The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2022

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 27, 2022

In the gallery on this page are the highest-scoring first-year TV series (including limited series) debuting in the United States between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Shows are ranked by Metascore (an average of grades from top professional critics on a 0-100 scale) prior to rounding based on scores as of December 23, 2022, and any programs with fewer than 7 reviews are excluded. One-off TV specials and made-for TV movies are also excluded (though the best of these is revealed at the end of the gallery, along with a list of the year's highest-scoring returning shows).

2 of 23 photo by Ali Goldstein/Amazon Studios

82 As We See It (Prime Video)

Created by Jason Katims (Parenthood, Friday Night Lights) and based on an Israeli series, Amazon's January dramedy focuses on a trio of twenty-something roommates (Albert Rutecki, Rick Glassman, Sue Ann Pien) who are on the autism spectrum (like the actors who play them). Critics praised the big-hearted show's authenticity and sensitivity, though it wasn't enough to save the series from cancellation in October.

“Yes, it can be a little sweet at times, but it is so generous and genuine that it is hard to judge it for that. As fans of Friday Night Lights may well already know: clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose.” —Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

Watch it on Prime Video (8 episodes)

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