The new year is almost upon us, and so are a lot of new TV shows and web series that await us in 2023. That being said, the past year proved to be one of the best years on record for fantasy and sci-fi on the small screen. From nostalgia-hitting spinoffs to mind-boggling thrillers, fans of the genre had a ball binging their way through one new series after another.
As we bid adieu to 2022, let’s take a look back at the best new genre shows of the past year.
10. Moon Knight
Moon Knight is Marvel’s Phase Four delight that no one saw coming. The show introduced us to Marc Spector and Steven Grant, two personalities inhabiting the body of Oscar Isaac, who get mixed up in an age-old battle of divine authority involving Egyptian gods and goddesses.
The highlight was Isaac’s complex, heartrending performance as Specter/Grant, who is being torn apart by his dissociative identity disorder. If you’ve watched Netflix’s Iron Fist, this won’t be the first time you’ve seen this condition dramatized on a Marvel TV show.
Even though a second season of Moon Knight has yet to be announced, the post-credit reveal nicely sets the scene for more.
9. Peacemaker
After watching 2021’s The Suicide Squad, if you were asked which character should get a spinoff series, Peacemaker would probably be pretty far down the list. But that’s what’s happened, and thanks to James Gunn’s storytelling and John Cena’s charisma, it worked really well!
Peacemaker is quintessential James Gunn: there’s deadpan comedy, violent action sequences, heavy-hearted drama, and broken protagonists trying to find peace. Cena is a revelation, proving he has acting chops to match his skills as an action hero.
Gunn yet again made the “rag-tag team that somehow makes sense” formula work. With him now at the helm of DC Studios, fans can expect quality going forward. Yes, he opted not to bring back Henry Cavill as Superman, but Gunn has done enough good for us to show him some faith.