2022 was a fairly disappointing year for TV with multiple franchises money-grabbing and turning their backs on their original fanbases. I could go on, but instead I’d like to share five shows that I loved this year.

Andor

Andor is the most recent television series from the Star Wars franchise and follows Cassian Andor (from the Rogue One film) on his journey to becoming a rebel.

After being disappointed by Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even some of the last season of The Mandalorian, I didn’t expect anything from Andor. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch a show about a character whose ending I already knew, even if he came from the best Star Wars film from the past few years. But my husband and I decided to at least try it out.

After the first episode, I turned to Jon, laughed, and said, “Why is this actually good?”

I maintained the same surprise throughout the entire show as it continued to demonstrate great writing and acting. Even the ending was great, which the franchise has notoriously failed to achieve lately.

I have a few theories about why the show succeeded where the others failed. First, I think the writers were given more free rein with a story that didn’t feature such important characters as Boba Fett and Obi-Wan. This may be why the story is more creative, bold, and unique. The show drips with passion and love from the writers rather than hesitancy and fear of not pleasing the audience. Where Boba Fett and Obi-Wan failed to raise the stakes when they needed to, Andor lets bad things happen. Where Boba Fett and Obi-Wan tip-toed around around plot holes hoping you wouldn’t notice, Andor feels real throughout.

The one complaint I have heard from others is that Andor is too slow. If you haven’t watched it, I recommend changing your genre expectations. This is not a fast-paced action/adventure story but a drama that follows several lead characters through espionage, heist, spying, and political intrigue. Yes, it can be slow, but this is because it takes its time building the world, the characters, and the tension.

I believe even people not fond of Star Wars would enjoy this show and how it demonstrates human resiliency against adversity. There are no Jedis here to save the day–just ordinary people fighting for their freedom.

Stranger Things: Season 4 (Vol 1 and 2)

I’ve been following this show since it came out and loved the first season. If you didn’t like the first season–move on. If you liked it but didn’t love seasons 2 and 3–keep going! The second and third seasons didn’t hit me like the first season, but the fourth finally turned back around. Not only does it feature the DND scare of the 80’s (which I personally found funny as a DND player), but it also has a great villain and twists.

Despite the writing being great all around, I did not expect the violence to be so disturbing. If you are bothered by body horror, you might want to skip this one. I can’t unsee–or hear–some of the scenes, even though I tried to close my eyes through some of it. If you can manage to close your eyes–and plug your ears–on time, this will hopefully be made up for by the more lighthearted moments between the characters we’ve grown to love.

Watch the trailer for Season 1 here!

Cobra Kai: Season 5

Cobra Kai is a dramedy about the grown-up adversaries from The Karate Kid, Danny and Johnny, who open rival dojos. I thought the concept was cheesy, and the re-surfacing of an old franchise unnecessary. When I watched the first few episodes, I realized that it was cheesy–and yet somehow I couldn’t stop watching it. It has that delightful kind of cheesiness from the 80’s. Unrealistic and sometimes overly dramatic, the show knows what it is and does it surprisingly well. It carefully integrates two generations and highlights their differences in a way that makes it a good family show. It has themes on violence and peacemaking, and it always addresses both sides of a conflict, rarely making anyone out to be a total, unredeemable villain. And, if you loved The Karate Kid, it has a nostalgic element as well.

If you haven’t seen the show, you can watch the trailer for Season 1 here!

The Extraordinary Attorney Woo

I love almost everything about this K-Drama on Netflix about an attorney with autism. It is cozy, heartwarming, funny, quirky, and creative. My only hesitation has been its representation of autism, which is sometimes stereotyped and glorified. Because Attorney Woo is a savant with high-functioning autism who was able to earn a prestigious degree and a position as an attorney, it can sometimes feel like the show wants us to view Woo as a kind of strange superhero. This can also make it feel like autism is being used as a tool to add interest to the story.

However–and this is a big however–the show also addresses the difficult sides of autism, even bringing in other characters from other parts of the spectrum to show these contrasts. It also is filmed in South Korea where this story may be important to share to raise interest in autism and ask important questions about mental illness.

That said, I love the show. It is adorable, romantic, and thought-provoking. I highly recommend watching it in the original Korean with English subtitles.

MST3K Season 13

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is a weird show to describe to anyone who hasn’t seen it. Since it started in the late 80’s, the show has unearthed the worst movies ever made and added jokes to make them enjoyable to watch. The concept is that a man was kidnapped by evil scientists in space and then forced to watch bad movies as an experiment. To make the movies palatable, the man made two robots out of spare parts to joke around with.

I have been a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 for many years, watching them mostly on Youtube, and I was thrilled when the show returned with Seasons 11 and 12 on Netflix. They are my favorite seasons because the jokes are more current. Unfortunately, the show was canceled by Netflix. Though you can still watch Seasons 11 and 12 there, which I recommend, you have to buy Season 13 on their website, The Gizmoplex. The website also has many of the old seasons available for free and in much better quality than the Youtube versions.

While Season 13 didn’t have as many watch-again movies, it is still worth watching. Unlike the other seasons, it has three different hosts, including Jonah from Seasons 11 and 12, Joel, the creator of the show, and Emily, the newest host.

Somehow, this show has become a cozy winter show for me and my husband. It’s quirky, cheesy, and hilarious. If you’ve never watched it, I recommend starting with Mac and Me from Season 2.

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What shows did you love from 2022? What do you look forward to watching in 2023?