Disney Plus released tons of incredible projects this year, giving fans plenty of great content from blockbuster franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to long-awaited sequel films like Hocus Pocus 2 and Disenchanted. Rotten Tomatoes worked hard to share their opinions on all things Disney Plus throughout 2022, and now that the year is drawing to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the best shows the streaming platform had to offer.
Shows are ranked primarily by their Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer score, the number assigned to each series by critics. Shows with identical tomatometer scores will then be ranked according to audience score, and only shows with both tomatometer and audience rankings have been included.
Additionally, the shows mentioned below are all Disney Plus originals. That means they were created by Disney, for Disney and began streaming solely on the Disney Plus platform at some point this year. Anything released prior to 2022 has been excluded from this list. These are the best Disney Plus originals from 2022, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
America the Beautiful earns an honorable mention for scoring 100% on the tomatometer as of December 2022, but was excluded from the list because it currently doesn't have an audience ranking.
Ms. Marvel
Kicking things off is Ms. Marvel, a coming of age story that follows the superhero-obsessed teenager, Kamala Khan. Kamala has a love for all things Captain Marvel, but when she’s unexpectedly gifted superpowers of her own, she must learn how to control them while simultaneously uncovering the secrets of her family’s past.
Ms. Marvel was series star Iman Vellanni’s first professional acting gig, and her stellar performance largely contributed to the show’s critically acclaimed reviews. The series scored a 98% on the tomatometer, not only making it the highest rated Marvel project of 2022, but the highest rated Marvel project of all-time according to Rotten Tomatoes’ critics.
The six-episode series, which premiered on June 8th, received an 80% score from audiences. The story leads into the 2023 Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, which Iman Vellanni will be returning in as Kamala Khan.
The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is packed with childhood nostalgia and brings back all the beloved characters from the original Proud Family series, which premiered on the Disney Channel in 2001. Seventeen years after the original series ended, the Proud family finally returned to the small screen when the reboot premiered February 23rd of this year on Disney Plus.
Louder and Prouder keeps the original series protagonist, Penny Proud, at the center of the story as she tackles the challenges that come with being a teenager, like going through puberty and navigating romance. The series definitely puts a 2020s spin on all ten episodes, but has all the things fans loved about the original Proud Family series, including Oscar Proud’s unfaltering ability to embarrass his eldest daughter.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder scored a whopping 100% on the tomatometer, but comes in at number 4 because of its 71% audience ranking.
Save Our Squad with David Beckham
Securing the number 3 spot is Save Our Squad with David Beckham, a four-episode documentary series that follows the professional soccer player as he returns to East London to mentor a soccer team who are struggling to make it in their league. The team in question is known as the Westward Boys, and they’re playing in the same league David Beckham once did before he made it big in the world of professional sports.
The miniseries tells a heartwarming tale and showcases a genuine connection between Beckham and the young, grassroots team, which is what earned it a 100% score on the tomatometer. Save Our Squad first premiered on November 9th and currently has an 80% audience score, which is what bumped the show ahead of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on the list.
Light & Magic
Disney’s Light & Magic takes viewers on a behind the scenes journey through the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) company, and offers an inside look at all the hard work that goes into making movie magic off-screen. ILM was created by George Lucas to help him bring his Star Wars projects to life. The six-episode series starts by detailing the humble beginnings of the visual effects company.
Light & Magic gives a compelling glimpse into the company’s evolution over the years and features employee interviews, finally putting a face to the brilliant minds working behind the camera to produce some of the greatest movies the world has ever seen. The series was released on July 27th and earned itself a 100% on the tomatometer. With an impressive 92% score with audiences, Light & Magic beats out Save our Squad and The Proud Family to secure its number 2 spot.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Finally, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi has earned the title of Disney Plus’ best original show of 2022. The animated series includes six short episodes, ranging from 12 to 18 minutes long, and follows two separate Jedi on two separate paths. The first story shows Jedi Ahsoka Tano’s journey towards joining the Rebellion, while the second story details Count Dooku’s descent into embracing the dark side.
The series premiered October 26th on Disney plus and scored 100% on the tomatometer like most other shows on the list. However, comes in at number 1 because of its whopping 94% audience rating.