Top 5 TV Shows from 2022

5. Wheel of Time

I know that there are going to be some people who disagree with this one. It isn’t enough like the books, and I agree with that, but I still had a ton of fun with it. I thought that they got a lot of the characters right. And I want to see what is going to happen next. This was never going to be a 14 season series with teenagers, and I don’t think I’d ever have wanted that. But it gave me a look into Robert Jordan’s world and the magic and the turning of the world just maybe from a slightly different universe than the one that he wrote.

And I keep on coming back to it when I talk about it, the casting is really good. The characters are so much fun, and the experience of watching the show, it was almost much watch TV for me. Which, besides Marvel, it’s hard for a show to do that. I still have stuff like Andor, Book of Boba Fett, and Rings of Power on the too catch-up on list.

4. The Witcher

It’s a shame that Henry Cavill is leaving and that like The Wheel of Time, this isn’t closer to the source material. But I am having fun with this series. Henry Cavill is great as Geralt. And while I didn’t like Yeniffer’s storyline at all or her character at all in the 1^st season, she’s a little bit better. I’m still the least interested in what she is doing, but she’s tolerable now. And with where season 2 ended, I want to know what is going to happen next. Even if this is the last season that I watch, I want to know where it is going to go.

3. Locke & Key

Locke & Key is a rare show that got a chance to wrap up on it’s own terms. But I’m so glad that it did, maybe it could have been longer and more keys could have been found. But they did a really good job of wrapping up the story and creating memorable moments. That family has been through so much, and it just worked so well with how the story ended. It makes me want to find another story in that crazy world or something, but also so satisfied with how everything ended.

2. The Dragon Prince

This one might be higher because it was more recent, but I really love The Dragon Prince. And it also might be higher because we watched through the whole series again. This newest season, not a ton happens, really in it, but there is enough fun that it just works. And it had been a while, both in the show and in real life, so it was nice to get to enjoy seeing characters that I love on the screen again. And then of course they are going to have their own dramas as well, but that’s part of the show. And again, they handle some difficult topics very well.

1. Stranger Things

Finally, Stranger Things. I don’t think it’s a surprise. Stranger Things Season 4 was amazing. I’d put it neck and neck with Season 1. The new characters introduced were great. And they really upped the stakes in this season. Not so much in people dying, I won’t spoil who does or doesn’t make it, but just in the level of threat. Which, I must say, is impressive, because they had some massive threats before.

And it was interesting how the three different storylines were really so different this season. Previous seasons they exist but are also closer together. Now they were really spread apart and where it ended, I can’t wait to see how they’ll wrap up the series. Plus they are working on more stuff for Netflix, including in the world of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers that is, so I want to know what will happen that way as well.

What was your Favorite Show of 2022?

Let me know that down in the comments. I will finish up Book of Boba Fett sometime and I do want to watch Rings of Power, Andor, 1899, Wednesday, and more. Which would you start with to catch up? And then I also know there are new shows coming out, that list coming soon, that I’m excited for.

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Umbrella Academy is based off of a comic by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. The main premise of the show and comics are a family of super powered young adults who grew up in The Umbrella Academy. A weird household where their adoptive father trained them into a group of super heroes. But things didn’t go well for long. In season 1, their father has passed away and Vanya is starting to remember what her powers were, meanwhile, Five, one of the siblings, figured out how to time travel and eventually finds out that the apocalypse is about to happen. They have to find a way to put their differences aside so that they can stop the apocalypse. It’s a really fun season and they don’t do that well at stopping the apocalypse. In fact, Five has to jump everyone into the past and they get separated along the way. They find themselves in Dallas in the 1960’s with a number of them landing right around 1963, and Five, of course, finds out that because of something they’re going to do, the apocalypse is going to happen again, just way sooner. They have to figure out how to come together again so that they can stop the apocalypse yet again, and for some reason, their father is in Dallas as well.

Overall, I think that this season is stronger than the first season. The first season starts off quite rough with introducing all of the characters and not much happens for a few episodes. However, I think that the first season maybe had a few more highlight moments. This one tells a great story, but has less that stands out as being quite as fun as a some scenes and characters in the first season. Another way to put it is that while season two is more consistently good across the board, I don’t think there’s really anything bad about it, season one had some higher highs but a bunch of lower lows as well. I do miss Hazel and Cha-Cha though, they were a real highlight from Season One for me.

They did a good job of keeping the characters true to who they were in the first season. I don’t think that anyone has changed massively, though some of them who have been there longer in the past do adjust slightly. I think that Five who is kind of a wild card in season one still maintains that which makes him very lovable and such a good character. I think that Klaus actually takes a little bit of a step back in this one, he was the standout character from season one, and in this one, I think that he’s given less of a role in order to let some of the other characters shine, one in particular, but that’d be a major spoiler. I also think that they gave Diego and Luther more to work with this season, so while Klaus took a step back, you had everyone else maintain or take a step forward.

Final thing I do want to talk about quick is the music. There are some shows that get the music spot on, and this is one of those shows. Everything worked so well in season two, and you get some montages with music that you just don’t expect. And that makes it stand out even more. There are again some spoiler moments that just so work incredibly well. It makes sense that the music is good since the comics were created by Gerard Way, but I’m not sure how much he’s involved in the show. But I’m glad they kept a strong musical influence on the show and I think that they just nail it for this season.

So, is this worth checking out? You need to see season one first, and that can be a bit of a slog, especially early on. I think that if you can get through two episodes of season one it does become more consistent, and I’d say that it’s worth it. But without watching that, season two won’t make that much sense, so just be aware of that. I really enjoy the show and I think that season two is one of the better seasons of a Netflix original show, they go deep with it while still having fun. So, yes, I’d say that it’s worth checking out, just be aware that the show as a whole is a bit goofy, so while it can be serious, it tends to be more goofy than serious.

Did you like season 2 of the Umbrella Academy?

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What Is it About?

Lelouch, in line to be Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, has been exiled to area 11 after his mother was killed. He went there along with his younger sister. He’s held a grudge ever since, and that’s putting it pretty lightly. He is pissed off at his father, the emperor, and is worried for his sisters safety. He’s still a highschool student but it bent on taking down his father. Things start to move faster with his plan than expected when he meets a girl, C2, that the empire was keeping hostage. She’s not normal and gives him the power of geass. This power allows him to, only once, convince someone to do what he tells them to. With that in play, he can start his plan using the rebels from Japan (which is area 11) to draw the emperor out. He soon becomes a power and a faceless mastermind known as Zero. His actions don’t always work as he plans, but with his mind for strategy, he almost always wins.

So How was it?

I liked the show quite well, but I did have some issues with it. With a power like he has, he’s clearly not going to be using it for good most of the time. That causes some issues in terms of consistent tone of the show. It’s a lot about his downward spiral into more and more difficult and destructive situations where he is not the good guy. You realize pretty early on that Lelouch is interested in the safety of his sister, but is much more interested in revenge at any cost. This makes the show very bleak at times, and while you wait for him to be redeemed, it just continues to spiral further and further down.

It’s also odd because it juxtaposes the Zero side of Lelouch versus the face he puts on for the school. There are full episodes that are just silly and goofy. There’s a clear reason for it, otherwise the show would be too heavy,  and it also sets up future consequences for Lelouch. However, it often drags out the show. I personally think they could have cut the number of episodes in half and had about the same impact. It starts to get very heavy and dragging as you know what is likely going to happen and while most episodes do have one or two really interesting moments, it could be cut down for the same impact by a lot.

It’s not to say that it’s a bad show. For a show that is heavy, they do a solid job of never feeling like Lelouch is completely lost and can’t be redeemed, though it keeps on being harder and harder to actually believe that he could be. And the ending is a solid payoff for the series. You have a bit of an ah-ah moment about it while watching the last handful of episodes, and that is something that I always appreciate. Is the payoff in the end worth the amount of time that you’ve put into the show, probably, but like I said above, it could certainly be written tighter and would have had the same effect.

Also, subs versus dubs on this one. I watched it dubbed, so I can’t tell you how it sounded with subs, but I’d guess it would be better to watch it subbed. The voice acting wasn’t bad in Code Geass, it just isn’t great. Most likely it would be more compelling to watch in subs to get the full proper emotion.

Finally, how trope heavy is it and how much fan service is there? This is a pretty adult anime. There is nudity, Zero/Lelouch is trying to take over an empire, so there is a fair amount of violence, and while there isn’t a ton of gore, there’s enough blood and consistent violence throughout the show. So for fan service there is a fair amount, just be warned. However, I do think that Code Geass does a solid job of subverting a number of tropes, especially with Lelouch and how it ends. There would be ways to make it very tropey throughout, and it isn’t too heavy in that aspect. Also, there’s a unique element to this anime compared to most others I’ve watched that moves from heavy to light in terms of the episodes and even during some of the same episodes. It’s interesting to see how it does that, and that’s one of the things that can keep it going.

Final Thoughts

It’s a tough anime for me to really love. I think that there are plenty of solid parts to it that make it quite enjoyable, however, it just takes too long. While the end of the anime subverts a trope, you can really see the telegraphed movements up to that point, and for that reason, it should definitely be shorter, because you know what is going to happen. It would make the ah-ha moments or the what just happened moments stronger as the anime just drags and you don’t get fully wrapped up in it.

Would I recommend it? For a more serious anime fan, I would. I think that I’m at the point where I’m picking up most things that come up, but I know that I’m not catching everything that might make me appreciate it more. However, as I said above, there’s a fair amount of fan service, and there’s a lot of violence, so be warned about that if you do decide to watch it. I’d say that it’s generally worth it for the payoff, and I might right about the payoff in another article about character arcs or something along those lines later. Overall, not bad, could be better, probably worth watching.

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This segment will be similar to “Have You Heard Of…” in that it will mostly highlight stuff from a little while ago, but instead of focusing mainly on obscure stuff, I’ll be using these posts to talk about stuff I’ve finally (FINALLY) gotten around to watching/reading/playing, regardless of category. And for the very first one, we’ll be taking a look at none other than Veronica Mars!

Veronica Mars originally aired from 2004 to 2007 on the CW (and other iterations thereof) and starred Kristen Bell. Looking back on it now, I’m kind of wishing I actually had watched this show when it was current, because it depicts high school students (albeit really farfetched, improbably beautiful, California-y ones), and I was in high school during those years as well. But at the same time, I’m of the opinion that high school is best viewed from a distance, so maybe the nostalgia is better than the potential relatability would have been. As it is, the fashion, technology, and pop culture references take me right back to the best (and cheesiest) parts of my teenagerhood in a way that’s pretty delightful (and that doesn’t make me feel old…nope, not even a little bit…*cough*).

The eponymous character of Veronica Mars is not your average high school student. In between going to class and dealing with the drama that all fictional Californian high schools are rife with, Veronica spends her time solving crimes both small and large. She learned her skills from Keith Mars, her sheriff-turned-private-eye father, who (gratefully or begrudgingly, depending on the day) lets her help him out part-time at his office.

Very early on in season 1, we learn that Veronica and most of her classmates are still reeling from the mysterious murder of Veronica’s best friend, Lily Kane. A year and a half later, the case still haunts Veronica (as does Lily, from time to time). Even though the confessed killer is behind bars, Veronica can’t shake the feeling that they got the wrong guy. That same feeling drove Veronica’s father to accuse Lily’s father of committing the murder. But instead of uncovering the truth, this act gets Keith fired from his sheriff position and consigns him to private eye work.

But while Keith seems ready to let it all go and move on with his life, Veronica’s not so willing to just sit back and let things take their course. As her sleuthing reveals new clues about what really happened to Lily, Veronica starts to think there may be some hope of solving the case at last — and clearing her father’s name. But there are lots of other people — powerful, wealthy people — involved with the case who would much prefer to keep the truth under wraps. Will Veronica outsmart them to find out the truth, or will Lily’s death stay shrouded in secrets and lies?

It took me about 1.5 episodes to fall in love with this show. The first season, at least, is an example of CW content at its best. The characters alone were enough to hook me — Veronica’s just the sort of savvy, witty, adorable person I wish I could be when I grow up, her best friend Wallace is the very definition of a person with a heart of gold, and her biker friend Weevil puts on a tough guy front but is always there to get Veronica out of a jam. Logan, who was Lily’s on-again-off-again boyfriend right up until the time Lily was killed, and with whom Veronica falls out of touch for a while, goes back and forth from dirtbag to charming as heck to an even dirtier dirtbag at a breackneck pace, and was kind of a pain at first, but completely grew on me by the end of the season. Veronica’s dad, Keith, is the daddest dad that ever was, and even Duncan Kane (Lily’s brother and Veronica’s erstwhile boyfriend), who can a little bit of a Ken doll, brings some important pathos to the table.

Beyond the great characters, another thing that really stands out to me about this show is the overall feel of it. One of the main reasons Peder and I started watching this show was because the Xbox game Life is Strange (which Peder wrote about here) reminded him so much of it. We decided it made sense to start a watch-through the show so that he could relive it, and so that I could both see what he was talking about and see what all the fuss over the show itself was about. After seeing the first season and a bit of the second, I can definitely agree with Peder about the tone of the show. While it (thankfully) doesn’t get as dark as LiS does, it has that same dreamlike, surreal quality about it, and the resilient, curious, heartfelt protagonists of each have a lot in common.

The overarching themes are similar as well in that both characters slowly realize that things are much more complex, much darker, and much more unexpected than they seem on the surface. I was relieved to find, though, that instead of taking this idea to its logical conclusion the way LiS does, VM uses this concept to showcase the importance of discovering the truth, and of believing in the strength of your own character and convictions, even (maybe especially) when the rest of the world persists in doubting and misunderstanding you.

As I mentioned, we’ve completed the first season thus far and have started the second. As Peder tells me, the series unfortunately goes downhill for a little while during season 2, since this is when the CW really got its claws into the storyline and took it in a new — and not altogether smart or interesting — direction. However, he also tells me that it’s worth sticking it out through the rough patch, because the show hits an upswing later on and ends well. On top of that, there’s the crowdfunded Veronica Mars movie to watch as well, which I’m told takes the story to a satisfying conclusion, and provides another opportunity to spend some more time with the great cast of characters who populated the show. I can’t wait to watch it all and find out for myself!

Have you seen Veronica Mars? What are some of your favorite memories of the show? Come reminisce in the comments!

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Does thinking of what I can’t get in the midst of all I can get make me a selfish, gluttonous TV-watcher? Definitely. However, I have a feeling I’m not alone in this sentiment. For every show we love that faithfully turns out fresh episodes every season, there’s one that takes two or three years to release anything new (I’m looking at you, BBC…).

So what’s a fan to do during these new-episode droughts? Well, as someone who’s experienced that pain many times over at the hands of shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Outlander, I have a few ideas up my sleeve. Such as…

Rewatch favorite episodes

This one is obvious, but a tried-and-true choice. When your craving for that one great show just can’t be satisfied by anything else, find a way to get a hold of some previous episodes (via on-demand, reruns [if they even do those anymore??], your DVD collection, library copies, etc.) and set up a little “greatest hits” marathon for yourself. Though there may be nothing new to take in, you’ll always enjoy revisiting your favorites, and might even catch something new the second (or third…or fourth…or…who’s counting??) time around. You want to be a bit careful with this one, as it can be a bit of a slippery slope, but it’s a good method to use in moderation.

Try new shows similar to the one you’re waiting for

Unlike my first suggestion, this one allows you to both enjoy the kind of feels you get from the show you can’t watch while getting to branch out and take in something new by watching the ones you can. There are lots of ways to do this — you can use sites like this one that suggest new shows based on ones you’ve seen, you can ask friends who also like the stalled show if they know of any other good ones like it, or you can take the super easy (and somewhat risky) route of watching what Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime/etc. suggests based on your previously watched shows. You’ll likely find this method to be a bit hit-and-miss, but you never know — you just might find a new favorite along the way.

Visit fan forums and sites

With any show hiatus comes a legion of fans who are at turns excited for the new episodes to arrive and outraged that time isn’t passing more quickly until that day comes. And thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to find those legions and have a good venting/reminiscing/speculating session with them. Search for forums and fan pages for the show in question, jump in, and get talking! Besides being a great way to let off some steam, this is also a chance to make friends (even though they’re usually long-distance ones) with people who share your interests. I’ll spare you the obligatory “be careful giving out your info on the internet” speech, as it feels much too 2002-suburban-mom for my taste, but just use a little common sense and go to it!

Write some fan fiction (or do some fan art)!

I can practically see you guys rolling your eyes at me, but hear me out. While this solution may seem to be one for the truly desperate, it’s a really fun and — unlike most other methods — productive way to revisit your favorite show while you’re waiting for new stuff. If you’re artistically or linguistically inclined, try your hand at a little AU fan fiction, draw your interpretation of your favorite scene, or write a story based on what you think is going to happen next in the show (or, better yet, what you wish would happen but know will never actually take place). If the idea of putting pen to paper makes you cringe, search DeviantArt.com or any number of the endless fan fiction sites out there for the great stuff (or not-so-great stuff…hey, we don’t judge) that others are creating. These things may not fill the Game of Thrones-shaped hole in your heart, but they’ll be entertaining at the very least, and could even lead you to generate some great new ideas of your own.

These are a few ideas for things to do while waiting for new seasons of your favorite shows to come out, but I’m sure there are lots of others! What’s your favorite way to combat the show hiatus blues? Tell us about it in the comments!

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http://comicbook.com/2016/01/04/daredevil-season-2-to-debut-march-25th-against-batman-v-superman/

It seems rumors of Daredevil releasing earlier this year than it did in 2015 are true. ComicBook.com has learned from independent sources that Daredevil season two will launch on Netflix on March 25, 2016.

It’s going to be going up against Batman vs Superman with that release date, but probably won’t impact the viewership at all.

P: I don’t know book titles yet, but I know that I want to read more Urban Fantasy books. Also, I want to finish off the Library Wars Manga, which I started over Christmas break; we need to get the last seven.

K: I’d like to read more manga in general — I love manga, but my knowledge of it isn’t very broad yet, and I really want to change that! I’d also like to read more historical fiction; I’m hoping to read at least one more book in the Outlander series (I’m on the fifth one), and after a recent trip to a Norwegian history museum, I’m inspired to read something set in the very early Middle Ages (I’m looking for recommendations, if you have any!). I’m also due for re-reads of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia!

What Shows/Movies Do You Want to Watch/Binge?

P: I’m going to go the Marvel route — I want to binge on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., plus there is a new Agent Carter coming out as well that I’ll need to watch.

K: I’m with Peder on the Marvel — I’m excited to watch all of those! I’d also really like to watch The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and finish the episodes of Scorpion that I missed last year. And as with manga, I’d like to widen my knowledge of anime. Peder got me the whole Soul Eater series for Christmas, so I’ll start with that one — I can’t wait!

What Games Do You Want to Play?

P: I have some kickstarted board games that I need to play — in particular, Ghostbusters. As far as video games go, I need to finally play through all of Tomb Raider, and Divinity: Original Sin.

K: I have a kickstarted game coming my way called Marrying Mr. Darcy that I’m really stoked about. I’m also looking forward to playing Pandemic: Legacy — the original Pandemic is my favorite board game, so I’m excited to try this one! When it comes to video games, I am determined to play more of them in general this year. I want to finish The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and play at least one of the Mass Effect games.

What New Nerdy Thing Do You Want to Start?

P: I want to watch more anime; I’ve enjoyed it when I’ve watched it, but I haven’t watched all that much. So I’ll be watching more anime and reading more manga, like Library Wars and Fairy Tail.

K: I always seem to have a zillion things, but mainly, I’d like to make more nerdy crafts. I’m about to start knitting a Fourth Doctor scarf, and I’d really love to learn how to make amigurumi (crocheted plushies). I’d also love to get back into doing fan art — it’s been a long time since I’ve done much, and I really miss it!

What Do You Want to Do for the Website?

P: I’d like to start writing a story — something that is serialized and that will come out once a month, maybe even as an audio drama. Also, I want to get guest writers coming in and get more articles up on the website.

K: I’m looking forward to joining Peder in creating the serialized story/possible audio drama; I’d also really like to do another podcast series or two. And I’m toying with the idea of doing a little vlogging — we’ll see if we get there this year!

We’d love to hear about your New Year’s resolutions, too! Whether nerdy or otherwise, feel free to share them with us in the comments below! What are you hoping 2016 will bring?

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