Happy holidays everyone! It is the end of the 2022 and lots of people are making their wrap up posts. Although my current favorites are still shows that are on hiatus from before 2020, there were a LOT of new and ongoing shows in 2022. So here is my new annual personal list of favorites that I thought excelled or improved in 2022.
New or ongoing shows in 2022:
- Trice Forgotten is my favorite new 2022 show. It's queer mostly Southeast Asian "pirates" dealing with historically researched shenanigans. It's got bilingual characters, intriguing plot stuff, a great sense of humor and very convincing world building. The music is epic, the sound design is so cool & very oceanic, and the voice actors kill it. As a major bonus, each episode is also followed up by a research episode explaining the historical research with actual historians and professionals. NO SHOW, TV or audio drama, is doing this today! Please check it out.
- Desperado- They returned for a new season in 2022 and have really stepped up the quality!
- Gay Pride & Prejudice- One of the better modern adaptations of Pride & Prejudice, and not just because it's gay.
- Hi Nay- Currently, this is still the only horror audio drama featuring bilingual Asian main characters and this year they've also used their platform to raise important issues currently going on in the Philipines. One thing I'm finding very cool about the audio drama-sphere is that most western entertainment usually use Chinese/East Asian characters first for "Asian representation", but I'm finding that South Asians are appearing first in the bulk of indie audio dramas!
- Human Error- We finally have a full-cast gay zombie show! Not as gory as I would like, but it's quality and throws you in for a loop with its take on the zombie storyline.
- Malevolent- Every piece of praise you've seen for this one-person show is very much warranted.
- Mission Rejected - This show has seriously stepped up in quality compared to it's origins and the episodes released this year have been their best work.
- Quiet Part Loud - Jordan Peele managed to create a story that prioritizes audio storytelling and it does it very well. Admittedly, it's on the same level of other well-produced indie shows so you can't really tell the difference in budget, but if you are a loyal indie fan that is hesitant/worried, I can vouch that this one is worth checking out.
- Skillset Pod- Aster Podcasting Network's Under the Electric Stars is still great, but I'd like to highlight Skillset Pod too because it's got those creative sound monsters that you only get in weird audio horror, but with queer mostly Southeast Asians. APN is really filling the much-needed void of Asian creators telling Asian/Asian American stories.
- WOE.BEGONE- Another one-man show that was amazing, but now he's got guest actors this season and the fandom has really grown to appreciate it! I'm so proud of how far this show has come.
Honorable mentions for 2022:
- Hubris Podcast- I left this off the top 10 because I participated in 2 rounds of this show and plan to be in more and while it's a stressful experience, it's a rewarding experience. The episodes that come out are also really good considering time limit!
- Someone Dies in this Elevator- I also wrote a story for it and am a little biased, but it's an anthology worth checking out and also supports a TON of creatives. The new season being released right now have some PHENOMENAL writing.
- The Sheridan Tapes- This show had the BEST original music out of ANY podcast this year, absolutely HANDS DOWN. The music absolutely killed it. The sound design and voice acting is great as usual. However, I found the story a little lacking this season perhaps because I wasn't super convinced about the end-of-the-world plot.
- Vacant Arcadia- a cyberpunk musical with actually cool themes, PHENOMENAL vocals, and also VERY gay.
- Shoebox podcast- part of the Shoebox fanfic universe that is a Marauder's prequel.
- Splintered Caravan- this is fast-paced heist after heist after heist and the production quality is amazing.
- 3D Escape Room Frequency- an "interactive" puzzle solving audio drama that slowly reveals the true story, this is the most UNIQUE concept I've heard any show do, and I definitely suggest giving it a try.
- Blood Crow Stories- They're finally on spotify! I've been listening to them on Soundcloud for the past couple years.
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