The Year in Review: The Best TV Shows of 2022, From ‘Severance’ to ‘Slow Horse’
DUBAI: From startups, through spinoffs, to sign-offs – it was a stellar year for the small screen. Read on for our top picks of the small screen entertainment of 2022.
‘severance’
Starring: Adam Scott, Brit Lower, Patricia Arquette
It didn’t get much hype before its release, but this dystopian psychological thriller (albeit laced with some black, black comedy) was one of the best shows of not only this year, but of the century. It centers around a group of employees at the sinister and secretive tech company Lumon Industries who have volunteered for a medical procedure that separates their non-work memories from their work memories. Mark (ADAM SCOTT) leads a team of employees to uncover a conspiracy affecting them all. Disturbing, funny, shocking, emotional and thought-provoking in equal parts, as well as beautifully shot and superbly acted, “Severance” was a true original.
‘Station Eleven’
Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler
“Station Eleven” premiered too late in 2021 to make last year’s “best of” list, but this 10-episode miniseries runs through 2022. It is an adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel set (with significant deviations from the book) 20 years after a flu pandemic has led to the fall of civilization. While there are plenty of sad post-apocalyptic events, “Station Eleven” is ultimately uplifting, warm, and optimistic. It follows The Traveling Symphony – a small group of survivors who now make a living as wandering performers of music and Shakespearean plays. On their annual route to several settlements, they encounter a violent cult whose leader is inspired by the Titanic graphic novel, of which Kirsten – Symphony’s lead actress – is also a big fan. Both Davis and Lawler (as the older and younger Kirsten, respectively) turned in Emmy-worthy performances.
‘Ozark’
Starring: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner
This brilliant thriller about a family — the Byrdes — reluctantly making money (not always) for a ruthless Mexican cartel got the ending it (and we) deserved in its unbearably tense fourth and final season. and left us guessing until the very end whether buttoned-down Marty (Bateman) and ambitious Wendy (Lini) and their kids Charlotte and Jonah can really make it out alive and clean. As the season progressed, it was Marty’s former protégé Ruth Langmore (Splendid Garner) who appeared more likely to make that trip. “Ozark” will be missed.
‘Stranger Things’
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink
Even if that sole achievement was bringing the fabulous Kate Bush back into the global spotlight, season four of the eighties sci-fi phenomenon would have been worth it. Happily, it was more than that. The show continued its ‘let’s-go-darker’ trajectory with its teenage heroes facing their most terrifying foe yet: a humanoid monster named Vecna who brutally kills her victims. With three storylines set in three different locations (including Russia, where police chief Hopper was jailed), it was an ambitious, sprawling story arc from the Duffer Brothers showrunners. But they piled on the tension, drama, danger, and adventure for the show’s best season yet.
‘Mo’
Starring: Mo Amer, Teresa Ruiz, Farrah Biacio
Comparisons between “Mo” and the Emmy-nominated “Remy” are inevitable: Amer stars in “Remy” and Remy Youssef created “Mo” with Amer. And both shows are about the experiences of young Arabs in America, struggling to reconcile their Muslim heritage with the Western culture that helped form them. But “Moe” was a triumph in itself. The big-hearted, flawed, frustrated, charismatic hustler of the title character was someone you really wanted to succeed, even if he was misfit. “Mo” was a very funny show, but it was also an important, thought-provoking show, covering topics including the Palestinian experience, religion, race, love, identity, duty versus desire, and the gulf between lust and lust. Was. A light but intelligent touch that packed a punch without being preachy.
‘better call Saul’
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks
Another great show which goes off air in 2022. This prequel spin-off from the much-loved “Breaking Bad” incredibly outdoes its predecessor. Odenkirk continues to excel in the role of a lifetime as sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill trying to put everything together while his life is falling apart. And the flash-forward, post-“Breaking Bad” scenes are as well judged and executed as the rest of the series. The cast, crew and producers were all at the top of their game. A wonderful goodbye
‘Somewhere’
Starring: Bridget Everett, Jeff Hiller, Murray Hill
The least important entry on this list, but possibly the most heartfelt. This brilliant, intelligent, flirtatious comedy-drama centers on a 40-something woman, Sam (Everett), who returns to her hometown of Kansas to care for her terminally ill adopted sister. The series begins shortly after the death of her sister, which has left Sam devastated and directionless, wondering where she fits in and how she can find happiness. But, through a co-worker, she discovers a community of misfits and begins to recover some of her former passion for life.
‘House of the Dragon’
Starring: Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine
The “Game of Thrones” prequel comfortably blows this year’s other megalithic fantasy TV show (Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”) out of the water. “House of the Dragon” had a lot to live up to, following in the footsteps of arguably the most talked-about show of all time, but it took it a step further, bringing many of the best bits of its predecessor (political intrigue, fighting, flesh, dragons) And worst of all dumping. Set a few centuries before “GoT,” “House of the Dragon” tells the story of the ruling Targaryen family and covers familiar ground: honor, betrayal, pride, family versus friend, sexism, and what’s right. ‘ versus what is necessary. Although complex, it was well-paced and managed to withstand the heavy weight of expectation.
‘Andor’
Starring: Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård
Disney’s time as custodian of the “Star Wars” brand has been mixed. For example there’s “The Mandalorian” and then “Solo”. However, “Endor” was an unqualified success. And that’s probably because it was the least “Star Wars” out of all the “Star Wars” releases. This story of a nascent rebellion finding its footing against a bureaucratic, dehumanizing, power-mad empire remained on a (relatively) small scale, eschewing spectacular space battles in favor of stealth and high-stakes intrigue, as We see how the thief Cassian Andor (Luna) begins her journey to become one of the Rebels’ greatest heroes (a story we already know the end of from the 2016 film “Rogue One”).
‘slow horse’
Starring: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves
This Apple TV+ spy thriller is already in its second season in 2022, and both have been great. The twist in this show based on the books by Mick Herron is that the spies in question are often hapless, disgraced burnouts who have been ‘exiled’ to Slow House away from the real action of ‘The Park’ (at MI5 HQ). performance). There’s a lot of humor here, mostly when the Burnouts’ boss, Jackson Lamb (Oldman – a stand-out performer in an impressive ensemble), displays a tendency to verbally abuse his charges at every opportunity, but “Slow Horse” has no Comedy is not. It is a gritty, intriguing tale of betrayal, vengeance and power struggle. Lamb may be a terrible boss, but he’s also a very loyal boss, so when Park tries to use his team as scapegoats and/or bait, there’s going to be trouble.