Which TV Writers Had The Best 2022?

If you were even casually watching TV in 2022, your watchlist probably looked like a chaos collage:
a stressed-out Chicago sandwich shop, a delightfully underfunded Philly public school, a grimly funny
lawyer spiraling toward doom, and a Star Wars show that suddenly felt like a prestige political thriller.
Behind all that, of course, were the TV writers’ rooms having truly excellent years.

So which TV writers actually had the best 2022? Instead of just shouting “Quinta Brunson!” and dropping
the mic (tempting), let’s look at awards, critics’ lists, cultural impact, and career momentum to build a
more thoughtful – and slightly nerdy – answer.

How Do You Even Measure a “Best Year” for TV Writers?

Picking the “best” TV writers of any year is like ranking your favorite snacks: there are no wrong answers,
just arguments. To keep things semi-sane, let’s use a few clear criteria to decide who really owned 2022:

Awards and Industry Recognition

Emmys, Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards, and AFI lists aren’t everything, but they’re strong signals.
When a show repeatedly shows up in award nominations and wins, it usually means the writing room is doing
something special. In 2022, shows like Abbott Elementary, Severance, Better Call Saul,
The Bear, and Andor dominated those conversations.

Critical Acclaim and Top-10 Lists

Another big metric: how frequently a show appears on critics’ “Best TV of 2022” lists. When the same titles
keep popping up at or near the top, it’s a strong hint the writing is firing on all cylinders. In 2022,
critics across the U.S. repeatedly highlighted shows that blended bold structure, strong character work,
and distinctive points of view.

Cultural Impact and Conversation

Awards are nice; memes are forever. We also need to look at which shows sparked ongoing discourse:
workplace trauma discourse from The Bear, “we need to pay teachers more” threads inspired by
Abbott Elementary, and extremely intense Reddit essays about the ethics of Jimmy McGill in
Better Call Saul. The more a show reshapes how audiences talk about its subject, the more its
writers are likely crushing it.

Career Momentum and Breakthroughs

Finally, there’s the personal arc for each writer. Did 2022 turn them from “solid working TV writer” into
“must-watch creator”? Did it cement them as all-timer status? That’s how we separate a good year from a
career-defining one.

With those criteria in mind, let’s talk about the writers who absolutely crushed 2022.

Quinta Brunson: The Teacher Who Schooled Everyone

If you had to pick one name that defined TV writing in 2022, it would be Quinta Brunson. As creator,
writer, and star of Abbott Elementary, she didn’t just make a hit sitcom – she resuscitated the
classic network comedy in an era of grim prestige dramas and streaming churn.

Brunson’s pilot script for Abbott Elementary earned the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy
Series, making history as she became the first Black woman to win solo in that category. That’s not just a
trophy; it’s a milestone for representation in the writers’ room and in front of the camera.

Critics and institutions backed up the hype. AFI named Abbott Elementary one of its Television Programs
of the Year and called it a “master class in the art of episodic comedy,” praising how Brunson and her team
use humor and heart to explore real-world pressures on public schools. The show blends mockumentary beats with
classic workplace sitcom rhythms, but what makes the writing stand out is its empathy: teachers are never the
punchline, even when everything around them is falling apart.

Brunson also had the rare “quadruple-threat” momentum: critical acclaim, awards recognition, social media
virality, and genuine audience love. When your jokes become reaction GIFs and your heartfelt monologues get
quoted in teacher appreciation threads, you know your writing has jumped off the page and into the culture.

Verdict: Quinta Brunson didn’t just have a good 2022. She turned it into a case study on how to build a
modern broadcast comedy that feels both classic and brand-new.

Dan Erickson and the Severance Writers: Work-Life Balance, But Make It Terrifying

On the opposite end of the tonal spectrum, Dan Erickson and the writing staff of Severance took workplace
misery and transformed it into one of the most unsettling – and acclaimed – dramas of 2022.

Severance imagines a world where employees undergo a procedure that splits their consciousness in two:
one self exists only at work, and the other only outside it. That hook could have just been a clever Black
Mirror–style conceit, but the writing pushes it further. Erickson and his team carefully build out the rules of
this world, then use them to explore identity, labor, trauma, and corporate control.

The payoff? The show landed at or near the top of many critics’ 2022 best-of lists and scored major award
recognition. The Writers Guild honored Severance with prestigious wins for both Best Drama Series and
Best New Series for the 2022 cycle, confirming that other writers were watching and taking notes. Erickson himself
also appeared on lists of emerging creative leaders shaping the future of television.

What makes the writing in Severance so striking is its patience. The early episodes drip-feed information,
trusting the audience to sit with confusion and discomfort. As the season builds, tiny details pay off in
emotionally devastating ways – a classic example of long-form storytelling discipline.

Verdict: If 2022 was the year you realized your day job might literally be hollowing out your soul, the
Severance writers are probably to blame. And they absolutely earned their breakout year.

Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould: Sticking the Landing With Better Call Saul

There’s having a good year, and then there’s finishing one of the greatest TV dramas of all time without
tripping over the ending. In 2022, co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould did exactly that with the sixth
and final season of Better Call Saul.

Season 6 aired in 2022 and drew near-universal acclaim from critics. On aggregate review sites, the season
scored in the “universal acclaim” range, with many critics placing it at or near the top of their year-end
lists. That’s rare air for any show – and astonishing for a spin-off that once seemed like a risky cash-in
on Breaking Bad.

The writing in the final season had to do three nearly impossible things at once:

• Pay off years of character work for Jimmy/Saul, Kim, and the cartel players.
• Backfill the timeline so it cleanly connects with the events of Breaking Bad.
• Deliver an ending that feels both morally coherent and emotionally satisfying.

Gilligan, Gould, and their room nailed it. The final episodes are packed with quiet character beats,
callbacks to earlier seasons, and choices that feel tragically inevitable rather than contrived. The show
became a masterclass in slow-burn plotting: seemingly small conversations from earlier seasons snap into
focus as key turning points.

Verdict: 2022 wasn’t a breakout year for Gilligan and Gould; it was a coronation. They proved that you can
end a beloved series with elegance and restraint, and in doing so, they cemented their reputations as
all-time great TV storytellers.

Christopher Storer and the Writers of The Bear: Yes, Chef!

If 2022 had a collective anxiety attack, it took the form of The Bear. Creator and writer Christopher
Storer and his team turned a cramped Chicago sandwich shop into one of TV’s most intense and emotionally
resonant spaces.

The writing on The Bear is a high-wire act. Scenes often feel chaotic and overlapping, yet under the
noise there’s precise structure. Every meltdown, every “Yes, chef,” and every kitchen disaster is pushing
characters toward growth or collapse. Critics noticed: the series landed on multiple “Best TV of 2022” lists
and was celebrated by institutions like AFI as one of the year’s standout programs.

What really elevates the writing is its empathy for working-class characters and its willingness to treat
food as both art and burden. Carmy’s perfectionism, Sydney’s ambition, Richie’s flailing resistance to change –
all of it is captured through sharp, character-driven dialogue. The scripts understand that in a workplace
this intense, even the smallest act of kindness feels like a major plot twist.

Verdict: Storer and his room turned “screaming in a kitchen” into prestige drama. 2022 was the year they
proved that half-hour episodes can hit like a ten-course emotional tasting menu.

Tony Gilroy and Andor: Prestige TV in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

In 2022, Tony Gilroy pulled off the almost unthinkable: he made a Star Wars show that people who were tired
of Star Wars could not stop praising.

Andor stands out for its deliberate, grown-up storytelling. Instead of relying on nostalgia and cameos,
Gilroy and his writers focus on the slow radicalization of ordinary people under an oppressive regime.
Critics hailed it as one of the best shows of 2022, not just one of the best Star Wars entries. The writing
leans into long arcs – multi-episode prison storylines, quiet conversations about complicity and sacrifice –
and trusts viewers to stick around without constant spectacle.

The dialogue in Andor is unusually muscular for a franchise series. Monologues about revolution,
bureaucracy, and fear are written like stage speeches, yet they still feel grounded and human. The result is
a series that plays as a political thriller first and sci-fi adventure second.

Verdict: Gilroy turned 2022 into the year when “Best TV writing” lists and “Star Wars discussion” threads
unexpectedly merged. That’s a serious flex.

Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson: The Hive Mind Behind Yellowjackets

While some of Yellowjackets’ early buzz started in late 2021, its cultural impact fully settled in
during 2022, as audiences discovered the show and critics continued to praise its writing. Co-creators Ashley
Lyle and Bart Nickerson orchestrated a time-jumping horror-drama about teenage soccer players stranded in the
wilderness and the deeply traumatized adults they become.

The writing balances pulpy genre thrills – cult symbolism, cannibal hints, and eerie forest vibes – with
sharp character study. Lyle, Nickerson, and their team were recognized by organizations like the Writers Guild,
which grouped Yellowjackets with the year’s top drama series. That’s impressive company for a show that
could’ve easily been dismissed as “Lord of the Flies but messy.”

Verdict: 2022 confirmed that Yellowjackets wasn’t just a quirky curiosity; it was one of the most
distinctive voices in the prestige-horror lane, powered by writers who know how to weave trauma, mystery, and
dark humor into something addictive.

Honorable Mentions: Other Rooms That Had a Big 2022

A bunch of other writers’ rooms could reasonably argue they had a phenomenal 2022, even if they’re not at the
very top of this particular list:

• The Duffer Brothers and the Stranger Things team, who delivered a bombastic, emotionally charged
  fourth season that dominated the cultural conversation.
• Donald Glover and the writers of Atlanta, who wrapped up one of the most surreal and stylistically bold
  comedies of the past decade with two final seasons that aired in 2022.
• Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, and the Hacks team, whose second season kept racking up major
  award nominations for sharp, acidic comedy writing.
• The creative minds behind The Bear, Abbott Elementary, and Severance’s supporting episodes, whose
  names might not always make headlines but whose scripts absolutely do the heavy lifting.

In a less crowded year, any of these writers might have been the uncontested standout. In 2022, they were part
of a very stacked field.

So…Who Actually “Won” 2022?

If we’re forced to hand out metaphorical superlatives, here’s one way to break it down:

• Class President of TV Writing 2022: Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary.
• Valedictorian of Prestige Drama: Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for Better Call Saul.
• Best New Kid With Deep Existential Dread: Dan Erickson and the Severance writers.
• Most Likely to Trigger a Kitchen-Related Panic Attack: Christopher Storer and the team behind The Bear.
• Most Likely to Make Star Wars Fans Rethink Everything: Tony Gilroy and the Andor writers.

If you want one clean answer to “Which TV writers had the best 2022?” the honest (and slightly annoying)
response is: it depends on what you value most. If you prize historic representation and broadcast comedy
revitalization, you point to Brunson. If you’re obsessed with long-form tragedy and payoff, you salute
Gilligan and Gould. If you love strange, daring new worlds, you might be a Severance or Andor person.

The good news is that, as viewers, we don’t actually have to choose. 2022 was the rare year when multiple
writers’ rooms simultaneously hit their peaks – and we got to binge the results.

What Viewers and Aspiring Writers Can Steal From 2022’s Best

Beyond rankings and bragging rights, 2022 offers a quiet masterclass in what strong TV writing looks like.
A few big lessons:

• Have a clear point of view. Abbott Elementary isn’t just “a school comedy”; it has a
  specific love for underfunded public schools and the people who keep them alive.
• Play the long game. Better Call Saul and Severance both show how carefully planned setups
  can pay off years (or episodes) later in deeply satisfying ways.
• Let the setting do story work. The kitchen in The Bear and the corporate labyrinth in
  Severance aren’t just backgrounds – they’re engines driving character choices.
• Trust your audience. Shows like Andor prove you don’t need constant exposition or fan-service
  cameos. You can write like your viewers are smart, because they are.
• Blend humor with seriousness. Brunson’s scripts balance jokes with stakes; Gilligan and Gould
  sneak in dark humor even at bleak moments. That tonal mix keeps audiences emotionally engaged.

Whether you’re a fan, a critic, or an aspiring TV writer pausing every few minutes to say, “Okay, that line
was unfairly good,” 2022 was an incredible year to study the craft.

of Lived-In Experience: Watching 2022 Through a Writer’s Eyes

Imagine you’re experiencing 2022 TV purely as a writing nerd. You’re not just watching episodes; you’re
mentally pulling apart structure, tracking setups and payoffs, and occasionally yelling, “That cold open
was unnecessary,” at the screen like a very specific kind of sports fan.

You start with Abbott Elementary. On paper, the pilot looks deceptively simple: introduce the school,
meet the teachers, establish the documentary style. But as you watch, you notice how efficiently the script
assigns each character a clear want and a clear obstacle. Janine wants to fix everything; the system wants to
crush that optimism. The jokes are fast, but the emotional spine is crystal clear. As a viewer, you laugh.
As a writer, you take notes: “Oh, this is how you do warmth without getting corny.”

Then you queue up Severance. At first, it feels almost too slow. But once you shift into “writer mode,”
the deliberate pacing becomes part of the thrill. You start noticing the subtle visual and verbal patterns,
the way certain phrases repeat in different contexts, the way the writers withhold basic information – like
what the innies actually do – to keep you slightly off balance. Every episode ends with just enough new
information to make you think, “Okay, one more.” From a craft perspective, it’s a clinic in how to build and
sustain mystery without cheap twists.

On another night, you dive into The Bear. Your non-writer friends are texting you things like, “Why is
this show stressing me out so much?” and you’re replying, “Because the structure is weaponized anxiety.”
When you rewatch an episode, you notice how often the scripts loop conflicts: money, grief, respect in the
kitchen, the question of whether this place can ever be more than chaos. The shouting isn’t random; it’s
patterned. Every meltdown is a beat in a longer emotional arc. From a writing lens, that’s incredibly
satisfying. Nothing is wasted.

Then there’s Better Call Saul. If you’ve been following it for years, the 2022 final season feels almost
like a reward for paying attention. You catch call-backs to early-season lines, visual echoes of shots from
Breaking Bad, and small gestures that now carry huge moral weight. Watching it as a writer, you feel
both inspired and slightly intimidated. “So this is what it looks like when you map out a long-form character
arc from the beginning,” you think, staring at your own messy outlines with a mix of admiration and despair.

Finally, you hit play on Andor. You expect a standard space opera; what you get instead is a slow,
mature meditation on power and resistance. As a viewer, you’re pulled in by the suspense. As a writer, you’re
fascinated by how often the show chooses talk over action, and makes that choice thrilling. Scenes that are
basically people arguing in dim rooms somehow feel more intense than many laser battles. You start asking
yourself: “How can I raise stakes in my own writing without reaching for the obvious explosion?”

By the time you look back on 2022, it’s hard to remember it as just a year of “good TV.” It feels more like a
year-long writing workshop that happened to be broadcast across a dozen platforms. Whether you were consciously
analyzing scripts or just vibing with great dialogue, the writers behind these shows quietly raised the bar.
And if you’re working on your own projects, there’s a good chance some tiny piece of your next scene will be
influenced by a joke from Abbott Elementary, a structural trick from Severance, or a moment of
heartbreak from Better Call Saul.

Which TV writers had the best 2022? The ones who made you feel something, then rewind to figure out exactly
how they did it.