As we approach the end of the year, we decided to dive into the best shows and movies that streaming platforms have to offer. If you want to see the full list, take a look at ExpressVPN’s 2022 Streaming Trends Report and add these hits to your watchlist.
Here’s a quick rundown of our favorites:
Amazon Prime
Unquestionably, we must mention the great premiere of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘, released in September. The highly anticipated series received mixed reviews, but managed to reach a massive audience within the first month, becoming a streaming success in the United States. Many “Lord of the Rings” devotees expressed mixed feelings regarding the series, however, it was praised by many others (the highest-rated episodes were “Udûn” and 8 “Alloyed”).
In addition, this first season of the prequel to “Lord of the Rings”, counted on a budget of several million; it is estimated at nearly $470 million. Currently, the second season is in the works and is expected to release in 2024.
netflix
As you know, this streaming platform has released many movies and series in the last season and is very varied in style, format and genre. Of all the hits, two productions stand out:
‘In the west, nothing is new‘ is the movie we bet it will be a big hit on streaming. It’s an adaptation of the novel of the same title, and it impressed critics and viewers alike. It is said to be a possible candidate for the Oscar for best international feature film.
The series ‘The sand man‘ managed to become Netflix’s top hit. It is based on the famous comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and counted on a large budget because the streaming platform invested around 15 million dollars per episode. Reviews have been mostly favorable, but its success is also measured by viewership, and this series achieved viewing records in the first week of airing. The success of the first season was such that it was recently announced that a second season was to be produced.
HBO Max
This season, HBO Max bet on one game, the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel,’Dragon House‘, based on the novels by RR Martin. This series turned out to be a huge hit after premiering in August. Very faithful to the narrative style of Game of Thrones and the high quality of production, it was undoubtedly an expected success, with a budget of around 20 million dollars per episode.
“House of the Dragon” pushes the same buttons that led “Game of Thrones” to become a hit series. There’s violence, very well-defined characterizations, and plenty of surprise twists in this series that will become a platform icon for years to come.
Hulu
There’s no question’the bear‘ was Hulu’s hit series of that year. This comedy-drama, or comedy-drama, beat viewership across all platforms when it released in June. It received very positive reviews and captivated audiences. It tells the story of a chef, trained in gastronomy, who must return to his hometown of Chicago to run the family business – a sandwich shop – following the death of his brother.
Already in July, “The Bear” was renewed for a second season, which is scheduled for release in 2023.
AppleTV+
Our personal favorite from this streaming platform is ‘Pavement‘, the drama starring Jennifer Lawrence. We’d even dare to suggest it might be a strong contender for an Oscar or two, given the superb performances from Lawrence and co-star Brian Tyree Henry.
The film may not have been a huge hit with audiences like the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” or the comedy series “Mythic Quest”, but we were so impressed with this feature film produced by A24 (they tell us continuously impress with good productions) we had to include it in our mentions.
Disney+
Here we have a platform that proves more difficult when it comes to picking a favorite. They managed to expand their catalog by offering a good variety of series and movies. After some deliberation, we concluded that the best offered by this streaming platform is “Nightmare Alley” by Guillermo del Toro, although it is from 2021.
If we had to pick one streaming hit of 2022 on Disney+, then we’d go with ‘Thor: Love and Thunder‘ directed by Taika Waititi. This Marvel movie was a box office success, but that didn’t stop it from receiving massive viewership via streaming.
And with all that said, we’ve given you a rundown of the best on the most popular streaming platforms, knowing full well that December premieres are, for obvious reasons, not included. Don’t worry, as these will be covered in due course.