Best TV Series 2022

Television had a monumental year in 2022, with lots of fresh and exciting new faces joining all the usual suspects at the top of the heap. We saw the beginning of Cassian Andor’s story, rooted for Ms. Marvel to find her way, and bid a bittersweet farewell to Saul Goodman. All of the shows listed here were compelling enough to wow a majority of the critics, but it was the beginning of the end of House Targaryen that swooped in like a dragon to take home the Golden Tomato for Best TV Series of 2022.

The order reflects Tomatometer scores (as of December 31, 2022) after adjustment from our ranking formula, which compensates for variation in the number of reviews when comparing movies or TV shows.

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Tomatometer icon House of the Dragon: Season 1

#1
Adjusted Score: 90785%
Critics Consensus: Covering an era of tenuous peace with ferocious -- albeit abbreviated -- focus, House of the Dragon is an impressive prequel that exemplifies the court intrigue that distinguished its predecessor.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke
Directed By: George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, Vince Gerardis

Tomatometer icon Andor: Season 1

#2
Adjusted Score: 96984%
Critics Consensus: A gritty adventure told from the ground perspective of the Empire's reign, Andor is an exceptionally mature and political entry into the Star Wars mythos -- and one of the best yet.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O'Reilly, Forest Whitaker
Directed By: Toby Haynes, Tony Gilroy, Kathleen Kennedy, Diego Luna

Tomatometer icon Ms. Marvel: Season 1

#3
Adjusted Score: 77783%
Critics Consensus: Ms. Marvel is a genuinely fresh addition to the MCU -- both stylistically and substantively -- with Iman Vellani ably powering proceedings with her super-sized charisma.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Iman Vellani, Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah
Directed By: Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Bisha K. Ali

Tomatometer icon Better Call Saul: Season 6

#4
Adjusted Score: 103258%
Critics Consensus: Better Call Saul remains as masterfully in control as Jimmy McGill keeps insisting he is in this final season, where years of simmering storytelling come to a scintillating boil.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Michael Mando, Patrick Fabian
Directed By: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Melissa Bernstein

Tomatometer icon Atlanta: Season 4

#5
Adjusted Score: 68046%
Critics Consensus: Foregrounding its characters and namesake again after an anthological sojourn in Europe, Atlanta closes out in its sweet spot: funny, insightful, and weird as hell.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz
Directed By: Dianne McGunigle, Donald Glover, Paul Simms, Hiro Murai

Tomatometer icon The Bear: Season 1

#6
Adjusted Score: 106937%
Critics Consensus: Like an expertly confected sandwich, The Bear assembles a perfect melange of ingredients and stacks them for optimal satisfaction -- and thankfully keeps the crust-iness for extra flavor.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott
Directed By: Christopher Storer, Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Nate Matteson

Tomatometer icon Heartstopper: Season 1

#7
Adjusted Score: 105049%
Critics Consensus: An inclusive romance told with striking sensitivity, Heartstopper is so effortlessly charming that viewers won't dare skip a beat.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney
Directed By: Euros Lyn, Iain Canning, Nicky Earnshaw, Hakan Kousetta

Tomatometer icon Bad Sisters: Season 1

#8
Adjusted Score: 105052%
Critics Consensus: Dark secrets are a family affair in Bad Sisters, a riotously funny murder mystery that makes fine use of its gifted ensemble while exemplifying creator and star Sharon Horgan's penchant for salty warmth.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Claes Bang, Eva Birthistle
Directed By: Sharon Horgan, Faye Dorn, Clelia Mountford, Brett Baer

Tomatometer icon Hacks: Season 2

#9
Adjusted Score: 104355%
Critics Consensus: Hacks hits the road, but Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder remain very much at home with each other in a sterling sophomore season that finds novel ways to deepen the central pair's lovable friendship.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Rose Abdoo
Directed By: Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Mike Schur, David Miner

Tomatometer icon The Boys: Season 3

#10
Adjusted Score: 106818%
Critics Consensus: Managing to up the ante on what was already one of television's most audacious satires, The Boys' third season is both bracingly visceral and wickedly smart.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty
Directed By: Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver

Tomatometer icon Barry: Season 3

#11
Adjusted Score: 103854%
Critics Consensus: Bill Hader and company can take a well-deserved bow -- Barry makes its belated return to the screen without missing a step, retaining its edge as one of television's funniest and most unsettling offerings.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg
Directed By: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Alec Berg, Bill Hader

Tomatometer icon She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Season 1

#12
Adjusted Score: 79091%
Critics Consensus: Whether she's fighting bad guys, defending a client, or managing her messy social life, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law passes the bar for bingeworthy viewing.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, Benedict Wong
Directed By: Kat Coiro, Anu Valia, Kat Coiro, Jessica Gao

Tomatometer icon The Last Movie Stars: Season 1

#13
Adjusted Score: 103266%
Critics Consensus: The Last Movie Stars delivers the goods as a revealing retrospective of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward's romance, but director Ethan Hawke elevates this docuseries into a revelatory exploration of marriage and stardom.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Laura Linney, Melanie Griffith, Sam Rockwell, Billy Crudup
Directed By: Ethan Hawke, Amy Entelis, Courtney Sexton, Martin Scorsese

Tomatometer icon Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 1

#14
Adjusted Score: 102762%
Critics Consensus: Strange New Worlds treks across familiar territory to refreshing effect, its episodic structure and soulful cast recapturing the sense of boundless discovery that defined the franchise's roots.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Babs Olusanmokun
Directed By: Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, Henry Alonso Myers

Tomatometer icon Only Murders in the Building: Season 2

#15
Adjusted Score: 104628%
Critics Consensus: Only Murders in the Building gets a new lease on life with a knottier sophomore outing that retains the series' core charm and wit.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Amy Ryan
Directed By: Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Jamie Babbitt, Dan Fogelman

Tomatometer icon What We Do in the Shadows: Season 4

#16
Adjusted Score: 101877%
Critics Consensus: Aside from turning this demonic household into Three Vampires and a Baby, What We Do in the Shadows doubles down on what it does best without drastically changing the formula -- and remains fang-tastic all the same.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén
Directed By: Jemaine Clement, Paul Simms, Taika Waititi, Scott Rudin

Tomatometer icon Cobra Kai: Season 5

#17
Adjusted Score: 101760%
Critics Consensus: Deftly managing an expanded roster of punchy personalities, Cobra Kai graduates to a black belt proficiency in heartfelt melodrama and sly humor.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña
Directed By: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, James Lassiter

Tomatometer icon Interview With the Vampire: Season 1

#18
Adjusted Score: 103052%
Critics Consensus: With a playful tone and an expansive sweep that allows Anne Rice's gothic opus to mull like a chalice of blood, Interview with the Vampire puts a stake through concerns that this story couldn't be successfully resurrected.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Bailey Bass, Eric Bogosian
Directed By: Keith Powell, Alan Taylor, Levan Akin, Alexis Ostrander

Tomatometer icon The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 1

#19
Adjusted Score: 102770%
Critics Consensus: Fluidly animated and intelligently scripted, The Legend of Vox Machina is an addictive treat for fans of Dungeons & Dragons-style RPGs.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O'Brien
Directed By: Brandon Auman, Chris Prynoski, Sung Jin Ahn

Tomatometer icon Severance: Season 1

#20
Adjusted Score: 107509%
Critics Consensus: Audacious, mysterious, and bringing fresh insight into the perils of corporate drudgery, Severance is the complete package.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, Zach Cherry
Directed By: Chris Black, Dan Erickson, Ben Stiller, Nicky Weinstock

Mo (2022)
Tomatometer icon 100%

#21
Synopsis: Mo Najjar straddles the line between two cultures, three languages and a ton of foolishness as a Palestinian refugee constantly... [More]
Starring: Mohammed Amer, Teresa Ruiz, Farah Bsieso, Omar Elba
Directed By: Mohammed Amer, Ramy Youssef, Ravi Nandan, Hallie Sekoff

Tomatometer icon Reservation Dogs: Season 2

#22
Adjusted Score: 102768%
Critics Consensus: Reservation Dogs has bittersweet bite in its sophomore season as it mines more difficult dilemmas than before with its spiky sense of humor, making for a piquant portrait of a community and a place.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor
Directed By: Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi, Garrett Basch, Tazbah Rose Chavez

Tomatometer icon Harley Quinn: Season 3

#23
Adjusted Score: 101580%
Critics Consensus: Who woulda thought? -- Harley Quinn graduates from a ribald spoof into one of the most heartening additions to the DC canon in a diabolically clever and emotionally textured third season.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, Jim Rash
Directed By: Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Kaley Cuoco, Sam Register

Tomatometer icon We Need to Talk About Cosby: Miniseries

#24
Adjusted Score: 104844%
Critics Consensus: W. Kamau Bell deftly unpacks the Cosby scandal by allowing the conversation to be uncomfortable, yielding a robust examination of the disgraced entertainer and the culture that enabled him.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Gloria Allred, W. Kamau Bell, Lili Bernard, Todd Boyd
Directed By: W. Kamau Bell, W. Kamau Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A. King

Tomatometer icon Station Eleven: Limited Series

#25
Adjusted Score: 104781%
Critics Consensus: Station Eleven rewards patient viewers with an insightful and thematically rich assertion that -- even in the post-apocalypse -- the show must go on.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Daniel Zovatto, David Wilmot
Directed By: Patrick Somerville, Hiro Murai, Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell

Tomatometer icon Black Bird: Limited Series

#26
Adjusted Score: 104937%
Critics Consensus: Dennis Lehane's penchant for authentic grit is on full display in Blackbird, an absorbing prison drama distinguished by its moral complexity and elevated by an outstanding ensemble.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Taron Egerton, Ray Liotta, Greg Kinnear, Sepideh Moafi
Directed By: Dennis Lehane, Taron Egerton, Michaël R. Roskam, Bradley Thomas

Tomatometer icon Atlanta: Season 3

#27
Adjusted Score: 97479%
Critics Consensus: Atlanta takes Paper Boi and his entourage out of Georgia, but this inspired third season proves that the more things change, the more they stay weird.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz
Directed By: Dianne McGunigle, Donald Glover, Paul Simms, Hiro Murai

Tomatometer icon The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 1

#28
Adjusted Score: 131515%
Critics Consensus: It may not yet be the One Show to Rule Them All, but The Rings of Power enchants with its opulent presentation and deeply-felt rendering of Middle Earth.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur
Directed By: J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay, Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene

Tomatometer icon Russian Doll: Season 2

#29
Adjusted Score: 102743%
Critics Consensus: Not all of Russian Doll's gambles pay off in this ambitious and thrillingly audacious second season, but the show's willingness to take risks is often its own reward.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee, Annie Murphy
Directed By: Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland

Tomatometer icon The Old Man: Season 1

#30
Adjusted Score: 102049%
Critics Consensus: The Old Man is just as intrepid and spiky -- and derivative -- as younger action heroes, with Jeff Bridges lending invaluable gravitas to this bone-crunching thriller.
Synopsis: ... [More]
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat
Directed By: Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz, Warren Littlefield, Robert Levine

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