Thomas Storai 
Thomas takes a retrospective look back at the biggest hits of 2022 to share his top 10 TV series of the year!
2022 has been another great year for films but it has also been a great year for TV series. New Marvel series, new Star Wars series, and plenty of Anime and drama. It was hard to make just a top 10 but I have managed to do it, not without pain. So, which ones made it to the top?
10 – SASAKI AND MIYANO (SEASON 1)
Sasaki and Miyano is a wonderful and heartfelt love story. It is a slow-burn Boy’s Love that knows how to captivate its audience with engaging characters. From start to finish, it has been an absolute blast to watch this series. And the story is not over yet, a sequel film will be released next year!
9 – THE HANDMAID’S TALE (SEASON 5)
The Handmaid’s Tale is one the most relevant series of the past few years. Sometimes, it has even been really scary to see how close the United States was to become something like Gilead. Season 5 is a powerful exploration of June and Serena as their lives are changing for the worst. And it does set up exciting things for the final season.
8 – MOON KNIGHT (SEASON 1)
Moon Knight is unlike anything we’ve seen before from the MCU. It’s a psychological thriller with a touch of Indiana Jones, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I love how the series balances different genres to create something truly unique. At its heart, it’s an in-depth character study and Oscar Isaac delivers a mesmerizing performance. It is the best MCU series.
7 – FANFARE OF ADOLESCENCE (SEASON 1)
Fanfare of Adolescence was the best of the Spring Anime season. It is a sports anime about horse racing. But as usual with the GREAT sports anime, it is so much more than just about the sport itself. It is a profound story about human connections. In fact, it is about love and friendship. From impressive visuals to a thrilling score by Hiroyuki Sawano, this anime has everything to seduce you.
6 – STAR WARS: THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT (SEASON 1)
Boba Fett made a triumphant return in The Mandalorian season 2 leading to his own series The Book of Boba Fett. I wasn’t a fan of the character before. For me, he was the most overrated character in Star Wars. However, thanks to Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and Robert Rodriguez I changed my mind. They gave this character depth. He is more than just a badass who shoots people. He is an actual fully fledged character with a story. And this is what makes the difference. Having Temuera Morrison play him also helps. I’m half Polynesian so obviously seeing someone like me on screen means so much. In fact, Boba Fett has become one of my favorite characters in the Disney+ Mando-Verse.
This series is like The Mandalorian season 2.5, I’m saying this in a good way. When Kennedy talked about it after season 2, she did describe it as the next chapter in The Mandalorian‘s story. I love how the Mando-Verse tells this fantastic interconnected story. And The Book of Boba Fett delivers in a lot of ways. Indeed, it brings back fan-favorite characters and features a lot of action-packed scenes while balancing it with character development.
Furthermore, it features the best live-action episode of Star Wars – Chapter 6 From The Desert Comes A Stranger. It’s the live-action debut of Cad Bane and the return of Cobb Vanth. More importantly, it gives us an interaction between Ahsoka Tano and Luke Skywalker. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. And this interaction happens on the planet Luke builds his academy. It’s a very Japanese and Chinese setting which I absolutely love. From striking visuals to great surprises, The Book of Boba Fett has it all.
5 – STAR WARS: OBI-WAN KENOBI (SEASON 1)
If you had told my eleven years old me back in 2005 that I would see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker again, I wouldn’t have believed it. And yet, 17 years later, it did happen. The tears of happiness of seeing my heroes again will forever be engraved in my memory. The Obi-Wan Kenobi series is a captivating adventure that gives us exactly what we want and so much more. It is filled with so many great moments for us Prequel fans. – the return of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, more of Jimmy Smits’ Bail Organa, the Emperor Palpatine, more of Aldeeran, more of Mustafar.
When Kathleen Kennedy announced the series she said that it would feature the rematch of the century between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. And, it sure does. We get the most epic lightsaber duel since Revenge of the Sith! Moreover, this series explores Obi-Wan’s life at a time he is broken so there is a lot of depth to that story.
4 – OZARK (SEASON 4)
Ozark has been an enthralling and incredible series. Jason Bateman leads an outstanding ensemble cast. This man is just as good at comedy as he is at drama. This final season ended the way it started, with a bang. It is the perfect example of how you make a conclusion.
3 – WESTWORLD (SEASON 4)
Westworld has been the most creative series of the past decade. For four seasons, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have challenged their audience by creating rich and complex stories with multi-layered characters. It’s an analysis of what it’s like to be human, in our society while incorporating science fiction elements with the hosts who long to be free of mankind’s grasp. Season 4 is the most deeply moving season. And even though, it wasn’t originally meant to be the end, it does bring a satisfying closure to this story.
2 – HEARTSTOPPER (SEASON 1)
Moving forward, I think that Heartstopper has opened the way for more European/American series and films to tell LGBT stories the way Alice Boseman did. By that, I mean more stories that deal with post-coming out and that depict the different people of our community. And just as important, stories that are inspiring and positive. This is what we deserve. Representation matters.
Also, the fact that we are going to spend two more seasons with Charlie, Nick, and their friends makes me extremely happy. At the end of season one, there is still so much to tell about these characters. After all, there are four volumes of the graphic novel and a fifth and final one coming out next year. Thus there is a lot to explore!
1 – FIRST LOVE (SEASON 1)
First Love is an epic love story that spans over 20 years with marvelous visuals and heartfelt performances from a stellar cast. It will make you cry, melt your heart and make you go through so many different emotions. Simply put, Yuri Kanchiku has created a masterpiece. Undoubtedly, it is the best series of 2022 (with Heartstopper).
SPECIAL MENTION: STAR WARS: TALES OF THE JEDI
Although Tales of the Jedi didn’t make it to my top 10, I still need and want to mention it. Indeed, it is an absolute joy to watch. This is an incredible series expanding on the stories of Ahsoka and Dooku with mesmerizing animation. Dave Filoni proves once again that he is a master at Star Wars. I think this series is a great companion piece to the Prequels as it adds so much to both characters.
What are your best TV series of 2022? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.
Collectables Editor at Future Of The Force.
Star Wars and Marvel specialist, anime expert
