10 Best TV Characters of 2022

by Julian Spivey

Photos: Netflix, FX & HBO

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10. Mark Scout – Severance
Listen, I had to have a character from “Severance” on this list because my God was it one of the best shows of the year, but honestly, I could’ve put nearly the entire cast on the list. Patricia Arquette’s Harmony Cobel was the scariest performance I saw on TV all year. Britt Lower was amazing as the conflicted Helly. John Turturro as the strict company man Irving developing an against-policy relationship with a co-worker. Tramell Tillman’s bubbly, but stern when necessary henchman trying to make everyone happy. But I ultimately chose Adam Scott’s portrayal of Mark Scout (or Mark S. as his innie is called) for the list because he’s the focal point of the series and the only character whose life we see both on the inside and outside of work in the sci-fi/black comedy/drama he has the most time to shine as an actor. 

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9. Lenny Bruce - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Lenny Bruce is the only real-life character on the list this year, which means actor Luke Kirby has to be pretty terrific with his performance to stand out. I’ve always loved Kirby as Bruce on Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” but in the most recent season (season 4) he’s given the most spotlight, whether it’s his burgeoning relationship with Midge (Rachel Brosnahan), his feeling that he doesn’t belong in her upper-class life and his triumphant appearance at Carnegie Hall. Kirby plays Bruce as sly, which was true to life, but he also plays him as sexier than he likely ever was. It doesn’t hurt the performance, though, in fact, it probably adds intrigue. My only disappointment is with the show ending with its fifth season I don’t feel we’ll get to the end of Bruce’s tragic life on the series – though I might be in the minority who wouldn’t mind seeing that on screen. 

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8. Eddie Munson – Stranger Things
It’s so hard for a show to bring in a new character when the regular cast has been clicking for multiple seasons only to have that newbie completely steal the show – but that’s what happened to Netflix’s “Stranger Things” in season four with high school outcast Eddie Munson. With his love for Dungeons and Dragon, heavy metal music and black clothing Munson is a clear call-out to the real-life “satanic panic” that took over some communities in the ‘80s. Munson might look scary, but he’s got a big heart and actor Joseph Quinn plays the character brilliantly throughout the season. Munson’s epic performance of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” instantly became one of the series’ all-time greatest scenes. 

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7. Barry Berkman – Barry
The darker Barry Berkman – a hitman who just wants to be an actor but can’t escape his past – gets the more intriguing HBO’s “Barry” gets and the more you realize as a viewer how incredible of an actor Bill Hader truly is. Barry’s world is absolutely turned on its end in season three and Hader perfectly plays the character’s descent into madness, culminating in a finale that has him completely defeated and viewers wondering what’s next. 

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6. Al “Paper Boi” Miles – Atlanta 
Brian Tyree Henry’s performance of Al “Paper Boi” Miles throughout the four-season run of FX’s “Atlanta” was my favorite performance on a show with nothing but terrific performances. Al just wants to be Al. Paper Boi is his rapper persona. It’s what he does to make a living. But he doesn’t want the celebrity lifestyle. He just wants to be comfortable. Henry shows all of this in an understated, natural way complete with eye rolls and sighs. Henry probably does more without dialogue than any other actor on television – just watch him taking on death via tractor and wild hog in the penultimate episode “Andrew Wyeth. Alfred’s World.” Just let Al be Al! 

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5. Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto – The Bear
It’s a testament to creator and writer Christopher Storer that so many characters in Hulu’s (via FX Productions) are completely realized and fleshed out from the very beginning of his eight-episode dramedy “The Bear.” Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto was one of the best chefs at one of the best restaurants in the world when he took over the family beef sandwich restaurant in Chicago left to him in his brother’s will. He’s a genius, but he’s also a mess. He wants to turn the restaurant into something amazing, but he must figure out how to make it survive first with a group of rag-tag employees that range from just barely getting by to having dreams of being the best of the best. Jeremy Allen White plays Carmy to perfection – you see the genius turning in his head, while also dealing with the pain of losing a loved one and trying to make the family business survive. He also gives the best monologue of any TV episode in 2022 in the season one finale at the Al-Anon meeting – with that camera closing in on his face the entire time. It’s a masterful performance. 

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4. Richie Jerimovich – The Bear
Richie Jerimovich is a hard guy to like. He’s honestly an asshole. But there’s something in the performance of Ebon Moss-Bachrach that makes you like the character. I think it’s in his eyes. Moss-Bachrach does so much with his eyes and face, even when there’s no dialogue that you can’t help but feel for him. He’s a dinosaur amid so much change around him – both in the restaurant of “The Bear” and the surrounding community. He sees gentrification and abhors it. He also has some of the single funniest moments in all of 2022 on television like when he’s accidentally stabbed by Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and maybe my favorite TV quote of the year when trying to break up an almost riot between arcade game nerds when he refers to them as: “incel-QAnon-4chan-Snyder Cut-motherfuckers.”  

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​There’s been nothing but dudes on this list so far … but my three favorite TV performances of 2022 are all women. 

3. Sydney Adamu – The Bear 
It’s truly hard to pick the best character from FX’s restaurant dramedy “The Bear,” which is why I’ve listed the three main characters of Carmy, Richie and now Sydney back-to-back-to-back on this list. But I came away after two viewings of this series believing Ayo Edebiri’s performance as the young, inexperienced but immensely talented with huge dreams Sydney Adamu as the best of the three, if ever so slightly. Edebiri is relatively new to acting with a background in stand-up comedy and put forth one of the most naturalistic acting performances of the year. Sydney reminds me so much of people I’ve known in my adult working life and the character is completely lived-in and believable. Edebiri seems effortless in this role, and I can’t wait to see her moving forward. 

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2. Rebecca Pearson – This Is Us
​The final season of NBC’s “This Is Us” was beautiful as we come to see Rebecca Pearson as the family’s rock after years of the Big Three reckoning with the untimely, tragic death of their father Jack. Mandy Moore always had to do the heaviest lifting on the series playing Rebecca throughout her entire adult life and she portrayed the character with so much love and beauty that it felt like an honor getting to know her and losing her felt as devastated for the viewer as it did her children. 

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1. Ava Daniels – Hacks
Ava Daniels on HBO Max’s “Hacks” might be the most modern of any character currently on television. She’s a brash bisexual comedy writer more attuned to meta, non-humor humor with a completely different style of comedy than her boss, legendary stand-up Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), leading to a clashing of generations that makes for the funniest partnership of any kind on TV. I love everything about Hannah Einbinder’s performance, especially the dry delivery of her lines, and there was nothing funnier on TV in 2022 than her being kicked off a lesbian cruise (thanks to Deborah) when she was having the absolute time of her life. 

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Who was your favorite TV character of 2022?