There have been some seriously brilliant shows coming out of almost every network and streaming service in 2022 – and we’re not going to lie – we’ve been obsessed! From sci-fi hits to sweet rom coms, check out our favourite shows of 2022 so far…
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Four Lives – ITV
The series, starring Stephen Merchant and Sheridan Smith, is a heartbreaking true-crime story, which follows the four men who were killed by murderer Stephen Port. What we particularly liked about the show was how, unlike many true-crime series, the story focused on the victims’ families' fight to uncover the truth of what happened to them following a flawed police investigation – rather than the harrowing details of the horrific killings themselves.
WATCH: Did you watch Four Lives?
Magpie Murders – BritBox
Agatha Christie fans rejoiced when this charming, quintessentially British series hit BritBox. Telling a two-fold story, the show follows an editor who tries to find answers into the murder of her bestselling author by reading his book… where the detective is also trying to solve a murder that seems to mime real life people and events.
Shining Girls – Apple TV+
Elisabeth Moss stars in this adaptation of a novel of the same name, which follows a newspaper archivist who can’t quite keep track of her own reality – and finds the chance for answers after realising that a recent murder mirrors her own attack six years previously – which is also when time began to shift around her. A time twisty crime thriller, this one will have you hooked.
Bridgerton – Netflix
While season one had us hot under the collar thanks to the spoon-licking Duke of Hastings, season two gave us a classic Austen taste of pure yearning with the romance of will-they-won’t-they pair Kate and Anthony. If season one had fun with the ‘fake relationship’ trope, season two was certainly all about ‘enemies to lovers’ and we loved to see it. Someone give that bee an Emmy nomination.
The Time Traveller’s Wife – HBO/Sky
The new series adapted by Stephen Moffatt certainly captured the hearts of its viewers as it looked at the complicated love of Henry and Claire, who struggle with the moral dynamics of time travel – and therefore meet throughout their lives in the wrong order. A flawed adaptation? Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean we’re any less intrigued to find out what is going to happen next!
Big Boys – Channel 4
This charming comedy takes a brilliant look at sexuality, grief and mental health – all packaged in the joyously funny experiences of a university student processing the death of his father. Based on the real-life experiences of comedian Jack Rooke, it will have you laughing and crying in equal measure.
The Tourist – BBC
Well, well, well. The Jamie Dornan series is a completely bonkers thrill ride from the first minute, as it follows the Fifty Shades star as a man who wakes up in hospital with no idea of his own identity – but knowing that he is being hunted. While trying to discover who he is, he makes unlikely allies with a small town police officer and a waitress who appears to know plenty about his past.
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Stranger Things season four vol I – Netflix
While we wait impatiently for volume II to drop, let’s just say that the first part of season four was most definitely worth the three-year hiatus since our last visit to Hawkins. In volume I, our favourite gang is back to battle perhaps the most terrifying monster they have ever faced – and we’re not just talking about Eleven’s school bully, Angela.
Moon Knight – Disney+
Just give Oscar Isaacs all of the awards already! This MCU series is perhaps their best one yet (or at least up there with WandaVision), as it follows a confused man named Stephen, who discovers that he is actually the alter ego of Marc, a mercenary who has pledged himself to an ancient Egyptian god to do his bidding.
Severance – Apple TV+
A genius moral question makes for a truly fascinating series from Apple TV+ and director, Ben Stiller, as the story follows a group of co-workers who have opted for having the ‘severance’ procedure, in which workers forget their personal lives while at work, and forget their working lives during their free time – leading the worker versions of themselves to live in an eternal office purgatory. With nothing quite as it seems and perhaps one of the greatest season finales ever – this is most definitely worth the watch.
Heartstopper – Netflix
Welcome to 2022’s most adorable, wholesome series, as it follows school students Nick and Charlie, who become unlikely friends before discovering a romance between them. While Nick comes to terms with his bisexuality, their friends are also understanding and celebrating what it means to be queer. The only bad thing about this one is that it should have been released much, much sooner.
This is Going to Hurt – BBC
Sometimes a show can uniquely rip out your heart, and none on the list managed it more than this surprisingly heartbreaking medical series. Based on the comedy novel by Adam McKay about his time as a junior doctor, Ben Whishaw’s portrayal, and the introduction of his struggling student doctor Shruti, this was a fantastic portrayal of the trials and tribulations of working for the NHS.
Slow Horses – Apple TV+
This spy novel adaptation starring Gary Oldman might have flown under the radar – but must be one of 2022’s strongest contenders for truly excellent TV. The show follows a group of MI5 agents who have been relegated to the lowest of the low work after messing up in a variety of different reasons – but when a student is kidnapped by white supremacists, the group of misfits find the clues to the case in their hands.
Derry Girls – Channel 4
The third and final season concluded our favourite gang’s adventures in Derry – and what an ending it was. In the third series, Claire, Orla, Erin, James and Michelle and up to their usual tricks as they deal with the usual trappings of teenage life – while living in a community finding a way forward following the Troubles.
Life After Life – BBC
A masterful adaptation from the novel by Kate Atkinson, this Groundhog Day-esque series follows Ursula Todd, a woman living through WWII who lives her life repeatedly, with her choices leading to different fates – as well as a distinct sense of déjà vu. The beautiful series looks at the heartbreak and joy of life as we follow Ursula through her reincarnations – and we can’t recommend it enough.
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