Netflix and its sagging subscriptions, Warner Bros. Discovery with anti-art tyrant David Zaslav at the helm, Disney’s Bob-for-Bob change in leadership. With cancellations, guttings, and a sprinkling of corporate tumult, 2022 seemed to find the streaming apparatus in dire straits. But even amidst the chaos and fumbles, this year’s television was an embarrassment of riches: from a Game of Thrones revival and Better Call Saul’s final bow to new stunners such as Severance and Pachinko, it seemed like great TV was around every corner. I didn’t get to review as much television as I would have liked in 2022, but here were some of my favorites of the year:

The streaming wars have all but killed the traditional release model for television, but the fall season continues to house the biggest surges in new shows and season premieres. I spent the last week catching up on the biggest TV releases of the past month to parse what’s worth your time and what isn’t. Here are some quick reviews of Cowboy Bebop, Hellbound, Yellowjackets, Dexter: New Blood, Invasion, and Chucky. Minor spoilers ahead…

Midnight Mass is the best thing Mike Flanagan has ever done. A searing, complete work at the intersections of faith and doubt, life and death, it’s genre storytelling at its most emotionally rich. Contemplative, dialogue-driven horror that paints its themes with a dark and heavy brush, Midnight Mass is utterly transfixing with its layered performances and shocking swerves. The entire cast is fantastic, but people will be talking about Hamish Linklater’s turn as Father Paul for a very long time. Minor spoilers ahead…

Clever and imaginative, Disney Plus’ latest Marvel series - Loki - brings the beloved scoundrel back to life. This new story takes the God of Mischief out of his element on a rousing, time-hopping, sci-fi adventure, diving deeper into his mercurial psyche while also expanding the weirder corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Two episodes watched for review. Minor spoilers ahead…

The digital flood of true crime continues - this time, with the Netflix revival of a 90s cult favorite, Unsolved Mysteries. Helmed by the original series’ creators, John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, this new series attempts to toe the line between nostalgia and freshness, but often comes up short in delivering either. Minor spoilers below…

Not vintage enough to be a throwback and not bold enough to be cutting-edge peak TV, CBS’s The Twilight Zone wades in sleepy ambivalence. Producer and narrator Jordan Peele, fresh off his horror hit Us, takes Rod Serling’s place and leads a star-studded cast in the reboot, but the show’s languid narratives and glib messaging get in its own way. This review encompasses the first two episodes of the new anthology, which are now streaming on CBS All Access. Minor spoilers ahead…

The third and possibly final season of Travelers, the cult Canadian import on Netflix, arrived in December of last year. An unabashed favorite here at Strange Harbors, I wrote extensively about the show last year in an Under the Radar feature, extolling the show’s bold storytelling and vivid character work of its first two seasons. The series’ third season continues this trend with a propulsive narrative and a heartwrenchingly bittersweet final act, even if it suffers from some wheel-spinning and a midseason sag. Mild spoilers ahead...

Under the Radar is a column by Strange Harbors that explores hidden gems in pop culture. Whether it's a little seen film, an underappreciated television show, or a forgotten comic, there's a lot of quality stuff out there that goes relatively unnoticed. This column's job is to shine an oft-needed light on these overlooked, but ultimately worthwhile, works. This week, we'll be taking a look at the Canadian sci-fi import that's currently streaming on Netflix: Travelers.