There has been some great television this year, perhaps due to a backlog of shows from during the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. It’s been hard to narrow it down and even 11 doesn’t seem to include everything that I’d like.
These are what I’ve been enjoying on the telly this year.
11. The Responder
The Responder is a , BBC’s five-part series following staring Martin Freeman as a police officer pushed closer and closer to the edge every day by the soul-sapping situations he has to deal with. This is Tony Schumacher’s screenwriting debut, his past life as a copper lending a bleak authenticity to his remarkably lean script – and Freeman is on impeccable form, putting in a powerful performance as a man worn down by the grim realities of his work, but who still wants to do some good in the world.
10. Wednesday
I picked this even though I’ve not completely watched it yet. It’s just a fun show and is all about Wednesday, the sullen, death attached daughter from the legendary 1960’s show, The Addams Family. It’s clever, funny and a few scares but very much in keeping with the original show. Only here Wednesday is expelled from regular school for putting Piranha in a swimming pool of bullies and sent to a Hogswart like school for special or lets just say weird children. It comes with Morticia who I love, Thing who is a bit more ghastly looking than before and Gomes, who so far I feel is a little miscast. And Lurch too, I still do Lurch impressions decades after I first came across him. I do hope Cousin It makes an appearance!
9. Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams
I really like Cricket and I really quite like Freddie Flintoff. Cricket is still so dominated by the wealthy and privately educated. In this three-parter, the famed cricket player wanted to lift the lid on classism in the game. Freddie went back to his hometown of Preston and not a particularly wealthy part of it to introduce a group of initially suspicious local teens to a sport that due its image was the last thing they ever thought they’d like. By the end, it was perhaps the most life-affirming documentary of the year. Just to see how Cricket is really for posh people look to When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress
Some of the players had serious social and behavioural problems but who can forget the young Afghan refugee who Freddie took under his wing and despite not then having a permanent right to remain, is on his way to playing for Lancashire and perhaps one day England. It just goes to show how much talent goes to waste in all walks of life.
8. Sherwood
I really enjoyed Sherwood, part gripping crime drama, part intensely moving rumination on the devastating impact of the 1984 miners’ strike on working-class communities, this massively ambitious six-part BBC1 drama written by James Graham . It also delves into the scandalous deployment of “spy cops” – police officers sent as undercover infiltrators into “radical” communities where they often stayed for years, forging relationships with people who had no idea who they really were. Can you imagine being in a coal mining community and finding out the person you loved was just playing a role? That murder scene in the kitchen is something that I’ll never forget.
7. Yellowstone
I’ve come to the Yellowstone party a little late, mostly because it’s been unavailable here. I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it might be more cowboy but in a way it seems to be a little more Dallas.
Oscar and Emmy winner Kevin Costner is the marquee attraction of the ensemble cast in this drama series, starring as the patriarch of a powerful, complicated family of ranchers. A sixth-generation homesteader and devoted father, John Dutton controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. He operates in a corrupt world where politicians are compromised by influential oil and lumber corporations and land grabs make developers billions. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect, Dutton’s property is in constant conflict with those it borders — an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.
The scenery is expansive, the set of characters are interesting and you never quite know who is being honest with each other. I’ve just finished the second series of Yellowstone so still have quite a lot more to go through. I absolutely love Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton, an evil, manipulative conniving piece of work but she has a way with words and insults that is close to my heart.
6. The Suspect
It follows Doctor Joe O’Loughlin, who appears to have the perfect life – a devoted wife, a loving daughter, successful practice as a clinical psychologist, media profile and a publishing deal. He’s even a hero online after rescuing a young patient who was ready to jump from the tenth floor of the hospital where Joe works.When a young woman is found in a shallow grave in a West London cemetery, veteran police officer DI Vincent Ruiz and his young partner DS Riya Devi are assigned to the investigation. But has the young woman been murdered or is this a case of suicide?As a successful author, Doctor Joe’s opinion is much sought after and when he meets DS Devi he’s only too willing to offer help with profiling and his expertise. Now known for his risk-taking and rule-breaking does Joe have more to hide? His recent diagnosis with a debilitating illness could explain his behaviour. But as the investigation into Catherine’s death gathers pace, we start to ask, do we know the real Joe, or does he have a secret life? And has his work as a clinical psychologist allowed him to develop a criminal mindset? Or worse?
This was a show that had me doubting everything. Having been a huge fan of Poldark just to see Aidan play a different character was such a treat but the journey Joe went through took him and the viewer through a mangle.
5. The English
The Western is a genre almost as old as cinema itself – but Hugo Blick’s 1890-set The English manages to feel completely brand new, thanks to its refreshing tone, dazzling cinematography, and emotional core. Emily Blunt is wealthy Englishwoman Cornelia Locke, who arrives in the States ready to seek revenge, and runs into Pawnee scout Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer) along the way. This is a love story, adorned with humour and violence and an incredibly evocative depiction of the American West as a brutal, lawless place, ready to chew up and spit out anyone who dares attempt to conquer it.
Endless bright blue skies and searing sunshine beat down on the vast sandy landscapes and those trying to survive them, each bloody outburst matched by a show of warmth and kindness. Spencer and Blunt’s chemistry is pure magic, his stillness as ex-soldier Eli matched by her steely determination and soft naivete. As cinematic as small-screen stories can get.
4. The Tourist
Following the finale of Peaky Blinders, The Tourist was the first big hit of 2022 A twisty thriller set in Australia with a man suffering from complete memory loss. Is he good, is he bad? The same can be said of almost every person he interacts with and thats before seemingly random murder attempts and monster trucks. Add in Danielle Macdonald’s show-stealing performance as a gutsy local copper coming out of her shell – plus the adorable relationship that develops between hers and Dornan’s character – and this was a show that wasn’t just packed with action, but which had real heart.
3. Strange New Worlds
What can I say about Strange New Worlds? I am a huge Star Trek fan and this tells the story of the most famous starship in history, the USS Enterprise but before it’s illustrious 5 year mission under Captain James T. Kirk.
It’s a prequel so it has a mix of unknown characters, ones that appeared only fleetingly in the 1960’s but also showing us how certain characters such as Spock and Uhura came to be.
This show all came about because for a series of Discovery, Captain Christopher Pike, Spock and Number One showed up. Captain Pike had appeared in the very first Star Trek episode so is as established as can be but as fans, we know hardly anything about him.
The actors did such an incredible job even as guest characters on Discovery that a huge fan movement got underway that actually made the studios create Strange New Worlds. For 60 years each iteration of Star Trek has changed, varied or not been that close to the original, almost as if the people who ran it couldn’t get out of the shadow of the original show or in some cases even ashamed of it.
Finally, they have given lots of us what we really always wanted, original Star Trek but being made today. They could so easily have messed things up in a multitude of ways but as it happens they achieved a miracle and its pretty good stuff and embraces the ethics and ethos of the original.
2. Tell Me Everything
I just watched Tell Me Everything in the last week and to be honest, at first I watched it for one reason and that being that they filmed chunks of it just across the road from where I live. Tell Me Everything follows 16 year old Jonny Murphy (Eden H.Davies) who, despite appearing to be the life and soul of every party, suffers from undiagnosed depression and anxiety which he does his best to hide from his friends and family.
Then it gets worse when his father dies suddenly and without any forewarning. He bonds with a girl who is also dallying with suicide but for different reasons.
The rest of the show is filmed and set in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire and it feels very authentic to me. A small group of friends in a small town who muddle through making the best of the good times despite the unavoidable bad situations some of them are in.
It could make one laugh and cry within moments of each other and the bond they all had was a little similar to the first year of Stranger Things except here the demons are within themselves rather than actual demons.
It’s filmed very energetically and has a banging soundtrack as you’d expect for a teenage drama. It is just a tremendous show and I would eagerly devour each episode but not watch them all at once as I wanted to mull over what was going on and savour it and wonder what would happen next. I’m so glad that Jonny made it.
- SAS Rogue Heroes
It’s a tough choice but my favourite show this year has been the very recent Steven Knight’s follow-up to Peaky Blinders, SAS Rogue Heroes. It is a thrilling, boisterous ride anchored by a terrific cast. Following the exploits brand new Special Air Service during the second world war, a trio of renegade soldiers in Cairo hatch a plan to attack Nazi supply lines from the desert instead of the sea. Big and brash, it certainly made for rollicking Sunday night viewing.
– Stirling, are you in?
– You stole the parachutes. I will steal an airplane.
I never thought they would make this type of show any more, it was almost like watching a film and the characters had a way of speaking and even being that I loved, some terrific humour and when characters would meet with each other I would be relishing their interactions and then have to pause it and rewatch the scene as it was so good.
– Sir, permission to steal donated food rations from the Australians.
– Permission granted.
The good news is that they are making another batch of episodes.
Theft. I’m afraid theft is something I cannot tolerate, but if we are going to engage, first let me give you a small warning, I am a particular kind of soldier. A commando. I trained with other men like myself, some live only to fight and kill enemy, others are careless you will find and will fight anyone at all. There are mercifully few of us, but in war, we are allowed to be the beasts that we are. We are taught to kill silently, and it becomes instinctive, almost like swallowing, and the cursed thing is, once learned, you can’t unlearn it. Do you understand?
You shake hands with a man, and you can’t help but glance at his throat. Every part of the body is an invitation to be eagerly accepted a s a dog accepts a bone. Eyes are for thumbs to push into the brain. Mouths can be torn open. Necks are a gift, God’s ultimate mistake. Spoons, tea towels, cups of tea, they are all weapons. Everything you touch is a weapon. You are a weapon. If our gentlemen generals had the sense to unleash us, can you even imagine? Ordinary men when they encounter us, are understandably reluctant to make our acquaintance but if you really do insist.
David Stirling
Two others to squeeze in. Firstly Stranger Things of which I was a huge fan in the first year and enjoyed the second. In truth though it seems not to go with the graiut I have enjoyed each series less and less. The very things I enjoyed were the quirky, off-beat, 80’s ness of the first year have progressively given way to bigger budgets, less focussed story telling and a generally bigger scope. It might be for some but not for me.
I can’t quite finish my traditional TV run down without mentioning The Walking Dead. This programme has been a part of my life since it started and I stuck with it to the end. Whilst never quite getting back to the glory of its first few years, following a lean patch and a merciful reshuffling of those behind the scenes, The Walking Dead recovered quite a bit and I felt it would have been understandable to cancel it a few years ago, they should have kept it going now. It too suffered a bit like Stranger Things of continually expanding the scope of the programme when even in the last few hours, all I and most people I’ve spoken to wanted to concentrate on were the older core characters.
Just as I still think of the missing and often dead characters of years gone by, I will miss those that made it to the end. Darryl and Carol had such a special friendship and relationship, in some ways the most realistic I’ve seen on television. And Maggie, what a journey she has been on. I’m really glad Neegan made it. He was such a dastardly character but I loved his swagger and way with words and Lucille… his barbed wire encases baseball bat.
I’m really glad Negan made it as it looked ominous for him either due to his own conscious or due to Maggie. No one could blame her for killing him after how he enjoyed murdering Glen all those years back. When in the last episode he apologised as best as he could and Maggie accepted it as best as she could but still could never forgive him, I thought that was just a wonderful moment.
One last thing, the Doctor Who special episode, great. I especially enjoyed seeing Sylvester McCoy back as the Doctor and his companion. “Are we good professor? she asked him. “We’re better than good, we’re Ace!” he replied back to Ace. For those of us who watched Doctor Who in the 80’s when it was cancelled with no farewell, it was much needed.
What were your favourite shows of 2022 and did you think there were any clangers?
Stephen Liddell 
I was quite pleasantly surprised by “The Gilded Age”. I also enjoyed “The White Lotus”.
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