Difficult to find in the impressive offer of series that presents itself to us, especially with the proliferation of listening platforms.
So here is a list of the best international series that have in one way or another marked the year 2022, but which have first and foremost provided good entertainment.
[1] “The House of the Dragon” (“House of the Dragon”)
HBO Max / Crave / Super Screen
Fans of the fantastic series “Game of Thrones” (2011-2019) will be delighted with this preview based on the novel “Fire & Blood” by the same author, George RR Martin. The series, which benefits from impressive means, is set approximately 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones”, and depicts the elements that will lead to the fall of House Targaryen. With many nods to the series that made the universe famous, this first season of “The House of the Dragon” focuses on the friendship that unites the heiress to the throne, Rhaenerya Targaryen (Milly Alcook and Emma D’Arcy), the queen consort, Alicent Hightower (Emilie Carey and Olivia Cooke), and the rivalry that will oppose them once adults.
[2] “StrangerThings”
netflix
Photo courtesy, Netflix
Penultimate installment of this Netflix event series, signed by the Duffer brothers. Back in the grip of Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), El (Millie Bobby Brown) revisits his traumatic past to regain his gifts, which he is promised even more powerful, while Mike, Will, Jonathan and his new friend attempt by all means to find her before the authorities. In Hawkins, the rest of the gang must find a way to stop Vecna before it’s too late. Joy (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) attempt to travel to Russia to free Hopper (David Harbour). True to form, the series generated new ratings records when it was released in July, in addition to dusting off the hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush, forgotten in the 1980s.
[3] “The Dropout”
Hulu/Disney+/Star
Based on a true story, which is still relevant, the series, available on Disney +, traces the beginnings and setbacks of the biotechnology company Theranos, based in Silicon Valley, and its founder Elizabeth Holmes, interpreted by Amanda Seyfried. It’s hard to watch this series without searching the internet for the TV interviews Ms. Holmes took part in. The similarities between the CEO and the actress who plays her on the small screen are striking. Seyfried was notably rewarded for the interpretation of this role at the last Primetime Emmy Awards as well as at the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards.
[4] “Physical – Breaking One’s Chains”
AppleTV
Created for Apple TV+, this black comedy set in the 1980s follows the unhealthy but well-intentioned journey of Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne), a jaded mother of her husband, who resumes her life in hand thanks to aerobics. Now trying to boost sales of her aerobics VHS, Sheila still has to ignore some of her values and make alliances to get closer to her ultimate goal of building an empire. To get there, the road is long and very winding, but it is all in all a paradigm shift that is taking place this season among the different characters. Renewed for a third season, the series also stars Rory Scovel and Paul Sparks.
[5] “Dissociation” (“Severance”)
AppleTV
Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team whose members have undergone surgery of some kind, affecting their memories based on their professional and private lives. Mark finds himself, in this suspense, at the heart of a mystery and a long quest for truth about the nature of his work… and his own.
[6] “The Scarlet Handmaiden” (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Hulu / Prime Video / Club illico
A refugee in Canada with her friends, her husband Luke and her daughter Nichole, June (Elisabeth Moss) has not given up on the idea of finding her daughter Hannah, who has remained in Gilead. Little by little his new host country begins to sink in turn under the influence of the religious right. In her escape, she will find herself face to face with Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and her son Noah. The fate of the two women – enemies – will be more than ever linked.
[7] “The White Lotus”
HBO Max / Crave / Super Screen
After a remarkable first season – the most awarded at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, winning 10 awards – the second season released last October trades the magnificent landscapes of Hawaii for the sumptuous territory of Sicily. As in the first season, Mike White’s series, which aims to be a scathing social satire, scratches its characters to the delight of the viewer. It is, moreover, the dysfunctions of the latter that guide their stay at the fictitious resort chain White Lotus.
[8] “Gazlit”
Crave / Starz
With Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, this historic miniseries full of twists and turns plunges us into the heart of the Watergate affair, this time from a new angle. At once political, raw and vulgar, the series is particularly interested in the character of Martha Mitchell, a socialite nicknamed by the press “The Mouth of the South”. She is the wife of Attorney General John Mitchell and the first person to publicly sound the alarm about Nixon’s involvement in Watergate. The prosecutor will inevitably have to choose between his wife and the president.
[9] “The Bear”
Hulu/Disney
Photo courtesy of Disney+
Following the death of his brother, Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a promising young cook from the world of gastronomy returns to Chicago to take over the management of the family sandwich shop. The young chef will be faced with the overwhelming responsibilities of his small business, a recalcitrant staff and strained family relationships, all with a good pinch of adrenaline. With an interesting and sensitive foray into the world of catering, the series is at once touching, funny and rhythmic.
[10]“The Serpent Queen”
Starz/Crave
The life of Catherine de’ Medici, played by Samantha Morton and Liv Hill, is portrayed in an interesting way in this series filled with dark humor and scenes of torture. Created by Justin Haythe (“Red Sparrow”) for the Starz channel, the miniseries is adapted from the British novel “Catherine de Medici: rebirth Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda (2004).