The year is almost over and it’s time to choose the favorite TV shows of 2022! As it’s been the case for the last few years, there was a lot of content available and it’s impossible to watch them all. So I’m listing my favorite shows (either series or limited series) released this year taking into consideration the ones I have been able to watch.

10 – My Brilliant Friend

Every time a new season of My Brilliant Friend is released I wish more people would watch it. I’m also always disappointed it’s completely overlooked by the Emmys. The third season, based on the third novel in the series (“Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay”), focuses even more on Elena “Lenù” Greco (Margherita Mazzucco) and how she’s able to live her life far from her family. It’s still a mystery to me why she remains friends with Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo (Gaia Girace) despite being treated like trash by her all her life. I’m looking forward to the fourth and final season!

9 – Fleishman Is in Trouble

It look me a couple of episodes to fully embrace Fleishman Is in Trouble, but episode 7 (“Me-Time”) made the show jump on my list and make it into the top 10 of the year. Based on the novel of the same name, it follows the story of Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg), a recently divorced doctor who suddenly finds himself having to taking care of this two children after his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) never picks them up after having left them with him for the weekend. The episodes are perfectly narrated by Libby (Lizzy Caplan), one of Toby’s friends. I’m usually not a huge fan of constant voice-overs, but it works wonderfully in this case. The whole cast is amazing and Claire Danes owns episode 7.

8 – The Dropout

How did Elizabeth Holmes manage to fool so many people from all spheres of power, from the Silicon Valley to politicians? That’s what The Dropout tries to find out, showing Elizabeth Holmes’s (Amanda Seyfried) days in college until her demise in 2018. There are multiple documentaries available about it too, but this limited series does a great job showing all sides of her personality and Amanda Seyfried is absolutely perfect in the role.

7 – The Crown

Even though season five of The Crown is not as exciting as the previous four, it is still such a good show, so well made, and with so many interesting characters that it still managed to make it into my top 10. One of my main complaints is that the Queen, now played by Imelda Staunton, is more of a supporting character than the actual lead of the story. I also liked that the season was more balanced and fair to both Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Diana (Elizabeth Debicki).

6 – Severance

Easily the most innovative show of the year, Severance is a gripping thriller that ended its season with a bang. It wasn’t the most exciting story at first, taking its time to explain what was actually happening, but it grabs your attention until the end. The show’s premise intrigued me because it’s something many people have desired over time: how can we separate our work lives from our personal lives? That’s literally what happens in Severance, where we follow the daily routine of an office where its staff had their memories surgically divided between their work and personal lives. The whole cast is incredible and highlights are Adam Scott and Britt Lower.

5 – Only Murders in the Building

One of the few comedies I’ve watched this year, Only Murders in the Building still manages to entertain a lot in its second season. The main trio (Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez) is still the best part of the show, even though we do get to see some other characters getting a bigger role this time around.

4 – The Staircase

Based on the 2004 true crime docuseries of the same name, The Staircase tells the story of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth), who was convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette) in 2001. She was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home. I wasn’t familiar with the case at all, so it was very interesting to learn about it from this point of view. We see multiple scenarios that could have caused Kathleen’s dead and I felt sorry for Toni Collette having to reenact her death so many times. Colin Firth’s performance is the best part of the show.

3 – Better Call Saul

After years of wondering what would happen to Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), we finally got some closure with the series finale of Better Call Saul. The final season has the same problems as the previous ones: it spends (or wastes, depending on how you feel about it) a lot of time with secondary characters or scenes that are more aesthetically interesting than plot-driven. Having said that, many episodes had me on the edge of my seat and I was satisfied with how they chose to end Saul’s journey.

2 – The White Lotus

Released last year as a limited series, The White Lotus was so successful that it came back. This time, though, the resort is in Sicily and only Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and her husband (Jon Gries) return from the original story. The murder-mystery genre has definitely made a comeback and The White Lotus is a great example of it, specially since it keeps the audience guessing not only who the murderer is but also who will actually be killed until the last third of the season’s finale. It also keeps the social commentary of its first season and it’s often funny. It has already been renewed for a third season!

1 – Ozark

Ozark‘s final season was a rollercoaster of emotions. It took so many turns and surprised the audience in so many ways that it was hard to guess what would eventually happen to Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) and especially to Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), easily the best character in the show. Ozark masterfully shows how two people will do anything to get what they want and it slowly transformed Wendy and Marty to the Macbeths. It also takes the top spot because it’s the most bingeable show of the year in my opinion.

As always, I hope 2023 gives more interesting content to watch!