QUESTION: Do you agree/disagree with any suggestions in these lists? Which TV shows would be on your best-of-2022 list?
And, by the way, these lists are only meant to get us started. I also want to hear…
Which shows stood out to you? Which were under- or overrated? Which are your new go-tos? Which did you absolutely hate and why? Which shows surprised, challenged, or gave you nightmares?
"The Righteous Gemstones" was high on my list this year. Just such a timely and hilarious and awful story. It's charismatic preachers + blackmail + family dysfunction + crime. In this category of dark comedies, we also watched every single episode of "What We Do in the Shadows."
I also really REALLY enjoy whodunits and mind-benders, so "Only Murders in the Building" and "The Afterparty" rank high, as does "Severance," which for me was a DROP EVERYTHING TO WATCH IT experience.
My fam and I LOVED watching "Ms. Marvel" and "The Mysterious Benedict Society" (think middle grade Wes Anderson + the best puzzle-solving middle grade storytelling) together.
In the realm of documentary TV, "The Big Brunch," Dan Levy's cooking show (!!) is now a top fave. I literally teared up in the last couple episodes, which my husband Jeremy found hilarious.
On our list still to watch, preferably via binge over the holidays:
Reservation Dogs,
Abbott Elementary,
Andor (we started it, haven't finished),
The Bear,
Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal,
Season 2 of Westworld,
Star Trek's Strange New Worlds,
Derry Girls,
and Bad Sisters.
One I don't care about at all? Lord of the Rings. Sorry, been there, done that, and I'm not that into elves. Does anyone think it's a must-watch?
I have surprised myself over how thrilled I've been with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel because it is a show about a female comedian and it's as raunchy as real life comics are. That said, fatphobia aside (of which there is much), I find myself charmed with this annoying, foul mouthed, "too much" woman embracing her passion and forcing her way into a male dominated profession.
On a totally different note, I just finished binging The Vow, a documentary series on the NXIVM cult, and the parallels with the conservative brand of Christianity I've spent most of my life participating in were chilling. The ways the NXIVM curriculum taught people to ignore their bodies, their instincts, etc. felt eerily similar to the ways I was taught that my body, emotions, and mind were all corrupted and couldn't be trusted. Plus, the second season focuses a lot on the woman, Nancy Salzman, who was second in command. Watching her struggle to face the evil she committed in the name of good was fascinating.
I skimmed the New Yorker list for shows I've watched and will maybe consider watching, and was reminded that Somebody Somewhere is SO SO GOOD!!! It's only 7 episodes I think but I watched the season twice, which I rarely do. It's so sweet and funny and heartful and queer and I highly recommend it.
(I also liked Only Murders and Severance, as well! Can't watch either alone because I'm one of the biggest chickens ever, but I loved them both!)
Curious Reads: The Best TV of 2022
QUESTION: Do you agree/disagree with any suggestions in these lists? Which TV shows would be on your best-of-2022 list?
And, by the way, these lists are only meant to get us started. I also want to hear…
Which shows stood out to you? Which were under- or overrated? Which are your new go-tos? Which did you absolutely hate and why? Which shows surprised, challenged, or gave you nightmares?
It’s time for TV talk, folks! Chime in. :)
"The Righteous Gemstones" was high on my list this year. Just such a timely and hilarious and awful story. It's charismatic preachers + blackmail + family dysfunction + crime. In this category of dark comedies, we also watched every single episode of "What We Do in the Shadows."
I also really REALLY enjoy whodunits and mind-benders, so "Only Murders in the Building" and "The Afterparty" rank high, as does "Severance," which for me was a DROP EVERYTHING TO WATCH IT experience.
My fam and I LOVED watching "Ms. Marvel" and "The Mysterious Benedict Society" (think middle grade Wes Anderson + the best puzzle-solving middle grade storytelling) together.
In the realm of documentary TV, "The Big Brunch," Dan Levy's cooking show (!!) is now a top fave. I literally teared up in the last couple episodes, which my husband Jeremy found hilarious.
On our list still to watch, preferably via binge over the holidays:
Reservation Dogs,
Abbott Elementary,
Andor (we started it, haven't finished),
The Bear,
Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal,
Season 2 of Westworld,
Star Trek's Strange New Worlds,
Derry Girls,
and Bad Sisters.
One I don't care about at all? Lord of the Rings. Sorry, been there, done that, and I'm not that into elves. Does anyone think it's a must-watch?
I have surprised myself over how thrilled I've been with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel because it is a show about a female comedian and it's as raunchy as real life comics are. That said, fatphobia aside (of which there is much), I find myself charmed with this annoying, foul mouthed, "too much" woman embracing her passion and forcing her way into a male dominated profession.
On a totally different note, I just finished binging The Vow, a documentary series on the NXIVM cult, and the parallels with the conservative brand of Christianity I've spent most of my life participating in were chilling. The ways the NXIVM curriculum taught people to ignore their bodies, their instincts, etc. felt eerily similar to the ways I was taught that my body, emotions, and mind were all corrupted and couldn't be trusted. Plus, the second season focuses a lot on the woman, Nancy Salzman, who was second in command. Watching her struggle to face the evil she committed in the name of good was fascinating.
I skimmed the New Yorker list for shows I've watched and will maybe consider watching, and was reminded that Somebody Somewhere is SO SO GOOD!!! It's only 7 episodes I think but I watched the season twice, which I rarely do. It's so sweet and funny and heartful and queer and I highly recommend it.
(I also liked Only Murders and Severance, as well! Can't watch either alone because I'm one of the biggest chickens ever, but I loved them both!)