Best Shows of 2022
2022 saw a lot of experimentation in terms of shows that were brought to the table. There were shows that catered to almost every emotion and feeling.
Here are my top 5 shows of the year:
1. Masoom - Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar
Directed by Mihir Desai, Masoom was a slow-burn psychological thriller that subtly brought forth the concept of Indian fatherhood - to nurture at the cost of love, or to control at the cost of trust.
Starring Samara Tijori, Upasna Singh, and marking the OTT debut of Boman Irani, the show is a tale of a women’s quest to uncover the dark pasts of her family. It is also about a complex father-daughter relationship, where a daughter pursues justice for her deceased mother, fighting her father to reveal some of the dark secrets that can impair her relationship with her family.
At its heart, the show brings out the grey part of black and white family relationships. It also shows how families can form bonds of trauma, secrets, and lies. The show uses a slow burn style, which after a point tends to be slightly one-sided. However, what truly makes the show different is the approach to the mystery. The approach is told in a circular fashion, which is not as intense as other mysteries such as Haseen Dilrubba or Raat Akeli Hai. Family equations and skirmishes come to the fore, which form a perfect setting for the psychological thriller.
2. Severance - Streaming on Apple TV
Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, Severance put into perspective the importance of a work-life balance. The show, based in a biotechnology firm follows the process of "severance" on each of its eployees. The process helps the employee separate the consciousness between their lives at work and outside of it. One severed employee gradually uncovers the web of conspiracy.
We often get stuck in our work cycles that we often tend to mis-prioritize it with our personal lives. The world of the show has been wonderful created with symmetric angles, colours and stark differences.
The show stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, and Jen Tullock, among others.
3. Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein - Streaming on Netflix
Created by Siddharth Sengupta, this show is an ode to Shah Rukh Khan.
The show is centred on Vikrant, a small-town engineering graduate whose modest ambitions (a job in Bhilai) and dreams (a house with girlfriend Shikha) go for a toss when he becomes the object of desire for Purva, a menacing politician’s daughter, and is forced into an ominous household against his wishes.
What interested me in the economical storytelling was the way we see small-town stories become characters of their own. Picking up from shows like Mirzapur, the setting in this series sets quite a subversive tone. The show also inverses the usual gender dynamics at play, whether it is looking at love and lust through the female gaze or seeing an emasculated protagonist.
4. Panchayat: Season 02
The same setting, the same actors, and the same theme music (composed by the wonderful Anurag Saikia), but nothing that feels mundane — that’s the beauty of Panchayat 2. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, this TVF production will get you as emotionally invested in the lives of the village of Phulera and its residents as you were in the first season.
The creators of Panchayat 2 have projected the rural Indian village in the middle of nowhere, like nothing we are accustomed to seeing on screen. The village does not have guns and gangs like Mirzapur, nor does it have starry-eyed lovers dancing in the middle of vast fields of sunflower. Instead, it’s a village dealing with relevant issues like open defecation, alcohol addiction, and installation of CCTVs – all this with a dash and sprinkle of humor.
While the first season looked at trivial issues through the lens of Abhishek, the second looks at issues at a more macro level. It delved into issues that show that life is bigger than Abhishek and his evolving perspective. It also puts into perspective several ideas about the meaning of friendship. There is also a love story brewing, but it does not become a part of the central plot of the show. Using situational comedy, the show puts into perspective the trivialities of village life as compared to ours.
5. The White Lotus: Season 02
Created by Mike White, The White Lotus put simply is a satire of the leisure class. Starring Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Beatrice Granno, and Aubrey Plaza, among others, the show followers these travellers as each day a new controversy erupts. The second season of the show is set in the beautiful Italian city of Sicily, and has an added focus on the culture and language of the people there.
With the opening sequence, and the aesthetic, there is high emphasis on the kinds of films and art of the Italian neo-realism period. Films such as Ace L’Aventurra and The Godfather are referenced.
Despite having a slightly loose end, the season focuses on the wilful delusion of the wealthy - and how easily preyed upon people who evade reality can be.
Here’s to more content in 2023! See you at the movies (and shows on the web!)
