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).

8 of 23 photo by Courtesy of George Carlin's Estate/HBO

85 George Carlin's American Dream (HBO)

(#13) After tracing the legacy of Garry Shandling in 2018, Judd Apatow examined the life of another legendary comedian for HBO this year. In this new two-part documentary, Apatow teams with co-director Michael Bonfiglio for a look at the life and career of the late George Carlin. Interviewees include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, Bett Midler, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Sam Jay, and more.

“George Carlin’s American Dream effectively shows all sides of Carlin—a class clown, a rebel, a former idealist, a husband, a loner, a father, an artist—and reiterates his lasting legacy as a talented comedian who keenly understood the human condition.” —Clare Martin, Paste

Watch it on HBO Max (2 episodes)

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