The Ephemeric

So without further ado here are the top 15 essential television shows, both new and returning, that will hit the airwaves and their web-equivalent in 2022:

15. The First Lady - Showtime (New TV Show)

Described as America's version of The Crown, Showtime's new anthology series The First Lady dramatises some of the most powerful women in America's history. 

Each episode will cover the story of a different First Lady, with Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt revealed so far, to be portrayed by an all-star cast that includes Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson. The impressive array of talent is not limited to the cast either with each episode set to be helmed by an A-list director, starting with award winning director Susanne Bier.

Production began in earnest back at the start of 2021 and despite a pandemic-related delay, we are now expecting to see this debut early this year.

Start Date: Spring 2022


14. Inside Man - Netflix/BBC (New TV Show)

BBC/Netflix joint production Inside Man is the latest from the Emmy award winning gold-weaver Steven Moffat, best known for his work on Doctor Who and Sherlock. 

This highly mysterious project is said to be a thriller focused on a patient waiting on death row in the US, who crosses path with a vicar from a quiet English town for the most unexpected reasons. Top tier talents David Tennant and Stanley Tucci are set to star.

Filming began in the summer of 2021 and is said to have concluded late last year. We do not know precisely when it will release, but the BBC's own press release appears to confirm that it will be out sometime in 2022. 

Start Date: TBA 2022


13. The Boys - Amazon 

One of Amazon's bigger successes in original TV content, The Boys is an adaptation of a little known comic book series satirising the superhero genre by imagining a world where the super-powered have become corrupted by greed and corporate interests. If the first season drew headlines for its violence and raunchiness, season two took the series to a more complex and highly polished level.

The main cast of Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, and Erin Moriarty returns. It's anyone's guess where season three will go from a narrative perspective, although the second season's cliffhanger ending certainly provide a hint of what to expect. It has also been floated that this season will see a depiction of the "herogasm" plotline from the comic series, the name of which should give some clue as to what it entails.

Following numerous delays over the past two years, production is now said to be complete on this third season with an expected release date in June. 

Start Date: June 2022

12. Inventing Anna - Netflix (New TV Show)

Everyone loves a conman story, and in Netflix's new series Inventing Anna, they have got a good one in store. Inspired by real events, this is the story of Anna Sorokin, a Russian fraudster who, for years, had infiltrated some of the most exclusive social circles of New York posing as a German heiress.

This is the first production to come of the much ballyhooed new exclusive deal between Netflix and Shonda Rhimes, best known as the creative mind behind Grey's Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal. Dawn of an exciting new era? We shall see. Julia Garner stars, with a cast also featuring Anna Chlumsky, Katie Lowes and Laverne Cox.

Another show hit by pandemic-related delays, having originally been set for release in 2021. Production is now complete and Netflix have pencilled in this series for release in February.

11. Station Eleven - HBO Max (New TV Show)

10. This is Going to Hurt - BBC (New TV Show)

The name Adam Kay means a lot of different things to different people. To some, he is a former doctor and graduate of my alma mater Imperial College. To others of a certain age, he is one half of The Amateur Transplants, a musical comedy duo that brought us such classics as London Underground and The Drugs Song (Kay would probably rather we not remember some of his other, most disturbing songs like "Never let a Woman Drive" to the tune of the Sheila's Wheels jingle, and "Rohypnol" to the tune of Blondie's Maria).

But to most, he is the author of the medical memoir This is Going to Hurt, detailing some of the horror stories from Kay's time as a doctor. The best seller is now being adapted to TV by the BBC. If some of his material can be considered in bad taste, there is no denying that Adam Kay is a witty man. His writing is blistering, incisive, and hilarious, and if that translates well to the screen then this will be a very worthwhile series.

This is one of those series that has been kicking around on The Hot List for a few years, having been originally announced in 2019. After many delays and a whole lot of radio silence, this has now been tentatively pencilled in by the BBC for an early 2022 release date.

Start Date: TBA 2022


9. Pistol - FX (New TV Show)

This should be a tasty one. Pistol is the biographical miniseries on 1970s punk rock band The Sex Pistols. Written by Craig Pearce, who is best known for his collaborations with Baz Luhrmann including The Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, directed by the incomparable Danny Boyle.

There are a few recognisable actors in the supporting cast, such as Maisie Williams and Talulah Riley, but for the most part the principal roles are played by lesser known up and comers like Toby Wallace, a Venice Festival award winner in 2019 for Babyteeth, and Louis Patridge who you may recognise from the recent Netflix film Enola Holmes.

Filming took place over the summer of 2021 and a release is expected at some point later this year.

Start Date: TBA 2022

8. The Sandman - Netflix (New TV Show)

Another notable coup for Netflix, this is the long-mooted adaptation of Neil Gaiman's graphic novel The Sandman. As with most Gaiman works, the plot is such that it would be difficult to describe it in any meaningful way with the amount of space I have available. Suffice it to say, this is going to be every bit as weird and wonderful as you would expect from the man who wrote Coraline, Stardust, American Gods, Good Omens, among others.

The Sandman has endured something of a tortured production history, beginning life as a Goyer film that had been intended to star Joseph Gordon Levitt way back in 2013. That production ultimately stalled and eventually gave way to the new miniseries with which we have ended up. The cast is led by Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, and Boyd Holbrook, with an extended cast that features big names like Charles Dance, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, and Patton Oswalt among others.

Filming began at the tail end of 2020 and, following delays, stretched into the summer of 2021. A release date is currently unknown, but having been originally set for 2021 a 2022 release now appears likely.

Start Date: TBA 2022

7. The Midnight Club - Netflix (New TV Show)

Netflix sure love Mike Flanagan, and after consistently delivering horror gold for the network with The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, why wouldn't they?

Considered by many to be a master of his genre, Flanagan's latest is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. A group of terminally ill young adults resides in a hospice run by an enigmatic doctor. They meet at midnight every night to tell each other scary stories. One night they make a pact that the first one to succumb to their disease is responsible for communicating with the others beyond the grave. After one of them dies, bizarre occurrences begin.

Production was completed in September last year. A firm release date has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to land sometime this summer.

Start Date: Summer 2022


6. The Orville - Hulu

The Orville had a great first two seasons in 2017 and 2018, finally giving fans that proper spiritual sequel to Star Trek that they had so badly been craving. It's been a rough few years since then, however. A transfer from Fox to Hulu would have been difficult under any circumstances, let alone in the middle of a pandemic that ultimately delayed production further. Production did finally resume in 2021, and it is expected that we will finally see the third season this year.

Imaginative and timely with its moral-driven plotlines, Orville sees Seth MacFarlane move out of his comfort zone and into a less slapstick genre, one which showcases his talents as a writer. In an era when anything even vaguely sci-fi feels the need to be über grim-dark or full of over the top action, it's nice to see a series that's more about provoking thought than a visceral reaction.

5. The Crown - Netflix

The most prestigious of prestige dramas, Netflix's The Crown returns. Season 5 sees another jump in time to the 1990s and, presumably, a heavy focus on all things Charles and Diana.

A new decade also means a new cast taking the reins, with Imelda Staunton in the lead role, joined by Jonathan Pryce, Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West and Lesley Manville. Originally set to be the final season in Peter Morgan's award winning series, Netflix have since ordered a sixth and, at the time of writing, final season. 

Production on season 5 is now complete and set for release in November.

Start Date: November 2022

4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Amazon

It's finally back, and unlike every other show on this year's list it has had absolutely no delays... nah just kidding The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has been punted like a football for two years in a row, leaving fans hanging after season 3's cliffhanger ending.

At its best, Maisel is one of the finest series on TV. A love letter to a bygone era of Golden Age New York, this tale of 1950s feminism is hilarious, with strong performances and impeccable production that evoke the mood of the period without feeling too much like a pastiche. 

After many delays, season 4 finally approaches with a release on Amazon Prime set for February of this year.

3. Stranger Things - Netflix 

2. Daisy Jones & The Six - Amazon (New TV Show)

This is the adaptation of the Debbie Award winning novel Daisy Jones & The Six, a miniseries that has been in production basically ever since Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel first dropped. Snapped up by Reece Witherspoon's production company, the series was first pitched as potentially making its way to HBO, it has since ended up finding a home on Amazon.

This is of course story of the titular Daisy Jones and her fictionalised 1970s rock band, allegedly based loosely on the history of Fleetwood Mac. The novel was written in the format of a documentary film, but it is expected that the series will be a more traditional drama, albeit with an Office/Parks and Rec confessional mockumentary style.

The cast may be mostly unknown, but in its lead they have some bona fide musical credentials in Riley Keough, grandchild of none other than the king Elvis Presley himself. She is joined in the cast by Sam Claflin, who you might recognise from the recent Pirates of the Caribbean films. Release data is still TBA, but this is one of the most exciting series in production. We will watch its production closely.

Start Date: TBA 2022

1. Ted Lasso - AppleTV+

So there you have it folks: 2022 in television. Tune in next week for the essential new videogames of the year!

A very surprising runner up this year. Like many, when I heard the concept of Free Guy, a videogame NPC becomes self-aware, I expected some good, geeky fun. What I was not expecting was a film that is really quite clever, disarmingly heartfelt, and just an all-around very effectively told story. Add to this impressive visuals and some great comedic performances, particularly the endlessly charismatic Ryan Reynolds, and you have a winning film. Other films may aspire to more ambitious subject matter, but there is no denying the expertise with which this film has been crafted in just about every department, nor can it be beat for pure enjoyment.


4. The Debbie for Variety Show Host of the Year 
Winner: Stephen Colbert, Late Show









Every talk show host has their own strengths and identity, but in terms of pure stage talent there are few more impressive than Stephen Colbert. The return of live audiences this year has clearly allowed Stephen to operate in his comfort zone once more, after a somewhat awkward 2020, and his riffing with the (now award-winning superstar) Jon Batiste has tightened up considerably. These politically charged times, in particular, seem to suit Colbert - to be expected given his history on Comedy Central - and it is with these recurring segments and monologues where his Late Show shines brightest.


5. The Debbie for Hollywood Rising Star of the Year 
Winner: Simu Liu









One year ago, probably very few people outside of Canada had heard of Simu Liu. Now he's one of the most recognisable movie stars of 2021 following his breakthrough Hollywood role in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It's been a good year for Liu, who has also seen his long-running sitcom Kim's Convenience achieve new prominence in its final season. The man has charisma, a comedic timing, and leading man presence. It will be interesting to see what he does next, but he has the potential to become a very big deal indeed..


6. The Debbie for YouTube Channel of the Year 
Winner: LEMMiNO









Swedish YouTube personality David Wångstedt, better known by his handle LEMMiNO, has long been one of my favourite content producers on the site. Focused on short-form educational content, typically on the subject of well known mysteries and historical miscellanea (previous videos have covered everything from MH370, to Cicada 3301, and the origins of "the cool S"), LEMMiNO's videos stand out for their slick presentation and their impressive amount of depth and research. In 2021, the channel achieved a new highpoint with its first piece of long-form content, an hour long documentary on Jack the Ripper. It is an extraordinary piece of content and provides one of the best analyses of the cold case that you can find anywhere.

Music, Art & Theatre

7. The Debbie for Theatrical Production of the Year 
Winner: Leopoldstadt (Wyndham's Theatre)









With the world reopening in 2021, top of my "welcome back" list was to get back out to the theatre, and fortunately I managed to do so a few times this year. The highlight has been Tom Stoppard's excellent new, and allegedly final, play Leopoldstadt. An emotional and loosely autobiographical tale, Leopoldstadt follows a Jewish family in Austria along the turbulent arc of the first half of the 20th Century, from the declining Austro-Hungarian Empire to the genocides at the hands of far-right extremists during World War II. Impeccably produced and performed. A particular focus on the domestic lives of these people only imbues the story with greater resonance and leaves the audience with a haunting, lasting impression.


8. The Debbie for Album of the Year 
Winner: Pressure Machine - The Killers
Runners Up: Lost in the Cedar Wood - Johnny Flynn, Screen Violence - Chvrches









It is extremely unusual in this day and age for an artist to release two albums in such short order. Pressure Machine came less than a year after The Killers' previous album, Imploding the Mirage, courtesy of an apparent lockdown-induced creativity surge. But any concerns that this would be a rush job or album of B-sides has proven to be premature. On the contrary, Pressure Machine represents arguably the band's most complex and ambitious release to date, particularly from a musical perspective. From the lush strings of West Hills, to the greatest instrumental solo the band has yet produced at the end of In the Car Outside, to the titular Pressure Machine, an instant classic. While Brandon Flowers' broad brush isn't always the best suited for telling so reflective a tale, the end result is nevertheless an album of impressive depth and surprising longevity, even if the individual tracks rarely prove as viscerally exciting as some of his bigger hits.

Someone who is blessed with a nuanced songwriting ability is folk singer and sometimes actor Johnny Flynn. His latest album, Lost in the Cedar Wood sees a collaboration with nature writer Robert Macfarlane and the result is a memorable slice of bucolic majesty. An upbeat and bluesey folk album written at a time of global isolation, Flynn gazes longingly and nostalgically at the world around him, but manages to find the optimism in these sentiments. The result is nothing short of uplifting, whether it's in the form of Gilgameshian journey Gods and Monsters to the glorious hobo's rockabilly of Ten Degrees of Strange, and the gorgeous The World to Come. This is a great album.

For our second runner up we have Screen Violence, the latest from Chvrches and perhaps their most cogent work to date. This is an album that feels very current, an unflinching look at modern anxieties that I suspect many people will find all too relatable, from feminist anthem Good Girls to the distinctly #MeToo He Said, She Said. It also helps that the music is pretty damn good, embracing the synth-pop stylings that have helped the band stand out over the years, only this time with a darker, more acerbic tinge. Screen Violence is a bold, defiant piece of work that deserves to rank among the finest of 2021.


9. The Debbie for Debut Album of the Year 
Winner: Come Over - Kowloon
Runner Up: Collapsed in Sunbeams - Arlo Parks









Kowloon is one of those artists that has been kicking around a couple of years, slowly building up hype through word of mouth and Internet EPs. In 2021, he finally released his debut LP, Come Over, and it is as delightful a slice of chilled out indie pop as you will find. An intimate, low-fi work that demonstrates an impressive level of finesse for a newcomer. It's a solid album throughout, but with standout tracks in Paradise, Walk With Me, and Wake Up.

Close behind is Arlo Parks, a name we are likely to be hearing much in the coming years. Her debut LP Collapsed in Sunbeams delivers the kind of intimate and broadly relatable bedroom pop that was always likely to strike a chord with the wider public. Parks has had a sensationally successful year, winding up on many music critics' lists of the most exciting new performers in the country.


10. The Debbie for Song of the Year 
Winner: Coloratura - Coldplay
Runners Up: Ritchie Sacramento - Mogwai, Be and Bring Me Home - Neko Case









On what was otherwise a fairly underwhelming new album from Coldplay, Coloratura stands out as a memorable track. A spellbinding orchestral odyssey that hearkens back to some of the band's finest moments of years gone by. On an album that promised an ambitious metaphysical journey through the cosmos, Coloratura is one song that actually managed to deliver. In my view the best song of 2021.

Mogwai are a band that have been around for what seems like an eternity, but in 2021 they had one of their finest moments with the hit album As the Love Continues. The pick of the tracks from this album was lead single Ritchie Sacramento, a fuzzy, deeply satisfying piece of rock and roll that drips with nostalgia.

And lastly we have Neko Case's sublime cover of Roky Erickson's Be and Bring Me Home. The best covers manage to take a good piece of music and imbue them with fresh beauty, and Neko has done exactly that here. Wonderful.


11. The Debbie for Art Exhibition of the Year 
Winner: Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser - Victoria & Albert Museum









The Victoria & Albert museum is on something of a roll in recent years, finding increasingly creative ways to marry its somewhat niche specialty with the kind of pop culture icons that shift tickets to the masses. In 2021, all the talk was about Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, a delightful adventure through the history of Lewis Carroll's work. The V&A's exhibition achieves something special here by managing tell the history and genesis of the work itself, also managing to explore the wider historical and social context. The curators have made excellent use of the space, bringing to life the surreal imagery of wonderland in impressive ways, making use of projector and VR technology.


12. The Debbie for Book of the Year 
Winner: Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir










Business & Technology

13. The Debbie for Scientific/Technological Breakthrough of the Year 
Winner: mRNA vaccines