2022 in Television
2022 was a year filled with the best of prestige television. There were many shows that came out during these past 12 months throughout different streaming platforms, some more favored than others. Behold, the most popular shows to grace our screens in 2022.
Netflix:
As soon as the long awaited season 4 of “Stranger Things” released on May 27, 2022, Netflix users were quick to watch. It is Netflix’s most watched English language series and was #1 on the Top 10 list in 91 countries. The show hit 1.15 billion hours watched within a month of release. The science fiction drama television series has been a fan favorite since 2016, and with the last season of the series being set to release in 2024, we can only expect a repeat in it’s popularity.
HBO Max:
Upon “Euphoria” season 2’s premiere on January 9, 2022, the show quickly amassed 6.6 million views and has now been seen by 16.3 million viewers. This is the best performance for any season that HBO has seen since “Game of Thrones” which pulled in 46 million viewers across the past 18 years and across its final season which premiered in 2019. “Euphoria” was the top title on the streaming platform for 7 weeks in a row and was the show most tweeted about of the decade so far. The teen drama television series has already been approved for season 3 which is set to release in 2024.
Network Television:
“Abbott Elementary”’s second season premiered on September 21st and has grown to an overall viewership of 10 million. The show is ABC’s highest rated comedy telecast in three years and is objectively the most successful network sitcom since Modern Family. It has achieved a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 89% audience score with a 4.8 star rating. Abbott Elementary has stolen the heart of millions of viewers and has been premiering on Wednesday each week for the past 10 weeks and has recently premiered its mid season finale. New episodes will resume on January 4, 2023.
Amazon Prime:
The Lord of The Rings series has been a cultural phenomenon since the early 2000’s, therefore it is no surprise that “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” was the most popular show on Amazon Prime in 2022. Upon its premiere on September 2, 2022, the show drew in over 25 million viewers and was the streaming service’s biggest debut in its history. It has now amassed over 100 million views. The series was estimated to cost about $49 million per episode and was very highly anticipated.
While 2022 was an amazing year for television, we can only expect that 2023 will be even bigger and better. With Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone” season 2, Amazon Prime’s “Daisy Jones and the Six,” HBO Max’s “The Last of Us,” and Network Television’s “Grey’s Anatomy” season 19 all premiering in 2023, there are high hopes for the upcoming year.
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