Some of My Favorite TV Shows and Comedy Specials of 2022
2022 seems to have come and gone in a flash, and I got to watch a whole lot of great stuff this year. I saw some fantastic movies, but it kind of seems like my favorite film list is similar to most you’ll see, so I wanted to tune you in to some of my favorite shows and comedy specials this year.
This series was mind-blowing! It’s a slow burn that you have to stick with to get the payoff, but boy is it worth it. It stars Adam Scott as a team leader at the super-secret company Lumon, where employees are voluntarily severed from their personal lives. When they enter the elevator to start their day, their minds are switched over to their work selves, who know nothing of what goes on outside, and vice versa. It also stars Patricia Arquette, John Tuturro, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Tramell Tillman, Michael Chernus and Christopher Walken.
We got to do the Severance experience at Comic-Con this year, and attend the show’s panel to get a little insight on what’s to come in Season 2! I can’t wait to see what comes of this show. Season 1 is available to watch on Apple TV+.
Somebody Somewhere
This show was my favorite of the year. It absolutely stole my heart, and I have watched it multiple times to relive the feeling it gave me when I first watched. The series stars comedian Bridget Everett as Sam, a middle-aged woman who returns to her family home in Kansas after the death of her sister, and the impending rehabilitation of her mother. Sam is finding herself again amid a restart, and learning that her voice, and her best friends have been waiting for her right where she left them. She is joined in the cast by Jeff Hiller, who plays her best friend Joel, Mary Catherine Garrison as Sam’s picture-perfect sister Tricia, Mike Hagerty as Sam’s father and stoic Kansas farmer Ed, and Murray Hill as newfound friend Fred Rococo, a university soil scientist/master of ceremonies. Season 1 is available to watch on HBO Max, and Season 2 kicks off on January 13.
The Bear
As Stefon would say, this series has everything. It’s high-intensity, the acting is top notch, and it’s a true underdog story. The Bear stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmen, aka Carmy, a guy who returns to his hometown in Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after having worked in the finest restaurants in the world. The episodes are filled with high-octane adrenaline rushing scenes that accurately depict working in the stressful environment of food service, with a dramatic familial backstory that ebbs and flows with the show’s tide. The series also stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Oliver Platt, and Jon Bernthal. Season 1 of The Bear is available to watch on Hulu.
The series based on the classic movie that everyone loves had a lot of odds stacked against it, as fans would undoubtedly measure the series against the near-perfect film. But this show took off running on a whole new playing field. While the 1992 film was great in its own right, 30 years later, the series is able to crack open a whole new facet of the LGBTQIA+ story, and dove even deeper into the inequity of the black women who were not allowed to play in the WWII All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Queer representation in the series is huge, and the heart of the series is still right within the incredible stories of women that are bursting from the screen, begging to be told all these years later. The series stars creator Abbi Jacobson along with Chanté Adams, D’Arcy Carden, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Kelly McCormack, Roberta Colindrez, Priscilla Delgado, Molly Ephraim, Kate Berlant, Nick Offerman, and Melanie Field. The comedy, the drama, and the sport itself endeared me to this series, and I can’t wait for a second season. A League of Their Own Season 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
This hilarious and awkward series is everything you could ask for from an Amy Schumer-created show. Schumer stars as Beth, who seemingly has “it all,” but is debating giving it all up, as her life just doesn’t seem to be shaping up to be a great as she imagined. She stars opposite Michael Rapaport, Yamaneika Saunders, Violet Young (who plays the flashback version of Beth’s teen self), Laura Benanti, and Michael Cera. Schumer’s Beth is real and relatable, just what you’d expect from the comedian, maybe in a subtler, quieter way, but one that rings true as ever. Season 1 of Life & Beth is available on Hulu.
Moses Storm: Trash White
This was one of my favorite comedy specials of the year. Moses Storm is such a lovable weirdo with such a fresh telling of his weird life and the stories that made him who he is. The final story is the ultimate payoff, and I look forward to seeing more from him. Moses Storm: Trash White is available on HBO Max.
Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune
Best watched as a direct follow-up to her 2020 special, Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty, this was a fantastic telling of Fortune’s life through the pandemic. Her delivery is unmatched, and she immediately feels like the best friend you grew up with catching you up on life. I got to see her perform this set live in anticipation of her Netflix special, and it’s just as she described it. We watched it live, then saw the final product on Netflix and said, “Yeah, better.” Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune is available to watch on Netflix.
Taylor Tomlinson: Look At You
This special had me crying I was laughing so hard. I had to go back and watch everything I could from Taylor Tomlinson, as she became my new favorite comedian on the spot. This special talks so openly and honestly about mental health, meds, relationships, and growing up. I immediately felt a kinship to Tomlinson, and knew I had to share this special with everyone. Tomlinson is just one of the funniest comedians out there, and this was my favorite special of the year. Taylor Tomlinson: Look At You is available to watch on Netflix.