The 22 most anticipated TV series of 2022

Even as we’re subjected to another season of the pandemic (and yet, ??), we have to acknowledge the ways in which the start of 2022 differs from the beginning of 2021. for everything from TV premieres to going outdoors, 2022 has multiple vaccines and firm premiere dates for exciting series (debuting and returning). Programmers are giving us plenty of reason to hope, too—2022’s premieres include epic fantasy series, a few ripped-from-the-headlines stories, intriguing new anthologies, a long-gestating adaptation, and the return of two great FX shows.Still, The A.V. Club had to narrow down the list to our 22 most anticipated shows of 2022. Even if some of these dates should change, or shows are bumped, we remain confident that the wait, however long it should be, will be worth it.

James Gunn brings ’s douchebag villain/hero Christopher Smith a.k.a. Peacemaker (John Cena) to the small screen with this spin-off. The show both explores his origins as a peace-loving menace, and follows him around on missions with a new team set after the events of the movie. Cena clearly had fun playing the antihero in the film, and hopefully expands on his exciting, weird performance here. Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma also star. [Saloni Gajjar]

The American dream is in its infancy in The Gilded Age, a lush new period drama from creator Julian Fellowes. As the nouveau riche Russells, Morgan Spector and Carrie Coon are determined to breach the most insular circles of New York City in the 1880s, but they find a formidable opponent in Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn, a Dutch-American socialite intent on thwarting social climbers. If you’ve still got an appetite for , The Gilded Age offers them in spades. Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, and Blake Ritson co-star.

There’s already been a fair amount of rubbernecking over Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape—including —but this limited series dives deep into the story of one of the first viral videos, hinting at the cracks in the marriage between the Baywatch star and the Motley Crüe drummer/libertine along the way. Lily James and Sebastian Stan have given themselves over to the makeup/wardrobe teams; now it’s time to see how well they capture the essences of two of the biggest celebrities of the 1990s. [Danette Chavez]

Part of Shonda Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal, Inventing Anna is based on a 2018 New York Magazine article titled “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People.” The limited series charts how scam artist Anna Sorokin tricked New York’s rich and famous into believing she was a German heiress, conning them out of $275,000 in the process. ’s Julia Garner plays the titular role, starring alongside Anna Chlumsky, Laverne Cox, Katie Lowes, and Arian Moayed. [Saloni Gajjar]

Ben Stiller’s dark new workplace drama takes a novel approach to the notion of work-life balance: A group of employees at Lumon Industries undergo an experimental procedure that “surgically divides” their work lives from their personal lives, both of which begin to unravel. The technology is ultimately dehumanizing (not to mention, it sounds like something that’s just a year away from being implemented at some mega-corporation), but with Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, and Escape At Dannemora’s Patricia Arquette in the cast, we’re anxious to see how Severance unfolds. [Danette Chavez]

Series creator and star Pamela Adlon redefined the coming-of-age comedy with , a show marked as much by its trenchant observations on working motherhood as its increasingly dreamy direction. So it was a bit disappointing to learn the show’s fifth season will be its last, especially when in all of us, no matter our age. But we can take some comfort from knowing that Adlon, who’s challenged herself with each new season, will undoubtedly pull out all the stops for Sam Fox and family’s last hurrah. [Danette Chavez]

Remember when pop culture was obsessed with Elizabeth Holmes and the downfall of her health tech company, Theranos? Hulu finally has a drama about that drama, with Amanda Seyfried (replacing Kate McKinnon) in the lead role. The Dropout is based on the podcast of the same name by ABC Audio, and tracks the rise and fall of Holmes from a revolutionary entrepreneur to a fraudster. The show’s star-studded lineup includes Naveen Andrews, William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalfe, and Alan Ruck. [Saloni Gajjar]

Atlanta’s spectacular second season ended in 2018, so we’ve waited a long time to see ’s Earn (Donald Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (Lakeith Stanfield), and Vanessa (Zazie Beetz) back in action. Glover, who is also the series creator, has remained hush-hush about what to expect in season three. What we do know is this: It will consist of 10 episodes, was filmed in Europe, and the expectations are sky-high. [Saloni Gajjar]

Despite its title, Amazon’s epic fantasy adaptation doesn’t center on the events or involve many of the characters from the book and film series that share its name. This Lord Of The Rings show is set in Middle-earth’s Second Age, thousands of years before Bilbo or Frodo set out on their respective journeys. Still, as readers of The Silmarillion will tell you, this is a rich era for storytelling (and not just because it’s the longest): It’s when the Rings Of Power were forged, and the Last Alliance Of Elves And Men took on Sauron. J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are first-time showrunners, but there’s no lack of inspiration from the source material. [Danette Chavez]

Zahn McClarnon nearly stole the show on as tribal officer Big, but now the alum has been cast as the co-lead of AMC’s Dark Winds adaptation. Based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee books, this Western noir-thriller sees Leaphorn (McClarnon) and Chee (Kiowa Gordon) investigate a double murder grisly enough to make them challenge their own spiritual beliefs. The series is created by Graham Roland, and counts George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford among its executive producers. But the real draw for us is McClarnon, who plays mentor to Gordon on and offscreen. [Danette Chavez]

Even though our anticipation for a prequel is tempered with a healthy dose of skepticism, this impending adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood still rates a spot on this list. Set 200 years before the flagship series, House Of The Dragon follows the waning Targaryen dynasty, led by King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), with Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) next in line. We can expect much of the same intrigue and bloodshed as the original series, and for the matter of succession to be a very contentious affair. [Danette Chavez]

Young newcomer Iman Vellani suits up as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Muslim superhero in Ms. Marvel. The six-episode series follows 16-year-old Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teen from Jersey City who is obsessed with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Once she gains shape-shifting abilities, Kamala struggles to fit into the world as a budding superhero herself. Vellani is set to reprise her role in 2023’s Captain Marvels, so it will be exciting to see how the show not just introduces her masked personality, but also how it fits into Phase Four of the MCU. [Saloni Gajjar]

Of the three Star Wars series debuting this year, The Acolyte is both the most shrouded in mystery—and the most intriguing. Plot details remain scarce; we only know that the show is set in the final days of the High Republic, and there will be an “emergence of secretive dark side powers.” But our interest has been dialed up by serving as showrunner; the co-creator’s approach to the material makes room for fans old and new, and for stories both familiar and novel. [Danette Chavez]

Showtime is peeling back the curtain on the private and political lives of powerful First Ladies over the years in its new anthology drama, The First Lady. The first season follows Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson) during their respective tenures in the East Wing of the White House. The show tracks their journeys by interweaving stories and timelines, unpacking how certain world-changing decisions were made by these dynamic, powerful women. [Saloni Gajjar]

At its core, , tackling weighty issues between audience laughing fits and commercial breaks. So it’s not that much of a leap for Peacock to re-envision the show as an hour-long drama, one inspired in part by . Bel Air does follow in the original’s footsteps by casting a newcomer (to acting, anyway) in the lead role: Jabari Banks, who was handpicked by Will Smith himself. [Danette Chavez]

Min Jin Lee’s sweeping epic Pachinko, a 2017 finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, follows a Korean family across multiple generations and countries, as they confront racism, imperialism, and their own past. This adaptation seems every bit as considered, with a production that spanned two years and a cast that includes Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha, and Anna Sawai. season one alum Soo Hugh serves as showrunner and writer/executive producer for the series, which sounds like it will shift the focus to younger characters like Hana (Mari Yamamoto). [Danette Chavez]

Created by Jessica Gao, She-Hulk will continue to expand the MCU’s Phase Four by introducing Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), the cousin of Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Jennifer is a lawyer specializing in cases involving superhumans, and can turn into a large and powerful She-Hulk herself. The first season consists of 10 half-hour episodes, with Tim Roth reprising his Emil Blonsky/Abomination from . Jameela Jamil, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Ginger Gonzaga, Josh Segarra co-star. [Saloni Gajjar]

The late Anne Rice birthed the modern vampire, and though the film franchise based on The Vampire Chronicles stalled out, her vision never really left the popular imagination: The “vampire as horny aesthete/moody loner” has permeated pop culture. AMC is going back to the source with this new series, from Perry Mason showrunner Rolin Jones. Louis du Pointe du Lac (Game Of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson) and Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) will hunt and spar once more, along with Bailey Bass’ Claudia. Alan Taylor, another Game Of Thrones alum, will direct. [Danette Chavez]

Neil Gaiman’s legendary comic book series is finally getting a live-action version. Set in 1916, The Sandman follows Morpheus, a.k.a. king of dreams (Tim Sturridge), who gets captured in an occult ritual. After being held captive for 105 years, he escapes and sets out to restore order to his kingdom, Dreaming. The cast includes Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, and David Thewlis, while Gwendoline Christie steps into the devilish shoes of Lucifer. [Saloni Gajjar]

As is increasingly the case for prestige series from high-profile creators/directors, Cabinet Of Curiosities is bursting with top-notch talent: Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Lincoln, Glynn Turman, Ben Barnes, Elpidia Carrillo, F. Murray Abraham. But the biggest name is in the title: Guillermo del Toro. The Nightmare Alley director is beyond skilled at creating strange and immersive new worlds, so this episodic anthology will undoubtedly have something for everyone. The directing and writing rosters are just as impressive, and include Jennifer Kent, Vincenzo Natali, Lily Amirpour, Catherine Hardwicke, Guillermo Navarro, and Aaron Stewart-Ahn. [Danette Chavez]

The Netflix thriller Pieces Of Her is based on Karin Slaughter’s 2018 novel of the same name. The crime drama examines the complex relationship between Andy Oliver (Bella Heathcote) and her mother, Laura (Toni Collette). Caught in a deadly mass shooting, Laura violently but easily eliminates the threat, shocking her daughter. The incident goes viral, and soon enough murky figures from Laura’s past reappear, forcing Andy to go on the run and piece together a long-buried truth about her family. [Saloni Gajjar]

We’re not getting more , but Apple TV+ might have the next best thing in Roar, a new anthology series from Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. The series based on Cecilia Ahern’s 2018 short story collection of “darkly comic feminist fables.” Fellow G.L.O.W. alums Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin co-star along with Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, and more. The first season consists of eight half-hour episodes. [Danette Chavez]