50. Roar S1 (Apple TV+) [above]
An illustrious year for mixed-bag anthology series (cf. Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, Netflix). This buried-by-algorithm collection of Cecilia Ahern-derived shorts at least left me with two very fond memories: Merritt Wever's beguilingly odd courtship by duck, and a funny-sad-joyous fable, gorgeously directed by So Yong Kim, in which model-turned-trophy wife Betty Gilpin finds herself literally left on the shelf.
49. Sneakerhead S1 (Dave; UKTV Play)
IFP (Inherently Funny Premise) alert: what if Beats from People Just Do Nothing was promoted to manager of a Sports Direct in Peterborough?
48. The Rehearsal S1 (Sky Comedy; Now TV)
Very clever, unarguably, and made for dissection. But was it funny? (And didn't it need to be funny, to get us around its inherent narcissism?)
47. Only Murders in the Building S2 (Disney+)
A slight return, with a couple of wrong turns (Schumer, Delevingne) and some recommission panic evident in its plotting. But still very good company, and the kind of witty, civilised entertainment for grown-ups the movies seem unable or unwilling to provide right now.
46. Panchayat S2 (Prime Video)
My Death in Paradise, only more sharply written and far better played.
45. Prince Andrew: The Musical (Channel 4; All4)
Approached with much trepidation after decades of cosily toothless Radio 4 musical satires, but - look! listen! - actually witty, catchy showtunes! "Scary" rhymed with "General Galtieri"! Munya as Charles, chinbeard still intact! A fully articulated perspective on what the fuck Britain is still doing with a royal family a quarter of the way through the 21st century! Our Wicked - and the one 2022 show risky enough to have graced Channel 4's anarchic 1982 schedules. (Yes, including My Massive C**k.)
44. Mayflies (BBC Scotland, BBC1; iPlayer)
As streaming series end up with more money and episodes than they need narratively, network shows are going in the opposite direction. (As with everything else in this world, some urgent redistribution of wealth may be required.) This sterling contribution to the debate around assisted dying - smartly drawn from Andrew O'Hagan's novel by Andrea Gibb, and screened over Christmas - had lots in its favour: director Peter Mackie Burns (Brit TV's gain, Brit cinema's loss) worked wonders with his actors, and smuggled The Fall onto BBC1 primetime. But at two hours, it had to rush key plot points to get everybody where they were headed. Always poignant, well observed, and finally very moving; but even with one or two parts more - more time to explore these boys' relationships with their fathers and for farewell letters to be found credibly - it might have been shattering, heartbreaking, unforgettable.
43. Girls5Eva S2 (Peacock; Now TV)
Goofiness - and good-to-great gags - to spare.
42. Taskmaster S13/14 (Channel 4; All4)
The new iron horse of British light entertainment. (And a rarity: a show that makes everyone who goes on it look good.)
41. Bob’s Burgers S13 (Disney+)
The movie was good fun, but the series remains the greater achievement: thirteen seasons in, and still pulling funny ideas and lines out of the sky on a weekly basis.
40. Toast of Tinseltown S1 (BBC2; iPlayer)
Not quite as essential as the UK original - and I'm still not sure any of it was actually shot in L.A. - but it cheered most of us up last January, while giving itself room to run.
39. Am I Being Unreasonable? S1 (BBC1; iPlayer)
Parachuting Daisy May Cooper's chaos into neat-and-tidy Home Counties backwaters: enduringly rewarding. One of the strongest "messy women" variants yet.
38. The Great S2 (Channel 4; YouTube)
In a decade, people will look back and wonder why nobody raved about The Great the way we should be raving about The Great. (That it's pinballed between platforms doubtless hasn't helped.) Turning the first season's verbal battle-of-the-sexes into an actual physical battle was a great day in the writers' room; enlisting Gillian Anderson no harm whatsoever; and all the while, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, two of the best faces on television, continue to act their very socks off. A quantum leap over whatever was going on in The Favourite; anyone bemoaning the absence of knockout romantic comedy from cinemas should be informed this is where it's been exiled.
37. Laughing Out Loud: Canada S1 (Prime Video)
Big Brother with comedians, which wouldn't in itself be a recommendation, except this one winds its way towards a battle-royale showdown between balding improv giant Colin Mochrie and unexpected comeback king Tom Green. (Mae Martin and Jay Baruchel: unimprovably sweet on the sidelines.)
36. The Pentavarate (Netflix)
Speaking of Canadians: nice to see Mike Myers returning to the silliness he does best.
35. Gazza (BBC2; iPlayer)
A fine year for sports documentaries. This BBC two-parter was a marked editorial improvement on 2015’s Gascoigne,
a theatrical release that whitewashed its subject’s own part in
his downfall. But it’s uncomfortable viewing, and the final shot – of Gazza as
he is today, hollowed out by experience – is a genuine spinechiller. Becoming a
legend, it turns out, is easy; handling it another matter entirely.
34. The Greatest Game (Sky Sports Cricket; Now TV)
Thrilling revisit of the England one-day team's 2019 World Cup victory, reviewed for Variety here.
33. Abbott Elementary S2 (Disney+)
The full factory-line second season bore out the comic promise suggested by its pipsqueak predecessor; this ensemble clicks in every combination, and even its sitcom-obligation homilies are informed by hard-won public sector experience.
32. Atlanta S3 (Disney+)
A source of constant internal argument. Why is it telling this story? Why is it going here, there and everywhere? (To Europe, this time around.) A source of constant fascination.
31. George & Tammy (Paramount+)
I gather experts have expressed concern over the levels of dramatic licence deployed in re-examining George Jones and Tammy Wynette's tangled love story, but as a showcase for performance, this was something special. John Hillcoat weaponises the songs; upfront, meanwhile, Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain Joaquin-and-Reese the heck out of their every scene together as a pair of properly lived-in, beat-up, ever more complicated human beings. It goes deeper than Elvis, at the very least.
30. Pistol (Disney+)
Far better than anyone was expecting, Danny Boyle's second go at the Frankenstein story hardly recaptured the danger of its subject or its inspiration, but it had a hilarious mad scientist in Thomas Brodie-Sangster's Malcolm McLaren, and a great deal of energy, wit and cheek besides. Most crucially, it understood why this thrashed-out, occasionally downright ugly music was so vital: as the kick in the pants a lazy, complacent, in places actively rotten country needed. Any resemblance to the Britain of 2022 was presumably wholly intentional.
29. Chivalry S1 (Channel 4; All4)
Smartly prickly, provocative response to all things #metoo, with Sarah Solemani drawing surprising new notes out of Steve Coogan.
28. The Afterparty S1 (Apple TV+)
Care of the ever-inspired Miller/Lord combo, the most enjoyable all-star murder-mystery of 2022, by some considerable distance. (Sorry, Branagh/Johnson.)
27. Better Things S5 (BBC2; iPlayer)
How lovely that the quietest, least demonstrative show on US cable should have ended in such quiet, undemonstrative fashion. To the very end, a secret worth guarding.
26. Ellie & Natasia S1 (BBC3; iPlayer)
I could honestly watch the beauty-salon home videos all day. (And probably wouldn't stop chuckling.) Second series soon please, BBC.
The Top 25 can be found here.
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