From the metal-loving Eddie Munson to the dead Wednesday Addams, Netflix has delivered plenty of breakout characters this year. Every new popular show seemed to have at least one lovable character brought to life by a talented actor who managed to steal every scene he was in.
Joseph Quinn rose to stardom with his endearing role as Eddie Munson stranger thingswhile Justin Min got to show us a brand new side of his character Ben Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy. Then there’s Simone Ashley who helped make it Bridgeton Season 2 even more successful than the first thanks to her endless charm and chemistry with co-star Jonathan Bailey. #Kanthony for the win.
Below are some of our favorite breakout characters from Netflix shows in 2022.
Break out Netflix Characters from 2022
STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson and Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in STRANGER THINGS. Kr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Eddie Munson, Stranger Things
There was a lot to love stranger things Season 4, but nobody captivated the internet quite like Joseph Quinn’s charismatic turn as metalhead Eddie Munson.
Nobody expected how popular Quinn and his character would become. The actor quickly blew up and rose to international fame thanks to Eddie’s global popularity. Sadly, Eddie dies at the end of the season, but fans are still hoping the writers will find a way to bring him back in the show’s fifth and final season.
While Eddie may have been Season 4’s biggest breakthrough, we can’t help but give our love to Eduardo Franco, a scene thief in Season 4. Argyle is a hilarious addition to the cast and has given us plenty of hilarious liners.
Wednesday. (L to R) Thing, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in episode 104 of Wednesday. Kr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Wednesday Addams, Wednesday
Wednesday is a late arrival, shortly after his release last November. Still, within weeks of arriving on the streaming service, the series has already smashed multiple Netflix records to become, just below, one of the top-performing English-language shows on the platform, with over 752.52 million hours watched stranger things season 4 and Monsters: The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer. Jenna Ortega has already had a phenomenal year with several excellent horror films, but fans are also raving about her version of Wednesday Addams!
Thing might be a hand, but he’s got tons of personality! Brought to life by Victor Dorobantu, Thing is easily one of the world’s most lovable scene stealers Wednesday. Plus, He’s so devoted to the Addams family that he’s easy to adore.
DO REVENGE – (LR) Camila Mendes as Drea and Maya Hawke as Eleanor in Do Revenge. Kr. Kim Simms/Netflix © 2022.
Drea & Eleanor, revenge
We know and love Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke from their amazing roles on the hit series Riverdale and stranger things, but when the actresses came together for the Netflix original film Revenge, pure magic happened. Nobody else could have played Drea and Eleanor.
The vengeful teenage characters could have been far more unlikely in less capable hands, but the chemistry and charisma of Mendes and Hawke made the characters unexpectedly endearing. We’ve encountered polarizing characters like Drea and Eleanor in teen movies and series before, but few have been quite as thrilling to watch as they do bad things.
Drea and Eleanor are this generation’s Serena and Blair, Romy and Michele, Thelma and Louise. take revenge will (hopefully) go down in history as a modern day cult classic, and for that we have two of the funniest and most fearless characters to thank.
The Cuphead Show! (L to R) Tru Valentino as Cuphead and Frank Todaro as Mugman on The Cuphead Show! Season 3. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
Cuphead & Mugman, the Cuphead Show!
It’s been a stellar year for fans of the acclaimed run-and-gun indie video game Cuphead by Studio MDHR. With the release of the highly anticipated DLC titled ” Cuphead: The Delicious Last Coursebut we also have three full seasons of The Cuphead Show on Netflix!
The first part was released in February this year, and then Netflix released more seasons in August and November. Fans can watch more than 30 episodes of Cuphead and Mugman’s Wild Adventures, along with many appearances from fan-favorite characters like Ms. Chalice, Devil, King Dice and more.
Bridgeton. (L to R) Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma in Episode 201 of Bridgerton. Kr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2022
Kate Sharma, Bridgerton
Looking back at the second season of bridgeton, There’s no denying that Simone Ashley was the season’s breakout star — much like Rege-Jean Page became the season one breakout. Ashley fully embodied the character of Kate Sharma, bringing a blend of intelligence, wit and vulnerability to the role. She seamlessly navigated the complexities of Kate’s journey, from her struggles with societal expectations to her blossoming romance with Anthony Bridgerton.
Ashley’s chemistry with her co-star Jonathan Bailey was electric, making their on-screen relationship both believable and compelling. She also displayed an impressive range, from dramatic scenes to comedic moments, once again proving herself to be a versatile and talented actress and cementing her as a rising star.
The Umbrella Academy. Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves in episode 303 of The Umbrella Academy. Kr. Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix © 2022
(Sparrow) Ben Hargreeves, The Umbrella Academy
I’ve always been a fan of Justin Min and his performance as Ben Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academybut unfortunately for the first two seasons, Ben didn’t get much screen time and was rarely able to interact with characters outside of Klaus since his character was… well, dead.
But when the Hargreeves mess up the timeline and accidentally cause the creation of Sparrow Academy, we see a very lively but very mean version of Ben come to life, and Min does a phenomenal job playing him.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy Klaus/Ben together, and we have many hilarious moments between the two in the third season of the show. Also, it looks like Sparrow Ben will have a significant role in season four.
Heartstopper – Netflix
Nick & Charlie, heart stoppers
It’s no surprise we all fell in love heart stopper in 2022. The teen romance comedy series, based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman, released in April and introduced the world to Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, quite possibly the cutest couple on TV this year.
What did … do heart stopper One such special show was how much you can relate to the characters, no matter what age you are. If you don’t identify with Nick or Charlie, you might also identify with Tao, Elle, Tara, Tori, Isaac…every character is like that real.
But as the show’s main characters, Kit Connor and Joe Locke make it impossible not to absolutely adore Nick and Charlie together and individually. We needed someone to celebrate 2022 with, someone to bring some joy into the year. That’s exactly what Nick and Charlie did, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for the couple heart stopper Season 2 in 2023.
The Sandman. Tom Sturridge as Dream in The Sandman. Kr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2021
Dream the Sandman
Netflix’s live-action adaptation by Neil Gaimans The Sandman was high maximum expected by graphic novel fans, and it didn’t disappoint. Tom Sturridge’s portrayal of Dream (aka Morpheus) was spot on and really immersed viewers in the world of the endless. He’s a great character to lead such a weird and unique story and it’s really hard not to be in love with him. He is tough but emotional, thoughtful but hopeful for the future and always wants to do the right thing. He channels the early to mid 2000’s emo era and I love them so much.
Honestly, all of The Endless siblings deserve a spot on this list for having some of the most compelling performances on The Sandman. Still we wanted to give special credit to the phenomenal Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who gave an incredible twist as Death in what was named the standout episode of season one.