Was 2022 the greatest year ever for sci-fi and fantasy TV?

For some fans of genre storytelling, 2024 has been a bit of a disappointing year. The Boys season 4 didn't over with fans quite as well as past installments, the House of the Dragon showrunners are feuding publicly with George R.R. Martin, and the latest Star Wars content from Disney+ — The Acolyte — was extremely divisive among fans. Since these were some of the most highly anticipated and high-budget genre series of the year, it has left many fans of genre storytelling feeling a bit morose. There have been bright spots: the historical fiction series Shogun crushed it at the Emmy’s and I personally am really enjoying the return of The Legend of Vox Machina. But whether because of last year’s acting and writer’s strikes or because new seasons of shows are taking longer than ever to reach our screens, 2024 is definitely not the year that it could have been.

Also, as many people (including our own Dan Selcke) have noted, we may have been living in a fantasy and sci-fi bubble since the end of Game of Thrones, as studios were willing to bet the bank on genre content in the hopes of pulling in the kinds of audiences that enjoyed HBO's megahit. This has gotten me reflecting on whether 2022 will stand out in the history books as the greatest year ever for genre story-telling, and whether we will ever see its like again.

Let’s set the scene. It’s the beginning of 2022 and we have just lived through two years of a global pandemic that kept us locked inside. Many of us have found solace in watching TV, both rewatching our old favorites or enjoying something new. Meanwhile, many upcoming films and television projects were put on hold as the industry grappled with pandemic-era social distancing rules. As the second half of 2021 and the early months of 2022 passed by, these restrictions began to loosen before disappearing entirely, leading to a flood of content.

In February of 2022, Netflix aired the first season of Vikings: Valhalla, a spinoff of the absolutely incredible series Vikings, which had aired from 2013-2020. (For anyone who hasn’t seen the original Vikings, you should really watch while it is streaming on Netflix right now). Also that month, Apple+ aired the first season of the sci-fi show Severance. In March, the Halo franchise of video games got a big-budget live-action TV adaptation on Paramount+. Disney came out with its Obi-Wan Kenobi series later in the spring.

Then 2022 really started to cook. The first dump of episodes from Stranger Things season 4 came in May and became an absolute phenomenon; I think it's the best season of the show so far. The third season of The Boys dropped in June; I still think it's the show's best. Stranger Things followed up with the penultimate and ultimate episodes of the season in July. Then, in August/September, multiple streaming services came out trying to claim Game of Thrones' crown as the best fantasy show on TV: HBO aired the first season of House of The Dragon in August, the same month Netflix dropped The Sandman and Amazon released The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. After that barn burner of a summer, the fall brought some unexpected hits: Star Wars: Andor received effusive praise from fans and critics, scoring a 96% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes; it may be the highest quality Star Wars content since the original fiilm trilogy. The Peripheral was a delightful surprise, and Interview with the Vampire gave fans of the novels the excellent adaptation they had always wanted, closing out the year.

Why was 2022 such a good year for fantasy and sci-fi TV, and can 2025 top it?

Not all of these shows were of a high quality; I'm looking particularly at Obi-Wan Kenobi, which was never renewed for a second season, and Halo season 1, which was quite divisive (the show’s largely unwatched second season is really good). However, the average quality of this list is insane, and far above what we have gotten in the two years since. As a fan of these genres, it was a truly thrilling experience, and I probably spent a little too much of my time that year enjoying it.

Now the question is: when will it happen again? 2023 and 2024 have had their highlights; The Wheel of Time season 2 was solid, The Legend of Vox Machina is back, and House of the Dragon season 2 had some really high highs (like the thrilling fourth episode) even if the season overall wasn’t what fans had hoped for. Agatha All Along has been better than expected, and I personally have high expectations for Dune: Prophecy which comes out next week.

But fans can hold out hope, as the real rival to 2022 might be 2025! On Disney+, Star Wars: Andor will be receiving its second and final season, Apple TV+ will air the second season of Severance, and Marvel will air the highly antitipated Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+. The Westeros-verse will get its third installment with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which George R.R Martin has been out hyping. Amazon is prepping a series called Bladerunner: 2099, FX will have Alien: Earth, and the well-regarded show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will air its third season. It is widely assumed that Amazon will release The Wheel of Time season 3 as well, which would give it an opportunity to shine as a beacon of fantasy in 2025’s sci-fi heavy roster.

2022 was one of the greatest year’s for genre television ever, possibly the best, but I have high hopes that 2025 can give it a run for its money.

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