The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2022 So Far

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – July 1, 2022

Which newcomers on the small screen have impressed reviewers the most during the first half of the year? In the gallery on this page, we rank the highest-scoring first-year TV shows (including limited series and specials) debuting between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022. Only shows with at least 7 reviews from professional critics are included.

16 of 21 photo by HBO

86 #5 (tie): Somebody Somewhere: Season 1

Comedian Bridget Everett stars in a semi-autobiographical dramedy about a going-nowhere 40-something and would-be singer who struggles to fit in in her Kansas hometown, where she has recently returned, but finds a group of like-minded outsiders. Also starring Jeff HIller, Murray Hill, Mary Catherine Garrison, and Danny McCarthy, the seven-episode first season was created by High Maintenance writers Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen and is produced by the Duplass brothers. Critics praised the low-key, character-driven series (which has been renewed) as heartfelt and naturalistic when it debuted in January.

“Everett and Hiller are the dominant forces within “Somebody Somewhere,” but the supporting cast is compelling. ... If you’ve ever just driven around with your bestie on a Sunday looking for something to do, and what you did was boring but you two connected, 'Somebody Somewhere' captures the singularity of that experience.” —Kristen Lopez, IndieWire

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