The Best TV Series of 2022: Major Delights. Part 1

Difficult in every sense of the year 2022 is moving toward its end, which means it's time to take stock, recalling what pleased and disappointed us on television. Film Academy publication "News Film" offers everyone who loves TV series, read a number of articles in which we have tried to note both liked and failed, in our subjective-objective opinion, projects. Let's start with articles about the main delights of 2022, which will be presented in two parts. We invite all series-lovers to join the discussion and name the best series of the past year.

House of the Dragon (HBO)
To the delight of all fans of the seven and a half seasons of "Game of Thrones," HBO is releasing the first of many announced projects in the George R.R. Martin universe, "House of the Dragon," in August 2022. It's releasing, like its big brother, loudly, in a big way, with millions of first-day views and frequent leaks to the network before the premiere. And "House of the Dragon" managed to take the best from "A Song of Ice and Fire": Miguel Sapochnik, the director of the most large-scale episodes, Ramin Javadi, who gave the world of Westeros a great sound, a lot of dragons and the absence of David Benioff and J.B. Weiss.
Did the House of the Dragon succeed in keeping its face clean? Definitely. Yes, what's happening on screen won't grab us from the first episode. Yes, the time jumps are detrimental to the viewer's perception of events. But once the season reaches the equator, everyone watching the feud between the Targaryens is like a hurricane into the abyss of events and does not let go until the finale. And if they were able to do it with us without any action, but only with quality acting, worrying about the characters and the palace upheavals, then it's scary to imagine what will happen when the real Dance of Dragons begins.

Wansday" (Netflix)
November 23, 2022 was a real treat for movie buffs around the world, revealing a new project on "The Addams Family." This time, the main focus was on the daughter of the iconic characters - Wansday, in honor of which this creation was named. Remarkable is the fact that in the director's chair, albeit for four episodes, sat Tim Burton, of whom there was not a word for more than three years. Watching the series one gets the feeling that we are being plunged back into the late 80's/early 90's movies - Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands - at their best. Black humor, wacky monsters, memorable characters, Danny Elfman's mysterious music, the Thing, in the end, are all there.
The series flies by in the same breath. And no wonder. It's more suitable than any other for passing a gloomy and cold evening. Even though not much time has passed since the release of "Wansday", the series has managed in a short time to be loved by millions of viewers around the world and set a number of local records on Netflix. And the recognition Jenna Ortega has received for her role is more than deserved. Rest assured, you'll remember the Wansday Addams dance for a long time.

Two Hills (Start)
With the development of streaming platforms, the Russian TV series industry seems to have perked up, delivering quality and unexpected projects time and again. Gone are the days of doctors, cops, and "soap operas. It is time for new stories, sometimes quite experimental. No exception and "Two Hills", which falls more under the genre of Utopia, filed under the comedy sauce. In this case, we face a distant future where there are almost no men. Alas, most of them wiped out by a deadly virus, leaving a small handful of lucky ones. However, women were not confused and built their own world without wars, without violence, with ideal living conditions and ecology. "Primates", as they call the remaining carriers of the Y-chromosomes, live somewhere in the outskirts of Moscow, continuing to degrade and resemble animal instincts.
The main mistake one can make when watching "Two Hills" is to take what is going on too seriously, which will prevent one from enjoying it. No, no one here is trying to offend women or men, or any kind of minority. On the contrary, the show perfectly ridicules all the stereotypes, and sometimes even openly "steals" them. If you are ready for this and you are not alien to self-irony, then the show is for you. And where else can the viewer admire the beauty of the local cast? Add to that an interesting plot, unexpected turns, nice visuals (from the selection of costumes to camera work) and you get a project that is definitely worth watching. Give it a chance.

Capture" (BBC)
Information technology is so tightly integrated into our daily lives that today it is absolutely impossible to imagine human life without it. Every day, tons of information, news, good and, more often, negative, are literally dumped on the heads of the inhabitants of the Earth. Distinguishing the truth from the now popular word "fake" is becoming increasingly difficult. The media is chasing after sensationalism, not shying away from anything. Political twists and turns are one of the main sources of this kind of "scoop.
The second season of the series "The Takeover" is still based on the political life of the United Kingdom. After the beautiful first season of the show, there were concerns about the continuation - whether the creators will keep the interest of viewers at the same level. Doubts were dispelled from the first episode. The story accelerates immediately, while expanding, striking the scale of what is happening with every minute. At times the plot even begins to give away mysticism, the suspense sometimes reaches the level of "gems" of the horror genre. Shown the possibility of technological progress does not allow you to relax for a second, scaring the average man. Shown in the second season of the series story becomes a clear demonstration of the progress of IT-technology, and a warning to all mankind of the real danger of information warfare.

The Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
Anyone who is afraid of women's conspiracies, revenge, showdowns, reconciliations, joint hookups and swimsuits - you're not here, you're in a sober and logical series for men. The rest of you can enjoy a grim and angry comedy thriller that will allow you to shed a tear, and make you laugh, and piss you off, and surprise you. Seriously! Did you know that in Britain, or rather Ireland, where the story takes place, there is a tradition of bathing in local bodies of water (I suspect it's straight sea-ocean) in winter? That is, on January 1, people throw themselves into the icy water, then they wrap themselves in blankets and drink tea, some of them hotter. But I digress. We are introduced to five sisters of different ages - the older is almost a mother to the younger. Each has its own life is not without difficulties, but how else?
But there is one problem in common - the spouse of one of the sisters, who managed to piss off each of them properly.  It is interesting that the four sisters selflessly tolerate the creepy brother-in-law out of love for their fifth sister, but when the cup of patience is overflowing, the girls conspire to commit a crime. It's a very gripping show, and it's a binge-watch. It's worth noting that the types, characters, and realities are presented in modern trends - but that's not terrible at all, trust me. I recommend to those who like British projects for their special humor, for the look at the problems in their society, for their own elusive style. The broadcasting critics agree with me - the series was nominated for the Critics Choice Awards-2023.

Very Stranger Things (Netflix)
In 2022, the Duffer Brothers' global hit finally returned with a fourth season and, thankfully, managed to live up to fans' expectations. The plucky team was now confronted by a powerful new villain, Vecna, capable of morally torturing his victims with the most terrifying nightmares. In addition, the cruel Dr. Martin Brenner, played by Matthew Modine, returns to the arena. The creators have ended up with a very ambitious and suspenseful season. The cast continues to shine. Of the newcomers, we especially want to highlight Joe Quinn as the colorful school bully Eddie Munson - for one season the character has fallen in love with millions of viewers around the world. "Very Stranger Things" remains almost a model show for harnessing big budgets on television. Behind the increasing number of special effects is not lost a beautifully soulful adventure for the whole family.

The "Best TV Series of 2022" review article doesn't end there. Look forward to more!