6 Stand-Out Series In Today’s ‘Peak TV’ Barrage

Josh ShepherdJanuary 11, 2023

The term has changed a lot over the last decade. “peak TV” It is now shorthand for an ever-increasing array of TV series being made. Variety reported The total number of original shows that were released in 2022 was 2,024 as of last week. As all filmed entertainment businesses face increasing pressure to lower costs and maximize profit, this number is likely to fall.

Are there any good TV shows when companies spend billions of dollars? Many of the 2,000+ shows are mediocre reality fare, forgettable Netflix dramas or network bombs that no one has seen. Hollywood also made big bets to reboot legacy franchises with varied results.

Last year, “Star Trek Picard” It has become a dull routine There is no way to know. of conflicting plots with a heavy dose of LGBT sexuality — wasting acting legend Patrick Stewart and the return of fan-favorite antagonist “Q.” Multiple “Walking Dead” Shows Even the most passionate zombie fans were disappointed when the series ended. Viewers also panned Disney’s spin-offs of “National Treasure” and “Willow” for focusing too much on leftist politics.

But some original concepts surfaced, particularly a few like “The Chosen” (latest season still airing) and “Bluey,” produced far afield from the Hollywood machine. In diverse genres stretching from sci-fi to legal drama to adaptations of true events, standout series have more than jaw-dropping visuals and sharp editing. Their believable characters with relatable struggles keep viewers coming back.

These six series from 2022 stand out for defying genre conventions while giving audiences substantive themes and questions to ponder after the credits roll.

1. ‘Andor’ (TV-14, Disney Plus)

With audiences migrating from theaters to streaming, filmmakers have followed suit and brought cinematic depth to such prestige series as Peter Morgan’s meticulous “The Crown” and Jonathan Nolan’s “Person of Interest.” No one expected the Star Wars franchise to go that route, but Lucasfilm’s gamble on writer-producer Tony Gilroy (“The Bourne Legacy”) paid off.

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In a fictional universe usually defined by space wizards and ancient prophecies, serialized drama “Andor” grounds the story in street-level characters driven to survive and make their mark. Gradually peeling back layers of a rising authoritarian regime — from hardscrabble engineers losing liberties to military security taking over politics — it has a lot to say about the value of individual freedom and how apathy toward abuses of power can cause that freedom to erode.

2. ‘The Lincoln Lawyer‘ (TV-MA, Netflix)

Based on the best-selling novels by Michael Connelly, the series follows the riveting story of Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller. With the panache of legal procedural guru David E. Kelley (“The Practice”) as executive producer, “The Lincoln Lawyer” draws viewers in with an intriguing premise and magnetic chemistry of eclectic leads including Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (“6 Underground”), Neve Campbell (“Clouds”), and Ntare Mwine (“Blood Diamond”).

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“The Lincoln Lawyer” begins when Haller gets into a car accident and becomes sidelined by a subsequent painkiller addiction. He’s drawn back into law by the unexplained death of his attorney friend who wills Haller his practice, subject to a