What a strange year this has been. Normally, the post about television would be one of the last ones posted, either because it's battling it out with the movies post as the Grand Finale, because there are additional shows I'm desperate to wrap up before the list gets finalized, or both. But in looking at the list of shows I watched in 2022, not many of them, even among the ones that have higher grades, elicited much of a reaction. There are standouts, of course, but in general, my opinion about most television this year could be summed up as "Yeah, that was fairly good."
Whatever the reason is, even if I'm not doing cartwheels over the majority of television I watched in 2022, it was a good, solid year, with more to like than dislike. And for those shows that did distinguish themselves as outstanding, one stands above the rest.
Sadly, even as I went about putting together my list for the year, the news of HBO Max's continued implosion spelled (hopefully temporary) doom for Minx, which had an absolutely incredible first season. Minx is about Joyce Prigger, a journalist in 1970s Los Angeles, who cannot get any traction with her strident articles about women's liberation, but finds a way to get her message out by teaming up with an open-minded smut peddler, and inserting her pieces into the first magazine with naked men.
Some of the other shows at the top of my list highlighted a singular point of view consistently well. Minx, however, somehow found a way to strike a balance in exploring the depths of feminism, race, sexual orientation, censorship, misogyny, capitalism, and other Big Topics while still being charming and hilarious. Plus, naked dudes. What's not to like?
There were other excellent shows this year as well. Tuca & Bertie went from absurd and breezy to absurd and deeply emotional. The razor-sharp dialogue in Harley Quinn made it the biggest surprise of the year; I never expected an ultra-violent cartoon to become my favorite entry into the lackluster DC universe, but it's amazing. And of course, watching Quinta Brunson's rise from mild internet fame, up through a terrific stint in A Black Lady Sketch Show, and into the limelight with Abbott Elementary has done my heart a world of good.
Let's get to the full list! Unlike in years past, I'll just put everything into one list instead of separating out the 2022 shows. That way, we can see what truly rises to the top.
Minx (Season 1) (2022) (A)
Tuca & Bertie (Season 2) (2021) (A)
Harley Quinn (Season 1-3) (2020, 2022) (A)
Abbott Elementary (Season 1) (2022) (A)
Love Life (Season 2) (2021) (A-)
Derry Girls (Season 3) (2022) (A-)
Bridgerton (Season 2) (2022) (A-)
Over the Garden Wall (Season 1) (2014) (B+)
What We Do in the Shadows (Season 4) (2022) (B)
Russian Doll (Season 2) (2022) (B)
Wedding Season (Season 1) (2022) (B-)
1 comments:
Where is The Marvelous Mrs Maisel?
Post a Comment