Top 10 TV shows of 2022: 'Better Call Saul', 'Barry', 'Andor' on the list

Tatiana Maslany-starrer 'She-Hulk' is the first Marvel show in the post-Disney+ era to not only stick the landing but go more meta than even Deadpool could dream of. Previously, MCU shows made by Marvel Studios have either been disappointments from the start ('The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' and 'Hawkeye') or unravelled in the finales after showing some amount of promise ('Loki' and 'WandaVision'). 'She-Hulk' has had a couple of uneven episodes and jokes that did not land, but it pays off the promise of its self-aware, fourth-wall-breaking, and 'legal comedy drama' aspects big time in the finale, titled 'Whose Show Is This?'. It pokes fun at the superhero genre and its timeworn tropes, MCU, and the MCU's architect Kevin Feige himself. 
 

'The Boys' season 3 feels like decades ago (to this scribe, anyway), but it did come out this very year. If not for that baffling, frankly weird 'The Boys' season 3 finale, titled "The Instant White-Hot Wild", that did not mark a significant change in the state of affairs from the last season, I would have heartily recommended every fan of the show to binge-watch the entire thing in one go. It is like finale brought the story back to square one. But then, there is plenty of supe-on-supe action and trademark moments in the hour-long episode that serve as chilling analogues to the real world that make 'The Boys' head and shoulders above any other superhero show at the moment. If action is one of the main reasons you are a fan of this Eric Kripke creation, you would likely have fun.
 

This shows strikes the right balance between the hilarious and the macabre. While the first season was a humdinger, the second, while still very compelling, lacked the oomph factor of the opener. 'Barry' season 3 is another strong entry. This dark comedy continued to delight and horrify in equal measure. This time, Bill Hader's anti-hero went to unexpected places. 
 

'What We Do in the Shadows' follows a group of vampires residing in New York's Staten Island and one of the vampire's human familiar, who brings them unsuspecting human victims for their blood, cleans the place, and introduces them to new-age human concepts. The setup of 'What We Do in the Shadows' should be funny and it is, but it is a one-joke and by rights, the concept should have outlived its raison d'etre long ago, but somehow, it has stayed fresh for three seasons, and continues to feel so in the fourth season.
 

'House of the Dragon' did the unthinkable: it just made Westeros cool again. It is not perfect by any means, and still appears to be finding its feet but it does have in spades what turned 'Game of Thrones' into the best show in the world: clever plotting and characterisation, beautiful cinematography, and cinema-level visual effects.
 

James Gunn's first attempt at television turned out to be a gem. Superbly written and directed, as well as acted by another great cast of actors led by John Cena playing a rag tag team taking on a big threat. Of course, they learn to play well together eventually, and of course they are all compelling and fun. It's Gunn, after all. I hope there is a second season.
 

'The Sandman', the Netflix series that is, respects his source material but the writing is thankfully not worshipful -- something that sunk Snyder's 'Watchmen'. The writers realise that the comic book series was a product of its time and some of the aspects have not aged well. The show both adapts and engages with its source material in meaningful ways. Also, here the writers pick and choose as to what to include, a wise decision as the 'Sandman' storyline is absolutely immense in scope and if every single thing was crammed in 50-60 minutes of television, even some of the major characters will get a shot or two.
 

I was cautiously optimistic and sort of excited about 'The Rings of Power'. Something THAT expensive cannot be all bad, right? And it really isn't. In fact I unadulteratedly love 'The Rings of Power'. I know many on social media do not share my opinion, judging by the trends. It is not flawless, and the purist in me screamed every time the show diverged from the lore -- which is all too frequent -- but the showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay and their team of writers have done something interesting with the bits and pieces provided by Tolkien in the appendices. The world-building is intimate and expansive at the same time. Even in the screeners I was provided with, with all the annoying watermarks, 'The Rings of Power' looked absolutely lush. Ironically, it is so good that even in its episodic form, it looks more suited to be viewed in cinemas than on TV. There are shots of imposing edifices and grand statues that tower over the mountains. There are also familiar vistas showcasing landscapes, hills, valleys, rivers, and faithful recreations of locations like Lindon -- every single frame looks stunning.
 

If you had told me that a show set in the 'Star Wars' universe would be one of the best TV experiences of the year... well, I would have called you crazy. 'Andor' is simply breathtaking, and I am saying that as somebody who found the first episode dreadfully dull and stopped watching it. It was only later, when I read the glowing reviews, I finished it. And it was something entirely unlike the rest of the 'Star Wars' and something that embellishes and enhanced the franchise. 
 

For me, 'Better Call Saul' had already established itself as a spinoff (of 'Breaking Bad') that outdid its parent series. The final season, and its second volume, only had to stick the landing. It did. The finale episode, smartly titled "Saul Gone" but not for the reason you believe, is a masterclass in how to deliver an explosive, crushing end to a story with quiet scenes in which hardly anything appears to be happening. But for those who have been on this journey since the beginning? It's like bidding adieu to a loved one. An out-and-out masterpiece.