The Best New Movies & Shows of 2022

While we all experienced different ups and downs over the course of 2022, we have to admit that through our own personal roller coasters, there was plenty of entertainment and distraction to go around in the form of movies and TV series. Whether we were headed to the theater to see a new release — or to the couch to catch the latest episode of a new favorite show — there was plenty of top-notch material to watch and take in over the past 365 days.

Some beloved shows returned for new seasons after a painfully long hiatus (talking to you, Stranger Things) while a number of new shows, including Severance and Yellowjackets, came into our lives for the first time. And when it comes to movies, there were plenty of box office hits to enjoy — like Top Gun: Maverick, which ended up being the highest-grossing film of the year — and fun films for our kids, such as Turning Red.

There was no shortage of viewing material from Hollywood this year, and looking back, we can really see what an epic year the film and TV industries had. Read on for all of the best movies and shows we watched in 2022 — and be prepared to add a few to your list that you might not have been able to catch yet.

'Wednesday'

Shortly after its release, Wednesday broke all kinds of Netflix viewership records, making it one of the streaming giant's most successful original series ever. The first season of Tim Burton's live-action take on the teenage character from The Addams Family franchise (played by Jenna Ortega) makes for fun viewing for people of all ages who are hoping a second season is on the way.

'Everything Everywhere All at Once'

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Allyson Riggs/A24

Everything Everywhere All At Once was an important movie this year for so many people. Aside from the fact that it was a box office hit, the film is also meaningful to Asian Americans, who aren't represented in media or the movies nearly enough. Starring Michelle Yeoh, it tells the story of a woman who is in the middle of great chaos in her personal life while also having to save the universe from chaos at the same time.

'The White Lotus' Season 2

It was hard to predict if the second season of the HBO series The White Lotus would end up being as much of a hit as the first season, which aired in 2021, but many fans would likely agree that it pulled off that goal with flying colors. With Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries reprising their roles, this season followed vacationers at a different White Lotus luxury hotel property, this time in Sicily.

'Don't Worry Darling'

While Don't Worry Darling received mixed reviews from critics, it will be a movie that people think of when they look back on 2022 because of the drama that surrounds it. Between director Olivia Wilde's relationship with one of the stars of the movie, Harry Styles, and everything that went on behind the scenes between her and another one of the actors, Florence Pugh, people won't forget this one for a while.

'The Dropout'

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Beth Dubber/Hulu

Amanda Seyfried stunned audiences when she took on the role of Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout, the Hulu miniseries that chronicles the Theranos scandal. The show became especially relevant given the fact that Elizabeth was sentenced this year in the criminal lawsuit involving Theranos, and in 2023, she'll begin serving a prison sentence that will span more than 11 years.

'Turning Red'

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Pixar/Walt Disney Studios

One of Disney and Pixar's biggest hits this year came in the form of Turning Red, which arrived in March. It's a fun coming-of-age story about a teenager named Mei who is trying to figure out how to juggle her hormones, overprotective parents, and boyband obsession, all while also discovering the outrageous family secret and trying to keep it from ruining her life.

'Andor'

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Lucasfilm

It's rare that Disney+'s Star Wars universe series aren't an immediate hit, and this year Andor was a big one. This prequel show tells the story of pilot Cassian Andor before the events of both Rogue One and the original Star Wars trilogy that came out in the '70s.

'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery'

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Netflix

Considering the fact that the first Knives Out movie was such a huge success, it was practically a given that the next installment — which isn't a sequel so much as a movie involving detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) that takes place in the same universe — would be a hit, too. Originally released in theaters, Glass Onion is now streaming on Netflix and features an all-star cast including Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., and Edward Norton.

'Stranger Things' Season 4

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Netflix

Stranger Things already had a dedicated fan base, but the show came back stronger than ever for season four after a three-year hiatus. A massive revival of Kate Bush's 1985 song "Running Up That Hill," all of the Vecna memes, and the mourning over a beloved new character's death proved exactly how quickly the series returned to its former glory (and then some).

'Top Gun: Maverick'

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Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures

After being delayed for two years, fans finally got to see Tom Cruise reprise his iconic role in Top Gun: Maverick when it hit theaters in the spring. As ScreenRant reported, it ended up becoming the top-grossing release of the year, proving that movie fans who enjoy watching films on the big screen definitely still exist, despite how popular the streaming model has become.

'House of the Dragon'

When Game of Thrones came to an end in 2019, there was a hole in fans' hearts that could only be filled by a spin-off series, and that seemed to arrive this year in the form of House of the Dragon. The prequel series, starring Matt Smith and Milly Alcock, premiered on HBO in August and has kept fans talking ever since.

'Elvis'

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Warner Bros.

Austin Butler plays the title role in Elvis, the biopic about the legendary singer told from the perspective of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Baz Luhrmann directed the movie, which covers all of Elvis' career highlights (including his time in the military and his marriage to Priscilla).

'Yellowjackets'

Though Yellowjackets premiered on Showtime in 2021, the show really gained traction and got people talking in 2022. Following a high school soccer team that winds up stranded in the woods when their plane crashes, the show gets creepy fast — cannibalism, anyone?

'Wakanda Forever'

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Eli Adé/Walt Disney Studios

After Chadwick Boseman died in 2020, fans weren't sure how it would change the Black Panther story going forward. This year, they finally got to find out when Wakanda Forever hit theaters in November. Chadwick's death is written into the story by including the death of his character, T'Challa.

'The Rehearsal'

Comedian Nathan Fielder returned to TV with a new HBO series, The Rehearsal, which is so bizarre that it immediately had people talking in between each episode. The premise is that he created incredibly realistic "rehearsals" for people who were about to experience a big moment in their lives — until he got deeply involved in one himself.

'The Batman'

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Warner Bros.

Diehard DC Comics fans may have had their doubts when they found out that Twilight star Robert Pattinson would be taking on the role of Bruce Wayne in The Batman, but overall, the movie ended up being more of a hit than some would have expected. It's an even darker twist on an iconic story, and Robert seems to fit the role well.

'Severance'

Starring Adam Scott, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette, Severance is about a company that wipes the minds of their employees when they're not at work — and what happens when one of those employees figures out that something is amiss. The Apple TV+ series is so popular it's already been renewed for Season 2.

'Nope'

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Universal Studios

This year brought another horror flick from Jordan Peele. Starring Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya, Nope is about what happens when a rancher family discovers that their horses are being stolen by a UFO. The movie debuted making more than $44 million at the box office, breaking a record previously set by another film directed by Jordan, Us.

'Abbott Elementary'

The ABC mockumentary Abbott Elementary, starring Quinta Brunson, originally premiered at the very end of 2021 and gained traction as one of the biggest shows of 2022. The sitcom follows the staff of an underfunded elementary school in Philadelphia with an unusually high teacher turnover.

'The Fabelmans'

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Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment

With The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg had the chance to direct a story that's loosely based on his own upbringing and the love of movies that began at a young age and grew as he got older. The movie stars Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as Sammy's parents — with Sammy being the character based on Steven himself.