Best of 2022: Shows

The Summer I Turned Pretty

“The Summer I Turned Pretty,” based on the book trilogy by Jenny Han, is a vigorous coming-of-age story that follows young love through a summer of late night swims, heartfelt family time and hours of fun in the sun across the shores of Cousins Beach. 

The show focuses on 16-year-old Isabel “Belly” Conklin on her journey to Cousins Beach the summer before her junior year. For her entire life, Belly, her mother Laurel and her brother Steven have visited Laurel’s lifelong best friend Susannah and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad, at their summer beach house from the months of June through August. 

The summer of 16 is different than all of the previous years — Belly finds herself feeling “pretty” for the first time. She also finds sparks of romance between her years-long crush, Conrad. But there are also budding feelings for Conrad’s younger brother Jeremiah that were non-existent before this thrilling summer. 

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is an anti-toxic romance that shares the importance of friends and family, and confronts struggles that adolescents face. It’s a beautiful tale of the importance of fun and friendship set away from the stresses of everyday life; it shouts to not take the beautiful moments for granted.

Stranger Things

Continuing the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix Original Series, “Stranger Things” season four dominated screens during the summer of 2022. The series is set in the 1980s small town of Hawkins, Indiana, where a peaceful suburban town is flipped upside-down after a portal to an alternate dimension is opened by government test subject Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Eleven and her outcast clique of newfound friends face monstrous creatures to slay before their suburban town becomes unsettled. Season four of “Stranger Things” portrays the aftermath of returning to a sense of normalcy after fighting creatures from an alternate universe, nicknamed “The Upside Down.” The band of teenagers rally together once more to save their hometown of Hawkins, while simultaneously battling stereotypical teenage conflicts. 

Kardashians

Following the success of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” “Kardashians” premiered as a Hulu original series in Sept. 2022. The tradition of living lavishly and gossiping continues as Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall, and Kylie expand their dynasty and pass the Kardashian name onto the next generation. As Kylie and Khloe welcome their newest children, rumors circulate about Khloe’s relationship with Tristian Thompson and Kim introduces her now ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson onto the show. “Kardashians” season one feels as if it restarts right where they left off with the foundational series. 

Dahmer

Giving insight to the mind of a notorious serial killer, Netflix’s original series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” shocked viewers with the harsh reality of the horrors behind the common tales of true crime documentaries. Created by the reputable Ryan Murphy, known for his twisted and dark projects such as American Horror Story and The Watcher, “Dahmer” precedes his credible reputation. Jeffery Dahmer, played by Evan Peters, reveals all the details behind his heinous crimes that targeted members of the LGBTQ+ and lower class communities, while giving an appropriate homage to the victims and their families. The stories of the victims are often told from their own point of view and with a complete backstory, to remind the audience that while it may be a story to us, it was once another’s reality. 

Wednesday

Released on Nov. 23, 2022, “Wednesday” has captivated millions of viewers across the globe. Based on the cult classic “The Addams Family” and produced by the legendary Tim Burton, the show follows Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), an odd, sarcastically-dark misfit who is forced by her parents to attend Nevermore Academy due to her dumping piranhas into her high school’s swimming pool. At her new school, Wednesday uses her emerging psychic skills to solve a monstrous killing spree that haunts her local town. This show is witty, heartfelt and loved by anyone who is into solving suspenseful mysteries. 

Inventing Anna

Inventing Anna is perhaps the most mind-stretching miniseries of 2022. Based on a true story, it tells the unbelievable story of Anna Sorokin.

Sorokin was able to scam roughly 275,000 dollars from her victims while going undiscovered for four years. She disguised herself as a German heiress of extreme wealth, while scamming countless rich, high class members of society. Anna was additionally able to monopolize money from banks and hotels. This show also uncovers the persistent work of journalists who were able to bring down Anna in her long-lasting scam. 

Julie Garner, who played Anna, was able to show the skills of the tactical scammer while brushing along topics such as money, power, betrayal and intelligence.