2022 In Review: Best First Kiss, Worst CGI, Most Improved Series, Lamest Cameo And 80+ More TV Superlatives
Thus far in TVLine's Year in Review, we've been looking at the big picture: The very best shows of 2022! The very worst! The TV industry's most puzzling, backwards decisions of the year! (And so on; go here for all of our year-end content.)
But now, it's time to honor the minutiae, because a terrific (or terrible) TV show is made in the little details. To that end, the list below features the winners of nearly 100 ultra-specific categories, from the year's best monologue to the small screen's most fashionable character.
And though many of our "round-up" categories give well-deserved kudos to this year's shows — other superlatives include Best First Kiss, Funniest Scene and Kid You'd Be Proud to Call Your Own — not every award is one you'd want to win: We're also calling out this year's most disappointing show, the worst CGI and the dumbest line of dialogue uttered by a character, among other 2022 flubs.
Keep scrolling to see all of our final Year in Review accolades, then drop a comment with your own winners and losers!
MOST UNDERRATED DRAMA: Outer Range (Prime Video)
Plus...
MOST UNDERRATED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (DRAMA)
Nyambi Nyambi, The Good Fight
MOST UNDERRATED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Myha'la Herrold, Industry
BIGGEST ACTING REVELATION (DRAMA)
Emma D'Arcy, House of the Dragon
MOST UNDERRATED COMEDY: Minx (HBO Max)
Plus...
MOST UNDERRATED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (COMEDY)
Tom Ainsley, How I Met Your Father
MOST UNDERRATED PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (COMEDY)
Ana Gasteyer, American Auto
BIGGEST ACTING REVELATION (COMEDY)
Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus
BEST SINGLE EPISODE (DRAMA): "Herogasm," The Boys
Plus...
MOST IMPROVED DRAMA
The Orville (Hulu)
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE (DRAMA)
Blood & Treasure (Paramount+)
BEST MONOLOGUE
Luthen to Lonni-the-mole, Andor
BEST SINGLE EPISODE (COMEDY): "Private School," What We Do in the Shadows
Plus...
MOST IMPROVED COMEDY
The Sex Lives of College Girls (HBO Max)
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE (COMEDY)
Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)
BEST COMEDY DUO
Nancy and Robin, Stranger Things
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ANIMAL: Echo as Nellie, Heartstopper
Plus...
BEST PERFORMANCE ON A BAD SHOW
Kristen Bell, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
BEST PARENT/CHILD CASTING
Sharon Stone and Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
BEST CASTING OF YOUNGER COUNTERPARTS
Young Grace Mallory, The Boys
BEST PERFORMANCE OPPOSITE ONESELF
Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight
BEST NEW CHARACTER ON AN ESTABLISHED DRAMA: Eddie, Stranger Things
Plus...
BEST NEW CHARACTER ON AN ESTABLISHED COMEDY
Mandy, Young Sheldon
MOST UNDERUTILIZED GUEST STAR (MALE)
Skylar Astin, Grey's Anatomy
MOST UNDERUTILIZED GUEST STAR (FEMALE)
Margaret Cho, Hacks
MOST DISAPPOINTING SHOW: Blockbuster (Netflix)
Plus...
BEST REBOOT, REVIVAL OR SEQUEL SERIES
The Kids in the Hall (Prime Video)
LAMEST CAMEO
Jake Tapper, The Rookie
BEST CAST REUNION
The Originals on Legacies
LAMEST CAST REUNION
Blossom on Call Me Kat
BEST DEATH SCENE: Father Bryce explodes, Chucky
Plus...
BEST EULOGY
Susie's tribute to Jackie, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (watch it here)
FUNNIEST SCENE
Peacemaker's "c—s from Riverdale" jag (watch it here; NSFW!)
BIGGEST TEARJERKER
Jen and Judy say their goodbyes, Dead to Me series finale
MOST CONVOLUTED STORY ARC: Every single thing about The Peripheral
Plus...
BEST OPENING CREDITS
Pachinko and Peacemaker (tie)
COOLEST SCENE
The motorcycle chase, Barry (watch it here)
WORST WIG: Name your Targaryen, House of the Dragon
Plus...
BEST COSTUMES
The Gilded Age (HBO)
WORST CGI/GREEN SCREEN
Lawyer-mode She-Hulk (with hair pulled back), She-Hulk
MOST STYLISH CHARACTER
Greta, A League of Their Own
LEAST STYLISH CHARACTER
Portia, The White Lotus
BEST REALITY SHOW JUDGE: Liam Charles and Ravneet Gill, Junior Bake Off
Plus...
WORST REALITY SHOW JUDGE
Leah Remini, So You Think You Can Dance
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE (REALITY)
Love Is Blind (Netflix)
BEST COUPLE (ROMANTIC): Nick and Charlie, Heartstopper
Plus...
BEST COUPLE (NON-ROMANTIC)
Joyce and Doug, Minx
BEST COUPLE (IN OUR DREAMS, ANYWAY)
Cornelia and Eli, The English
ON-SCREEN COUPLE WITH ZERO CHEMISTRY
Meredith and Nick, Grey's Anatomy
BEST LOVE TRIANGLE: Ricky, Gina and EJ, High School Musical
Plus...
WORST LOVE TRIANGLE
Maddy, Nate and Cassie, Euphoria
MOST HEARTBREAKING BREAKUP
Toni and Shelby, The Wilds
MOST OVERDUE BREAKUP
Jordan and Simone, All American/All American: Homecoming
BEST FIRST KISS: Lucy and Tim, The Rookie
Plus...
SEX SCENE WE WISH WE'D NEVER SEEN
Young Rhaenyra and Daemon, House of the Dragon
SEX FOR WHICH WE'RE IMPATIENTLY WAITING
Thony and Arman, The Cleaning Lady
SEX SCENE THAT WAS WORTH THE WAIT
Midge and Lenny, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
MOST UNEXPECTED COUPLE: Ben and Jed, Legacies
Plus...
MOST OVERDUE COUPLING
Courtney and Cameron, DC's Stargirl
BEST COUPLE REUNION
T.K. and Carlos, 9-1-1: Lone Star
WORST BOYFRIEND
Tariq, Abbott Elementary
WORST GIRLFRIEND
Ari, Elite
BEST MUSICAL MOMENT: Kate Bush saves Max, Stranger Things
Plus...
MOST CLUELESS CHARACTER
Douglas, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
MOST ANNOYING CHARACTER
Wendy, Ozark
MOST FRUSTRATING CHARACTER
Bela, The Sex Lives of College Girls
BEST FEMALE BONDING: Emily and Molly, The Amazing Race
Plus...
BEST FEMALE FEUDING
Beth and Summer, Yellowstone
BEST BROMANCE
Bode and Manny, Fire Country
BEST MALE FEUDING
Terry Silver vs. Daniel/Johnny/Chozen, Cobra Kai
KID YOU'D BE PROUD TO CALL YOUR OWN: Maddie, Bosch: Legacy
Plus...
KID YOU'D PROMPTLY DISOWN
Leida, Andor
BEST DAD
Conrad, The Resident
WORST DAD
Cal, Euphoria
BEST MOM
Liz, The Good Fight
WORST MOM
Candace, The Patient
BEST SIBLINGS: Agnes and Ada, The Gilded Age
Plus...
WORST SIBLINGS
Craig and Deran, Animal Kingdom
CUTEST KID
Hershel, The Walking Dead
THE JORDAN CATALANO DREAMINESS AWARD
Zane Phillips, Legacies
WILDEST FIGHT SCENE: Homelander vs. Soldier Boy and Butcher, The Boys
Plus...
BEST VILLAIN
Dedra, Andor
WORST VILLAIN
Ally Allston, Superman & Lois
MOST ENJOYABLE SCENERY-CHEWING
Jennifer Tilly, Chucky
LEAST ENJOYABLE SCENERY-CHEWING
Patricia Arquette, Severance
BEST DANCE NUMBER: Wednesday's school dance
Plus...
CATCHIEST ORIGINAL SONG
"I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)," The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
BEST MONTAGE
Butterflies invade EPD, Peacemaker
DUMBEST LINE OF DIALOGUE
"Merry Christmas, Holly Berry," Anatomy of a Scandal
BEST BINGE WATCH: The Bear
Plus...
BEST "COOL CRED"/DINNER PARTY CONVERSATION-STARTER PROGRAMMING
Severance (Apple TV+)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime)
TV EVENT THAT DIDN'T LIVE UP TO THE HYPE
The Walking Dead's series finale, drawn out over a super-sized, 15-month (!) final season
TV EVENT THAT EXCEEDED THE HYPE
The White Lotus' Season 2 finale