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).

21 of 23 photo by Marvel

Metacritic's Best TV Special of 2022.

While fellow Marvel holiday special Werewolf by Night also received positive reviews, it was the Guardians of the Galaxy who impressed critics the most. James Gunn both writes and directs this one-off TV special based on his Marvel film series that returns the Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista-led cast and finds the Guardians heading to Earth to pick up a Christmas present. And what are they shopping for, you might ask? Actor Kevin Bacon—but he's not going without a fight.

“If 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' really is the end of Gunn’s run with Marvel, then this holiday special is a near-perfect, penultimate film from one of the superhero genre’s best.” —Jordan Moreau, Variety

Watch it on Disney+

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