, but I was fully engrossed. Did you know that Katey Sagal is Jackson White's (Stephan) mom on the show and in real life? I read Lucy and Stephan are dating in real life.
I couldn't even watch And Just Like That. I hated it.