TV Shows New and Returning to Look Forward to in 2022

2022 is lining up to be an exciting year for TV fans such as myself. I have listed MY most anticipated shows of 2022 so don’t expect to see the likes of Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders and Bridgerton, they were not for me. All have been confirmed for 2022 and most have dates. Some parts of the list contain spoilers from previous series which will be shown below:

No Spoilers

Mild Spoilers

Major Spoilers

The Boys Season 3

Release Date: June 3rd 2022 (Amazon Prime)

There is a considerable amount of hype surrounding the next season of Amazon Hit Anti-superhero show ‘The Boys’ because of promises of it being much darker and controversial than previous seasons which seems a hard thing to do. I’m looking forward to seeing Anthony Staar’s Homelander return to the screen and see how much worse he can get. Homelander is easily one of the best antagonists on TV and Starr psychopathic performance deserves a lot more recognition for it.

Snowfall Season 5

Release Date: February 23 (Hulu/BBC?/Disney+?)

One of the most underrated crime dramas is back this year. Snowfall tells the rise of crack cocaine in the states and how one man (Franklin Saint) creates an empire based on America’s new addiction. Little is known about the plot expect that it will jump a few years from season 4 and will occur around 1986 where violence in the streets was ramping up as the LAPD tackle the war on drugs. The new season will also see how Franklin copes with one of his allies becoming his main enemy.

Kenobi (Limited Series)

Release Date: TBC 2022 (Disney+)

I would say this probably just edges the Boys as being my most anticipated show of the year. Revenge of the Sith is one of my favourite films of all time and you can imagine my excitement when they announced a sequel in the form of a TV miniseries with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christiansen both reprising their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker. Not much about the plot has been revealed but we finally get to see how Obi-Wan survived the Jedi purge up until ‘A New Hope’. The prospect of seeing Darth Vader at the peak of his power wrecking havoc across the galaxy trying to find Obi-Wan is a very very very exciting prospect. The “rematch of the century” has been promised by the show’s producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Ozark Season 4 Parts 1 & 2

Release Date: (Part 1) January 21st 2022 (Part 2) TBC (Netflix)

Jason Bateman’s crime drama comes to an end this year with a frustrating season splitting two parter. Ozark has gotten better with every season. It seems this season is setting up for a war with the Bryde family caught in the middle. As expected there will be plenty of bloodshed but It will be interesting to see if the family can come out alive and finally escape the clutches of the cartel.

Peacemaker Season 1

Release Date: 13th January 2022 (HBO Max)

John Cena reprises his role as the Peacemaker from last year’s excellent ‘The Suicide Squad’. Peacemaker was one of my favourite characters from the movie so I am glad he is getting his own show and from the trailer it looks to be funny. John Cena is very underrated when it comes to comedic roles.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Part 2

Release Date: February 20th 2022 (AMC, Disney+)

Robert Kirkman’s iconic zombie show is finally coming to an end and whatever you may think of it, you can’t argue that it is not one of the biggest Tv shows of the past decade. I personally have stop and started the show a few times but I am up to Season 11 however I am waiting for all the episodes to come out to binge watch the whole series so I cannot provide a plot description without spoilers…sorry

Atlanta Season 3

Release Date: March 24 2022 (Hulu/FX)

It really has felt like a long time since we last saw new Atlanta episodes on our screens (2018!). Finally Donald Glover announced his comedy Drama about an up and coming rapper will return this year and it picks up right where season 2 left off with the group heading to Europe. From the trailer it looks like the characters will get into more crazy situations like they have in previous seasons but this time in land there unfamiliar with. I personally can’t wait for the England section of the tour as well as hearing the new music created for the show by Donald & Stephen Glover.

House of the Dragon

Release Date: 2022 (HBO Max/Sky)

Game of Thrones is finally back after a disastrous final season with a prequel set 200 years prior to the original series. The plot focuses on the Targaryen Civil War in which two members of the Targaryen family clash for the throne. I am interested to see Matt Smith performance as he’s someone who I’m not much of a fan acting wise. Would also love to see a Night King cameo, it’s what we deserve after he was shafted in the final season.

Resident Evil

Release Date: 2022 (Netflix)

The Resident Evil movies were a guilty pleasure of mine, by no means perfect but a fun mindless ride at times. Now Netflix are rebooting Resident Evil as a Tv Show with it being set a decade into the T-Virus ravaged world. Lance Reddick has been casted as Albert Wesker which is a great choice as long as he can rock the iconic Wesker look. The zombie genre has been done a million times and the show being produced by Netflix is a worry as the company has had a streak of making boring, cringe worthy shows with some truly awful acting and dialogue… but lets hope that’s not the case with Resident Evil.

Afterlife Season 3

Release Date: January 14th 2022 (Netflix)

Ricky Gervais heart-breaking comedy is back for its final season. Ricky really knows how to pull the heart strings whilst still providing comedy to lighten the mood. The show follows a man struggling to cope with lifeafter his wife passes away. Ricky is my favourite comedian and has created two of the greatest shows of all time in The Office and Extras.

The Afterparty

Release Date: January 28th 2022 (Apple TV)

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Dave Franco has been murdered at his own party and there are multiple witnesses all of which will give their version of events with each episode. Ben Schwartz (shout out Jean-Ralphio) is in it plus Dave Franco so I’m interested and to think I just cancelled my Apple TV free trial…damn.

Power Book IV: Force

Release Date: 6th February 2022 (Starz)

Power is such a good crime drama, I highly recommend you watch it. Book 4 finishes off from the ending of the original show where we see what happens to Tommy in the aftermath of Power’s finale. Tommy is caught between a drug gang war in Chicago as he looks to move on from his past life. I have not watched book 2 or 3 since they did not really interest me enough to pay for a Starz subscription but book 4 has convinced me to get one since Tommy was one of the best characters on the show.

The Lord Of The Rings

Release Date: September 2nd (Amazon Prime)

The lord of the rings trilogy have been on my watchlist for as long as I can remember but its been difficult to find the time to watch them. However the TV series adaptation is reportedly going to be the most expensive show ever made so expect stunning visuals, beautiful world building and lots of actions. You just have to check something like this out and I will definitely watch at least the original trilogy prior to the airing of the TV show.

Unconfirmed for 2022 but likely…

Mandalorian Season 3

One of Star Wars biggest shows hopefully should make a return this year as we follow our favourite helmeted mercenary. After Season 2 ended with the shocking reveal that Luke Skywalker was the saviour, it begs the question what will Luke do with Grogu and will we see the likes of Ahsoka again?

The Last of Us Season 1

Based on the hit video game, Pedro Pascal will transform the role of Joel into live action as he looks to survive the fungal infected zombie apocalypse with his young partner Ellie. If you’ve played the game you will be familiar with the plot with little indication it will be much different from the video game.

The Idol Season 1

Abel Tesfaye A.K.A The Weeknd stars in his first leading role in this HBO drama about a relationship between a pop singer and the owner of club in L.A who is also the leader of a cult. An intriguing concept plus the Weeknd….. I’m in.

Any shows I have missed? Let me know in the comments.

Red Notice Honest Review

Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson reluctantly team up to take down the world’s biggest art thief in Gal Gadot as they clash across beautiful settings from the beautiful sunny Italy to the cold isolated winter style setting of Russia to the forests of Argentina.

Johnson plays FBI agent John Hartley who is tasked at bringing down notorious art thief Nolan Booth (reynolds) who aims to bring 3 sacred eggs whose ownership dates back to Cleopatra to an Egyptian Billionaire. Booth is not the only one after the eggs with rival art theif known as the Bishop (Gadot) proving to always get one up over Booth. Dwayne and Ryan are forced to team up in the comedic good cop/ bad cop pairing but Booth is not actually a cop.

Johnson & Reynolds chemistry is the highlight of the film with the duo bouncing off each other with Johnson’s reluctance to trust Reynolds whose famous charm is present throughout the movie. Gadot plays the cocky villain really well showing her superiority over the duo multiple times with clever tricks and twists. I was not the biggest fan of the lead FBI agent she did not seem to fit in with the other characters, seemed quite dull and didn’t share the same chemistry with the rest of the cast

The multiple settings are gorgeous from the beautiful sunny Italy to the cold isolated winter style setting of Russia to the forests of Argentina.

This film is another case of critics hating all over the film and the audience loving it because the critics are looking far too much into a film that was made just for a fun easy watching flick. The film is filled with a brilliant cast, an interesting plot and its full of twists and turns.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

SPOILERS SECTION

The films twist is something I had a slight niggling in the back of my brain throughout the movie but chose to ignore. It turns out Hartley is the secret partner of the Bishop and they were using Booth the whole time. It’s kind of sad to be honest especially after we finally see Booth caring about Hartley right before the twist is revealed. Its refreshing seeing Dwyane play the bad guy role, something he was an expert at in his time with WWE.

The Set up for a sequel has me interested as the trio are forced to score one more job after they all lost everything with the FBI hot on their trail. If it means more Dwayne and Ryan banter then I’m all for it.

Bonus: The Ed Sheeran cameo was hilarious especially saying how he was on Game of Thrones as he’s been escorted away by police.

You Season 3 Honest Review

Season 3 feels all too familiar with the recycled formula, missed opportunities and boring characters

Another Netflix show fallen to forced agendas.

Last night I completed the third instalment of the widely popular stalker thriller ‘You’. After a refreshing first season and a hit and miss second season, I was intrigued to see what the third season had instore for the psycho duo. Sadly, this season fell flat and felt all too familiar.

Warning spoilers ahead.

Love Quinn

Now before the season even started, I was not the biggest fan of Joe’s new partner Love Quinn, whether it be her weird facial expressions at times or just that I never found the attachment with Love as I did Beck. This season she just gets worse mainly due to her hypocrisy. She twists everything on Joe like it’s all his fault despite her mindlessly killing everyone that lays eyes on Joe and the fact that she bangs the young neighbour next door multiple times. I never liked that storyline it seemed out of character for Love who seemed like Joe could be the only one and this Theo just seemed bland and way too obsessed too quickly, that’s not the only time that occurs this season. Theo also provided the most cringe worthy scene in TV history when Love is thinking of him during intercourse with Joe. There were some good moments especially the hallucination scene with her dead brother which made me feel for her a lot as we really see the importance her brother played in her life. Reading posts on the internet I know I’m in the minority when it comes to my opinions on Love Quinn but this is just my opinion at the end of the day

The Setting

The setting was horrendous, I know it was Joe’s idea of hell and it would be mine too as all the new characters were annoying, pretentious, and social media obsessed, things I absolutely hate. The actors and actresses played the roles well especially Sherry, a character who I was rooting for to be killed brutally, but in the end I somehow felt sympathy for her as she finally peeled back her ‘fake’ personality in order to show her true ‘real human’ self when staring death in the face so I was not too disappointed when it turned out she survived in the end.

Nothing New Here

The ending of season 2 really backed the series into a corner with it setting up another romantic interest for Joe to get obsessed with, sending the show in the same direction instead of a fresh new start. This felt all too familiar, which is the third seasons biggest flaw. The same stories were repeated, Joe killing for this new woman, dysfunctional family issues, Love being a psychopath.  Surely it would have been better if the two stayed together and spent the season on the run avoiding the police whilst still at each other’s throats as they both keep making circumstances worse for each other whilst attempting to raise a child amidst the chaos. That’s the direction I personally would have taken the show.

Underutilised Characters

Matthew and Natalie were wasted this season. Matthew was kept alive throughout the season to end up really doing nothing at all despite so much time being devoted to his camera searching. It would have been better if he had found the evidence but went after the couple rather than the police. Natalie was intriguing which is why it annoyed me when she was killed off so early for shock factor and was replaced by the less interesting Marianne

The new love interest for Joe did not feel right at all. Marianne is thrown into the mix out of nowhere with little personality or interest. Joe just becomes obsessed with her why? Because she’s a librarian? I don’t know to be honest. There’s no chemistry between them at all and feels very forced like most things these days.

Conclusion

Overall, there is a dire lack of mystery or suspense as this feels all too familiar. The last few episodes are pretty good especially the last episode and the show as a whole was pretty funny at times especially when were in Joe’s head, but this is not enough to look past the storylines which are getting more and more farfetched. The Joe from season 1 is a much better edgier character compared to his season 3 version where he takes more of a backseat and is just cleaning up the mess Love keeps making.

Critics are eating this up for obvious reasons, the show pushes certain agendas and ticks all the boxes for a modern day show in fear of being ‘cancelled’. This sacrifices storylines as they fall flat and lack logic which sadly represents a lot of modern-day Netflix products. Shows should not be praised because it fits a certain criteria but rather should be praised for its storytelling and acting. I can’t see season 4 being an improvement if they keep going in the same direction.

⭐⭐

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Movie gems to look out for

Need a cinematic universe to dive into to cure your boredom? I’m here to help! These films wont necessarily be considered classics and these films are not my favourite films of all time but I’ve chosen movies that I feel deserve more recognition or due to streaming service limitations people may not have had the opportunity to view these films.

Queen & Slim (2019)

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya/ Jodie Turner-Smith

The emotional story of a black man and woman who go a date and find themselves on the run from the law after they murder a racist police officer in self defence. The development of the couple’s relationship in such dire circumstances is beautiful to see as their fame rises around the world. In addition to Steller performances from Daniel & Jodie, present day social issues are addressed quite openly in a way that is brave and emphatic.

Gone Girl (2014)

Starring: Ben Affleck/ Rosemund Pike

When his wife suddenly disappears on their wedding anniversary, all the fingers are pointed at the husband. The story grabs the attention of the whole country and as days pass, the husband comes under more scrutiny as secrets of his past are revealed. Halfway through the movie theirs’s a gigantic shift in tone changes the whole format of the film. Really excellent stuff.

Blade II (2002)

Starring: Wesley Snipes/ Norman Reedus/ Ron Perlman

The blade series does not get the recognition it deserves for bringing marvel to mainstream film audiences. The first film was a solid film but the sequel is the best of the trilogy in my opinion. Blade our resident vampire hunter is tasked in taking down a mutated version of vampires called the Reapers. A fast paced bloody vampire killing adventure led by the badass Wesley Snipes as Blade, is a fun watch for its action set pieces which takes more importance over the quality of the script itself.

Moonlight (2017)

Starring: Trevante Rhodes/ Mahershala Ali/ Ashton Sanders

I know this film is critically acclaimed so its not technically underrated but I feel not many people have seen it especially in the UK. This beautiful story follows Chiron’s three key stages in his life: Childhood, Teen and Early adulthood. As a child Chiron befriends a local drug dealer called Juan who takes him in after his drug addicted mother continuously neglects him. The two become friends and Juan teaches him valuable life lessons which impact Chiron throughout the entirety of the film. The film tackles sexuality, identity, bullying, abuse and neglect and is honestly beautiful with moments that will make you cheer, moments that will make you sad and moments that will make you scream at the TV. Also the cover art is one of the best in Film history.

Spring Breakers (2012)

Starring: James Franco/ Vanessa Hudgens/ Selena Gomez

4 College students head to Florida for Spring break. When they get arrested, they are bailed out by a mysterious drug dealer known as Alien. What follows is the girls joining Alien’s life of crime. This film is stylish with some beautiful cinematography accompanied by an amazing score to go with it. Your standard party movie surrounded by bikinis and drugs is transformed into a dark gritty crime story. The movie is quite divisive between people but I feel this film is misunderstood as the a lot of viewers would just see it as a film with sex, drugs and guns in it rather than understanding the life lessons it creates for younger people. Give it a watch for yourself.

Uncut Gems (2019)

Starring:Adam Sandler/ Kevin Garnett/Lakeith Stanfield

A smooth talking jeweller puts on the bet of a lifetime in order to keep his business, family and life together. Seeing Adam Sandler in a serious role was a breath of fresh air considering his films are very hit and miss with me especially his more recent ones. The film is very gripping at times as it showcases the consequences of high stakes gambling showing that the highs can be very high but the lows are very low.

Palm Springs (2020)

Starring:Andy Samberg/Cristin Milioti

On the day of her sisters wedding in a luxury hotel resort, two wedding guests become stuck in a time loop reliving the day of the wedding over and over again with each ‘day’ revealing more and more secrets. As the cycle resets their friendship bonds as they do whatever they want considering the cycle can’t end. The film although comedic at times, is not afraid to shift to a tone that represents eternal loneliness, helplessness and anxiousness. The film clocks in at 1hr 30mins making it a pacey fun ride that is easily rewatchable

Blockers (2018)

Starring: John Cena/ Leslie Mann/ Ike Barinholtz

A group of parents become friends after watching their kids grow up together, however they begin to panic when they realise their daughters could lose their virginity on prom night, the parents do everything possible to prevent this from happening. What I like about this film is that it is not as in your face as other sex comedies like American Pie etc. John Cena is the star of the show playing the sensitive parent despite being a big muscular man, going against the standard tough guy stereotype. The casting is great and should be definitely worth your time if you like comedies.

Blades of Glory (2007)

Starring Will Ferrell/ Jon Heder

Two figure skating rivals are forced to team up as partners in order to go for Gold in the Olympics after being banned in singles competitions. The development of a friendship between the rivals is the best part of the film as we see two egomaniacs struggling to lower their ego for the good of their partnership. This film is surprisingly hilarious with Will Arnett and Amy Poehler playing comical villains. This film birthed the famous “no one knows what it means, its provocative” line.

TV Shows watchlist

Struggling to find something to watch? We’ve all been there and hopefully I can be the saviour to cure your boredom. Below is a list of TV shows that have entertained me over the past years.

First of all I will not be mentioning the obvious shows like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead etc as most of you would have already seen them.

The Boys

Starring- Anthony Starr/ Karl Urban/ Erin Moriarty/ Jack Quaid

The ultimate anti hero show. This prime exclusive may be one of the best shows around. The Boys provides a modern day twist on the generic superhero show with the so called superheroes being a group of narcissists who are owned by massive cooperation’s who use their brands to make money. Its bloody ,its violent, its funny, Anthony Starr as Homelander was the perfect casting choice and he deserves huge recognition for his performances. In just two seasons so far Homelander has become one of Tv’s best characters. A must watch for any superhero fan.

Season 1	100%
Season 2	100%

The Boys Season Ratings

Power

Starring: Omari Hardwick/ Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson/ Joseph Sikora

This executively produced 50 Cent crime drama follows the story of Ghost. By Day he goes by club owner James St. Patrick, by night he goes by drug kingpin ‘Ghost’. Power follows Ghost as he tries to balance his home life with his criminal life which obviously conflict a lot as he tries to become more of a legit business owner but its never possible to get out the drug game. Full of excellent acting performances, shocking moments and intense shoot outs, I recommend checking out 6 seasons of mayhem.

Season 1	95%
Season 2	99%
Season 3	99%
Season 4	98%
Season 5	100%
Season 6	99%

Power Season Ratings

Ozark

Staring: Jason Bateman/ Laura Linney/ Julia Garner

The Bryde family relocate to the Ozarks in order to pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican druglord. The family have to adapt to their new criminal lives whilst struggling to keep their new lives a secret .Any solution the family finds proves only to be temporary as things just seem to keep getting worse for the family which provides exciting entertainment whilst also triggering empathy to a family who are trying everything to survive each day.

Season 1	85%
Season 2	90%
Season 3	95%

Ozark Season Ratings

Invincible

Starring: Steven Yeun/ J.K Simmons/ Zazie Beetz

Another superhero show but this time its animated. The show follows Mark Grayson the son of the universes most powerful superhero-Omni Man. The show follows Mark as he comes to terms with powers whilst trying to follow in his fathers footsteps. This is much harder than it looks as Mark has to struggle to balance friendships, keep his identity a secret whilst saving the world from supervillains. A show that looks quite kid friendly is packed with blood and gore. An extensive voice cast along with excellent twist and turns you wont be able to stop watching. I won’t say too much but the end of the first episode will leave you gob smacked.

Season 1 100%

Invincible Season rating

Snowfall

Starring: Damson Idris/ Carter Hudson/ Amin Joseph

Snowfall is about the rise of crack cocaine in the 1980s. The story is split into 3 perspectives. A student called Franklin Saint who builds his empire with the help of his family and friends , the villanueva’s a Mexican cartel and a undercover CIA agent. Each set of characters deal with their own problems and are put in intense situations. The show really captivates the consequences of drugs and the drug problem that ran through the suburbs of America during this time period. Franklin saint is a great antagonist and his character development is excellent as he goes from regular student to crime lord.

Season 1	80%
Season 2	98%
Season 3	100%
Season 4	100%

Snowfall Season Ratings

Atlanta

Starring: Donald Glover/ Brian Tyree Henry/ Zazie Beetz/ Lakeith Stanfield

Donald Glover showed why he is one of the most talented people on the planet. He wrote, directed and starred in this hit show about a upcoming rapper trying to make it big whilst his cousin played by Glover is trying everything in his power to make him successful to mixed success. Episodes are hilarious while being serious at the same time. The soundtrack is incredible with Donald and his brother Stevie offering their musical talents to make original music if there not already using Atlanta’s great source of music. S1 Ep5 & S1 Ep7 are some of the funniest episodes I have ever seen.

Season 1	100%
Season 2	96%

Atlanta Season Ratings

Arrested Development

This underrated sitcom dates back to 2003. The plot follows the dysfunctional Bluth family who lose everything when the corrupt father of the family is done for fraud. Its now up to the eldest son Michael to maintain peace and order. An all star cast with standout performances form Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett & David Cross, this show will make you laugh as you watch all the family members try and ruin each others lives. The first three seasons are TV Gold, the show was unfortunately cancelled but has been revived twice, however both attempts resulted in a boring disjointed mess.

Scream

Starring: Willa Fitzgerald/ Bex Taylor-Klaus/ Carlson Young

Scream really surprised me a lot, it was a intense game of cat and mouse which kept you guessing who was the killer behind the mask. Every time you think you had the answer from the very few clues revealed an episode, you would be proved wrong as that character would wind up dead. Obviously full of lots of twists both seasons of Scream provide satisfying big reveal endings with reasonable motivations. They did try to reboot it for a “third season” despite the second season ending being left open but that was pretty bad.

Season 1	88%
Season 2	92%

Scream Season Ratings

The Ricky Gervais Show

Starring: Ricky Gervais/ Karl Pilkington/ Stephen Merchant

This podcast was converted to DVD format with animations to go with the stories that Ricky Gervais, Karl Pilkington & Stephen Merchant come up with it. It is a hilarious watch with Karl Pilkington coming up with the most ridiculous statements and stories as Ricky & Stephen bash him for it. If your fan of any of these 3 or just want to laugh to silly stories this is a must watch.

Banshee

Starring: Anthony Starr/Ulrich Thomsen/Lili Simmons

If you like strong gory violence, shooting, sex and more violence than Banshee is the show for you. You follow an ex con who takes over the life of a dead sheriff Lucas Hood. The shows four seasons follows the antics of the chaotic Banshee town as Hood tries to keep his true identity secret whilst keeping law and order in a town owned by millionaire drug Lord Kai Proctor. The first three seasons are excellent whilst the final season takes a big dip in quality but still provides a satisfying conclusion.

Season 1	98%
Season 2	100%
Season 3	95%
Season 4	60%

Banshee seasons ratings

Community

Starring: Joel Mchale/ Gillian Jacobs/ Donald Glover/ Jim Rash

This is the show I have rewatched the most bar The Simpsons. This was the first real show I binge watched, you become so addicted to the show with the episodes only being around 20 minutes. Community is about the antics of a study group within a crazy community college. To put it simply community is a parody of your standard sitcom and its fully aware of it. Community is perfect at spoofing famous movies & TV shows from Star Wars to The Magnificent Seven to Goodfellas to Law & Order. The writing is so clever with characters you will fall in love with instantly. Lots of guest stars who actually add to episodes and yes cast departures in the later seasons do hurt the quality but there still an enjoyable watch. Community is hilarious and will have your sides hurting more often than not

Season 1	100%
Season 2	100%
Season 3	100%
Season 4	95%
Season 5	93%
Season 6	60%

Community Season Ratings