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Listen, we’re not complaining about having a bit of extra time to ourselves towards the end of the year, but does anyone else find themselves at a bit of a loss over what to do with themselves during that long period between Christmas and New Year?
It doesn’t feel quite right to start binging on festive films once the big day is done with, and the TV schedules are mostly aimed at families so unless you’re an avid Disney fan, finding something on telly is a task in itself.
But here’s a thought. Those extra “Crimbo limbo” days might be a great time to catch up on some of the great telly from the past year you never quite got round to watching.
So perch yourself on the sofa with a cup of tea, some of your Christmas choccies (if there are any left) and dive into one of these now you’ve finally got the time…
Abbott Elementary
This workplace comedy about a group of teachers at a struggling school in Philadelphia has already made a splash across the pond, winning huge acclaim from viewers and picking up three Emmy wins for its first season.
Its mockumentary format and mix of wholesome laugh-out-loud humour and (mostly) loveable characters has drawn comparisons to shows like Parks And Recreation and Modern Family, with its leading star Quinta Brunson (who also created the show and writes it) being singled out for praise.
Trust us, this is bound to put a warming smile on your face when it’s too cold to actually venture outside.
Stream it on: Disney+
Euphoria
At the complete other end of the scale is Euphoria – another show largely set in a school but with a completely different tone and mood.
The Emmy-winning show finally returned for its second season in 2022, and kept us gripped with scenes dripping in tension (Lexi’s play is surely one of the year’s most epic TV moments) thanks to the brilliant writing and performances from the show’s young cast.
It says a lot that a series with themes as heavy as drug addiction, gender identity and even murder still has the power to make us laugh sometimes, too.
Stream it on: Now
Pam & Tommy
Downton Abbey and Mamma Mia! star Lily James underwent an unbelievable transformation to play Pamela Anderson in this new miniseries that had the whole world talking in the first half of the year.
Pam & Tommy focussed on the Baywatch star’s marriage to musician Tommy Lee, with particular emphasis on the illegal theft of their private sex tape, and the aftermath of its publication on both their professional and personal lives.
While Pamela has never commented publicly on the show, reports claimed she was unhappy that it went ahead without her approval, and she’s set to tell her own side of the story in a new Netflix documentary debuting in 2023.
Stream it on: Disney+
Bridgerton
The period drama that smashed records with its first season returned for a second run in 2022 – with a few notable changes.
While the dreamy Regé-Jean Page regrettably stepped down from the show ahead of its second series, the equally-dreamy Jonathan Bailey took centre stage this time around, with his character finding himself in the middle of a love triangle with two sisters who were new to the Ton.
And although some fans were unhappy that the show was decidedly less steamy second time around, it still proved to be a hit with Netflix users – with a third season and a brand new spin-off expected in the year ahead.
Stream it on: Netflix
Heartstopper
Heartstopper was the show we all needed in 2022 without even realising it.
Focussing on the relationship between two teenagers who fall fast for one another after being seated together on the first day of school, the show had an undeniably huge impact, winning praise for its positive portrayal of a young queer relationship and making overnight stars of its young cast.
As well as being both heartwarming comfort viewing and an important milestone moment for LGBTQ+ storytelling on-screen, Heartstopper is also beautiful to look at and boasts an impressive soundtrack of earworms by predominantly queer artists.
If you’ve managed to avoid it this long – give it a go, we promise you won’t be disappointed.
Stream it on: Netflix
Derry Girls
We were gutted when we heard the third season of Derry Girls would be the last, but what a send-off it was.
In the lead-up to the last ever episode, we got more of the fun we’ve come to expect from the much-loved sitcom, before an emotional finale we’re not likely to forget in a hurry.
Admittedly, we’re still a little bit sad that the show has now come to an end, but even just a few months later we can safely say that at least it went out with one of the best TV finales in recent history.
Stream it on: All4
Big Boys
But as the curtain came down on one much-loved Channel 4 comedy, another came charging into our lives.
Big Boys is the brainchild of comedian Jack Rooke, with the show being largely based on his own university days. While it’s primarily a comedy about two unlikely friends – a closeted gay teenager and a mature student who are put together on the first day of term – it also breaks up the jokes with the exploration of themes like sexual identity and mental health.
It more than delivers on the laughs, but there are also surprisingly effective emotional moments throughout, too.
Stream it on: All4
Hacks
Not enough of a fuss is being made about Hacks on this side of the Atlantic, and frankly it’s time for that to change.
The Emmy-winning comedy’s second season debuted this year, once again reuniting acting veteran Jean Smart with burgeoning comedian Hannah Einbinder. Hannah plays a young comic tasked with helping out a veteran performer (portrayed by Jean) with updating her somewhat stale act, with the two not exactly seeing eye-to-eye in the process.
Season two ramps up everything that made the hilarious and cringe-inducing first run such a success, via a cross-country road-trip, a disastrous cruise, a seriously tense confrontation and some suitably camp cameos from legends like Laurie Metcalfe and Harriet Harris.
Stream it on: Amazon Prime
The Bear
With rave reviews and huge viewing figures, The Bear is one of the most successful new shows of 2022.
Jeremy Allen White takes the lead as “Carmy”, an award-winning chef who returns home to run his family’s sandwich shop following the death of his elder brother.
A second season is already in the pipeline, so if you’ve not already been pulled in by this addictive comedy-drama, what are you waiting for?
Stream it on: Disney+
Stranger Things
Stranger Things was pretty much unescapable over the summer, with its fourth season being split up into two batches of episodes between May and July, and after a three-year wait, viewers were more than happy to be streaming the nostalgic sci-fi hit again.
The fourth series introduced new villains, new monsters, new romances – but it wasn’t all a celebration of the new, with Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill ending up topping the UK singles chart almost 40 years after its original release thanks to its prominent position in some of the series’ key scenes.
If you didn’t watch season four and you’re worried you missed the boat – you didn’t. The upcoming fifth series is going to be Stranger Things’ swan-song, and we can pretty much guarantee now it’s going to be unmissable, so take this downtime to see what all the fuss was about before next year sees the curtain coming down on the award-winning show for good.
Stream it on: Netflix
Bad Sisters
When you see Sharon Horgan’s name on the list of writers, you know you’re in for a treat, and we’re happy to say that Bad Sisters does not disappoint.
Part black comedy, part “whodunit?” mystery, part family drama, the Irish series (as the name would suggest) focusses on a group of sisters, who find themselves at the centre of an insurance investigation when one of their husbands, who just happens to be one of the most odious characters we’ve come across in recent history, drops dead.
Full of twists and emotional moments, but also laughs and surprisingly heartwarming scenes, if Bad Sisters has passed you by up until now, this is the moment to find out why it’s repeatedly been hailed as one of 2022′s best new shows.
Stream it on: Apple TV+
House Of The Dragon
The stakes were high for Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon – but it feels like fans’ expectations were met.
House Of The Dragon is action-packed, star-studded and, perhaps most importantly, full of all the graphic sex, grisly violence and, of course, dragons that viewers have become accustomed to.
And while it did occasionally nod to the original source material, it very much stood alone as its own show, so if you wanted to tune in but didn’t fancy the homework of sitting through eight seasons of Game Of Thrones first, we’d still recommend it.
Stream it on: Now
The Crown
Alright, we’re going to be honest. The latest series of The Crown did not hit quite like its predecessors. But with only one more season to go – which will have plenty of royal drama to pack in – we’re not about to give up now.
So, if you put off watching The Crown in 2022, we do recommend catching up on it. No, it’s definitely not the most exciting thing you’re ever going to watch, but we do feel like we learned a lot and Elizabeth Debicki’s performance as Princess Diana is totally deserving of all the praise that has been lauded on her.
And most importantly, we’re confident The Crown will be going out in style next year, and who wants to miss out on that?
Stream it on: Netflix
Wednesday
In a year that boasted the return of Bridgerton, Stranger Things and The Crown, few would have predicted that Netflix’s biggest show would be a teen drama about The Addams Family’s eldest child, that wasn’t even released in time for Halloween.
All we can say is… that’s the power of a good dance sequence.
Stream it on: Netflix
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
We’ve kind of lost count of how many new series of RuPaul’s Drag Race were gifted to us in 2022 (was it really only this year that the queens came back to the werkroom for UK vs. The World?), so we’d forgive even the most ardent of fans for letting one or two slip through the net.
But we have to say, the latest UK series was a true return to form.
The season started off with an interesting batch of queens all offering different parts of what makes UK drag so special, and they were then put through their paces in fresh and fun challenges (we’ll just let that Squirrel Game one slide…) with impressive guest judges all along the way.
Put it this way, this season of Drag Race UK included Joanna Lumley offering her take on a Mr Blobby-inspired runway outfit. And that was only episode one.
Stream it on: BBC iPlayer
The White Lotus
In 2022, screenwriter Mike White was faced with a problem: how do you top an award-winning first season that included scenes of accidental death, rimming and suitcase defecation (we should probably stress these were three separate scenes) all under the same Hawaiian hotel roof? Why, by packing up and moving the whole thing to Sicily, naturally.
For The White Lotus’ second series, Mike shifted the setting to the Mediterranean, introduced us to a whole new cast of characters – plus one iconic returnee – and cranked the drama up to 100.
And while no other show gave us as many meme-worthy moments in 2022 as The White Lotus, that’s not to say it wasn’t also beautifully written, stunning to look at and acted to absolute perfection, with each character revealing more about themselves as the weeks went on. All we can say is: roll on season three.
Stream it on: Now
Harry & Meghan
More than two years after stepping away from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave their side of the story in a two-part docuseries that began streaming on Netflix in December 2022.
Beginning with an exploration of both the Duke and Duchess’ early lives, it also saw them sharing their personal love story, as well as various allegations detailing what led to them making their life-changing decision about their roles within the Firm.
Stream it on: Netflix
The Traitors
It’s been years since a new reality format has come along that’s gripped us as immediately as The Traitors (even Love Island took a couple of years to warm up before it had us fully enthralled).
Mixing the unmissable drama of early Big Brother with the unintentional comedy of The Apprentice, and sprinkling it all with murder-mystery intrigue, not to mention an absolute masterclass in presenting from Claudia Winkleman, the BBC series had us hooked from the word go.
If you’re sick of people going on about The Traitors, we’re sorry to inform you that they are all absolutely right, and if you still haven’t given it a shot, we insist that you go back and stream it immediately.
Stream it on: BBC iPlayer
Happy Valley
Alright, so there obviously wasn’t a new series of Happy Valley in 2022, but there’s a good reason we’ve included the Bafta-winning police drama on this list anyway.
There’s a new series of Happy Valley coming to our screens in 2023 after an almost seven-year wait, with the first episode dropping on New Year’s Day.
So, whether the hit show has passed you by all these years, or it’s just been so long since you watched season two that you’ve forgotten everything that happens, you might want to spend this time before the New Year swotting up so you’re up to speed when series three makes its long-awaited arrival.
Stream it on: BBC iPlayer
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