There was no shortage of compelling TV shows to watch in 2022, from HBO’s return to Westeros in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon to AMC’s final goodbye to Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman in the last season of Better Call Saul. Everyone has their own favorites, but IMDb has crunched the numbers and declared these the top 10 shows of 2022, based on the actual page views of more than 200 million monthly IMDb visitors.
10. Inventing Anna
Between Hulu’s The Dropout, Apple TV’s WeCrashed, and Netflix’s Inventing Anna, 2022 was the year of the scammer on TV. The latter series is about a German con artist named Anna Delvey who scammed New York City’s elite out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was one of the top shows of the year, according to IMDb. It also earned Julia Garner, who played Delvey, an Emmy nomination.
9. Ozark
Netflix’s crime drama starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a couple on the run from a drug cartel who turn to a life a crime dropped its final season in 2022. The conclusion to the saga of Marty and Wendy Byrde clearly resonated with viewers. Ozark snagged the No. 9 spot on this list. It also earned Garner — who played foul-mouthed Ruth Langmore — a 2022 Emmy in the outstanding supporting actress in a drama series category.
8. The Sandman
Neil Gaiman’s beloved Sandman comics finally made it to the small screen in 2022. It stars Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, the King of Dreams, who must restore his kingdom after being released from 100-year imprisonment. The Sandman was a hit for Netflix, which has renewed the show for a second season.
7. Moon Knight
Disney+ continued to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe with new shows in 2022, including She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel. But it was Moon Knight that made the biggest splash. The limited series stars Oscar Isaac as a troubled man with dissociative identity disorder who has a strange connection to the Egyptian moon god Khonsu.
6. The Boys
Prime Video’s bold satire about a world where superheroes have become corrupt celebrities returned for its third season in 2022. The Boys continued to delight fans with its gritty, violent take on “supes” and the vigilantes who want to take them down, making it one of the most popular TV shows of the year.
5. Euphoria
HBO’s drama about a group of troubled high schoolers returned for season 2 in early 2022. The show, which stars Zendaya as teenage drug addict Rue, earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding drama series and the No. 5 spot on IMDb’s list.
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4. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Amazon made an expensive bet in 2022 with its live-action adaptation Lord of the Rings series. Set thousands of years before the events seen in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, the eight-episode series explains the circumstances behind the forging of the rings of power and the rise of Sauron.
3. Better Call Saul
The acclaimed prequel to AMC’s Breaking Bad dropped its sixth and last season in 2022, bringing Jimmy McGill’s story to an end. Better Call Saul‘s two-part final season was a rollercoaster, with multiple shocking deaths, cameos from Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, and a memorable performance from guest star Carol Burnett as the Nebraska woman who upends Saul’s life in hiding.
2. House of the Dragon
HBO’s return to Westeros was one of the most eagerly anticipated shows of 2022. House of the Dragon tells the story of House Targaryen 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It quickly became must-watch Sunday night television, as various bloodthirsty Targaryens jostled for power in King’s Landing.
1. Stranger Things
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Was there any question which show would be No. 1 on IMDb’s list? Stranger Things Season 4 is Netflix’s most-watched show, ever, with well over a billion hours watched. With multiple plotlines taking place in Hawkins, Indiana; California; and Russia, the sprawling season saw Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends facing off against their most terrifying adversary yet, the skin-crawlingly creepy Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
How IMDb determined 2022’s top TV shows
To determine the top 10 shows for 2022, IMDb looked at “TV and streaming series that released new episodes in 2022 and consistently ranked highest on the proprietary weekly TV rankings on IMDbPro throughout the year. IMDbPro rankings are based on the actual page views of the more than 200 million monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide.”
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