Ted Lasso is coming back next year for another hit season. Photo / File
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, it felt like we could crawl out of our Netflix cocoons and explore the world. And explore we did.
That is until our favourite show dropped and we crawled right back into those cocoons complete with popcorn, chocolate and our emotional support drink bottle.
This year, it was increasingly hard to stay away from channel surfing and streaming platforms, if not for the epic shows, for the discourse surrounding them.
Netflix’s The Crown made headlines for months after announcing their fifth season would cover the crumbling marriage of King Charles – then Prince – and Princess Diana. The season also suggested Prince Philip pursued an affair with Countess Mountbatten of Burma earning outrage from royal experts who said it was “cruel rubbish”.
Meanwhile, following a very public feud between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, the starlet shocked fans by (kind of) reprising her iconic Samantha Jones role in the season final of And Just Like That.
Stranger Things returned for a very creepy season four with British star, Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays the season villain, revealing he went to creepy lengths for the character.
Elsewhere, The White Lotus defined the better part of December spawning thousands of TikTok theories and Reddit threads about where season three may lead. And what might be the final huge release of the year, Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries dropped royal bombshell after royal bombshell.
So, with a huge year of entertaining shows, Lillie Rohan looks at the ones that shaped 2022, and what audiences can look forward to in 2023.
Game of Thrones took over television for a decent chunk of the 2010′s so it’s no surprise its prequel, House of the Dragon, was just as - if not more - popular than the original George R. R. Martin series.
Starring beloved actor Matt Smith, Australian actress Milly Alcock and non-binary actor, Emma D’Arcy, HotD is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and introduces fans to the story of House Targaryen.
The eight-episode series is gripping, shocking and captivating but we wouldn’t recommend watching it all in one sitting. Like GoT, it is full of dark twists and tragic deaths that need to be split into an episode a week so you don’t feel too overwhelmed. And if you’re thinking of sitting down with your family to find out what all the fuss is about, it’s best to note the HBO show does contain nudity - even if it is slightly less than GoT.
Based on a true story, the eight-episode miniseries chronicles the marriage between actress Pamela Anderson (played by Lily James) and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee (played by Sebastian Stan) as they navigate a home robbery that resulted in their sex tape being released to the world.
The irony of the series is that it tells the story of the exploitation of Anderson’s body but does so without her consent. While the sympathy of the show lies with the Bay Watch actress, it is still a series that she revealed made her feel “violated” all over again.
There are many intricacies of the series but the biggest is watching how distributing revenge porn affects the victim. If you do decide to watch it and take anything from it, it’s not the love story of Anderson and Lee but rather how devastating the non-consensual distribution of porn was for a young female actress.
It’s been 21 years since the first instalment of Peter Jackson’s captivating Lord of the Rings film trilogy was released but does that fact make fans any less excited for the series? Quite the contrary.
The highly anticipated series is set to unfold into five series each of eight episodes with a total of 50 hours and will take fans right back to the Second Age of Middle-earth, well before the events of LOTR, which unfolded in the Third Age.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. But what might be the most exciting part of the series for Kiwi fans is that season one was filmed in Aotearoa and features some truly epic scenery. Unfortunately, this won’t be the case for season two, with Amazon deciding to film the second instalment in the UK.
We all know the Addams family. They dominated the 90s with their gothic style and cool yet creepy demeanour, so it’s no surprise the family are back 30 years later with a Tim Burton makeover.
The eight-episode miniseries landed on Netflix at the end of November and quickly cast a huge shadow over Stranger Things as it racked up a massive 341.2 million hours of viewing worldwide, making it the best week for any English language series on the streamer.
But what is it about the series that has fans hooked? The Burton-directed episodes follow Wednesday Addams - played by Jenna Ortega - as her parents enrol her at Nevermore Academy. She attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.
Binge it in a day or watch it over a couple of weeks but whatever you do, add it to your “must watch this summer” list because it’s sure to reignite your childhood love for black clothes, black lipstick and a mysterious approach to life.
In September 2020, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney revealed their intention to buy the Wrexham AFC, a Welsh professional association football club.
By February 2021 the purchase had been made and Welcome to Wrexham - a documentary-style series - follows the pair as they attempt to restore the third-oldest professional association football team in the world to its former glory.
With no experience in managing a sports team, the two actors are well out of their comfort zone but they persevere and the team start shooting up the ranks.
Sit down this summer with your sport-loving family member and give this series a go because as Reynolds says himself in the trailer, “it’s an underdog story” and who can go past one of those.
It’s been a huge break between season two and the upcoming season three and with the announcement of Hanry Cavill’s departure, fans will be tuning in to see how, what, when and where that takes place, thankfully they won’t have to wait too long as Cavill hinted earlier this year that fans can expect to see season three mid-2023.
The Witcher is a high fantasy series based on a series of best-selling books and video games. The story is centred on a magical monster hunter - Geralt of Rivia, Crown Princess Ciri of Cintra, and the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg following formative events that ultimately make them who they are.
While the upcoming season’s plot is being kept tightly under wraps, if it’s anything like prior seasons, fans can expect to see more magic, battles and hopefully development of Yennefer and Geralt’s love story.
Whether you’re into football or just into Jason Sudeikis, the release of season three will no doubt be at the top of your most anticipated list for 2023.
The show itself has won a series of Emmys for its light-hearted and comedic approach to football, friends and family. While there is no confirmed date for the release of the upcoming season, it has more or less been confirmed that it will the last for the show *cue the tears*.
If you haven’t yet dabbled in an afternoon committed to binging the series, it follows American football coach Ted Lasso - played by Sudeikis - who has unexpectedly recruited to coach a fictional English Premier League soccer team, AFC Richmond.
While he has no experience coaching soccer and is up against the team’s owner, Rebecca Welton - Hannah Waddingham - who desperately wants him to fail (it’s a long story), Lasso’s charm, personality, and humour begin to win over Rebecca, the team, and those who had been sceptical about his appointment.
The psychological thriller style Netflix series won us over in 2018 with Penn Badgley portraying Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager and serial killer who falls in love and develops an extreme obsession.
On first glance you think, “Nah, this show isn’t for me,” but the next thing you know you’re three seasons deep and craving season four more than Goldberg craves a murder-free romance. Well, it’s great news for you because the show has an official return date, and it’s so soon it may as well be tomorrow. Mark your calendars and get the popcorn ready because this obsession-worthy show returns on February 9.
Season four is set to take place in the UK and will follow Goldberg - who now goes by Jonathan Moore - as he faces “emotional baggage”, a new rival and if we have learnt anything after three series, there is most likely going to be a new woman Goldberg/Moore obsesses over.
Based off the Playstation classic turned drama, the show stars Pedro Pascal from Game of Thrones and Bella Ramsey from Catherine Called Birdy, have everyone buzzing for their brand new show, The Last Of Us.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the HBO series is set to be the biggest Canadian television production in history and will follow Joel (Pascal), a hardened survivor who is tormented by the trauma of his past who has been tasked with escorting the defiant and angry teenage Ellie (Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The creation of the show has been a long road with two film adaptions, a feature film and an animated short film all being rejected before the concept finally got a confirmation from HBO. The game’s writer and creative director, Neil Druckmann and composer Gustavo Santaolalla, both worked on the video games and are returning to work on the series.
The show is expected to launch on January 15.
Returning for its sixth and final season is Netflix’s The Crown which will cover a timeline of late 90s to early 00s, meaning it will touch on, but not show, the tragic death of Diana and the massive repercussions of the loss of the “People’s Princess” has upon Queen Elizabeth II and The Firm.
Season five was released on the streaming platform late 2022 and came under fire for its dramatisation of events, particularly King Charles and Diana’s marriage and the suggestion that Prince Philip pursued an affair with Penny Knatchbull, who is now Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
Despite being based on the real lives of the Royal family and events they had to navigate, in 2018, show creator Peter Morgan admitted some parts of the show require “leaps of the imagination” from the writers, even though it is thoroughly researched.
Regardless, it’s expected season six will captivate audiences once more.
The digitally savvy director’s fixed-perspective experiment takes us back to the future.