The month of September is already over, and it was a month filled with lots of hits on TV, but before we get into that, let's bask in the glory of all the great stuff the four months preceeding it had to offer.
May, June, July and August were months that possessed some of the best of the best among new shows and sequels this year.
Individually, they were quite lacklustre compared to the stacked months I've reviewed in the past, especially in the sequels department, but even among the few we got in these months, there are a bunch of sequels and new shows that literally went viral due to their quality and impact.
I'll be reviewing the sequels of each month briefly, before I cut the cake and rank all my recommended new shows of the past few months.
Leading the pack of May 2022 Sequels comes the 4th season of Stranger Things, a sequel which became a global phenomenon due to its success in every dimension. The season told a multi-faceted story that built up to an incredible climax and face-off against a compelling antagonist, presented in the most glamourous form through impeccable visuals, outstanding acting and beautiful music, particularly the main theme- "Running up that Hill" by Kate Bush, which elevated the experience.
Aside from the popularity it got, the sequel has already claimed Emmy wins to its name, and it's safe to say that all the accolades given to it are very well deserved.
The other amazing sequel from Netflix in the month of May is the 3rd season of Love, Death and Robots, which I've already given a full review and ranking of it's episodes as the visually stunning and innovative sequel that it is.
The third and last sequel from May is the second season of one of the best shows of 2021, Hacks. This dramedy sequel proved to be even more breathtaking than its Emmy-winning first season, given its adventure story filled with high end character development served with lots of hilarious and captivating moments.
The prominent June 2022 Sequels are 6 in number, and to start if off, we've got the third seasons of the big comic book TV hits of 2019, Umbrella Academy and The Boys.
Whilst the former was a straight up messy and narratively disastrous sequel, the latter happened to be a high impact sequel that delivered tons of spectacular drama and action, with the addition of the beloved Jensen Ackles to the cast to spice things up, only dwindling at the end with a finale that's a bit wonky in its resolutions.
Another popular sequel in June was the 4th season of Westworld, which was indeed action packed, but lacked that narrative flare that immersed its fans in its starter season.
The 2nd season of Only Murders in The Building was certainly a sequel that didn't dissappoint, with a new amazing mystery and astounding production values, the season managed to be fervently entertaining, maintaining its signature intriguing and humorous allure throughout its run.
Bringing the thrills to the month of June was the 3rd season of the underrated thriller, Evil. The new season dove a lot deeper into its supernatural explorations with an even more twisted and intense plot than its previous seasons, solidifying itself as a fantasy and not just a mind-fuck in disguise, and it was nothing short of incredible from start to finish.
The last sequel in June was the 2nd season of P Valley that had a plausible progression, only brought down by its loads of unnecessary drama and nudity.
Amongst the Sequels of July 2022, we got the 4th season of the beloved supernatural mockumentary, What We Do In The Shadows. The season while being quite wild and entertaining, it's a major step down in terms of the quality of it's comedy and narrative value.
Speaking of comedy, the third seasons of two popular animated sci-fi comedy shows- Harley Quinn and Solar Opposites also started airing in the month of July, which both maintained the hilariousness and wildness as they're known and loved for throughout their run so far.
Finally, the animated sequel that has outdone all others in the month of July, the second season of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal. It's been a phenomenal sequel to an already amazing show, delivering it's signature fascinating yet dialogue-free narrative, with an episodic splash of spectacularly animated and directed action sequences.
The best and most prominent among the Sequels of August 2022 is the 2nd season of Reservation Dogs. The season retained the smooth flow of events and calm ambiance of the first season, with another deep story filled with character development and impactful moments.
Netflix gave us a double dose of fantasy last month, with the third seasons of Locke And Key and Dota: Dragon Blood which can both be regarded as the least impressive among all seasons of both shows, the latter being foiled by its abominable pacing of an actually plausible premise.
The final sequels on the list are the 2nd season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan that's been pretty amazing so far and the Season 2 of an underrated crime thriller, The Capture, which was completely outstanding, with a new intense storyline that builds up to an epic clash of combustible elements in its crime world.
Enough about the sequels. When it comes down to The New Shows of May to August, even though each month individually didn't have as many hit new shows as months preceeding it, each month delivered its own share of absolutely stunning hits that definitely stand among the best of the year so far.
Each month had a bunch of unforgettable new shows, some being phenomenal yet underrated gems and some completely dominating on a global scene.
It's been four months filled with high quality entertainment on TV in every form, and I'm here to countdown and review every prominent new show that aired in these months.
TOP 30 BEST NEW SHOWS OF MAY TO AUGUST 2022
30) SHE-HULK & MS MARVEL
(Sci-fi, Comedy)
At the bottom of the list comes the two final shows in the 4th phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, She-Hulk and Ms Marvel.
Both of these shows are origin stories, introducing 2 new heroines to the new generation of MCU heroes, the former facing Jennifer Walters, cousin of The Hulk and attorney at law who gained the powers of a Hulk and the latter introducing the Pakistani-American teenage heroine, Ms Marvel.
She-Hulk does have the comedy and action to keep certain fans entertained, but its mishandled story along with its tendency towards overstressing the feminism theme smashes its appeal to the ground.
Ms Marvel does start off great, presenting itself as an artistically brilliant coming of age superheroine origin story with proper Islamic aesthetics, only to dwindle in narrative quality as it progressed into something identical to a cartoon.
29) OBI-WAN KENOBI
(Sci-fi, Action)
Adding to the Disney+ Star Wars TV franchise is Obi-Wan Kenobi, a canon show set 10 years after the events of Star Wars III: Revenge of The Sith, centered on the formerly renowned Jedi Master, dealing with failure as mentor while trying to protect his corrupted former student's children, Luke and Leia Skywalker.
Ewan McGregor's performance was a standout in this show, and it added to the electrifying action sequences, elegant visuals and charismatic use of callbacks and cameos to make this show a real treat to dedicated fans of the franchise. However, the story bore a bunch of narrative inconsistencies that halved the show's overall value.
28) LOOT
(Comedy)
Loot is a comedy TV show on Apple TV+, centered on Molly Novak, who got divorced from a 20 year old marriage with a huge settlement of $87 Billion which she decided to pour into her charitable foundation, facing new struggles along the way.
Maya Rudolph is certainly a charming lead, and while the show is fun and comforting to watch, it doesn't have that additional dramatic pull that'd make its story truly impactful.
27) THE RESORT
(Comedy, Mystery)
The Resort focuses on Noah and Emma, a couple celebrating their 10 year anniversary at the Mayan Riviera resort but got caught up in it's greatest unsolved mystery of a missing young couple 15 years prior. They get determined to solve this mystery, and get intrigued by the many revelations they encounter.
The show is pretty fun, bearing great comedy lead by the convincing performances of Cristin Milotti and Will Jackson Harper, but it falls quite short in establishing the thrills that comes with a mystery setting.
26) THE TERMINAL LIST
(Action, Thriller)
Based on the 2015 novel but Jack Carr, The Terminal List tells the story of James Reece, a Navy Seal veteran soldier who returns home after his team got ambushed on a covert mission, into an even more corrosive situation, having an unknown evil force target him and his family.
Chris Pratt reminded us once again how well he can play the lead of an action-centric show, and although the fight scenes in the show are truly thrilling, making it quite enjoyable, the story didn't in any way distinguish itself narratively from the countless other works of it's kind.
25) RAP SH!T
(Comedy)
The American black comedy TV show by Issa Rae at HBO Max, Rap Sh!t focuses on the lives of a Miami based pair of old highschool friends, Mia Knight and Shawna Clark, who get reunited after years apart and after realizing their talents in the rap game, they decide to form follow a new shared dream and form a rap group.
The show gives off that black community vibe that's precedent in shows of it's kind, such as Atlanta and Issa Rae's Insecure, but in a rather less nuanced form. The show does shine in terms of it's comedy and music quality even though its not on the level of the great shows of it's kind in terms of storytelling.
24) LITTLE DEMON
(Fantasy, Comedy)
The FX animated comedy, Little Demon focuses on a dysfunctional supernaturally inclined family including a demon hunter mother, Laura and her 13 year old daughter, Crissy who was revealed to be the Anti Christ and daughter of Satan. They try their hardest to live a normal life together despite all the otherworldly forces they face regularly.
With one of it's most prominent characters, Laura being voiced incredibly by Aubrey Plaza, the show gives a wild comedic flare to add to all its supernatural extremities and brutality, making it a really fun show, but nothing more.
23) THE ESSEX SERPENT
(Drama, Mystery)
Essex Serpent is a British gothic period drama miniseries from Apple TV+ which is centered on a newly widowed researcher, Cora Seaborne, who moves to a small village in Essex due to her curiosity pertaining the superstition of a mythical creature plaguing that village known as the 'Essex Serpent'.
With a premise that's instantly intriguing the show in its start did a great job of establishing this superstition within a primitive community, backed by brilliant acting by Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston and gorgeous cinematography. With specs like these it ought to be higher on the list, but the story became a bit convoluted along the ending episodes.
22) BECOMING ELIZABETH
(Drama, Historical)
One of the latest new shows from Starz is the period drama, Becoming Elizabeth which tells the story of Elizabeth Tudor, an orphaned teen who becomes entangled in the political and sexual matters of the royal family.
Given that this is yet another work based on the early years of Queen Elizabeth, it's not exactly an original story or the best of its kind, but it certainly shines with its heavily dramatic approach towards its narrative, making every character and conflict something worth beholding.
21) THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY
(Romance, Drama)
The Summer I Turned Pretty is a coming-of-age romance drama from Amazon Prime based on the novel by Jenny Han centered on Belly who reunites with her friends Jeremiah and Conrad, and ended up in a love triangle between the two brothers.
The show gives off that relieving highschool energy in it's romance. Other than that, it gives appreciable focus to its characters, making it a really wholesome show that would've been in higher regard if it had a more authentic story.
20) THIS FOOLS
(Comedy)
The latest Hulu comedy, This Fool is the story of Julio Lopez, a 30 year old still living at home with his mother and works at "Hugs Not Thugs", a rehabilitation center for former prisoners, which his cousin Luis happened to be a part of, to adjust to life outside prison.
It's a pretty enjoyable show filled with lots of heartwarming content given the fact that its central themes are family and philanthropy, but while filled with humor, the jokes are pretty much a hit or miss throughout the series.
19) IRMA VEP
(Drama, Comedy)
Based on Assaya's 1996 film of the same name, Irma Vep focuses on Mira, who travels to France to star in the TV adaptation of a French silent film titled 'Les Vampires' with direction by Vincent Macaigne, in a role which she then struggles to distinguish herself from the more she gets into it.
The appreciation for Cinema is astounding in this show, as every production process of the film is captured immaculately. While this show won't appeal to many given its setting, Alicia Vikander will certainly be irresistible to any viewer due to her spectacular performance.
18) SHORESY
(Comedy, Sports)
Shoresy is the spin-off of the 2016 Canadian hit TV sitcom, Letterkenny centered on fan-favorite side character Shoresy playing in an underdog Hockey team, the 'Sudbury Bulldogs' of Canada, which he struggles to preserve with a vow to "Never lose again".
While the more popular and renowned sports-comedy, Ted Lasso is an uplifting and hopeful story, this show is the antithesis of that, with a cast of ill mannered delinquents willing to go dirty to succeed. The character development in this show is amazing and this adds to the humor to make it a fun show to binge.
17) STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS
(Sci-fi, Action)
Adding to the list of successful entries to the Star Trek franchise is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a story set a decade before the original series which follows Captain Christopher Pike and his crew at Starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701 on a journey to explore new worlds.
The Star Trek aesthetics were stupendously fulfilled in a way that'd no doubt satistfy its fans, with elaborate world building, stellar visuals and a captivating story to satistfy even new viewers.
16) ANGELYNE
(Drama)
Angelyne is a biographic drama miniseries by Peacock TV, telling the story of the mysterious blonde idol who tool over the Billboards of Los Angeles in the mid 1980's, highlighting her entire story as revealed by a 2017 article by Jeff Glasner.
Emmy Rossum stole the spotlight with a dazzling and impeccable performance that made the show a thing to behold. The narrative itself was well handled, fully highlighting an eccentric backstory of a character filled with narcissism and style, including all the struggles she faced before rising to fame.
15) 5 DAYS AT MEMORIAL
(Drama)
5 Days At Memorial is an American medical disaster drama miniseries on Apple TV+ based on the 2013 non-fiction book by Sheri Frank of the same name, focusing on the struggles and difficulties faced by the personnel of the New Orleans Memorial hospital in providing refuge for their community in the midst of a devastating hurricane.
The show is an excellent combination of an apocalyptic biography and a medical-thriller, and its bound to leave a high emotional impact due to its proper execution of tragic drama with splendid acting from its entire cast.
14) THE PATIENT
(Drama, Thriller)
The latest Hulu thriller show, The Patient tells the story of Alan Strauss, a therapist who recently lost his wife and was shockingly abducted by one of his patients, Sam Fortner, who reveals he's a serial killer and compels Alan to curb him of his murderous urges in order to survive.
The setting is pretty authentic, and the role of Alan Strauss adds to the list of drama roles which Steve Carell performed magnificently.
Every episode is short yet packed with thrills and compelling drama that makes it a thing to behold every week.
13) A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
(Sports, Comedy)
A League Of Their Own is an American sports dramedy based on the 1992 film of the same name telling the story of the formation of the Rockford Peaches in the All American Professional Baseball League, particularly focusing on Carson Shaw who left her hometown to chase her dreams of baseball while her husband was away at war, and Maxine Chapman, a black woman trying to make her dream of becoming a pitcher a reality.
This show is excellent both as a sports show and a dramedy, with an all female ensemble cast of delightful and interesting characters. The show shows full appreciation of the game of baseball with its exhilarating plays laced with great humor and it proves how enjoyable women sports TV can be without overexerting the feminism theme.
12) THE SANDMAN
(Fantasy, Thriller)
The Netflix TV fantasy based on the popular 1989 comic by Neil Gaiman, The Sandman tells the story of Morpheus, the Lord of dreams and one of the Endless, who was captured in an occult ritual in 1916, stripped of his items of power and held captive for 106 years. After finally escaping, he embarks on a journey to regain his powers and reconstruct his realm of dreams and maintain its balance with the human world.
The part of the show which this premise covered was really magnificent. A fascinating new supernatural world introduced with flamboyant visuals, and the electrifying performance of Tom Sturridge made what was already an intriguing plot even more radiant. The final arc of the first season however showed a substantial decline in narrative quality, but that doesn't numb the overall value of the show.
11) CHLOE
(Drama, Thriller)
An underrated new Amazon Prime show, Chloe is a six-part British thriller which tells the story of Becky who constantly compared herself to people living perfect lives on social media, particularly her idol, Chloe, who suddenly dies in a supposed suicide, leading Becky who suspects a murder to assume a new identity in order to find out how she really died.
Despite basically having a strong murder-mystery setting, the story focused more on the drama, being something of a character study of Becky, highlighting her struggles both within and outside that case, and Erin Doherty's performance was impeccable in that lead role. The buildup was smooth and eloquent, and when it reached its climax, it got incredibly thrilling.
10) THE OLD MAN
(Action, Thriller)
The Old Man is an FX original thriller telling the story of Dan Chase, a former CIA operative who goes on the run after his life off the grid is disrupted by an attempt on his life by an assassin, and now being hunted down by FBI agent Harold Harper, whom he shares a complicated past with.
The premise does simply present itself as a game of cat and mouse, but the story steadily built up and got more complex with its many plot revelations and twists that just made it much more exhilirating. It also has a bunch of fights and intense sequences that are Impeccably executed, and with the amazing performance by Jeff Bridges, serve a fully heated meal of excitement.
9) DARK WINDS
(Mystery, Thriller)
Dark Winds is an AMC+ crime-thriller show set in 1971, centered on the investigation of a bank robbery in a remote outpost of the Navajo nation near Monument Valley lead by Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Tribal police and his partner Jimmy Chee who both get entangled in even deeper and darker mysteries surrounding the area.
The show maintains a calm ambiance throughout the run of its story which established an elaborate mystery filled with psychologically stunning reveals and left no stones unturned in it's resolution.
The show did a spectacular job in representing the aesthetic of an Indian-American reservation with astounding cinematography to elevate the experience.
8) BAD SISTERS
(Drama, Comedy)
The Irish dark comedy on Apple TV+, Bad Sisters, based on the Flemish series, Clan by Malin-Sarah Gozin is centered on the Garvey sisters, a family that's always looked out for eachother since childhood and a murder investigation of their dead brother-in-law focused on them since they all had ample notice to kill him given his deplorable character towards them and his wife.
This show is one of high entertainment value. It establishes a split timeline narrative of the events before and after the given murder; the past timeline highlighting each character immaculately, showing their relationships and conflicts that could've lead to the murder in a hilarious and thrilling fashion, and the present displaying the concormitants of everything that's transpired in the midst of the ongoing investigation.
7) MO
(Drama, Comedy)
Mo is an original Netflix dramedy created by Ramy Yousef, the creator of Emmy winning show Ramy and Mohammed Amer who also assumes the lead role of this show.
The story follows Mo Najjar, a Palestinian refugee in the United States hustling to provide for his family while putting his all into succeeding in his Asylum case and gaining U.S. citizenship.
This show gives off a similar spark as its creator's signature show, with an immaculate portrayal of an Arab community while thoughtfully highlighting the struggles of an immigrant in modern society. The most prominent part of the show is undoubtedly its hilarious comedy and engaging characters which add up to make it a really enjoyable and wholesome show.
6) THE STAIRCASE
(Drama, Crime)
HBO Max's limited biographic drama, The Staircase, tells the story of Micheal Peterson, a novelist and the father of a slightly dysfunctional family who gets convicted and investigated after his wife Kathleen dies on the staircase of their home.
This is a familiar story to fans of True Crime documentaries and so far as the TV adaptation goes, it's remarkable in all aspects.
The show covers all facets of the story, showing shades of the past events that lead to Kathleen's death while immensely focusing on Micheal's current predicament. Colin Firth and Toni Collette gave phenomenal performances as evident in their Emmy nominations and this added to the well executed narrative to make it a heavily captivating show.
5) THIS IS GOING TO HURT
(Drama, Comedy)
The AMC+ TV adaptation of the best selling non-fiction memoir, This Is Going To Hurt is a British medical dramedy focused on Adam Kay and his medical job at NHS hospital in the field of obsentrics and gynecology, a job filled with turmoil and occasional triumphs, and how these effect his personal life.
This show in its essence is a character study facing the struggles of a man trying to balance his work life and personal life and mostly failing at both. Ben Winshaw's performance in the lead role is truly outstanding, portraying a symbolic character in a story that shows just how intense and draining the work of a doctor can be. It's a perfect medical thriller that brings forth the full intensity of life threatening situations in surgerys, balanced out by its witty humor to make it one of the best this year.
4) HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
(Fantasy, Drama)
House Of The Dragon is a prequel to the most renowned fantasy show of all time, Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal, set 200 years prior to the events of the original story, telling the full story of House Targaryen, leading up to the legendary war of succession known as the 'Dance of the Dragons'.
While basking in the glory of being the most popular new show this year, it's certainly earned its spot among the absolute best shows on TV this year. It maintains every good quality the main show has, only with a slight difference. An elaborate story filled with immensely captivating family drama, eloquently detailed worldbuilding and politics and proper writing across a wide range of relevant characters. This narrative quality added to the impeccable visuals, gorgeous cinematography and splendid acting all round its cast, make this a show that's certainly worth its hype.
3) BLACK BIRD
(Drama, Crime)
Given the fact that House of The Dragon hasn't concluded it's first season, it couldn't make the Top 3, but a show that's certainly worth that regard is the crime-drama miniseries based on the 2010 novel, Black Bird.
The story follows Jimmy Keene who began a 10 year prison sentence for drug dealing, and then takes up an offer to get transferred to a maximum security prison and try to illicit a confession from an accused serial killer, Larry Hall in exchange for his freedom.
Both as a novel adaptation and as a TV drama, this show is an absolute masterclass. It gives an emotionally riveting tale of a man forced to peer into the mind of a deranged killer for justice and his own freedom, and although Taron Egerton did an impeccable job in this lead role, Paul Walter Hauser earns the top spot in terms of acting performances in this show, with his extraordinary portrayal of Larry Hall. It's a top class limited drama in every sense.
2) THE REHEARSAL
(Comedy)
When it comes to comedy shows this year, it doesn't get any better than the HBO Max docu-comedy series written, directed and starring Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal.
In this show, Nathan Fielder explores the uncertainties of everyday life as the director of elaborately staged rehearsals geared at recreating different scenarios of people's lives in order to prepare them for the future and eliminate the risk of failure.
When it comes to comedy settings, this is one of the most innovative and authentic there's ever been.
The concept is one that's logically perceivable, but what truly makes this show insane is Nathan Fielder and the extreme lengths he goes through in order to prepare for future quagmires. Its an effortlessly hilarious series that shows the value of planning and passionately facing reality in a rather eccentric way.
Nathan Fielder's narration and philosophical commentary on the moral lessons each episode symbolizes complement his personal character growth to make this a spectacularly wholesome show.
1) THE BEAR
(Drama, Comedy)
At the top of the list of shows which aired between May and August is the FX on Hulu American dramedy, The Bear, which tells the story of Carmy Berzatto, a high class chef who returns to Chicago to take over his family's sandwich shop 'Beef' after he hears of his brother's suicide.
Carmy now strifes with his colourful kitchen crew to reform the shop and himself as well.
Everything this show did in its first season, it did phenomenally. Jeremy Allen White gave nothing short of an incredible performance in potraying a man struggling with not only the loss of his brother, but his transition from a life of fine dining to a more unrefined workspace with a primitive crew, who learns to make that space his new home and his crew, his new family. The character development of Carmy is one of the best I've seen all year, as the show showcased his past life, how it impacted on him and how he changed over the course of his experiences in this venture.
As a proper character-driven story, it doesn't just limit its development to the lead, as considerable work was done on the side characters as well to make them compelling, establishing relationships between themselves as well as with the main character, and this makes this show so special.
It's a heartwarming and comforting story, laced with witty humor and captivating drama, which shows how pleasure can come from learning to value the little things in life.
As a show with a Kitchen-based setting, The Bear shows a level of culinary appreciation that's never before been seen on TV. The beauty of the gourmet world is immaculately represented in this show, as it incredibly highlights the tension of the restaurant business alongside all the aesthetics that accompany it. The processes, mannerisms, techniques, coordination and passion of chefs on duty are properly showcased in this show, elements which combine and create exquisite dishes which are flamboyantly displayed at every juncture of this show with impeccable cinematography.
The Bear is a must-see show that'd be undoubtedly appreciated and enjoyed by fans of cinema, and that's why it's my pick as the best new show that's aired between May and August.
Noteworthy shows that didn't make the list include Night Sky, Paper Girls, Candy, Pistol, The Time Traveller's Wife, I Am Groot and Maggie. Shows which all had aspects that could be considered appealing but didn't hit that narrative bar to stand beside the shows on this list.
Ensure to watch a good number of the shows that did make it to the list, particularly the ones at the top and you are guaranteed to have a great time.
This is undoubtedly the biggest recommendation list on this site, and i'm sure you have a bunch of thoughts about this article.
Leave your thoughts in the comment section and share to your friends.
Stay safe as usual guys.
Boooo! HoTD is numero uno!
ReplyDeleteThat said, great list.
HOTD not even in top 3?
ReplyDeleteI approve this list
ReplyDelete