Controversial statement – Was TV better than Cinema this year?

One thing I am constantly amazed at is the sheer volume of terrific TV available to us now. Every time I have a conversation with someone about what they watched this year it almost goes without saying they will name a minimum of two shows that I have not watched.

So with the caveat that some of these might cheat the “2022” aspect slightly based on if I was playing catch up, here we go!

1. Better Call Saul – Season 6 (Netflix)

Better Call Saul’s final season was delivered on Netflix this year in two parts. This season consisted of thirteen episodes to take the show up to a grand total of sixty-three episodes, one more than the show that it spun off from, Breaking Bad.

The thing is though, for all of Breaking Bad’s utter genius, Better Call Saul has been better in every way. This final season should cement the show as one of the all time greats. It should be in every conversation that discusses The Wire, The Sopranos or any other show as the “greatest of all time”.

Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) has been slowly turning into Saul Goodman in front of our eyes across the course of the series and as the black and white post Breaking Bad segments get closer and closer the transformation just gets more and more heartbreaking. Part Two of this season consisted of five episodes predominantly in black and white that land the ending of a TV show better than any other has ever landed. Think of all those complaints and arguments over the ending of Lost or The Sopranos. Well, Better Call Saul is literally perfect in every way.

Bob Odenkirk has had the role of a lifetime and turned in the performance of a lifetime. Creator and writer Vince Gilligan has done the unthinkable and created two of the greatest TV shows back to back. But the unsung hero who should be given so many great roles on the back of this show is Rhea Seehorn who plays the love of Jimmy’s life, Kim Wexler. Seehorn is spectacular.

The final scene should be hung in The Louvre. Perfection.

Greatest TV Show Ever.

2. Midnight Mass (Netflix)

Midnight Mass should not really be here for two reasons. Firstly, this seven episode mini-series released in 2021. But as I said in my introduction, it is hard to keep up and I watched all seven episodes across three nights this year. Secondly, if Vince Gilligan and the team behind Better Call Saul had not released the conclusion to the greatest TV show ever this year then Midnight Mass would have been my number one.

The show is set on an isolated island in North America. The local priest left on a pilgrimage and on his expected return they are instead sent a young and charismatic priest named Father Paul (Hamish Linklater). Also returning to the island are Erin Greene (Kate Siegel) who has recently lost a child and Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) who has just been released from prison following a terrible mistake. Whilst the recent addition of a Muslim family in Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) and his son give some counterpoint to a very Christian community.

The show’s themes explore religion, the zealots who corrupt it and how science still bestows wonder on the beauty of life. The seven episodes feature some profound discussions and stunning imagery. The third episode uses the stations of the cross to explain the juxtaposition of flashbacks within the episode to their meaning in the wider theme of the show. The fourth episode includes a heartbreaking discussion of what death means to two of our characters, one as an atheist and the other as a Christian. Whilst the conclusion gives us a hint at both the darkness and the light of both perspectives.

Co-writer and Director Mike Flanagan was also responsible for the wonderful Netflix series The Haunting Of Hill House and the brilliant Doctor Sleep. He has recently been linked to the possibility of bringing Stephen King’s The Dark Tower to TV which could be a fantastic prospect. I really should go and watch his other Netflix series.

3. Andor – Season 1 (Disney+)

Enjoying Star Wars in the time of Disney and the Internet seems to be an extreme sport these days, but I am going to stick my neck out here and say this is the best entry into the Star Wars pantheon of entertainment since Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I know lots of people seem to hate that film, so lets not get hung up on the fact that I think it is one of the best Star Wars films ever made. Lets focus on the fact that Andor is the best Star Wars TV show to exist so far. Yes I do like The Mandalorian. Yes, Andor is better.

Way back in 2016 Gareth Edwards directed a Star Wars film called Rogue One. It was a prequel movie to A New Hope about the rebels that obtained the plans for the Death Star. In post production one of the co-writers and accomplished director in his own right took over the final assembly of the film – Tony Gilroy. Gilroy would go on to create and co-write this series that gives us an even deeper back story to one of the main characters of Rogue One.

The result is a Star Wars series that focuses on the spark that began the rebellion. It is a measured slow build of a show that focuses on what the tyranny of The Empire does to its people and how certain pockets of them plan to fight back. The show follows multiple story arcs and ends with a lead character who is totally changed from where we meet him.

The fact that it features multiple lead characters that are all believable who have different motivations is a huge bonus. The likes of Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Stellan Skarsgard, Genevieve O’Reilly and Denise Gough give wonderful performances of complex characters that you genuinely want to understand more about.

4. Severance – Season 1 (Apple)

Severance is a fascinating show. My only concern for it is that by being a continuous series instead of a limited one gives it the opportunity to water down such a wonderful start. But lets live in the now and talk about why season one is so good.

The show follows Mark (Adam Scott). A man who has freely entered into the act of severance where you split the personality of your work self and your home self. Every day when he enters the elevator of his work office his personal self disappears and his work self appears. Neither version of himself has any awareness of what the other self does in its time. The result is a brilliant mystery where the two protagonists trying to solve it are in fact the same character. Just a different version of themselves with entirely different perspectives and sets of information.

The music, the stillness of camera and the setting gives the constant feel of uneasiness. What is it that Mark and his team are working on in their basement office?

It also seems to be making fascinating statements about how we are all slaves to corporate life and our jobs. Do we really need our companies as much as they need us? Are those companies trying to cultivate our devotion through a commitment to work/life balance and making a cult of their leadership? Does any of this sound familiar?

I really hope that season two delivers on the great start of season one and does not pull any punches.

5. The English (BBC iPlayer)

This might be the most beautiful thing that I have seen all year. Presented in HDR on the iPlayer it features the most epic landscape shots with spectacular skies and sharp lens flare. But under the utterly gorgeous presentation is the sort of ugly story that seem to make the best Westerns.

The English is a six episode mini series written and directed by Hugo Blick and starring Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer, Stephen Rea, Tom Hughes and Rafe Spall. It also features some memorable cameos from Ciaran Hinds and Toby Jones. The plot revolves around Cornelia Locke (Blunt) who has travelled to America to murder the man she holds responsible for her son’s death. Her serendipitous meeting with Eli Whipp (Spencer), a Native American who served in the US army results in the sort of friendship between two broken individuals that makes for majestic entertainment.

Initially the plot seems labyrinthine as we start to learn the history and secrets of the characters involved. But it is always a joy to watch the story unfold and the result is truly satisfying.

I am not sure if this actually aired on the BBC normally and would be interested if anyone can answer that? I certainly do not seem to remember much fanfare for what is a spectacular show starring a world renowned actress.

6. Barry – Season 3 (HBO/Sky Atlantic)

Barry is a pitch black comedy about an ex-soldier who became an assassin and now wants to give it all up to become an actor. Season 1 was released in 2018 and Season 2 in 2019, but due to certain world events we have had to wait a few years for Season 3. The result is a show that somehow has managed to be even darker than it ever was.

Bill Hader who co-created the show with Alec Berg also co-writes, directs and stars in the show and the result is wondrous. The fact that he somehow manages to get us to sympathise with his sociopath who is trying to obtain a soul feels a little like witchcraft frankly.

If you have never seen it before you have a grand total of twenty-four episodes all running at approximately half an hour. So given the way we consume TV these days, you could probably do that in a week easily. You will not regret it.

7. Stranger Things – Season 4 (Netflix)

Stranger Things felt like a real event this year.

Everyone was talking about the show and its episode running times and Kate Bush was back on the radio and in the charts with “Running Up That Hill”. Talking of those running times, every episode verged on being feature length with Episode Seven coming in at 98 minutes and Episode Nine (the finale) coming in at 139 minutes. But it was all totally worth it.

The first episode did a great job of summarising where all of our characters were whilst the two part drop (as used for Better Call Saul as well) means that Netflix can keep the conversation going and the excitement up.

Perhaps the only complaint would be that the final episode has so many characters to get round it requires multiple endings. But it has certainly set the show up for a bumper finish. Lets hope the Duffer Brothers can deliver on what has been a great show so far.

8. The Sandman – Season 1 (Netflix)

The Sandman was a highly awaited and anticipated comic adaptation and what I loved the most about it was that they seemed to capture the idea of comic story arcs perfectly in amongst perfect casting and wonderful effects work.

The show featured ten episodes that seemed to consist of two story arcs of five episodes. Then just as you finished the show they dropped a bonus episode with two “one-shot” stories. The whole thing replicating how comics deliver their stories perfectly.

Meanwhile the likes of Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, David Thewlis, Gwendoline Christie and Joely Richardson all seemed perfectly cast as their various antagonists and protagonists.

9. The Old Man – Season 1 (Disney+)

A retired CIA agent is hunted down by his old employer whilst he tries to protect the daughter that he has hidden from them.

At only seven episodes long the only thing wrong with The Old Man is that it ends on a cliffhanger of a possible second season rather than wrapping up its storyline. What is good about it more than makes up for that though.

Jeff Bridges is great as the driven ex spy who is being chased by his once friend and partner played by John Lithgow. But by the end of the series it is the women in their lives that seem to have the most interesting characters with Alia Shawkat and Amy Brenneman giving wonderful performances. In fact by the end of the season there is a very real argument for this being Shawkat’s show.

A shout out should also be given to the casting directors Denise Chamian and Jordana Sapiurka for their brilliant selection of Bill Heck as the young version of Jeff Bridges in the flashbacks. It almost feels like they just used a time machine and got the young Jeff to appear.

10. This Is Going To Hurt (BBC)

This Is Going To Hurt aired in February 2022 and it has long stayed in my memory.

Based on the memoir from Adam Kay it follows his life on the labour ward in an NHS hospital. Portrayed brilliantly by Ben Whishaw the show had the ability to make you laugh and cry, quite often within thirty seconds of each other. It also featured a break out performance from Ambika Mod as a young student struggling to keep up with her studies and long shifts on the labour ward.

11. Peacemaker – Season 1 (Sky TV / NOW TV)

Peacemaker is utterly hilarious.

Written and directed by James Gunn and spinning out of his feature film The Suicide Squad it follows the totally insane Peacemaker (John Cena) as he attempts to be a superhero.

Basically bonkers, featuring a hilarious opening dance as a credits sequence, a CGI eagle and a hair metal soundtrack it is exactly the sort of fresh approach that appears to have landed Gunn the job of looking after all DC content going forward.

12. Dopesick (Disney+)

Dopesick was a mini-series where I had to watch it as quickly as I possibly could. Eight episodes that cross cut between multiple years and multiple stories giving us the phenomenal detail of the opioid epidemic in America created by the introduction of OxyContin.

The story is gripping, depressing and tinged with hope. Whilst the cast of Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, Kaitlyn Dever and Rosario Dawson are electric.

13. Moon Knight – Season 1 (Disney+)

Marvel had a pretty middling year by all accounts but for me this was the best thing they did this year and in the main that lands firmly on the performance of Oscar Isaac.

The story itself is fairly unique in that you have a man with split personalities fighting for use of a body that is imbued with superpowers. The personification of that superpower being dependent on what personality has control is a nice touch as well.

Ethan Hawke adds gravitas to a multi levelled villain and all in all you have a far more intriguing superhero story than your average fare.

14. The Legend Of Vox Machina – Season 1 (Amazon)

This was the surprise of the year for me.

If you have ever read any fantasy novel or played Dungeons and Dragons you are aware of the fantasy trope of a band of mercenaries of different races who sport different skillsets who take jobs to earn gold and fame throughout the land. Vox Machina is one such mercenary group and this is the story of their legend.

The series opens with a two part story that introduces us to their various powers and relationships. Whilst the remaining ten episodes takes us on an epic story of a vampiric family who deposed a king and took control of his kingdom. Can the Vox Machina team prevent them from taking over their own kingdom against all odds?

The story is filled with raucous humour and epic action. It is a lot of fun.

15. The Bear – Season 1 (Disney+)

An exceptional young chef leaves New York and the world class restaurant that he works in following the suicide of his brother. His brother has left his restaurant “The Original Beef of Chicagoland” to him in his will. Sinking in debt and with his own emotional baggage can he turn the fortunes of the restaurant around.

The Bear was another big surprise to me this year. Prior to it arriving on Disney Plus I had not heard of it and with a title like that I could not resist. I ended up watching the eight half hour episodes in two evenings and was suitably impressed. The episodes are really high intensity and mimic the pressure cooker working environment of the restaurant. The show has half a dozen interesting characters working in that environment whilst the main focus on Carmen gives a real emotional centre.

Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach who play the two leads are sensational and cameos from Jon Bernthal, Oliver Platt and Joel McHale add strength in depth. Whilst the city of Chicago is an equally big character in the show.

The final episode really smashes it out of the park with an emotional and satisfying conclusion that also allows for a continuation in a second season.

16. Derry Girls – Season 4 (Channel 4)

Derry Girls is another great show that finished this year. The semi-autobiographical tale created by Lisa McGee that follows a group of teenagers during The Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1990’s has always been of high quality and this final season was no exception.

Taking in a Stars In Their Eyes talent contest, a family holiday to Portrush, a high school reunion, a Fatboy Slim concert and the Irish referendum for the Good Friday agreement the show takes in funny and poignant moments.

17. Bad Sisters – Season 1 (Apple)

Bad Sisters is a great showpiece for the talent of Sharon Horgan. Adapted from a Belgian show called The Out-Laws, Horgan co-writes and stars in this hilarious story about a group of sisters who plan to kill their brother in law.

Five sisters, one toxic and manipulative husband and some very poor planning makes for some funny material.

Claes Bang who plays the brother in law is exceptionally good. Heck, even I wanted to kill him as you get to see why each of the women all have their own specific reasons to do exactly that. Whilst Horgan, Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene, Anne-Marie Duff and Eva Birthistle all do well as the tight knit sister group.

Another series that I found myself watching in record time and again being slightly disappointed when they set up a second season.

18. For All Mankind – Seasons 1-3 (Apple)

For All Mankind posits the idea that if the Russians had beaten America in the space race to the Moon that things may have turned out very differently. This was a show that I had suggested to me by my colleagues on the “At The Flicks” podcast that I appear on and I was able to watch Season One and Two in time for the release of Season Three this year.

The result is something far more serious and prestigious than I imagined based on the synopsis. Season One takes us through the 1960’s and early 1970’s as America pivots to include women on their astronaut team as a way to be the first at something, Then Season Two takes a ten year jump to 1983 and an alternate version of the Cold War based on the new timeline. Then Season Three takes another ten year jump into the 1990’s and technology so far forward as a result of the continued focus on the space race that this season covers the rivalry to be the first to Mars.

The show is really fascinating with a large cast of characters who come and go with the progression of time. As it has moved into Season Three it has leant more into science fiction which has interested me further.

The likes of Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Shantel VanSanten and Sonya Walger are the stand outs of the cast members who span the majority of the show.

19. Ghosts – Series 4 & Christmas Special (BBC)

Ghosts is an absolute delight and this year we were treated to a total of seven episodes across Series Four and a Christmas Special.

The premise is that Alison Cooper (Charlotte Ritchie) has inherited a mansion from her family and when she moves in with her husband Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) she suffers a fall and a near death experience that allows her to see the ghosts that haunt the mansion. The result is the sort of warm and cozy sitcom that makes you feel like you are being embraced by a warm blanket. The comedy crosses the spectrum of broad and subtle and the heart involved in the whole thing is splendid.

It is very clear that everyone involved dearly love their characters and understand them perfectly to deliver the exact level of sentimentality and humour. To see just how difficult a balancing act the whole exercise is check out the American version of the show on the iPlayer and you will see how it is a mere shadow of the perfection of this version.

20. Detectorists Special (BBC)

Speaking of heart I was delighted to see an advert for this special over Christmas. The original show ran for three seasons and a special between 2014 and 2017 and ended on a great note. So it was a surprise to see that Mackenzie Crook wanted to return to the characters of Andy (Crook himself) and Lance (Toby Jones).

This hour long special takes place five years later than where the last episode left us and tells us what has happened to Andy and Lance in that time and sets up their next foray into the world of metal detecting. As with my previous entry of Ghosts this is a program where the creators involved love and understand these characters so much that you feel nothing but joy being in their company.

I would highly suggest if you have not seen this show before you check out the twenty perfect episodes that await you on the iPlayer.

And what about..?

Just for the sheer heck of it and to prove how good a year this was for TV here are some more – including almost all of the other Marvel shows released this year.

• The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special (Disney+) – A one hour special featuring Kevin Bacon and a lot of laughs
• She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (Disney+) – A funny, breaking the fourth wall look at toxic fandom
• Werewolf By Night (Disney+) – A one hour special featuring some darker characters in the Marvel universe shot like a B movie
• I Am Groot (Disney+) – Five short films totaling a whopping twenty-four minute run time – but great fun
• The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon) – A huge swing of a show with a huge budget. It featured four interwoven storylines of which only two were particularly interesting. Looked fantastic though.

So what have I missed? What should I be catching up on next year?