In an era where new streaming services keep popping up, the TV landscape has become saturated with content. Consequently, in the past few years, many quality shows have failed to make headlines and garner the viewership figures that they deserve.
In 2022, many TV series have flown under the radar. These underrated releases have not only been reviewed favorably by critics, but they are also rated highly by fans. As 2022 comes to a close, it's a good time to check out the best shows that the year has had to offer. From mob stories to murder mysteries, fans have plenty of underrated and captivating series to check out.
10 Tulsa King Is A Captivating Mob Tale
Most of Sylvester Stallone’s projects in the post-2000s era have been critically panned, but that trend has changed with Tulsa King. The Paramount+ series marks his first starring role in a TV show and his best performance in recent times. He plays a newly paroled mafia member who tries to spice up the dull underworld of Tulsa, Oklahoma to remain useful in his crime family.
For once, one of the greatest action stars of all time doesn’t get to fight every single minute. Instead, Tulsa King focuses on creating a rich story full of strong characters. Viewers get to see a show that’s close to The Sopranos in terms of tone and pace. This feels revitalizing in an era where mafia tales no longer appeal to showrunners and movie directors.
9 The Afterparty Is Full Of Twists And Laughter
The Knives Out franchise has gotten all the attention when it comes to whodunit projects, but The Afterparty is just as good, if not better. The plot is about the murder of a pop star at his mansion after a high school reunion. The talented cast includes Tiffany Haddish as the lead detective and Ike Baronholtz, whose character never takes himself too seriously, even though he is one of the main suspects.
The plot is captivating, as each episode focuses on a different person who was at the mansion when the pop star died. Furthermore, different genres get patched into the main journalism narrative. As a result, fans get to see nods to Fast & Furious, musicals, and some of the scariest horror movies.
8 Welcome To Chippendales Is Historically Accurate
Hulu received plenty of criticism for its biographical show about Mike Tyson, but the streaming service has redeemed itself by releasing another masterpiece in the same category: Welcome To Chippendales. The show is about Somen "Steve" Banerjee, who founded the first-ever male strip club in America.
From afar, it might seem like a story about a stripping dance troupe would be crude, but the Hulu miniseries actually focuses on business rivalry and murder. Thanks to Kumail Nanjani’s inspired performance, Banerjee’s arguments with his business partner, who happens to be more visionary than him, are fun to watch. Better yet, Welcome to Chippendales sticks to the events as they occurred in real life.
7 Echo 3 Is Action-Packed
Echo 3 blends family drama, the drug trade, espionage, and activism to present fans with the perfect black-ops thriller. In Echo 3, an American scientist gets kidnapped in Colombia, forcing her brother and husband, who are both Delta Force members, to try to save her.
The Apple TV+ show mostly glows because of the well-choreographed action sequences. The Colombian setting is spellbinding, with the camera always focusing on the beauty of the environment just as much as it stays on the characters. Furthermore, there are several formidable secondary villains to root against, rather than just one primary antagonist.
6 The Resort Turns Tourists Into Investigators
Vacations don’t always go well in movies and TV shows. This is the kind of script that The Resort sticks to by tying the proceedings to an unhappy couple. They try to solve the case of a missing person. Despite the familiar format, the show manages to remain intriguing by offering plenty of unusual twists.
The numerous flashbacks make the mystery easier to keep up with, as does the dialogue, which often jumps from passionate arguments to surprise jokes to the assessment of new evidence. On top of that, there’s plenty to learn about marriage and the challenges that come with it.
5 Reacher Has A Book-Accurate Version Of The Protagonist
Tom Cruise’s movies about the popular Lee Child action hero, Jack Reacher, are still more popular than the Amazon Prime series. However, book lovers will appreciate how the latter honors the print version more. The events of Reacher follow the hitchhiking former military policeman as he tries to solve a murder conspiracy.
Reacher is underrated for many reasons, one of the major ones being that Alan Ritchson matches Jack Reacher’s towering physique that’s described in the books more than Tom Cruise. Ritchson’s version happens to be a better fighter, making him feel reminiscent of beloved ‘90s action movie heroes.
4 Super Pumped Takes Viewers Through Uber’s Office Politics
Thanks to Billions, Succession, and other modern TV classics, finance has become one of the most fascinating topics to explore in movies and TV. Super Pumped treads the same path by following covering the boardroom wars insider the ride-sharing company, Uber.
Though the events are based on real-life happenings, the Showtime series spices things up by taking creative liberties, just like The Big Short and The Wolf Of Wall Street did. Big names such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Uma Thurman give incredible performances and captivate the audience in the tense tale.
3 Fans Of The Godfather Learn A Lot In The Offer
It was only a matter of time before one of the most revered movies of all time got a “making of” movie or TV show. In 2022, this happened via The Offer, which proves just how difficult life was for the production team of The Godfather.
It’s as much a history lesson as it is an exploration of Hollywood in the ‘70s. The numerous behind-the-scenes facts that are revealed across the eight episodes are shocking. More specifically, the fact that the mafia had a huge say in The Godfather’s tone and content surprised viewers. Fans of The Godfather will learn a lot in The Offer.
2 Tokyo Vice Is A Story About Crime And Ambition
Michael Mann hasn't ventured into TV much as a director, but all that has changed with Tokyo Vice. Not too different from his earlier work, Miami Vice, Tokyo Vice sees American journalist Jake Adelstein trying to expose the Yakuza after getting a job at Tokyo’s biggest newspaper.
Tokyo Vice is more about the thrills of investigative journalism than it is about the mob. As events in each episode unfold, viewers can’t help but admire Jake's courage as he gets exclusive information and challenges his superiors on how news ought to be presented. Additionally, Tokyo Vice is a visual feast, thanks to the colorful neon-noir scenes.
1 There's A Wild Mystery In The Tourist
There has been no shortage of shows set outside America and Europe in 2022, but The Tourist tops them all. That’s because the tension never ends as a tourist in the Australian outback tries to figure out what happened after an accident causes him to develop amnesia.
By taking plenty of time before revealing what’s actually going on, the BBC One and HBO Max collaborative effort provides incentives to keep watching. The camera work is skillful, as it makes the dusty outback seem like paradise. The Tourist is an intriguing watch.