The Best TV Shows to Watch in 2022

The Lord of the Rings (2022) is aiming to be, possibly, the most expensive show in history (once the cost of purchasing the rights and further marketing have been factored in). But will that save it from a rash of writer and actor firings and the exit of Tom Shippey, the world-renowned Tolkien scholar whose initial presence gave the Bezos-corp productions some degree of credibility?

The Tolkien estate, thankfully, keeps a tight rope on what is allowed in a TV series… but perhaps not tight enough. According to the Tolkien estate, this new show cannot touch on anything from the Third Age (keeping the Peter Jackson films completely unrelated). But, the series can add a vast swath of new characters and storylines, as long as they maintain the over-arching storyline as set down in Tolkien’s expanded work.

I’m leery, personally, but only time will tell if this turns out to be a billion-dollar flop or something worthy of the Tolkien name. Either way, we get to find out on September 2nd, 2022.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) follows the Jedi master’s adventures after surviving Order 66 and retreating to Tatooine to watch over Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker’s son. According to the original writer for the concept, the series would contain elements of the works that originally inspired Lucas, such as Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Samurai history and culture, and Buddhism. Regardless, it will just be wonderful to see Ewan McGregor back in the roll for at least these six episodes (with the hope that we get a second season down the road).

Willow (2022) is the exciting sequel series to the original 1988 film of the same name, one of the unsung greats of the fantasy genre. We don’t have a ton of details about the story in this sequel series yet, but we do know that it will concentrate on a princess who assembles a party of adventurers to join her on her quest to rescue her twin brother.

Since it’s still got Warwick Davis involved, I’m there for it one-hundred percent.

Reservation Dogs (2021) is an Indigenous American teen comedy-drama created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. It’s a massive deal for Indigenous representation, with the majority of the writers, producers, cast, and crew all hailing from indigenous communities.

The series follows a group of Indigenous teens living in rural Oklahoma who wrestle with their desire to move to California, the funds needed for such a venture, and the problems of life and crime that surround them.

It premiered in 2021 and was quickly given the go-ahead for a second season, due in 2022.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2022/2023) still doesn’t have a release date, nor any meaningful information from the production as of this writing, but we can infer from the production timeline that the release will either be very late 2022 or sometime in 2023. This is a giant project, and Netflix has, unfortunately, shown that it can end up flailing a bit with adaptations of beloved work.

The series' original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were both on board as Executive Producers in the beginning, but left due to a "negative and unsupporting" environment created by the studio. Jeremy Zuckerman, the original composer, also left.

The casting, at least, seems on-point, and we can keep our fingers crossed that this will be something special. But, it’s hard to see how a live-action version could bring anything new to what is easily the best animated series ever produced.

Station Eleven (2021–2022), about life on Earth 20 years after a flu pandemic kills most of the population, is precisely what we all want to watch while a flu pandemic kills a non-trivial portion of the population. What saves this is the original source material by Emily St. John Mandel, which, despite its post-apocalyptic setting, strives to explore a far more real and important element of human experience than other stories of its ilk.

Combined with a great cast and some solid screenwriting, this show offers a post-apocalyptic experience that might actually help us process what we’re going through, rather than feed off our collective trauma for capitalism’s sake.

The miniseries started at the end of 2021 and finishes up in January 2022.

Limitless (2022) takes Chris Hemsworth on the journey of a lifetime as he and an international team of coaches and health experts explore different ways to live better for longer: regenerating damage, maximizing strength, building resilience, shocking the body, supercharging memory and confronting mortality.

Honestly, half the people tuning in will be there just because Hemsworth rarely wears a shirt in the series, but the content looks pretty intriguing as well.

In Chapelwaite (2021), Captain Charles Boone (Adrien Brody) relocates his family to their ancestral Maine home. Charles has to soon confront his family's sordid history and fight to end the darkness that has plagued them for generations. **Based on Stephen King’s short story "Jerusalem's Lot”, this looks like the thriller series of a lifetime.

House of the Dragon (2022) is based on George R. R. Martin's 2018 novel Fire & Blood and tells the story of the Targaryen dynasty some 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones obviously revitalized interest in the fantasy genre as something mainstream audiences would fall head over heels for, but with the rather halfhearted flop at the end of the original series, it’s hard to say if the same level of fervor will exist for this prequel series. Regardless, we’ll get a ten-episode first season to test the waters.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) is taking Star Trek back to its roots, concentrating on the ten years of adventure undertaken by the Enterprise crew before Kirk arrived. Given the widespread success of the new Star Trek series, it’s likely that Strange New Worlds will continue to pull a high viewership. The franchise is Paramount’s most precious resource, after all, so it’s likely that they’re going to mine it for everything they can.

Personally, I don’t like the new Trek series very much. Despite great casting choices, the writing consistently veers toward the “grim-dark” style so popular these days, and I kinda hate that. And let’s not even start into the terribleness that is Lower Decks. But I remain, perhaps foolishly, optimistic that this new series will start to feel a little more like Roddenberry’s vision. We shall see.

Andor (2022) takes us back to the character Cassian Andor five years before the events of the film Rougue One. The Rebellion against the Empire is taking shape in this show, and Cassian is likely to play just as major a role in this phase as he did in the delivery of the Death Star plans. We get twelve episodes in mid-to-late 2022 to explore the Star Wars universe’s grittier side, and since Rogue One was one of the most popular films, it seems likely that the show will also be a hit.

Welcome to Earth (2021) follows Will Smith has he accompanies experienced National Geographic Explorers, to remote and fascinating environs, including remote islands in the Pacific, and the Namib Desert. Smith’s charisma, and the sheer beauty of the places he’s exploring, are likely to combine and make anyone excited to see this.

Okay, so sue me, this aired all at once in December 2021. It’s still fantastic, and you should check it out.

The Old Man (2022) follows a retired intelligence officer content to live off the grid until he’s targeted for assassination and finds himself drawn back into the world he left behind.

Look, I’m there for anything Bridges is in, to be honest, and who doesn’t love a good spy thriller?

Invasion (2021 ) failed to wow critics, but managed to garner enough interest that a second season was cleared by Apple! With the first ten episodes taking a super slow-burn approach to the alien invasion, it will be interesting to see if season to can capitalize on that set-up and give viewers something to remember. Of course, no matter what, Sam Neill is sure to be wonderful.

How I Met Your Father (2022) is, I’m going to be real with you, the How I Met Your Mother sequel that we probably didn’t need. But, pessimism aside, there’s always room for something like this to surprise us. Duff’s not a bad actress, and the original series had charm that the trailers for this sequel might simply be missing. We shall see.

I think the biggest problem, here, is setting anything in a weird alternate world where the pandemic just… doesn’t exist. I can understand it for shows that started before Covid-19, but for a new show, especially one so grounded in current culture… well, it’s odd.

Still, I know a lot of fans are hopeful that there will be some of that same magic that the original series contained. Fingers crossed.

The Legend of Vox Machina (2022) is set in Matthew Mercer’s fictional world of Exandria, and will be a mix of new story content and adaptations of content from the first Critical Role campaign.

This is a pretty massive deal, as Critical Role has managed to elevate RPG tabletop gaming to a whole new level. It’s exciting to see all that great storytelling and worldbuilding come to the screen like this, and even more awesome that all these professional voice actors get to go all-out for their new animated character portrayals. This one’s due out at the end of January!

Moon Knight (2022) brings Marc Spector to the MCU. Spector, a former U.S. Marine with dissociative identity disorder, becomes a conduit for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.

One of the more gritty and violent Marvel characters, with similarities to the Deadpool franchise, it’s nice to see Issac in the role to lend it some extra weight and gravitas. I’m glad to see that this won’t be TV-MA because we frankly don’t need more Deadpool nonsense, but there’s potential here to really explore the darker side of the MCU which I know a lot of fans have been clamoring for (personally, I say bring me ten more seasons of Hawkeye).

Bel-Air (2022) is the dramatic re-imagining of the classic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Like the sitcom, the drama follows “Will Smith” (a fictionalized version of the actor Will Smith, in this case played by Jabari Banks), a street-smart teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy uncle and aunt in their Bel-Air mansion.

My first impression on hearing about this remake was “why?” quickly followed by “cash grab.” But then I saw the trailer. There’s something potent in the works here, something that could be really good. Plus, Will Smith is heavily involved, and that means that this series is going to have some heart to it. That I’m there for.

Peacemaker (2022) charges to the front as the first DC Extended Universe (DCEU) television series, spinning off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. So far, the DC universe has been spectacularly lackluster compare to Marvel’s venture, though Doom Patrol remains one of the better superhero TV series to come around.

Personally, I don’t think we need another hyper-violent superhero black comedy, but I’ve been outvoted. Fans of The Suicide Squad and Marvel’s Deadpool will no-doubt love this one.

Pam & Tommy (2022) is a biographical drama miniseries based on the release of a sex tape created by Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and actress Pamela Anderson.

This will definitely appeal to fans of reality TV and Nick Offerman. Will it be a hit? Hard to say.

Reacher (2022) is a TV series adaptation of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, beginning with Killing Floor. Reacher is a former United States Army Military Police Corps major who now spends his days trekking the United States in search of odd jobs, jobs that occasionally lead him into the path of criminals and conspiracies… which he then solves through judicious punching.

There was a version of this made as a film a while back with Tom Cruise starring. Since Tom is a tiny, tiny man, this version definitely fits the vision of Jack Reacher far better.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) has a huge cast, as befits an anthology series, and that combined del Toro’s street-cred as a unique and powerful filmmaker is sure to inspire interest. There will be eight individual tales intended to “challenge our traditional notions of horror.” We know from del Toro’s book of the same name a little bit more about how he thinks about horror and his narrative creations, and seeing that name applied to a series is really exciting.

The Last of Us (2022) is pretty exciting when you consider that the source material, the video game of the same name, is considered one of the best narrative games in modern history. With a post-apocalyptic setting, deep emotional character building, and plenty of suspense-filled action, this is likely the show that fans of other modern horror-type dramas have been eagerly waiting for.

She-Hulk (2022) has me excited because Tatiana Maslany is an incredible actress, and because I’d love to see some more comedy enter the MCU amid all these darker and grittier releases. There are so many Marvel characters to tap for the MCU, but She-Hulk makes perfect sense for Phase IV, so I’m hopeful that the creators get this one right. We’ll get ten episodes to see the titular character take on the world.

Suspicion (2022) is the English-language remake of Israeli thriller False Flag. It follows the disrupted lives of five people who have been identified by the London police as under suspicion for the abduction of American media mogul Katherine Newman's son. Looks dark, twisted, and drama-y.

Interview with the Vampire (2022) is coming to the small screen, adapting Ann Rice’s famous gothic horror novel for a new generation. The novel focuses on a vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac, who tells the story of his life to a reporter.

Reframed: The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe (2022) takes a stab at exploring the life and work of Marilyn Monroe from a better perspective than is usually provided, nixing the male-centered peephole in favor of an all-female perspective.

Marilyn has long been a favorite figure of mine, specifically because she was both extremely intelligent and passionate in the achievement of her goals. It’s certain to be good to see a more comprehensive look at her life and time.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2022) ressurects one of the most-loved horror comedy franchises of all time by going back to the story’s roots. The animated series is set in the 1920s in Shanghai, and tells the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing meets the mogwai Gizmo.

We already know we’re getting two seasons, with the first season of ten episodes coming out in 2022.

Cobra Kai (2018) is definitely my favorite show on television right now. Not only were the original films a huge part of my childhood, but this series does such an amazing job of bringing the essence of the original to the modern age. Too many “reboots” fail to pay homage to the spirit and soul of the original work (see: literally all of the depressing Star Trek reboots), so it’s been exceptionally wonderful to see a series do so well.

Cobra Kai, season 5 was cleared for renewal before season 4 even debuted, so that’s a great sign for the longevity of this great story. Season 5 has already entered production, so it’s entirely likely that we’ll see it land toward the end of 2022.

Halo (2022) has been a long time coming. Honestly, I’m not sure there has ever been a more anticipated TV series in all of history so, uh, no pressure on the showrunners.

Halo tells the story of a future in which humanity has colonized part of the galaxy. While a corporatic government crushes the life out of the outermost colony worlds, an alien invasion of human space is undertaken by the fanatical Covenant, who believe that ancient alien technology is key to their religious ascension.

The Spartan program of super-soldiers, originally developed to kill the freedom fighters on the outer colonies, is the only chance humanity has to avoid total annihilation.

I’m excited to see where they take the story because there is so much material to cover. From novels by authors like Tobias Buckell, to a prior live-action web series, to the content of the video games themselves, there is a huge science fiction landscape to explore. Let’s hope that Paramount is up to the task.