Biggest Returning TV Shows In 2022
With a solid year of television coming up, here are the biggest TV shows returning in 2022. Despite the pandemic slowing production down in 2020 for many TV shows, 2021 still brought forth a lot of new material worth getting excited about. Some shows will be returning after almost two years because of COVID-19, making their return all the more anticipated. Other shows received so much hype during their first season that fans are swarming to find out when the shows will return. Luckily, a lot of anticipated TV shows will be coming back in 2022.
Streaming platforms are giving viewers better ways to find and binge new shows. While some TV shows were sadly canceled in 2021, even with efforts to increase access to them through new TV platforms, many shows are actually benefiting from the changing television landscape. Networks are continuing to recognize the increasing popularity and effectiveness of streaming services, leading Disney to better utilize Disney+, CBS All Access expanding itself and changing to Paramount Plus, and HBO Max reaching higher success after its launch in May 2020.
A lot of shows in 2021 became surprise hits with others gaining even higher fan bases, giving 2022 lots of fodder for viewers to watch. Franchises are also more successfully catering their growing TV show roster to audiences, like TheBook of Boba Fett’s Star Wars Easter eggs being used efficiently without overtly pandering to viewers. In addition to many anticipated show premieres coming in 2022, a lot of talked-about shows in 2021 received the green light for another season. Here are the biggest returning shows to look out for in 2022.
The Boys
Amazon Prime’s superhero hit The Boys makes its anticipated return on June 3, 2022. Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic of the same name, the show follows the most famous superheroes of Vought International known simply as “The Seven.” The series focuses on a group that includes Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher and Jack Quaid’s Hughie Campbell Jr. as they uncover the evils brought forth by Vought’s mega-corporation tactics. Superhero shows like The Boys about flawed heroes are gaining lots of momentum lately, with anticipation for The Boys’ third season bursting after a lengthy year-and-a-half long wait. Season 3 of The Boys will debut Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy and The Walking Dead’s Laurie Holden as the Crimson Countess.
Doom Patrol
HBO Max’s DC show Doom Patrol will return for a fourth season this year, a green light so rapid that it was announced while season 3 was still airing. Continuing the adventures of the show’s ragtag gang of misfits, Doom Patrol became more out-of-the-ordinary than ever in its past season with the Sisterhood of Dada and Brotherhood of Evil. The show is more character-based than action-heavy, which serves the series well in terms of allowing it to stand out. Doom Patrol originally began on both HBO Max and DC’s now-defunct streaming service DC Universe. Doom Patrol is a fan-favorite in a long list of DC TV shows coming in 2022.
The Mandalorian
The Book of Boba Fett can owe much of its highly-watched first season not just to Star Wars, but to its successful parent show The Mandalorian. Following the adventures of Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin, The Mandalorian breathes new life into the Star Wars franchise by shifting the primary focus away from the Skywalker perspective and still sticking the landing with much aplomb. With Ludwig Göransson’s memorable score and heavy allusions to westerns and Samurai films, The Mandalorian masters at hitting Star Wars‘ core. With so much possibility open for the show, especially now that Grogu/Baby Yoda’s return in season 3 is up for debate, The Mandalorian’s season 3 could completely change and answer questions that will further expand the Star Wars franchise in exciting ways.
Squid Game
In September 2021, Netflix’s Korean hit drama Squid Game debuted with stratospheric ratings. The Battle Royale-esque show follows Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae) through a series of orchestrated childhood games with a deadly twist, all for a massive money prize that grows with each unlucky participant’s death. The show explores the dark places desperation takes people, notably with episode 2 “Hell” showing most participants returning to play despite leaving due to the games’ undisclosed deadly factor. The element of surprise with each new game adds a heightened level of consequence for the characters, creating an excitingly tense viewer experience. Squid Game is one of 2021’s biggest TV shows – so it comes as no surprise that a second season, and even talks for a third season, is in the works.
Stranger Things
Netflix’s Stranger Things will return in 2022 for its fourth season. The show, premiering in 2016 with wide audience reception, follows a group of teenagers in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana when secret government experiences take over their lives and expose them to a world known as “The Upside Down.” Stranger Things skyrocketed the careers of actors Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, and also regenerated the popularity of stars like Winona Ryder and Sean Astin. Its third season ended with a cliffhanger for Officer Jim Hopper (David Harbour), immediately building anticipation for season 4. This anticipation comes despite Stranger Things’ popularity possibly hurting the Netflix show with its growing reliance on 80s nostalgia and character sidelining. Stranger Things is one of the many shows affected by COVID-19, with season 3’s finale now being over a year and a half ago. Season 4 is expected mid-year.
What We Do In The Shadows
FX’s mockumentary comedy What We Do In The Shadows will return for season 4 in 2022 after a surprise twist ending in the season 3 finale. Based on the 2015 movie of the same name by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, What We Do In The Shadows centers on four vampires and their human familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) living in present-day Staten Island. The show builds its universe more with each season, with What We Do In The Shadows’ season 3 revealing more about vampires, including energy vampires like Colin Robinson. With What We Do In The Shadows having a knack to always compound further on world-building lore and character developments, there’s a lot of ground that season 4 can cover.
The Umbrella Academy
Netflix’s popular hit The Umbrella Academy will return for a third season later in 2022. Premiering in 2019, The Umbrella Academy is adapted from the comic book series of My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way. It’s one of the many popular misfit superhero shows running today as it follows adopted siblings facing their convoluted past and an incoming apocalypse. Interesting discussions about season 3 are already generating, from questions about how the show may approach Elliot Page as Vanya to an Umbrella Academy apocalypse theory regarding Ben (Justin H. Min).
Bridgerton
The second season of Bridgerton will arrive on Netflix on March 25, 2022. The first season, released on Christmas Day in 2020, follows the Bridgerton family and the courtship between their daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). Based on the novel series by Julia Quinn and produced by Shonda Rhimes, Bridgerton received high audience reception upon release.
Only Murders In The Building
Starring Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez, Only Murders In The Building is Hulu’s successful mystery-comedy about a group creating a true crime podcast centered around a death in their New York luxury apartment building. Only Murders In The Building owes its success to a talented cast and its engaging storyline. With Selena Gomez’s character targeting the millennial age group coupled with the popularity of true crime podcasts, Only Murders In The Building touches the cultural zeitgeist for all viewers to enjoy. What begins in season 1 as an open-and-shut case evolves into something more sinister with each episode. Anticipation for Only Murders In The Building‘s season 2 comes especially after the twist cliffhanger regarding the three main characters in the season 1 finale, making it one of the biggest returning TV shows in 2022.
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