MediaVillage's Editor & Chief Television and Content Critic Names Top 25 Programs of 2022

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ed Martin, MediaVillage's Editor and Chief Television and Content Critic, has chosen the 25 best programs of the year, that will be published  on the media industry's go to business-to-business education and knowledge platform. The Top 25 are a mix of broadcast, linear, cable and streaming shows.

For the complete list of the veteran broadcast journalist's Top 25 Programs of 2022 -- on ABC, AMC+, Apple TV+, CBS, Disney+, Fox, FX/ Hulu, HBO, HBO Max, NBC/Peacock, Netflix, Paramount+ -- visit MediaVillage.com.  

"It's hard to believe these annual Best of the Year lists used to be limited to ten programs," said Martin. "I could easily add at least ten more outstanding shows from 2022 to these Top 25. In keeping with tradition, we want this to be a list unlike any other you will read."

Excerpts of Ed Martin's commentary on his Top 13-25 programs of 2022 are below.

Pam & Tommy (Hulu) -- This limited series about the tumultuous '90s-era relationship between rocker Tommy Lee and actress Pamela Anderson (during her Baywatch heyday) and the ordeal they endured following the video and online release of their infamous sex tape was sexy, funny, infuriating, thought-provoking.  

House of the Dragon (HBO) -- I'm in the camp that felt that we didn't need more Game of Thrones, as its once-formidable narrative couldn't even hold up during the original's flawed final season. I mean, who needs another battle for the iron seat, with all the attendant ultra-violence? House of the Dragon, though, is slowly proving me wrong.     

Bad Sisters (Apple TV+) -- Series creator, producer, writer, and star Sharon Horgan pulls no punches with the saga of the Garvey sisters, whose troubles began with the sudden deaths of their parents many years ago and piled on from there.  

Andor (Disney+) -- Diego Luna is terrific in the lead role of Cassian, a serious young man of humble beginnings on a path to greater things than he might imagine … not unlike young Luke Skywalker.  

The Dropout (Hulu) -- Elizabeth Holmes, the crafty and calculating young woman at the center of it all, was played to electric perfection by Amanda Seyfried, who took home an Emmy Award for her performance. As with Julia Garner's portrayal of Anna Delvey (another master manipulator) in Netflix's Inventing Anna, Seyfried's triumph was all about the voice.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO) -- John C. Reilly gave what may be the television performance of the year as late team owner Jerry Buss; newcomer Quincy Isaiah excelled in his engaging portrayal of a young Magic Johnson, and the cast included the always welcome Sally Field, too.

This Is Going to Hurt (AMC+) -- It's based on the memoir of former doctor Adam Kay, who left medicine after enduring a particularly traumatic event. He's played by Ben Whishaw, who delivers yet another career-best performance. 

DAHMER: Monster -- The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix) -- Coming off his Emmy Award-winning work in HBO's Mare of Easttown, not to mention his various freaky roles in FX's American Horror Story, star Evan Peters once again proved that he is one of our most versatile young actors.  

Days of Our Lives (NBC/Peacock) -- In September NBC marked the start of the "traditional fall television season" by moving (some say "exiling") its long-running (and only remaining) daytime drama to Peacock (also the home of the wacky Days companion franchise Beyond Salem and the memorable holiday movie A Very Salem Christmas). It's tough to tell yet if this move was fatal for Days or not, or if it has drawn much needed attention to NBCU's streamer.  

Dancing with the Stars (Disney+) -- The other broadcast favorite that was "transferred" to streaming was ABC's long-running competition Dancing with the Stars, which has a new home on Disney+. It was a sensational season (Charli D'Amelio! Shangela! Natasha! Selma Blair's triumph!). 

Garcia! (HBO Max) -- The main character is actually a driven female reporter named Antonia. (It's been a great year for formidable women reporters in scripted shows: See also ABC's Alaska Daily and Netflix's Inventing Anna.) Francisco Ortiz (as Garcia) and Veki Velilla (as Antonia) are just great together.

America's Got Talent (NBC) -- Still my favorite competition show, and, for me, the only broadcast series that makes summer viewing fun.  

Young Sheldon (CBS) -- Now in its sixth season, this underappreciated prequel to The Big Bang Theory remains a unique treasure, shedding ever more insight into the mind of the adult Sheldon Cooper by expanding its focus on the family members who shaped the distinctive grown up that young Sheldon would become.

For Ed Martin's remaining Top 12 programs of 2022, go to MediaVillage.com on Thursday, December 15.

"Every year the media and advertising community looks forward to Ed Martin's top 25 picks as he is among the most respected television/video critics and commentators," said Jack
Myers, founder of MediaVillage.

Martin is currently President of the Critics Choice Association's TV Branch. Prior to joining MediaVillage, Martin was a television critic and reporter for USA Today and senior editor and television critic at Inside Media. He has written features for Variety, TV Line, Advertising Age, Television Week, Broadcasting & Cable and TV Guide. Earlier in his career, Martin was publicity director for Vestron Pictures, where he orchestrated campaigns for dozens of movies, including the Academy Award-winning classic Dirty Dancing. Follow Ed Martin @PlanetEd and read his commentary at Ed Martin Report. 

For press inquiries, contact Diane Stefani at [email protected]. Follow @MediaVillageCom, @PlanetEd, @JackMyersBiz.

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SOURCE MediaVillage