Streaming the best TV shows of 2022: From Bridgerton to Heartstopper

Every so often, a TV series comes along that seems to make the world a bit of a better place. The coming-of-age drama Heartstopper achieved just that, thanks to its progressive representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Its charming central love story, about the relationship between schoolboys Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), found favour with those navigating adolescence, but also adults, who were left gratified to see societal views having shifted in such a positive way since their own years in education. – David Brown

A thrillingly ambiguous final scene rounded off Netflix’s biggest sleeper hit Ozark, bringing to a close the saga of the Byrde family. Led by dad Marty, they have gradually turned from rookie crooks to a clan of seasoned operators, in a show that has, over four seasons, attracted more fans the darker it’s got. The claustrophobic surrounds of the Missouri lakes forged any number of unforgettable supporting characters, many of whom died in unforgettable ways. – Jack Seale

Don’t overlook this masterful drama if the nondescript title and uninvolving premise – there’s been a murder in a downtrodden former mining town in Nottinghamshire – didn’t grab you. This is layered storytelling of the highest quality, encompassing the lingering pain of the miners’ strike, and societal divisions that cannot easily be healed, into a complex crime narrative that demands and rewards attention. The luxury A-list cast, stuffed with Britain’s best TV actors including David Morrissey, Lesley Manville, Robert Glenister and Adeel Akhtar, make Sherwood sing. – Jack Seale

If the reason for Kate Bush or Metallica’s resurgences in popularity has passed you by, you’ve probably yet to catch this latest run of the horror drama. Their hits feature in memorable scenes involving courageous Max (Sadie Sink) and, later, standout new addition Eddie (British actor Joseph Quinn). But all nine episodes of Stranger Things boast well-crafted scares that are sure to unnerve. – David Brown

Fans of this souped-up costume drama had some adjusting to do for season two. The switch in focus to Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his love triangle with two sisters, Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina, meant swapping the wild lustfulness of Bridgerton‘s first season for a more intense, slow-burn narrative. But Bailey and Ashley (below) soon had viewers convinced that their love story was the one that mattered. – Jack Seale

Julia Garner – already in one of Netflix’s biggest dramas, Ozark – gives her talent for playing fiendishly able manipulators full rein in this juicy true-ish drama. She’s Anna Delvey, the “German heiress” who convinced the higher echelons of New York society to admit her to their ranks. As Inventing Anna opens, it’s 2017 and Delvey has been arrested on multiple larceny charges. Who is she? A reporter called Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) vows to find out. – Jack Seale

The multi-award-winning organised-crime epic created by Steven Knight concluded this year with a sixth series smothered in doom — particularly in the closing episodes, when our anti-hero Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy, above) finally had to admit to his own mortality, without Aunt Polly (the late Helen McCrory) around to assist him. As the labyrinthine plots meshed for one last showdown, the Birmingham-between-the-wars saga did, however, deliver several of the spectacular, brutal set pieces that have made Peaky Blinders an international hit and one of British TV’s most hard-edged box sets. – Jack Seale

It looks like there may not be more series of Sally Wainwright’s rollicking drama, based on the life of gay 19th-century Yorkshire entrepreneur Anne Lister (Suranne Jones). The two series of Gentleman Jack that have been made, however, are a remarkable feat of storytelling, documenting the bigotry faced by Lister and her true love Ann (Sophie Rundle), while allowing Suranne Jones and the show itself to maintain an infectious, affirming joie de vivre. – Jack Seale

The ups and many downs of working in an overstretched NHS are fuel for wicked comedy and heartbreaking drama in Adam Kay’s autobiographical story based on his bestselling book. Ben Whishaw is Adam, an obstetrics doctor trying give his patients good care while keeping his personal life on track. The honesty and sharp politics give way in later episodes of This Is Going to Hurt to a devastating assessment of the effects of pressure on staff at an underfunded hospital. – Jack Seale