I'm obsessed with TV.
Murder mysteries. Prestige dramas. Sitcoms. Dark British comedies. The lot.
Thankfully, I've made it part of my ~ personal brand ~ so I no longer feel bad about hiding in my apartment all weekend, watching strangers solve murders on the telly.
This means I've basically watched every new TV show that was released in 2022 and I can tell you exactly what's worth your time and what's not. So, you know, bookmark this page for your future, super-organised self. (P.S. if you'd like to see my weekly recommendations, follow me on Instagram).
Here are the 10 best new TV shows of 2022:
The White Lotus (season two)
While not technically a 'new' series, The White Lotus season two was too bloody brilliant not to include in this list.
When The White Lotus returned for its second season in 2022, the cocktails were even more potent, the one-liners even zingier, and the simmering tension reached a delicious fever pitch.
Set in Sicily, season two follows several groups of American tourists staying at a beachside resort. In the first scene, trophy wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy) stumbles upon a body in the ocean.
For the next seven episodes, we try to find out who meets their watery end as the cocktails get guzzled and the sexual tension reaches a crescendo.
This season is all about sex and power and, of course, a dash of murder.
The White Lotus is streaming on Binge.
Fleishman Is in Trouble
The premise of Fleishman Is in Trouble sounds like a thriller, but the reality is actually much scarier.
The series is created by Taffy Brodesser-Akner and is based on her 2019 bestselling novel of the same name. It follows Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg), a recently divorced 40-something New Yorker who has immersed himself in the weird and wonderful world of online dating.
Just as Toby is... getting his groove back, his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) disappears without a trace, leaving him to look after their two children on his own. Toby navigates this new world order with the help of his friends Seth (Adam Brody) and Libby (Lizzy Caplan).
Fleishman Is in Trouble is a funny and sometimes bleak look at marriage, divorce, and what happens after the 'happily ever after'.
Fleishman Is in Trouble is streaming on Disney Plus.
The Bear
Just like the perfect Italian sandwich, The Bear is layered and meaty and a bit surprising.
The series follows 20-something chef Carmy (Shameless' Jeremy Allen White), who returns to Chicago to run his brother's fledging sandwich business after his unexpected death.
Set mostly in the kitchen of the sandwich shop, the series is whip-smart and unexpectedly funny as it explores grief, addiction, failure, family dynamics, burnout, and what it's like to give up on your dreams.
If you're a fan of Shameless, you'll love The Bear.
The Bear is streaming on Disney Plus.
Heartbreak High
The original Heartbreak High series defined what it meant to be a teenager in Australia in the 90s. It was ahead of its time, with a super diverse cast who tackled big issues in between telling each other to rack off.
Like the original series, Netflix's reboot of Heartbreak High follows a group of students at Hartley High as they navigate friendship, sex, consent, relationships, and family dramas.
A discovery in the first episode makes Amerie (Ayesha Madon) an instant pariah at school, at the very same time her ride-or-die bestie Harper (Asher Yasbincek) dumps her in front of the whole school.
Later she teams up with Quinni (Chloe Hayden) and Darren (James Majoos) as they navigate the messiness of high school together.
The reboot combines the edginess of Euphoria, with the hilarity of Sex Education, all while giving a nod to the original series.
Heartbreak High is streaming on Netflix.
Bad Sisters
Bad Sisters is a wickedly dark series from Sharon Horgan, one half of the brilliantly funny team behind Catastrophe.
The 10-part series follows the story of the five Garvey sisters. There's Eva (Horgan), the eldest who took on the maternal role after their parents died. Ursula, a nurse and sensible mum-of-three, who also happens to be having an affair with her photography teacher. Fierce middle child Bibi (Sarah Greene), and aimless baby of the family Becka (Eve Hewson). And then there's Grace, the only sister who seems to be mourning the premature death of her husband John Paul (Claes Bang).
When the series flashes back six months, we find out why.
Bad Sisters is streaming on Apple TV Plus.
A League of Their Own
When I was a kid in the 1990s, I would watch the original 1992 A League of Their Own at least once a fortnight.
It was one of a handful of movies that would get slipped into the VHS player over and over again.
I loved the tension between Dotti and Kit, the quips between the other players, Tom Hanks' foul-mouthed, disgruntled coach. I would bawl my eyes out during the final 10 minutes of the movie each and every time I watched it.
So when I heard Abbi Jacobson was making a new TV series based on the original movie for Prime Video, I was excited but also a bit... worried.
But I needn't have been.
A League of Their Own tells the stories the original movie couldn't. It takes what was brilliant about the original and makes it even better. It's funny, warm and always surprising.
Just like the movie, the series follows the story of the Rockford Peaches, one of the teams involved in the All American Girls' Baseball League in the height of World War II. It stars Abbi Jacobson, Chante Adams, and D'arcy Carden with sprinklings of Nick Offerman and Rosie O'Donnell.
A League of Their Own is streaming on Prime Video.
This Is Going To Hurt
This Is Going To Hurt is a completely different type of medical drama.
The gritty BBC comedy-drama, which is based on Adam McKay's bestselling memoir of the same name, takes the audience behind the curtain of Britain's much-loved National Health Service (NHS).
Set in 2006 in a busy obstetrics and gynaecology ward in an NHS hospital, the series follows junior doctors Adam (Ben Whishaw) and Shruti Acharya (Ambika Mod) as they juggle abusive patients, horrible bosses, and medical emergencies.
The series shows the horror and the hope of working on a labour ward and doesn't shy away from the more confronting storylines.
It's absolutely brutal one minute, and laugh out loud funny the next.
This Is Going To Hurt is streaming on Binge.
Abbott Elementary
If The Office and Parks and Recreation had a wholesome baby in the middle of the pandemic, the result would be Abbott Elementary.
Abbott Elementary takes us behind-the-scenes of a fictional elementary school in Baltimore, where the teachers are underpaid and overworked, and there's not enough money to buy even the most basic of supplies.
But don't worry, this series is anything but a downer. The "mockumentary" style of filming, plus the Michael Scott-esque principal, the burgeoning love story between two of the junior teachers, and the genuine friendships between the characters mean you'll be laughing out loud one minute and genuinely moved by the wholesomeness of it all the next.
Abbott Elementary is streaming on Disney Plus.
Heartstopper
If Sex Education and Love, Simon had a TV baby, it would be Netflix's Heartstopper.
The series follows 14-year-old Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), who develops a crush on popular rugby player Nick (Kit Connor).
The two boys strike up a friendship which soon develops into something more.
It's a super sweet coming-of-age story about best friends, first loves, and big heartbreaks.
Heartstopper is streaming on Netflix.
Severance
Severance is a dystopian thriller that takes all your anxieties about work and the corporate world and turns them into a true horror story.
Created by Dan Erikson and mostly directed by Ben Stiller, the series follows a group of "severed" employees working at a mysterious company called Lumon.
Mark (Adam Scott) chose to be severed after the death of his wife, in the hope it would lessen his grief. During his work hours, he’s the happy-go-lucky department head of the macro-data refinement division at Lumon, where he and three other employees - Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) - organise some mysterious numbers all day.
But after one of his ex-colleagues reaches out to him, Mark has doubts about what's really going on at Lumon.
After a slow start, Severance builds to a cliffhanger finale that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Severance is streaming on Apple TV Plus.
Bonus Round! The best returning shows of 2022!
Hacks season two on Stan.
Only Murders In The Building season two on Disney Plus.
Succession season three on Foxtel and Binge.
The Wilds season two on Prime Video.
Industry season two on Binge.
Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For her weekly TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
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