In no particular order, below are the best TV shows and movies (and one play) that I watched during 2022. Some new! Some very old! Some super obvious and some less so (hopefully)!
– Severance – Fantastic, dark – I found it to be so original.
– Kate Berlant: Cinnamon in the Wind – I think I’m a lifelong Berlant stan. She is hilarious and smart and. . .seems really nice?
– Southern Charm, Season 8 Reunion – I didn’t even watch most of this season’s episodes but damn if this didn’t deliver all of the drama that I could want out of a two-part reunion.- The White Lotus, Season 2 – Obv.
– Love Island, Season 1 – I finally gave this show a try, going back to Season 1 (from 2015), and despite it seeming 18 years long (so many episodes… so many recaps), I ate it up. Also learned some British lingo along the way (“crack on with it, mate” is a multi-use phrase, as it turns out!)
– Bad Sisters – I LOVE Sharon Horgan and a friend described this show as a being similar to Big Little Lies — with the richly-developed female characters and beautiful houses and clothes — so it was a very easy sell. I really enjoyed it and it (mostly) scratched the itch I’ve been harboring since Catastrophe ended.
– The Rehearsal – I was hesitant (weren’t we all?), but I’m 100% on board. I’ve never simultaneously cringed while laughing so hard I thought I might choke.
– Station Eleven – This show seemed criminally underrated?!
– Jerrod Carmicheal: Rothaniel – Hilarious and surprisingly moving HBO special by a crazy-talented guy.
– Euphoria – I binged this show, hard, and enjoyed every minute of it (my therapist seemed slightly concerned when I told him this).
– Girls, Season 3, Episode 7 (“Beach House”) – I can’t remember why I re-watched this particular episode (it was probably a reference I saw on Twitter), but I laughed so hard. Love everything about it.
– Ralph Fiennes on Watch What Happens Live – This was one of the most enjoyable episodes ever of a show I’ve been watching for years. Something to do with Fiennes’ absurd charm and the fact that he and Andy Cohen are apparently friends in real life led to a great conversation with a lot of interesting tidbits from his long career. I can’t wait to see The Menu.
– Bojack Horseman – I’m still behind, thankfully, on this clever, amusing, and unexpectedly deep show so I turn on an episode whenever I don’t know what else to watch.
– Parenthood – This was a rewatch for me after many years. This movie just warms my heart; it’s like a tasty and comforting after school snack.
– Goodfellas – File this under “obviously,” but I enjoyed this movie way more than I thought possible. Lorraine Bracco is a FORCE.
– Bodies Bodies Bodies – I totally would’ve missed this movie had I not heard one of its actors, Lee Pace, on my favorite podcast, How Long Gone. So funny and fun and creepy and deliciously Gen Z.
– Decision to Leave – Beautiful and very affecting.
– Vengeance – Saw this in theaters and laughed out loud. Super smart. Another one I likely would’ve missed had I not heard B.J. Novak promoting it on How Long Gone.
– Synecdoche, New York – Bizarre as only Charlie Kaufman can do. I’m so happy that I waited this long to see this movie – I was enthralled and I think that had something to do with my particular age at present.
– Heartburn – I thoroughly enjoyed this Nora Ephron movie (she wrote both the screenplay and the book on which its based). I listened to the fantastic biography of Mike Nichols, who directed Heartburn, last spring and it made me want to watch. As a bonus, it’s always fun for me to see DC depicted among the millions of NYC-based films.
– The Tree of Life – This beautiful philosophical Terrence Malick movie had me in a bit of a trance for days.
– My Dinner with Andre – My dad has been talking about this movie my whole life and now that I’ve finally watched it, I see why. Months later I’m still contemplating different parts of the winding conversation that is the heart of the film.