53 Must-Watch TV Shows In 2022

After a frustrating wait for UK audiences, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad spin-off is finally coming to our screens. No matter what you made of the movie, Peacemaker manages to channel its violent, hilariously vulgar, startlingly self-aware spirit whilst also elevating it to so much more. John Cena's blowhard vigilante – at once incredibly arrogant and vulnerable – is assigned to a new team, with a fresh threat on the horizon. The characters are memorable, the music is awesome and the opening credits dare you to hit skip (don't, they're fantastic). And we're calling it right now - Eagly is destined to go down as one of the characters of the year. Make that the decade. Maybe the millennium? Yeah, the millennium.

Lady Whistledown and her glamorous world of gossip, gowns and gorgeous people are back for the second season of Shondaland's steamy hit series Bridgerton on Netflix. Jonathan Bailey takes the lead this time around as Anthony, and has got his eye on new character Kate Sharma, played by Sex Education's Simone Ashley. Nicola Coughlan and Phoebe Dynevor also return, though, unfortunately for fans of the Duke of Hastings, Regé-Jean Page does not.

This adaptation of the much-loved historical novel by Min Jin Lee is a generation-spanning tale of a family of Korean immigrants who move to Japan during the latter's occupation of a then-unified Korea. Taking place across almost a century and told in three languages – Korean, Japanese and English – it swings thematically between intimate romance and institutional prejudice, weaving together numerous characters' stories from across the timeline. With Korean acting icon Lee Min-ho heading up the cast and the backing of Apple's bulging pockets, Pachinko is set to be suitably epic.

After a four year hiatus, we're finally getting the chance to catch up with Earn and Paper Boi, as Donald Glover's Atlanta returns to our screens this spring. LaKeith Stanfield, Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz are all back too, and from the looks of the trailer, we'll be joining the gang on a tour across Europe, with filming taking place in London, Paris and Amsterdam. Expect the usual misadventures and hijinks, and start preparing yourself now – a fourth season has been confirmed, but it will be the last.

Ready to embrace the chaos? Marvel are kicking off their darkest, wildest chapter yet with the introduction of anti-hero Marc Spector, also known as Moon Knight – a man struggling with multiple identities and being possessed by ancient moon god Khonshu. We've all been there. Oscar Isaac takes the lead in this one as a man who can't tell the difference between his waking life… and dreams. Giving us an (intentionally dodgy) English accent for the ages, Isaac is joined by Ethan Hawke as a cult leader-like antagonist.

Yet another instalment in the recent wave of shows about failed, controversial or fraudulent start-ups (see Disney's The Dropout and Apple's WeCrashed), Super Pumped is the story of ride-sharing app Uber and it's CEO Travis Kalanick, who ends up ousted from the company after a coup in the boardroom. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Kalanick and Uma Thurman appears as Ariana Huffington. This one's already started on Showtime over in the US but doesn't have a confirmed UK release yet – though it's likely it will be available here on Sky & NOW at some point.

Gary Oldman heads up spy series Slow Horses as Jackson Lamb, the boss of a disregarded MI5 department based at Slough House – where intelligence officers who've made epic career mistakes go to die. That doesn't sit well with River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), an agent determined to work a case that matters again. Based on the first of Mick Herron's novels, it also stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce and Sound Of Metal's Olivia Cooke.

We know what you're thinking – this isn't a follow-up to BBC's A Very English Scandal and A Very British Scandal, though it may, like that one, end up as a kind of anthology show, with future series based on other scandals. We've typed the word 'scandal' too many times now. Thisparticular scandal is a fictionalised one and an adaptation of Sarah Vaughan's novel of the same name. It follows privileged couple Sophie Whitehouse (Sienna Miller) and her high-profile husband James (Rupert Friend), whose lives begin to unravel when James is accused of a crime – which is also when lawyer Kate (Michelle Dockery) shows up.

We can't believe we have to say goodbye to this superlative prequel, which against all odds has equalled (and sometimes bettered) Breaking Bad. Still, as Slippin' Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) finally gives in to being Saul Goodman, we'll be sorry to see him and the show go. And we'll finally learn his endpoint, as the "Gene" flash-forwards also wrap up. Season 6 is broken up into two parts, with the second kicking off in July.

Natasha Lyonne's Groundhog Day-esque series finally returns for a second season this April, ready to deliver more existential mystery, sharp-as-a-tack comedy and extraordinarily elongated word pronunciations (cock-a-roach!). Lyonne is joined again by Charlie Barnett as time-loop companion Alan, and Greta Lee as friend Maxine. Plus there's a standout newcomer in the form of Schitt's Creek Alexis Rose herself, Annie Murphy. One of our favourite shows of recent years, back on screens? What a concept!

Lauren Beukes' award-winning period sci-fi novel gets the big-budget streaming treatment via Leonardo DiCaprio's Apian Way production company. Jamie Bell stars as a Depression-era drifter who discovers a portal to other times. The snag: he has to fuel it by killing "shining girls", who possess the right mojo (a bit like the "steam" business in Stephen King's Doctor Sleep). But in the late '80s, Elisabeth Moss fights back. Silka Luisa (Strange Angel) is in the driving seat as showrunner.

This drama adapts the 2018 Netflix true-crime documentary series of the same name, with writer/director/showrunner Antonio Campos having worked on it for several years. Colin Firth stars as Michael Peterson, who was accused of killing his wife in 2001, and whose trial took some… unexpected turns. The show's stellar cast also includes Toni Collette, Rosemarie DeWitt, Juliette Binoche, Parker Posey and Sophie Turner.

Pitched as a contemporary update of George Huang's 1994 film of the same name, it similarly features an intern at a movie studio dealing with an infamously manipulative CEO. In this case, it's Kiernan Shipka playing the ingenue who may not be as ingenuous as she seems, with Diane Kruger as the abusive boss. Donald Sutherland is among the co-stars in what promises to be a gripping six-part exposé of the dark side of Hollywood.

This timey-wimey thriller stars Paapa Essiedu (who recently delivered excellent performances in I May Destroy You and Gangs Of London) as George, a man who is recruited into secret organisation The Lazarus Project, which has the ability to turn back time to deal with extinction-level threats to the planet. Exploring the idea of fate and controlling your destiny, this 8-part drama also stars Bodyguard's Anjli Mohindra and Strike's Tom Burke, and is penned by Giri/Haji writer Joe Barton.

Set 200 years before Game of Thrones, HBO's wildly anticipated prequel series House of the Dragon comes with the promise of gods, kings, fire, and blood - some things never change! Starting at the beginning of the end for House Targaryen, the show - run by Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal - has the scope to become something just as epic and bold as its predecessor, with Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke and Matt Smith among those donning platinum blonde wigs. Also, expect dragons… lots of dragons. Dracarys!

Terror awaits in Amazon original The Devil's Hour, written by Tom Moran and produced by the brains behind Sherlock and Dracula. Jessica Raine plays Lucy, a woman who wakes at 3:33am each night, right in the middle of - yup - the Devil's Hour. A local murder spree, a haunted home, and a creepy-sounding son and mother suggest Lucy's having a hell of a time. With any luck, so will we.

Despite years of chatter about it, we may never get to see a third Gremlins movie, and while it breaks our heart to acknowledge it, perhaps its time has come and gone. Still, we can at least enjoy this animated prequel, which follows the adventures of 10-year-old Sam Wing (Izaac Wang), who will grow up to become the antique shop owner from the original movies. In this show, he meets Gizmo and has adventures involving mythological Chinese beasts. And in case you're worried about it missing the movie's tone, director Joe Dante is a consultant. Now they just have to avoid feeding the series after midnight...

Lenny Abrahamson's second entry in the Sally Rooney-verse, this follow-up to Normal People is the adaptation of the Irish author's first novel, following poet and student Frances (newcomer Alison Oliver) as she navigates relationships with her best friend Bobbi (Sasha Lane), new illicit lover Nick (Joe Alwyn) and his wife Melissa (Jemima Kirke). Think intense intimacy, beautiful locations, and the intoxicatingly subjective tone that made Normal People such a revelation, but with a more grown-up slant.

Kate Atkinson's stunning 2013 novel Life After Life, a chronologically tricksy alternate-history-cum-domestic-drama about a woman who finds herself reincarnating her way through pivotal moments in the 20th century, is perfect limited series material. The story is filled with complex characters and intricate plotting, carrying with it a thought-provoking diegesis on mortality and fate. Plenty, then, for adaptation specialist John Crowley (Brooklyn) and stars Thomasin McKenzie and Sian Clifford to work with.

Of Disney+'s many upcoming trips to a galaxy far, far away, Obi-Wan Kenobi is among the most eagerly awaited. Set a decade after Revenge of the Sith's conclusion, the series will see Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan reckoning with his losses, hiding from Jedi-hunting Inquisitors, and preparing to face Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader once again. Hello there, prequel nostalgia! The trailer may give little away, but the Force feels strong with this one already.

It's been three years since we saw the Byers and Eleven leave Hawkins as Hopper, presumed dead, found himself in a chain gang in Russia. But the band are getting back together for the fourth series, set over spring break, 1986. The murder house mystery set-up is tantalising, promising game-changing Upside Down revelations. And, with genre icon Robert Englund entering the fray, Stranger Things' new chapter could well be its greatest.

This is the return of the superhero satire, set in a world where heroes are celebrities, influencers and general assholes, and are opposed by the anti-cape vigilantes of the title. Based on Garth Ennis' typically scurrilous comics, the first two seasons of the TV series have been among Prime's biggest hits. Details of the third season are under wraps, but it's safe to predict the same level of gnarly humour and extreme violence, as Anthony Starr's sociopathic Homelander and Karl Urban's irascible Billy Butcher lock horns once again.

For her first foray into TV, Otley's finest, Clio Barnard, has adapted Sarah Perry's period best-seller The Essex Serpent for Apple. Claire Danes stars as newly-widowed Cora, whose escape from an abusive marriage leads her to seek out the mythic serpent reportedly marauding Aldwinter, Essex – and to find Tom Hiddleston's rector, William. Barnard's sensitivity and lightness of touch seems a perfect fit for Perry's virtuosic exploration of science, faith, love, and trauma.

From Big Little Lies writer David E. Kelley and Homeland director Lesli Linka Glatter, Love & Death is a limited series depicting the true story of Texan housewife Candy Montgomery's murder of Betty Gore in 1980. Wanda Maximoff herself, Elizabeth Olsen, will play Montgomery, with other cast members including Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe and Krysten Ritter. Nicole Kidman is on producing duty – and with this being a HBO Max series, we don't have a confirmed date or channel here in the UK just yet.

Spun off from Star Trek: Discovery, this focus on the (pre-Kirk) crew of the USS Enterprise has us almost more excited, given how entertaining Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck were on their brief tenure during Disco's second season. Here, Mount's Captain Pike is lured back for a mission in space despite knowing his ultimate fate is to be horrifically injured on a future assignment. He's joined by Number One (Romijn), Spock (Ethan Peck) and some other recognisable-but-played-by-new people characters, including Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). Even with warp speed, this can't get here fast enough.

Two of the best British actors working right now – Nicola Walker and Sean Bean – are joining forces for Marriage, a four-part BBC One drama about, well, marriage. Written and directed by Stefan Golaszewski, Walker and Bean star as Emma and Ian, a couple dealing with the ups and downs of their 30-year relationship. The supporting cast includes New Tricks' James Bolam as Emma's father, The Inbetweeners' Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Jamie, Emma's boss, and We Are Lady Parts star Chantelle Alle as the couple's daughter, Jessica.

A chronicle of different presidential partners to inhabit the White House through the years, The First Lady's initial point of appeal is the outstanding cast – Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford to name just a few. As they navigate the tricky waters of the presidential shadow, they'll all emerge with different ideas on how to handle the pleasures and pressures.

A moniker originally given to Carol Danvers, aka. Captain Marvel, aka. Brie Larson in the MCU, the title of Ms Marvel was passed on in 2012 to teenager Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Avengers superfan living in Jersey City, with shape-shifting powers that she inherited from her Inhuman DNA. The first screen superhero project to have a Muslim character at its core, Ms Marvel will be the debut of newcomer Iman Vellani in the title role, and is heading to Disney+ this summer.

Directed by Paul McGuigan, written by Steven Moffat, and starring Stanley Tucci, David Tennant, Dolly Wells and Lydia West, Inside Man could quite reasonably be subbed in for the current dictionary definition of "prestige project". The mini-series involves a US death row inmate, a vicar in a quiet English town, and a maths teacher trapped in a cellar, as their stories become unexpectedly intertwined. We're promised a "brilliantly original and darkly playful" four hours.

Xbox behemoth Halo has always seemed like a no-brainer for live-action screen adaptation, and yet some Neill Blomkamp-directed commercials and a couple of web-series have been the only results. Until now. Paramount's tentpole show boasts Steven Spielberg among its producers and stars Orange Is The New Black's Pornstache, Pablo Schreiber, as the hulking Master Chief. Intended to complement rather than adapt the games, this version will drive its own path. In a Warthog, obviously.

John Wyndham's classic novel of alien invasion via fertilisation and the resulting crop of weird, stoic, oddly hair-styled children with special powers has been brought to the screen before — once by John Carpenter. This modern-day version, starring Max Beesley and Keeley Hawes, promises to bring the story bang up to date while hopefully maintaining the creepy tension that the original book conjures so effectively.

It may be one of the most beloved cinematic masterpieces in history, but the making of Francis Ford Coppola's crime classic The Godfather was anything but easy. Starring Miles Teller, Dan Fogler, Juno Temple, Matthew Goode and Giovanni Ribisi, The Offer charts the troublesome casting and production of the 1972 film, as well as the real-life mafia involvement. It's set for an April release on new streaming service Paramount+ across the pond, which will be available to existing Sky subscribers later in the year. Whenever it arrives, it'll be a TV show we can't refuse.

The MCU's 'big green hero' quota is set to double with the release of 10-part series She-Hulk, with chameleonic Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany taking on the role of Jennifer Walters, hotshot lawyer and cousin of Bruce Banner, who acquires the latter's Hulk-like powers after needing a blood transfusion. Ruffalo will appear as the gamma-enhanced genius, and Tim Roth will be returning to the MCU as antagonist The Abomination – but given the last Bruce Banner he encountered was played by Edward Norton, it appears there's some multiversal variant madness at play…

Starring Poldark's Aidan Turner, this new psychological thriller is about community hero and outwardly successful doctor Joe, whose secrets come spilling out after a young woman is discovered dead – could be murder, could be suicide – at a nearby cemetery. Joining Turner are Fleabag fave Sian Clifford and Small Axe star Shaun Parkes, and with a production team whose previous work includes Line Of Duty and Vigil, it's sure to have us on the edge of our sofas.

Toss a coin to your prequel? Henry Cavill sits out this spin-off series to the Netflix fantasy hit, which is set 1200 years before Geralt started flinging his silver locks hither and yon. The show's six episodes explore events leading to the creation of the first Witcher, an ancient elven civilization and the cataclysmic event that brought all the monsters forth in the first place. The focus is Sophia Brown's warrior-turned-minstrel Éile, with Michelle Yeoh also on-hand for some questing.

This Glasgow-set thriller follows Gabe (played by Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Iain De Caestecker), an emergency call handler for the ambulance service whose world is thrown into chaos when he receives a desperate call from a woman who seems to know him. As Gabe tries to figure out who she is, devastating consequences unfold. Joanna Vanderham will play the mysterious caller, with other supporting cast members including My Mad Fat Diary's Sharon Rooney, Vigil's Daniel Portman and Line of Duty's Taj Atwal.

Described by star Diego Luna as a series about "the building of a revolution", Rogue One prequel Andor (not And/Or) will follow Luna's titular hero during his time as a spy in the Rebellion's early years. With Rogue One co-writer Tony Gilroy at the helm, Nicholas Britell composing, and Stellan Skarsgård, Forrest Whittaker, and Adria Arjona leading a stacked supporting cast, the show – teased as a spy thriller with a dark edge – will, along with Obi-Wan, do its damndest to make up for The Book Of Boba Fett.

A new project from one of the most prolific TV writers in the game, Steven Knight, SAS: Rogue Heroes is a dramatised account of how the SAS was formed during World War II. Set in Cairo, 1941, it follows David Stirling (Sex Education's Connor Swindells), a young officer who comes up with a plan to recruit the boldest and best soldiers for a small undercover unit to sow chaos behind enemy lines. The cast also includes Jack O'Connell, Alfie Allen, Sofia Boutella and Dominic West.

HBO Max's comedy murder mystery series was a critical hit for the newly post-Big Bang Theory Kaley Cuoco. The first season adapted the popular novel by Chris Bohjalian, leaving showrunner Steve Yockey to forge ahead with a new, original story for the next batch of episodes. Another murder, another international intrigue… How can the same shit happen to the same flight attendant twice? All will be revealed in due course. The new cast includes Picard's Santiago Cabrera, and Sharon Stone as Cuoco's estranged mom.

How do you make the next Game Of Thrones? If you're Amazon, the answer's simple - spend $1 billion on the first ever Lord Of The Rings TV series. Westeros and White Walkers are out, Middle-Earth and Sauron's ascendancy are in for this lavish Second Age-set production, which co-showrunner Patrick McKay says aims to offer the novel Tolkien never wrote as the kind of mega-event show only possible today. Yes please!

It feels like we've been waiting decades for the return of Lisa McGee's teenage eejits. And while the cast has been popping up elsewhere (Bridgerton! Bake-Off!), it's a relief to know that Erin, Orla, Michelle, Clare and James will be back on our screens this year – assuming they don't mess something up on the way. Nothing has been said about what the plot will be, but we can expect the usual blend of Troubles, crushes, confusion and wrong-headed assumptions that makes the show so endlessly watchable and funny.

Adapted from the bestselling novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (who has also penned the script), Fleishman Is In Trouble follows recently divorced Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) as he immerses himself in the ups and downs of single life. However, upon hearing that his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) has gone missing, he's forced to re-evaluate their marriage. Lizzie Caplan stars as Toby's old friend Libby, who narrates the story. Expect incisive commentary on love, marriage, dating, gender roles and mid-life crises.

The Beeb are heading for the frontier with six-part Western series The English, which will feature A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns star Emily Blunt as Cornelia Locke, an English woman who heads to the American West of 1890 to seek revenge against the man she believes responsible for her son's death, joining forces with Pawnee Nation member Eli Whipp (Twilight's Chaske Spencer) when they realise they share a history.

In this four-part series for ITV, David Tennant plays Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB officer who died after being poisoned with polonium in London in November 2006. The infamous assassination attempt should make for some highly gripping drama, with the show focusing on the years-long effort from police officers at Scotland Yard to prove who was responsible, as well as Litvinenko's widow Marina (played by Margarita Levieva).

It's all change once more for the Royal family's acting line-up, as Imelda Staunton steps in as the Queen, Jonathan Pryce plays Prince Philip, Lesley Manville is Princess Margaret, Dominic West shows up as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki is the new Princess Diana. But we really can't wait to see how Jonny Lee Miller looks as the latest PM to meet with her Majesty, John Major. Expect more Diana drama and the usual behind-closed-doors wrangling.

Helena Bonham Carter stars in this three-part biopic of the actress Noele Gordon. 'Nolly' was the star of ITV soap opera Crossroads for 17 years, before leaving suddenly in mysterious and tumultuous circumstances. This new "outrageously fun and wildly entertaining" drama by Russell T. Davies promises answers in the process of exploring "how the establishment turns on women who refuse to play by the rules".

She's played a queen, a duchess and a hacker, and now, in HBO series Doomsday Machine, Claire Foy will take on the role of Facebook's Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg. Based on the book An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle For Domination, the series will get to the human heart of the social network's unstoppable quest for growth, and will also feature Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg – though he's yet to be cast.

Bend It Like Beckham star Parminder Nagra takes on the world of the detective drama in this four-part show for ITV, written by Line Of Duty actress and screenwriter Maya Sondhi and produced by Jed Mercurio's HTM Television. Set in Birmingham, Nagra will play Rachita Ray, a copper who takes on a case that forces her to confront the personal conflict between her British identity and South Asian heritage.

It's certainly a good time to be a Neil Gaiman fan — adaptations of his work, usually with him involved as a consultant or overseeing it, are springing up all over the place. Netflix's The Sandman series is possibly the most exciting, though, since Gaiman's comics creation is legendary, weaving myths, gods, monsters and magic together to tell the story of the Lord of Dreams (here played by Tom Sturridge) and his interactions with mere mortals. The cast is also a dream, with Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Gwendoline Christie, Stephen Fry and Kirby Howell-Baptiste all appearing. TV feels like the perfect place for this sprawling fantasy story.

This will be a welcome comeback for Billie Piper's erstwhile pop star and teen actress Suzie Pickles, sure to be negotiating more waves in the shallow and exploitative waters of showbiz. No details about the second season have been revealed so far, but the threads of Season One – including a pregnancy, a collapsed marriage and an up-sticks to Iran – are all there to be picked up. Expect more personal chaos, dark humour and eccentrically flamboyant wardrobe choices.

We don't know for sure yet when Marvel's Secret Invasion series will air, but what we do know is that Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn is back as his Captain Marvel character Talos, and it will centre around his people, the shape-shifting Skrulls, who we discovered were actually refugees from the powerful Kree army.

Nida Manzoor's barnstorming sitcom returns, following the further adventures of the all-female Muslim punk band. Manzoor promises that, far from being a difficult second album, the follow-up to the multi-award-winning original will "delve back into the world of the band and go deeper into their lives. Expect more high jinks, more music, and more flights of fancy. SPARTA!"

In the third and final season of the much-lauded West Yorkshire crime drama series, Sarah Lancashire returns as Police Detective Catherine Cawood, this time investigating a gangland murder that brings her back into the orbit of her old adversary, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton). New cast in undisclosed roles include Amit Shah, Mollie Winnard and Mark Stanley. Sally Wainwright, as ever, writes and co-directs.