10 unmissable Netflix shows of 2022

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers. Proceed with caution if you have not watched the show/movie.

It seems like 2022 was quite a turbulent year for Netflix. From a shrinking subscriber base and ongoing resentment over soaring subscription fees to the controversy around Dave Chappelle's Netflix Special The Closer, the streaming giant has gone through a lot last year. Yet, it continued to remain the go-to television series platform for many, which is why it could successfully reverse the subscriber slump by the end of the year. Now that we’ve just stepped into 2023, it is a great time to revisit some of the most popular shows Netflix offered last year. So, here’s the list of top 10 Netflix series of 2022.

1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery', also called Glass Onion murder mystery film is written and directed by Rian Johnson. Glass Onion premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and was theatrically released on November 23, 2022. Following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, Glass Onion began a one-week limited theatrical release on November 23, 2022, receiving the widest theatrical release ever for a Netflix film and grossing $15 million. Netflix started streaming the film on December 23.

'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' is the sequel to Knives Out of 2019, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as master detective Benoit Blanc as he takes on a new case revolving around tech billionaire Miles Bron (played by Edward Norton) and his closest friends.

The story revolves around tech billionaire Miles Bron, who invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.

2. Wednesday (2022 ongoing)

 The coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror series 'Wednesday' successfully landed on Netflix and got positive reviews from critics. After its release, the drama became the third-most watched English-language Netflix series. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Wednesday is based on the character Wednesday Addams by Charles Addams.

The series tells the story of a 16-year-old girl, Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) who possesses psychic powers sends to Nevermore Academy for causing mischief at other schools. There she finds some strange happenings occur sometime. She discovers her psychic abilities allow her to solve a local and decade-long murder mystery. Wednesday Season 2 is yet to be announced.

3. The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022)

Netflix dropped a miniseries called The Witcher: Blood Origin, as a prequel to The Witcher. It is created by Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. The four-episode-long miniseries is loosely adapted from The Witcher book series by AndrzejSapkowski. The series has received a score of 47 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.

The plot is set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher television series, Blood Origin depicts the creation of the first Witcher, as well as the events leading to the "Conjunction of the Spheres". It also explores the ancient Elven civilization before its demise.

4. Alice in Borderland (2020 ongoing)

Shinsuke Sato directed Alice in Borderland is a Japanese science fiction thriller drama based on the manga by HaroAso. Netflix released the first two seasons of the drama in 2020 and 2022 respectively and acquired positive reviews from critics for the action, camerawork, and acting. The show can be compared with many entries in the survival genre, including the films Battle Royale (2000) and Cube (1997).

The story follows Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya as allies who are trapped in an abandoned Tokyo where they are forced to compete in card games. After surviving their first game, players receive "visas", which are extended further upon successful completion of more card games. If the visas expire, the individuals are executed by red lasers being shot from the sky.

5. Heartstopper (ongoing)

Heartstopper is a coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama adapted from the webcomic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman. The series primarily tells the story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), a gay schoolboy who falls in love with classmate Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), whom he sits next to in his new form. It also explores the lives of Tao (William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (KizzyEdgell).

Heartstopper received critical acclaim, particularly for its tone and pacing, as well as its representation of the LGBT community and the first season received nine nominations and five wins for the inaugural ceremony of the Children's and Family Emmy Awards. The series is renewed for a second and third season.

6. Ozark

Ozark tells the story of a financial adviser who drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss. Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams were the creators of the show. The series runs from 2017 to 2022.

Ozark garnered positive reviews and has received a total of 45 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including three for Outstanding Drama Series, with Jason Bateman winning for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2019 and Garner winning three times for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019, 2020, and 2022. Bateman has received two further Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.

7. Stranger Things (ongoing)

Duffer Brothers created Stranger Things is running smoothly since 2016. The series was renewed for a fifth and final season in February 2022.

Set in the 1980s, Stranger Things centers on the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, as they are plagued by a hostile alternate dimension known as the "Upside Down", after a nearby human experimentation facility opens a gateway between the Upside Down and the normal world. Each season of Stranger Things is set one year later, and Season 5 will also have a time jump.

Several thematic and directorial elements of the drama were inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven, and H. P. Lovecraft. The creators also took inspiration from experiments conducted during the Cold War and conspiracy theories involving secret government experiments.

8. Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

Cabinet of Curiosities is created by Mexican filmmaker, author and actor Guillermo del Toro. It features eight modern horror stories in the traditions of the Gothic and Grand Guignol genres. Two are co-written by del Toro himself, while the others are written and directed by various filmmakers. The series is "a collection of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's personally curated stories, described as [equally] sophisticated and horrific. Del Toro introduces each episode of the series.

9. All of Us Are Dead

All of Us Are Dead is a zombie apocalypse horror South Korean Drama based on the Naverwebtoon of the same name by Joo Dong-geun. The plot centers on a high school that becomes ground zero for a zombie virus outbreak. The students are trapped with no food or water, and communication cut off by the government. The story shows the struggles of the students by using equipment around the school to protect themselves or they will become part of the infected.

10. Emily in Paris (ongoing)

Emily in Paris is directed by Darren Star. The romantic comedy series follows aspiring marketing executive Emily Cooper (played by Lily Collins) moved to France to France to provide an American point of view to a French marketing firm. She struggles to fulfill her dream. After landing her dream job in Paris Emily Cooper embraces her adventurous new life while juggling work, friends and romance. Emily in Paris is renewed for Season 4.

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