Going outside? So overrated. What’s the point of ever leaving the house when there’s so much good entertainment to soak in right from your living room? The proliferation of streaming services is only good for TV fans (except, you know, for their wallets). With so many services out there competing for our attention, that only means show creators are jumping through bigger hoops, courting the best actors, finding the best scripts and generally trying to out-do each other, creating more must-watch series than ever before.
The best TV shows of 2022 are a mix of returning favorites and original debuts. Some are continuations of the biggest franchises out there, including the Marvel MCU, Star Wars, Game of Thrones and even Lord of the Rings‘ Middle-earth. Others create their own worlds, with sci-fi, horror and other mind-bending realities. Some are escapist reality shows you can put on when you want to have some mindless fun, while some make you pay attention and scour every frame for clues. And a huge trend this year? Turning real-life news scandals into limited series, like the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee tape, the Anna Delvey scammer story or the corporate malfeasance at big companies like Theranos, Uber and WeWork. Here are some shows catching the biggest buzz this year.
Station Eleven (HBO Max)
Based on the best-selling book by Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven takes place after a flu pandemic has devastated the Earth. (So, maybe not the best one to watch after checking the day’s COVID-19 news.) The series follows groups of survivors, including a troupe of traveling performers.
Abbot Elementary (ABC)
This sitcom takes place in a Philadelphia public school, where a dedicated group of teachers tries to help students, despite all the craziness of the world around them. The show is done in a mockumentary style, so think of it as The Office for primary school.
And Just Like That (HBO Max)
Check in with the ladies of Sex and the City a decade after their last cinematic adventure. Together, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte demonstrate what’s different about New York City in middle age (parenting, dating) and what stays the same (amazing fashion, brunch).
Stay Close (Netflix)
From the creators of The Stranger comes another tale where people’s hidden lives come back to haunt them. When two men go missing exactly 17 years apart, the case starts to dredge up old secrets that shock a suburban community.
Euphoria (HBO)
Sam Levinson’s drama returns for its second season, continuing the story of teens struggling with addiction and depression. Zendaya stars as Rue, a girl trying to battle her drug dependence while balancing her relationship to her girlfriend, Jules.
Wolf Like Me (Peacock)
Isla Fisher and Josh Gad star in this dramedy about two people who want to be together despite their emotional baggage. He is still mourning the loss of his wife while trying to raise a daughter. She, well, turns into a werewolf when the moon is full.
Peacemaker (HBO Max)
DC Comics fans who watched The Suicide Squad got a sneak peek at Peacemaker in action; now, he has his own, irreverent spin-off series starring John Cena.
Archive 81 (Netflix)
It starts simple enough: An archivist is hired to restore a collection of damaged video tapes. But what he finds on those recordings sends him down a secretive, dark, possibly demonic path.
How I Met Your Father (Hulu)
The Gilded Age
If you watch TV for period costumes and ornate interiors, The Gilded Age is the the drama for you. It’s set in 1882, when a young girl moves from rural Pennsylvania to New York City, and has to learn how to move about the upper rungs of society.
The Afterparty (Apple TV+)
It’s Yellowjackets meets Grosse Point Blank when a pop star is murdered at an after-party for a high school reunion. Tiffany Haddish stars as the detective trying to break the case, and each episode takes place from a different character’s point of view.
In From the Cold (Netflix)
Jenny Franklin is a typical, single soccer mom — or is she? Someone from her past arrives and says she was a Russian spy known as “The Whisper,” and that someone is out there copying her old moves.
Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Everyone has heard of the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee tape, but this series explores the pop-cultural climate that allowed the scandal to explode, including the changing attitudes towards celebrity and the burgeoning ubiquity of the internet.
Reacher (Amazon Prime Video)
Suspicion (Apple TV+)
Based on the overseas thriller False Flag, this drama follows five people who were examined by police as possible suspects in the kidnapping of a media mogul’s son. Uma Thurman stars as the mogul.
Murderville (Netflix)
Murderville is less notable for what it’s about than how it’s set up: Each episode, there’s a murder, and a detective played by Will Arnett has to solve it. But time out, he also gets a new celebrity helper — an assistant who doesn’t get a script — and the case unfolds as a hilarious blend of planned and improv comedy.
Snowdrop (Disney+, premieres February 9)
Disney+ has picked up a drama from South Korea. The serious follows the forbidden love between a college student and a North Korean spy, set against Korea’s pro-democracy movement in the ’80s. And, for K-Pop fans, it stars Jisoo of BLACKPINK.
Inventing Anna (Netflix, premieres February 11)
In 2018, the story of Anna Delvey — or is it Anna Sorokin? — made its way into the annals of the all-time famous grifter stories. She conned the elite into thinking she was a socialite, and swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars for others. Netflix will put all the dishy details on screen, with Ozark’s Julia Garner in the lead role.
Love Is Blind (Netflix, premieres February 11)
File this away in under guilty pleasure: Love Is Blind is a reality series that challenges participants to make connections with others — without having any idea what they look like. Can the relationships survive when the new couples leave their “pods” and meet face-to-face?
Bel-Air (Peacock, premieres February 13)
We’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, and tell you how this show’s a reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Only instead of a straight sitcom, this series plans on having a darker, more grounded tone as a one-hour drama.
Severance (Apple TV+, premieres February 18)
For fans of twisty psychological stories, this drama takes place at a company where workers agree to have all memories of their jobs severed and wiped. Eventually, some workers decide to discover the truth about what they do.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber (Showtime, premieres February 27)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as one-time Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. But as with all Silicon Valley stories, Kalanaick experiences both a startling rise and a big downfall.
The Dropout (Hulu, premieres March 3)
Uber isn’t the only startup where there were behind-the-scenes drama. The Dropout follows Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos co-founder who was indicted for fraud. Amanda Seyfried takes on the role of Holmes in this miniseries, based on the podcast by Rebecca Jarvis.
Pieces of Her (Netflix, premieres March 4)
This Netflix series follows a mom who, when she gets caught up in a shooting at the mall, has her dark and violent past revealed. Toni Colette stars alongside Bella Heathcote and Jessica Barden.
Bust Down (Peacock, premieres March 10)
In this comedy, Jak Knight, Langston Kerman, Sam Jay and Chris Redd as four guys with dead-end casino jobs. The four of them continually make a mess of their lives and help each other get out again.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (Apple TV+, premieres March 11)
Based on a Walter Mosley novel, this drama begins with Ptolemy Grey, a man with no living relatives, who is assigned a teenaged caretaker. She finds out about a treatment that might restore his memories. But what will they uncover?
WeCrashed (Apple TV+, premieres March 18)
Consider 2022 the year of shows about company CEOs behaving badly. In this one, Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway star as the couple who lead WeWork through trials and tribulations.
Bridgerton (Netflix, premieres March 25)
Pachinko (Apple TV+, premieres March 25)
Based on the best-seller by Min Jin Lee, Pachinko follows the saga of one family across generations, from 1910 until the end of the ’80s. The series will unfold in three languages: Korean, Japanese and English.
Moon Knight (Disney+, premieres March 30)
Marvel premieres its newest streaming series, Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac as a man who believes he has many personalities. But as he learns more about himself, he gets drawn into a mystery involving Egyptian gods, and a man, Arthur (Ethan Hawke), who encourages him to embrace his darker side.
Tokyo Vice (HBO Max, premieres April 7)
Miami Vice moves overseas: Ansel Elgort stars as Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who gets embedded with Tokyo’s vice squad, including Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Wantanabe), a detective in the organized crime unit. Michael Mann, who created the original Miami Vice television series, will direct the pilot.
Shining Girls (Apple TV+, premieres April 29)
In Depression-era Chicago, a killer finds a key that allows him to time-travel — so long as he kills the so-called “shining girls,” who are brimming with potential. Things change, however, when one of them starts hunting him back. This series is based on the book by Lauren Beukes and will star Elisabeth Moss.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, premieres in May)
Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi’s life is chock full of adventure, and we only know a fraction of his story. This series takes place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, when Obi-Wan is on Tatooine watching over a young Luke Skywalker from afar.
The Boys (Amazon Prime Video, premieres June 3)
The Boys is a series that takes pleasure in subverting superhero stereotypes, so there’s no telling where Season 3 could be headed. If you can’t wait until its premiere, you can watch an animated anthology spin-off, The Boys: Diabolical, starting March 4.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime Video, premieres Sept. 2)
The Crown (Netflix, premieres in November)
Imelda Staunton is the third actress to take on the role of Queen Elizabeth II for the fifth season of this regal series. It’ll continue the story of England’s royal family, starting sometime in the late ’80s or early ’90s, when the fourth season left off.
Andor (Disney+, premiere date TBD)
Go deeper into the Star Wars universe with Andor, a series about Cassian Andor from Rogue One. Diego Luna returns to the role,as a rebel spy in the beginnings of the rebellion. The series takes place six years before the events of Rogue One.
The Curse (Showtime, premiere date TBD)
This half-hour show is a blend of comedy and the supernatural. Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder star as a married couple who are trying to conceive a baby while managing their own beleaguered HGTV-style show. Things get more complicated for them, however, when they run afoul of an evil curse.
Daisy Jones and the Six (Amazon Prime Video, premiere date TBD)
This is a fictional documentary set in the world of rock and roll in the 1970s. Riley Keough stars as musician Daisy Jones in a story told in band interviews and flashbacks, similar to the book by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Dark Winds (AMC, premiere date TBD)
The First Lady (Showtime, premiere date TBD)
This Showtime drama is an anthology series that focuses on different First Ladies throughout history. The series is notable for its outstanding cast: Viola Davis is Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer is Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson is Eleanor Roosevelt.
Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX, premiere date TBD)
Fleishman Is In Trouble, based on the novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, tells the story of Toby Fleishman, a doctor in the midst of a divorce when his soon-to-be-ex disappears and cuts off contact. He has to balance parenting, working and dating, all while trying to figure out what went wrong with his marriage and how to find his ex. Jesse Eisenberg and Clare Danes play the central couple.
The Girl from Plainville (Hulu, premiere date TBD)
Girls5Eva (Peacock, premiere date TBD)
This comedy, returning for its second season, follows a former, ’00s-era girl pop group as they reunite as adults and try to stage a comeback. It stars Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell, Busy Philipps — a perfect mix of comedy and singing chops.
House of the Dragon (HBO, premiere date TBD)
Game of Thrones fans: Your spin-off has arrived! This series follows House Targaryen before the events of Game of Thrones, and it’s based on the George R.R. Martin book Fire & Blood.
The Idol (HBO, premiere date TBD)
Yes, that is The Weeknd starring in an HBO series, from the creator of Euphoria. The show follows a cult-like leader who takes an interest in a rising pop star, all set against the backdrop of the music industry.
The Last of Us (HBO, premiere date TBD)
Based on a video game of the same name, The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States. Pedro Pascal plays a smuggler named Joel who’s tasked with safely transporting a teenager across the country — hey, kind of like he did in The Mandalorian!
The Midnight Club (Netflix, premiere date TBD)
Netflix horror fans know Mike Flanagan from his work creating spooky series like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass. His newest entry weaves together several Christopher Pike YA horror novels. It follows a group of terminally ill teenagers living in a hospice who gather each night to tell each other spooky stories.
Ms. Marvel (Disney+, premiere date TBD)
If you want a little taste of Ms. Marvel and what she’s all about, you can watch the animated Secret Warriors, which is already streaming on Disney+. Otherwise you have to wait for the new series to meet Kamala Khan, a teenager and Avengers fan who comes into her own powers.
Reboot (Hulu, premiere date TBD)
Keegan-Michael Key stars in this meta-comedy, about what happens when Hulu reboots an early-’00s family sitcom, bringing the feuding cast back together. It was created by someone who knows a thing or two about behind-the-scenes TV drama: Steve Levitan, creator of Modern Family.
The Sandman (Netflix, premiere date TBD)
There have been many attempts to adapt Neil Gaiman’s DC comic series over the years, and it looks like Netflix will be the first to finally succeed. The comic focuses on the seven “Endless,” Dream, Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium and Destruction, and what happens when Dream is imprisoned.
Secret Invasion (Disney+, premiere date TBD)
Sure, the Avengers are great and all, but what about the agents formerly known as S.H.I.E.L.D.? This series follows Nicky Fury and Maria Hill as they try to stave off an infiltration of shape-shifting Skrulls.
She-Hulk (Disney+, premiere date TBD)
You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry: Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black stars as She-Hulk (a.k.a Jennifer Walters), Bruce Banner’s cousin and a lawyer who represents cases that involve super powers.
The Staircase (HBO Max, premiere date TBD)
This is another series ripped from the true-crimes headlines. It follows the same case featured in the Netflix documentary of the same name — the case of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth), whose wife died in an accident. But was it really an accident, or was it murder?
Stranger Things (Netflix, premiere date TBD)
It’s been a long time since we last checked in with the Hawkins crew, and things have changed. The kids are in California (at least some of them), Hopper is probably in Russia and the upside-down isn’t done with any of them yet.
RELATED: Everything You’re Dying to Know About ‘Stranger Things 4’
The Time-Traveler’s Wife (HBO, premiere date TBD)
The story of The Time-Traveler’s Wife is, like all time-travel stories, hard to untangle: It follows a man who unintentionally jumps in time, sometimes visiting the childhood of the woman he would eventually marry. By the time they finally meet in real life, she’s known him for years. It’s based on a book by Audrey Niffenegger, and was once adapted into a movie starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, but the show will star Theo James and Rose Leslie.
Wednesday (Netflix, premiere date TBD)
Director Tim Burton has devised this series, about a teenaged Wednesday Addams investigating the mysterious goings-on in the town outside her high school, Nevermore Academy. Jenna Ortega, star of the new Scream movie, will be Wednesday.
The White House Plumbers (HBO, premiere date TBD)
Shows that go behind-the-scenes at the White House are big this year. In addition to The First Lady, there’s this series, which looks into E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy’s roles in the Watergate scandal. Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux star as Hunt and Liddy, respectively.
Yellowjackets (Showtime, premiere date TBD)
A mid-winter hit, Yellowjackets is expected to return for its second season this year. It follows the story of a ’90s-era high school soccer team that, after a plane crash on the way to a championship game, had to do what they needed to in order to survive in the wilderness for 19 months. The show also checks in with the survivors as adults, and it’s clear that they’re not entirely truthful about what went on in the woods.
Yellowstone (Paramount+, premiere date TBD)
Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor
Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor Marisa LaScala covers all things parenting, from the postpartum period through empty nests, for Good Housekeeping; she previously wrote about motherhood for Parents and Working Mother.
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