Year-ender 2022: How fantasy fiction, sci-fi dominated Hollywood streaming shows

Marked with ambitious experiments, fresh stories and much-awaited series premieres, 2022 was expected to be a landmark year for streaming and TV shows. On the contrary, a piece in IndieWire describes 2022 as the year streaming ‘died’ - alluding to Netflix losing subscribers and subsequently planning to switch to an ad-supported model. A trailblazer in the streaming space, Netflix’s move will likely be replicated by other streaming platforms. However, for what 2022 is worth, there were some releases which did pique the interest of the viewers and did numbers which would make even the most skeptical argue that streaming isn’t dead - not yet. A week ago, IMDb released a list of top shows of 2022 based on the number of visits they received on each title as opposed to relying on small statistical samplings or reviews from professional critics. Two of the top 5 best rated TV shows of 2022 on the list are epic fantasy dramas - first is House of the Dragon, the much-awaited prequel to HBO’s cult hit Game of Thrones, followed by Primevideo’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power . Compared to the top-rated shows of 2021 - Squid Game, WandaVision and Loki - all of which are action dramas (the latter two in the superhero genre), 2022 saw the epic fantasy genre make a comeback. Thanks to Peter Jackson’s iconic LOTR trilogy, the Tolkien fans who were familiar with Middle Earth, Galadriel’s valour and Suaron’s evil plans, had high expectations from Rings of Power. While most old school Tolkein fans were disappointed, many young millennials and Gen-Z kids were introduced to Tolkein’s world of magical Elves and scary Orcs.

Fantasy Dramas For The Win!

The show also received backlash from LOTR fanboys for not sticking to Tolkein’s source material in an effort to have a diverse cast. Regardless of the criticism, the show is at #4 on IMDb’s list closely followed by HBO’s teen drama Euphoria. As for House of the Dragon, the show became a pop-culture phenomenon with most critics appreciating Condal and Sapochnik adaptation which had a rather tall order to live up to, given the massive popularity of Game of Thrones. One knows the fate of Targaryens and that eventually Bran, not Daenerys, sits on the Iron Throne. Still, House of the Dragon makes for an intriguing watch as each episode comes with plenty of plot twists and cliffhangers which keep the fantasy fanatics hooked.

Sci-Fi Horror Meets Teen Drama

Another genre which exploded in the TV show space this year is sci-fi horror. Stranger Things, the show behind the genesis of the “sci-fi horror meets teen-drama” genre, is top-rated TV series of 2022 on IMDb. Released in the peak summer months in two volumes, Stranger Things had its bonafide viral moment with Winona Ryder’s Running up That Hill being used as an audio on trending reels and TikTok videos, so much so, that the hit 1985 number charted on Billboard Hot 100 singles decades after its initial release. With Eleven, Max and Vecna locking horns in the Upside Down, the Duffer Brothers’ show became the most-watched English language Netflix series, clocking in at a watch- time of 1.35 billion hours. Subsequently, Stranger Things was dethroned by Dahmer which was again dethroned by another ‘sci-fi horror meets teen-drama’ genre show Wednesday which clocked in a viewing time of 1.022 billion hours (now 1.19 billion hours). Wednesday, much like its predecessor Stranger Things, has plenty of sci-fi tropes - a monster, a child with superpowers, a group of friends trying to solve a mystery as they come of age and transition from childhood to adulthood. The feeling of wonder and suspense induced by the two shows is by far unparalleled by most science-fiction shows of 2022. The Dahmer Story And Crime Dramas

Besides epic fantasy and sci-fi horror, another genre that really came into its own this year was crime-drama with Netflix’s Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story helming its rise to popularity. Primevideo’s The Boys season 3, too, played a key role in popularizing the genre while also helping us cope with the superhero fatigue that had set in thanks to countless MCU releases this year. This could presumably be the after-effect of Squid Game, a bonafide crime drama and top rated show of 2021.

2023: The Road Ahead

In 2021, 3 of the top 5 shows were all dramas (Squid Game, Sex Education and Never Have I Ever). So can one expect epic fantasy, sci-fi horror and crime-drama to be the dominant genres in 2023? One can’t be too sure. What should one expect in 2023 then based on the big releases next year? For starters, one can expect superhero fatigue - one that is even more severe than 2022 to set in next year. With over 9 MCU shows already confirmed for 2023, including Ironheart, The Marvels and Loki season 2, one can surely expect Marvel’s phase 4 to fully implode in the OTT space. The first month is likely to pique the interest of viewers with HBO’s much-awaited post apocalyptic fiction series The Last of Us premiering on January 15. The season 4 of Succession will premier in Spring and the second season of Squid Game is likely to premier on Netflix in late 2023. With old shows coming with new seasons and some new ones two, 2023 looks like a mixed bag for now.

However, with 2022 coming to an end, it is safe to say that streaming isn’t dead - no yet.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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