With the advent of streaming services available at the push of a button, long-form content is the poison of your choice. It is always gratifying to lose yourself in a world for a number of hours. The issue is, it is hard to keep track of the release of such content. There might be new miniseries, returning seasons of existing shows. And while I am making a list of shows coming out in 2022, it is still my anticipated list. These are the shows I am most excited about that are coming out in 2022, hopefully. The second caveat to consider is there might be big shows returning (Stranger Things, Ozark), which are not present. It’s simply a reason for me either not having seen the show or to be blunter, not really interested. The final caveat is there might be a show like Squid Game which comes out of nowhere and takes the world by storm and no one could have predicted it. That is also the joy of being a TV watcher. To unearth these gems. Let’s hope the shows in this list excite you as much as myself. In no particular order, here it goes:
1. Atlanta (Season 3) | Disney + Hotstar
The Donald Glover created comedy series about Earn and his cousin Alfred AKA Paper Boi was the first to create the existentialist surrealist comedy sub-genre, later made popular by DAVE and more recently Reservation Dogs. It is finally returning after 3 years on March 24, 2022, and will release weekly on FX in the United States and on Disney + Hotstar in India.
2. Delhi Crime (Season 2) | Netflix
The haunting and gritty show dealing with the investigation of the 2012 Delhi Gang Rape, is set to return this year with the main cast returning. If rumors are to be believed Season 2 might deal with the Nithari Serial Murder Case. Release Date TBA.
3. Disclaimer | Apple TV +
Disclaimer is a new miniseries from the multi-Academy Award winner director Alfonso Cuarón. The psychological thriller will star acclaimed actors, Cate Blanchett, and Kevin Kline. Cuarón will write, direct and executive produce the series. Based on the novel of the same name by Renee Knight, “Disclaimer” will star Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful and respected television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions. When an intriguing novel written by a widower (played by Kline) appears on her bedside table, she is horrified to realize she is a key character in a story that she had hoped was long buried in the past.
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4. Gaslit | Starz
Created by Robbie Pickering and produced by Sam Esmail, Gaslit is a modern take on the 1970s political Watergate scandal centering on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time. Based on the popular podcast Slow Burn, the story will center on Martha Mitchell, a celebrity Arkansan socialite, and wife to Nixon’s loyal Attorney General, John N. Mitchell. Despite her party affiliation, she is the first person to publicly sound the alarm on Nixon’s involvement in Watergate, causing both the presidency and her personal life to unravel. It will star Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin, and Shea Whigham, and will release on Starz sometime in 2022.
5. House of the Dragon | Disney + Hotstar
Confirmed to release sometime in 2022, the Game of Thrones prequel is set 200 years before the events of the original show. Adapted from George RR Martin’s Targaryen history book Fire & Blood, the show will focus on an infamous event in Westeros history known as the Dance of the Dragons. This is a civil war that took place between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra over the throne after the death of their father Viserys I. It will star Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and a host of others, with creator George RR Martin attached as executive producer. The trailer was successful in raising my eyebrows and at least piquing my interest to check the first episode out.
6. Better Call Saul (Season 6) | Netflix
The upcoming sixth and final season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul is expected to premiere in 2022 in the United States and will consist of 13 episodes split into two parts. This will be the highest number of episodes in a season, as the previous seasons each ran 10 episodes. It will presumably be available on Netflix once all the episodes have aired. This is a highly anticipated final season for a show which is considered both a spiritual companion to Breaking Bad, while in some respects even better than its parent show.
7. Justified – City Primeval | Disney + Hotstar
Justified: City Primeval has been greenlit at FX, with Timothy Olyphant reprising his role as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens for the limited series. Taking place seven years after FX’s Justified, the limited series is based on author Elmore Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon In Detroit. Olyphant also is an exec producing alongside showrunners and writers Dave Andron and Michael Dinner and original creator Graham Yost, with Dinner directing. The show returns to Givens’ story eight years after he’s left Kentucky and now is based in Miami, balancing life as a marshal and part-time father of a 14-year-old girl. A chance encounter on a Florida highway sends him to Detroit and he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent sociopath who’s already slipped through the fingers of Detroit’s finest once and wants to do so again. No release date is announced yet but for Justified fans, this is promising news.
8. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey | Apple TV +
Directed by Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger), and based on Walter Mosely’s novel of the same name, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey stars Samuel L Jackson as Ptolemy Grey, an ailing man forgotten by his family, by his friends, and by even himself. Suddenly left without his trusted caretaker and on the brink of sinking even deeper into lonely dementia, Ptolemy is assigned to the care of orphaned teenager Robyn, played by Dominique Fishback. When they learn about a treatment that can restore Ptolemy’s dementia-addled memories, it begins a journey toward shocking truths about the past, present, and future. The limited series is releasing on March 11, 2022, with two episodes, and the rest of the episodes dropping weekly. It will be released on Apple TV +.
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9. The Last of Us | Disney + Hotstar
Based on the hit PS4 game produced by Naughty Dog, “The Last of Us” limited series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival. The series will be written and produced by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie respectively. Also joining the cast are Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Storm Reid, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett. While no exact release date is announced yet, The Last of Us is expected to hit HBO Max and Disney + Hotstar sometime in 2022.
10. Lord of the Rings | Amazon Prime Video
Easily one of Amazon’s most expensive series so far, the series takes place in The Second Age of the history of Middle Earth, 1000 years before the events of the films. According to the official synopsis from Amazon, the second age will cover the rise and temporary defeat of “the greatest evil to ever flow from Tolkien’s pen”, all but confirming an appearance from Sauron, the big bad of the movies. The use of Numenor in the official synopsis also gives rise to speculation that the show will deal with Tolkien’s story of The Epic fall of Numenor. Since the show is supposed to take place in the second age, chances are characters like Elrond, Lord of Imladris, as well as Galadriel, will appear. As for the creative brain trust behind the series, the show-runners are JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who together wrote and produced films like Star Trek: Beyond, Jungle Cruise Meanwhile, Game of Thrones alum Bryan Cogman has signed on as a consulting producer. Amazon has also contracted J.A. Bayona (director of Jurassic Park: Fallen World) to direct the first two episodes. The series is set to release on Amazon Prime Video on September 2, 2022.
11. The Boys (Season 3) | Amazon Prime Video
The irreverent superhero satire finally returns to Amazon Prime Video on June 3, 2022. The first three episodes will drop on that day, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly on the streaming service. As there are eight episodes planned, the finale will air on Friday 8 July 2022.
12. Mai | Netflix
Created by Atul Mongia, and produced by Anushka Sharma under her Clean Slate Films Banner, the official synopsis of Mai reads “Upon accidentally killing a mafia leader, a middle-aged woman is slowly swept into the underworld, where her cult slowly gains renown”. While the cast led by Sakshi Tanwar, Raima Sen, Prashant Narayanan looks promising, the fact that is produced by Clean Slate Films, which had produced gems like NH10 and Paatal Lok has got my attention. No release date has been announced yet.
13. The Mandalorian (Season 3) | Disney + Hotstar
With the Book of Boba Fett being released to curious but overall positive reactions, the Star Wars franchise looks to have a brighter future in the streaming space. While Lucasfilm and Disney hadn’t been forthcoming about the release date of The Mandalorian Season 3, the continuing adventures of Djin Djarin is expected to release after the limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, starring Ewan McGregor and the Rogue One Spinoff Andor. It will be interesting to see what direction The Mandalorian Season 3 takes after the explosive finale in Season 2. It is expected to release in the fall or winter of 2022.
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14. Masters of the Air | Apple TV+
Based on the book of the same name, Masters of Air is the third follow-up to Band of brothers and is produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. This war epic tells the story of the actions of the US Army’s elite Eighth Air Force of the United States Army, who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep by bombing Berlin, Hanover, Leipzig, and Dresden, destroying enemy targets like rail facilities and oil refineries, while also being expected to engage in air-to-air fighter combat at 25,000ft. It is set to be directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time to Die) and stars Austin Butler, Nate Munn, Freddy Carter, Callum Turner, and a host of young British Talent. No exact release date is announced yet, but it is expected to hit sometime in 2022.
15. Made in Heaven (Season 2) | Amazon Prime Video
The 2019 romantic drama series about a duo of wedding planners running an agency with the eponymous name earned critical acclaim due to its strong writing and wonderfully nuanced performances. The Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti show had wrapped filming in July 2021, so the show is expected to hit Amazon Prime Video sometime this year, three years after the acclaimed first season.
16. The Dropout | Disney + Hotstar
The Dropout, based on the eponymous ABC Audio podcast, is about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The podcast dealt with the investigation into Theranos’ claims that they could complete a full range of blood tests with a single drop of blood, testing for hundreds of diseases. It was later proved false and Holmes was charged with felony fraud. The limited series stars Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes and it would be shown by Elizabeth Merriwether (New Girl). It is set to release on Hulu on March 3, 2022, and hopefully on Disney + Hotstar on the same date.
17. Obi-Wan Kenobi | Disney + Hotstar
The most anticipated Star Wars property coming out in 2022, Obi-Wan Kenobi finally shines a spotlight on the character and more importantly the actor which fans loved the most in the prequel trilogy. Ewan McGregor returns as Obi-Wan Kenobi to play a version of the character eschewing far closer to the version essayed by Alec Guinness in 1977’s Star Wars. Set ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the show will also feature Hayden Christensen returning to the role of Darth Vader after the prequel trilogy. It is being written by Joby Harold and directed by Debra Chow and will consist of six episodes. It is scheduled to be released sometime in 2022.
18. The Offer | Voot Select
One of the most intriguing miniseries based on one of the best stories of 1970s Hollywood, The Offer is an upcoming biographical-drama miniseries about the development and production of Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark gangster film The Godfather. It is scheduled to be released on Paramount + on April 28, 2022. It will be directed by Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman), written by Michael Tolkin, and will star Miles Teller as Albert Evans, Matthew Goode as Robert Evans, Giovanni Ribisi as Joe Colombo, Dan Fogler as Francis Ford Coppolla, and a host of other actors bringing to life one of the most exciting and chaotic behind the scenes story of one of the greatest movies ever made.
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19. The Old Man | Disney + Hotstar
Based on the 2017 thriller novel of the same name by Thomas Perry about a former intelligence officer living off the radar who finds himself targeted for assassination, this FX Television series will star Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow in the leads. The show is developed by Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine, the creative team behind Starz’s Black Sails, and is set to premiere on FX on Hulu, Disney +, and Hotstar sometime in 2022.
20. Panchayat (Season 2) | Amazon Prime Video
Released on April 3, 2020, the first season of Panchayat chronicles the life of an engineering graduate who joins as a Panchayat secretary in a remote village Phulera of Uttar Pradesh due to lack of better job options. It was a huge hit as well as a critically acclaimed show for both TVF and Amazon Prime Video for its realistic performances, simplicity, and showcasing a world that is rural but not gritty. A second season was confirmed by lead actor Jitendra Kumar as well as lead actress Neena Gupta. It is expected to be released sometime in early 2022 on Amazon Prime Video, with the central cast as well as the same creative team returning.
21. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 4) | Amazon Prime Video
The hit Amazon Prime show, following highs and lows of Midge Maisel’s stand-up career will be finally back after an explosive cliffhanger ending of Season 3. the Amy Sherman Palladino written show is expected to have that same balance of humor and heart while exploring the swinging 60s. Stand-up comedian Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) will return with her grouchy manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein) – as well as her dysfunctional family: parents Rose Weissman (Marin Hinkle) and Abe Weissman (Tony Shalhoub), her ex-husband Joel (Michael Zegen) and ex-father-in-law Moishe (Kevin Pollak), with new cast members Milo Ventimiglia, Jason Alexander, and Kelly Bishop. The new season will hit on Amazon Prime Video on February 18, 2022.
22. Pistol | Disney + Hotstar
Pistol is an upcoming biographical drama miniseries created by Craig Pearce for FX and directed by Danny Boyle. It will follow guitarist and lead of Sex Pistols band Steve Jones, and the band’s rise to prominence and notoriety. It is based on Jones’ own memoir Lonely Boy – Tales from a Sex Pistol and will star Toby Wallace as Steve Jones with Maisie Williams in the supporting cast. It is expected to release in 2022.
23. Reacher | Amazon Prime Video
Based on the bestselling Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child, Reacher follows Alan Ritchson as a towering roaming military police investigator in an action-packed investigative series. It is however very different from the Tom Cruise films simply because of the difference in the protagonists’ physicality, which would make Reacher fans very happy. Based on the first Reacher book “The Killing Floor”, Reacher will debut as an eight-episode season on February 4, 2022.
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24. Ripley | Showtime
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling quintet of Tom Ripley novels which was also the basis for the Anthony Minghella directed and Matt Damon starring movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, Ripley is an eight-episode ongoing series starring Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock). It will be executive produced, written, and directed by Steven Zaillian (The Night of, The Irishman) for the entirety of its first season. It is scheduled to be released sometime in 2022. Streaming in India is unknown as of yet.
25. Rocket Boys | Sony Liv
Created by Nikhil Advani based on the life stories of premier nuclear physicists Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, Rocket Boys will be released on Sony Liv this year and will star Jim Sarbh as Homi Bhabha and Ishwak Singh as Vikram Sarabhai.
26. Moon Knight | Disney + Hotstar
The first of the Marvel TV shows on this list, Moon Knight is easily the most eclectic one of the lot. It follows Marc Spector, a man suffering from Dissociative Identity disorder, who is drawn into a deadly war of gods with his multiple identities. Executive producer Kevin Fiege likened the series to Indiana Jones while exploring Egyptian history and mythology. Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist TV Series) will serve as head writer, while Mohamed Diab is set to take over directing duties. Oscar Issac is starring as Marc Spector, while Ethan Hawke is the main antagonist of the show. The series will consist of six episodes and will air on March 30, 2022, on Disney + and Hotstar.
27. The Sandman (Season 1) | Netflix
Based on the bestselling graphic novel series by Neil Gaiman, this Netflix series will follow Morpheus, the personification of Dreams, who after escaping from decades of imprisonment by a mortal wizard, sets out to reclaim his lost equipment. Having been in development hell since the 90s, this iteration of The Sandman is set to be produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television for Netflix. It is being developed by Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer, and will star Tom Sturridge as Dream with a stacked supporting cast featuring Charles Dance, David Thewlis, Gwendoline Christie, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Fry, Patton Oswalt, and a host of others. It is expected to release sometime this year.
28. Scam 2003 | Sony Liv
After the critical acclaim and widespread success of Scam 1992, The Harshad Mehta Story, creator Hansal Mehta is set to return with a follow-up tentatively titled Scam 2003 – The Curious Case of Abdul Karim Telgi. Adapted from the Hindi book “Reporter ki Diary” by journalist Sanjay Singh who broke the scam, it will chronicle the rise and fall of Abdul Karim Telgi who minted a fortune printing fake stamp paper to the alleged tune of 20,000 crores. The series will release towards the end of 2022.
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29. Secret Invasion | Disney + Hotstar
Based on the marvel comics storyline of the same name, Secret Invasion is an upcoming television miniseries created by Kyle Bradstreet taking place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Starring Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, and Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Secret Invasion will ostensibly follow Fury’s investigation into the shape-shifting aliens called the Skrulls and their infiltration into all important aspects of planet Earth. Since the show will follow continuity with the MCU, expect significant changes from the source material. It is expected to release in late 2022.
30. Slow Horses | Apple TV +
Based on the series of spy novels by Mick Heron, Slow Horses follows Jackson Lamb, a brilliant but irascible leader of a group of spies who ends up in MI5’s Slough House due to a series of mistakes which leads them to their exile from the mainstream. Stuck in a dead-end job defined by paper-pushing and overall drudgery, the slow horses find themselves in trouble when they get involved in a dangerous conspiracy. Scheduled to release on Apple TV +, Slow Horses is written by Will Smith (co-writer and producer of Veep) and is directed by James Hawes. It will star Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Olivia Cooke, and Jack Lowden.
31. Super Pumped – The Battle for Uber | Showtime
Super Pumped is an upcoming American anthology drama television series created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the creative team behind Billions. Based on the 2019 nonfiction book of the same name by Mike Isaac, the first season subtitled The Battle of Uber would be centering on the rise and fall of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The first season is set to premiere on Showtime on February 27, 2022, and will star Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kyle Chandler, Elizabeth Shue, and Uma Thurman. Potential future seasons would focus on other business ventures that had a large impact on general culture.
32. Succession (Season 4) | Disney + Hotstar
According to creator Jesse Armstrong, the writing process for Succession Season 4 is already underway. One of the most popular shows currently airing on any streaming service, the fourth season of this highly anticipated show is supposed to arrive either by late 2022 or early 2023, if the show’s production begins by June 2022. If it does it will air weekly on HBO Max and Disney + Hotstar.
33. Ted Lasso (Season 3) | Apple TV +
While I wasn’t a huge fan of the second season of Ted Lasso, this Jason Sudeikis starrer is still anticipated simply because of its positivity and the beating heart it has underneath. It also has one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory. With almost all the main cast set to return, Ted Lasso Season 3 is expected to hit Apple TV + sometime in the summer of 2022.
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34. Tokyo Vice | HBO Max
Executive produced by Michael Mann, with the pilot episode also directed by him, Tokyo Vice is an upcoming crime drama television series based on the 2009 book of the same name by Jake Adelstein, who also serves as Executive Producer of this show. The premise follows Adelstein in the 90s as he relocates to Tokyo to uncover corruption within the Vice Squad. Tokyo Vice stars Ansel Elgort as Jake Adelstein, with Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, Hideaki Ito and Rinko Kikuchi. The show is set to be released on HBO Max in early 2022.
35. Under The Banner of Heaven | Disney + Hotstar
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven is a crime drama miniseries that is set to follow a Mormon police detective whose faith is shaken while investigating the murder of a woman that would seem to involve the church. It is adapted by screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (J. Edgar) and directed by David McKenzie (Hell or High Water). The miniseries stars Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar Jones, Sam Worthington, and Wyatt Russell and is set to release on FX on Hulu and Disney + Hotstar sometime in 2022.
There are still tons of TV shows I have not listed which I have some idea are coming out (Ozark Season 4, Barry Season 3, Russian Doll Season 2, Stranger Things Season 4;), but as stated above lists are subjective and these are my top anticipated TV series coming out in 2022. It might entirely be possible that some won’t be released this year at all, while there will be shows none of us are anticipating which will take us all by surprise. Tell us what you all are excited about in the comments.
