Yesterday (June 2), we covered the finest movies of 2022 thus far, as decided by Rotten Tomatoes, and now we’ve moved on to TV.
It has felt, this year more than ever, like there is so much TV it is simply impossible to watch all the good stuff, never mind the shows that might need a season to get into their stride. That means people have got to be more selective and rely on reviews more than ever to sort the good from the bad.
To help you, we've rounded up 2022's finest shows thus far in a straightforward rundown. Now, as you scroll down, you might wonder why these shows aren't ranked. What's at Number Eight? And what's got the coveted Number One spot?
Well, we can't. Why? Because every single one of them has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There's no separating these shows, they're all critical darlings.
You'll need to make time to watch them all...
Hacks
Hacks got off to a great start with a 100% rating for its first season and it has continued its stellar run into its second season, which is also at 100%
Jean Smart, who has been a superb supporting presence in everything from Frasier to Mare of Easttown, is star of the show here.
Smart plays Deborah Vance, a once hugely successful stand-up comedian, who’s unhappy to discover that the head of the Las Vegas casino where she performs wants to pare back her performance schedule.
Desperate to win over new fans, Smart is introduced to Hannah Einbinder’s Ava, a young comedy writer who’s found herself unable to find work after being fired from her job over an insensitive tweet.
As you might imagine, the two don’t get along initially, but when the jokes start to land, everything changes.
Where to stream it: HBO Max (US), Prime Video (UK)
Heartstopper
Everybody who watches Heartstopper seems to fall hopelessly in love with it, critics included.
The show is a coming-of-age drama, adapted from the Webtoon comic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman. Set in the fictional Truham Grammar High School in England, the story follows student Charlie Spring, who falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson. We follow the pair's developing feelings and the lives of their friends and parents caught up in the drama.
Stars Joe Locke and Kit Connor have become overnight sensations, while Olivia Colman has been lauded for her scene stealing support role.
Where to stream it: Netflix (Worldwide)
Troppo
We're heading into the wilds of Far North Queensland for this gripping eight-part series, which has wowed critics.
Adapted from Candice Fox's bestselling novel Crimson Lake, the show stars action man Thomas Jane as disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey, who is recruited by Amanda Pharrell, an eccentric private investigator.
Pharrell has been tasked with helping solve the disappearance of a Korean tech pioneer, a hunt which takes the pair way into the wilds...
All of the reviews of this show have stressed that it's rather meat and potatoes, solid detective fayre, but that they've quickly become totally hooked.
Where to stream it: Amazon FreeVee (US and UK)
Prehistoric Planet
Apple has big bet on dinosaurs for this five-part-epic, which brings together the BBC's Natural History Unit and Hollywood legend Jon Favreau, whose visual effects team from The Lion King have supplied the animations of the prehistoric creatures.
The show is a hugely ambitious offering that seeks to hit the same standards as the BBC’s beloved range of nature documentaries, Dynasties and Planet Earth – complete with a voiceover from Sir David Attenborough and a score from Hans Zimmer.
The series follows the structure laid down by the BBC with Planet Earth in that viewers will be taken to a different habitat in each episode, beginning with Coasts. The show cycles through Deserts, Freshwater, Ice Worlds and Forests, all depicted in stunning detail, 66 million years ago.
Critics have been bowled over by the show's scale and ambition, as well they might be.
Where to stream it: Apple TV+ (Worldwide)
Shoresy
It's only been on Hulu for a few days, but new comedy Shoresy has already won a rapturous reception.
The show follows Jared Keeso's titular character, who moves to the small Canadian town of Sudbury to take a role with a struggling Triple A-level ice hockey team, the Sudbury Bulldogs.
After losing 20 straight games and coming bottom of the league, the team is about to be shut down until Shoresy decides to make a bet that the team will never lose again if he's given a chance to take control. Then everything changes.
A spin-off from long-running Canadian comedy Letterkenny, every review seems to be surprised at just how much they enjoyed the show. Always nice to have surprises eh?
Where to stream it: Hulu (US)
George Carlin’s American Dream
This two-part look at the life and career of comedy legend George Carlin, who is regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comics of all time, has scored maximum points on the reviews aggregator.
Carlin's career, which including hosting the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975, is pored over in detail by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt and Stephen Colbert, while Judd Apatow, who names Carlin as a key influence on his career, is one of the producers.
Where to stream it: HBO Max (US)
Bosch: Legacy
After seven hugely successful seasons playing Michael Connolly's abrasive and effective LAPD detective Harry Bosch, Titus Welliver has taken the character into a new era.
Now, Bosch works as a private investigator and tasked with investigating businessman Carl Rogers, who previously hired a hitman to kill a lawyer Bosch has long-standing ties to.
Critics praised the show's move from Bosch to Bosch: Legacy, in keeping what made the original so popular, but breathing new life into the character.
Where to stream it: Amazon FreeVee (Worldwide)
The Kids In The Hall
The revival of the beloved Canadian sketch show, which ran from 1988 to 1995, has been a win with critics, who've praised its madcap spirit and mix of nostalgia and new ground.
It's also packed with guest appearances, with the likes of Pete Davidson, Catherine O'Hara, Jay Baruchel, Eddie Izzard, Tracee Ellis Ross and Mark Hamill all appearing at one time or another.
Where to stream it: Prime Video (Worldwide)
The Legend Of Vox Machina
Prime Video's adaptation of Critical Role's beloved Dungeons & Dragons webseries has been a big hit with critics.
Set in the fictional Exandrian kingdom of Tal’Dorei, it depicts the adventures of a band of mercenary misfits hired to eradicate a nameless evil entity that’s plagued the kingdom.
Critics, both whose enamoured with Dungeons & Dragons and otherwise, have praised the show's ambition and the camaraderie between the voice cast.
Where to stream it: Prime Video (Worldwide)
