Compiling a Top 10 list of any year’s TV output is both fun, as a way to look back at the shows that brought you the most enjoyment, and also an exercise in frustration — even more so during a time when the amount of new content is so overwhelming, especially in the streaming world.
Whittling down 2022’s impressive catalog of titles meant leaving off some major series of epic scope (House of the Dragon, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) and more intimate scale (The Bear, Somebody Somewhere), of immense popularity (Yellowstone and its prequel, 1883) and niche cult appeal (Evil, Girls5Eva). Some of my favorite performances of the year — Jean Smart in Hacks, Sarah Lancashire in Julia, Steve Carell in The Patient — aren’t represented in this list. But what remains is a snapshot of the shows that resonated with and entertained me most memorably in another banner year for an ever-evolving medium.