Your 2022 "Streaming Watch" Roundup: The Netflix Edition
Here are the top shows to watch on Netflix for 2022.
Holiday times generally equate to hanging out with friends and/or family, more downtime, and with that downtime, more availability to spend time away from the day-to-day hustle, engaging in activities related to eating and buying and vacationing (which is eating and buying made more $$ by a factor of travel).
But the other side to consider here is that this downtime ALSO affords the optimal opportunity for playing catch-up on shows from the past year you never had time to watch because you were so busy managing the daily chaos and plethora of problems to solve for, which can be so exhausting, really. This is why I’ve decided to gift you a few posts in the next couple of weeks related to a “Streaming Watch Roundup: Best of… Watchlists for 2022.
Because watching and critiquing shows is a social activity, and there are plenty of shows on Netflix that I don’t get around to that also should be on the list, I’ve invited my good friend and fellow TV enthusiast, not to mention keen pop culturalist Jen, to provide her insights below. She will share more on why you should watch the hit documentary, Pepsi, Where’s My Jet and give an insider’s perspective, as someone who spent her formative years in the ‘90s.
Drumroll please, as we announce the “Best of” in the world of Netflix for 2022. If we have left anything out, please leave comments. Happy to do a part 2.
Best Young Adult + Sci-Fi/Fantasy “Kids” Show - Good for the whole family. Caveat: If your youngest kids are in middle school: Stranger Things, Season 4
The hit Netflix saga of the 1980s middle schoolers turned nerdy, awkward high schoolers continues as the gang unlocks more of the mystery that began at the beginning of the show in season 1 with Will’s disappearance. The stakes are for sure higher this season (death is on the table), and the villain more ominous and destructive than ever (think Pennywise from It levels). Between the core kid sleuth group of El, Will, Dustin, Max, Mike, and Lucas, the show is enough, but add Steve, Nancy and Robin as the older and “wiser” crew and it’s even more entertaining. Plus, the grown-ups led by Joyce, Hopper and Murray delight as always.
Ever been called a Vecna? Well, without giving too much away, it’s not a compliment and basically, a slanderous insult. Sorry.
To read more about the season, including hearing Kate Bush’s “Running up that hill” which we’ve all listened to non stop on Spotify ever since, go here.
Best Romantic Teen/Adult Dramedy Told with Cultural Sensitivity & Serious Cool Factor - Good for the whole family (Again: Disclaimer: If your youngest kids are in middle school): Never Have I Ever, Season 3.
Devi or “Bevi” as I like to call the coupling of Devi + Ben on Never Have I Ever, one of two Mindy Kaling productions I thoroughly enjoyed this year (the other Kaling creation being The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max, which is often hilarious, as well) had a good junior run here in its third season with Devi getting everything she ever wanted since season 1. Namely, she gets the hot guy, Jackson, as her boyfriend and he even acknowledges her existence in public (big win), as you can see in the video below but our favorite, angry heroine (John McEnroe does her voiceover) is plagued with her signature self-doubt which results in self-sabotage behavior, including dating Ben at the same time she’s dating Jackson because she thinks she’s moving to India anyways and can date two guys at once without any consequences. I love this logic because it’s incredibly developmentally accurate. And that’s just in the first episode.
Scariest Horror, Psychological Terror Film for Suburban, Middle Aged Parents - The Watcher.
Nothing spells terror more than a middle-aged couple paying exorbitant amounts of money to live in a haunted house in NJ suburbs they can’t afford on their salary. The Watcher takes this a step further to prey on fears of spooky neighbors watching with sinister intentions, strange letters showing up in a mailbox alluding to the watching, past murders that took place in the house, and gaslighting cops. Great cast with Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, and Jennifer Coolidge. And the best Amy Schumer SNL skit of the year (The Looker) was inspired by this film. See both the trailer and the SNL mock-edy below. Amy Schumer’s reactions and behavior are to die for, funny.
The funnier version:
Sweetest Teen Love Story Adapted from a Best-Selling Book: Heartstopper
Quiet, introspective, newly out guy Charlie, meets popular athlete, hunk Nick. The two strike up a friendship, get to know each other and their interests, and Nick and Charlie realize it may be more than a friendship. Add in the challenging dynamics of the high school social scene, bigotry and bullying and Nick being more on the fence about being out than Charlie and you have for a very compelling like-to-love story.
Adapted from the Heartstopper graphic novel series by Alice Oseman.
Standup Comedy Special Which Made Me LOL Most: Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would
You’ll have to watch the trailer to see why this one hit big on my list. Admittedly, I don’t watch a ton of standup but that’s because I generally don’t find it funny. Still, this one did. Basically it deals with politics, Covid, and Noah’s trip to Germany and attempts at speaking German.
Standout “Cult Following” Iconic Show of the Year for Netflix (AKA this year’s Squid Games) - Good for the whole family: Wednesday
This show slays. Dysfunctional, macabre family (The Addams), daughter Wednesday gets sent away to a Harry Potter-esque boarding school for the supernatural and freak-y kids, where they have to battle “normies” and then there’s Fred Armisen. Not to mention, female lead, Jenna Ortega. By latest count, my opinion is a popular one. Wednesday is the second most popular English-language series with 1.02B hours viewed.
Best 90s Pop Culture Docuseries that’s sure to inspire a future answer on Jeopardy: Pepsi, Where’s My Jet
Watching Netflix’s docuseries, Pepsi, Where’s My Jet brought me back to my 20s, back to the Pepsi generation, back to Whitewater and the appropriately dubbed “Storm of the Century”. I’ll admit that while I do remember the raging cola wars of the mid-90s, I do not recall John Leonard and his quest to win a Harrier Jet with Pepsi points. During Pepsi’s attempt to take the coveted #1 selling cola spot away from Coke, they ran a series of ads promoting their sugary goodness and associated points system. The “Pepsi Stuff’ campaign was pretty straight forward. You buy a can of Pepsi, you get a point, xx points gets you Pepsi branded merch. Your ability for recall may be better than mine and, in that case, you may remember the commercial that started it all.
Pepsi, Where’s My Jet is a worthwhile ride which includes some high-profile people taking the Pepsi challenge. The unexpected side story of John and Todd’s friendship was pretty uplifting even if the producers did toy with my emotions a little. If you’re remotely from the 90s, love rooting for the little guy and have a general dislike for abusive corporate power, especially in our judicial system, this 4-parter is for you.
To read more about the documentary, go here.
Note to readers: If you think we’ve missed any key Netflix shows, please leave a comment and let us know. We’re here for you.
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