While the writers went on strike may have crippled late-night TV in 2023, but scripted television was – at least for the first half of the year – in full swing and at a clear peak. If only this was the only series that aired all year long Succession, it still would have been a phenomenal year for small screen awards. But between returning series like The bearlast broadcasts for Succession, BarryAnd Reservation dogsand unexpected new hits such as Jury duty, the past twelve months have delivered truly compelling television across every genre. But which shows were the ultimate highlights? Here are our picks for the best of the best: our favorite shows of 2023.
The last of us
Some people would have predicted it would be a video game adaptation would end up being one of the best shows of any year. But The last of usco-created by Neil Druckmann, who co-created the game, and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), proves that anything is possible. Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones breakout star Bella Ramsey are perfectly matched as unlikely traveling partners trying to survive in a world full of mushroom monsters. Ellie (Ramsey) is a precocious, pun-loving teenager who is confirmed to be immune to the infection that is decimating the world and turning people into fungal zombies, meaning she could hold the genetic key to beating the pandemic. Joel (Pascal), embittered after losing his family, is tasked with smuggling Ellie out of the quarantine zone and traveling across the country to get her to safety. Along the way, the two slowly form a family bond that throws Joel’s original job into turmoil. The series ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and has already been renewed, with both Pascal and Ramsey confirmed to be returning.
The bear
If you haven’t looked yet The bear, you’ve no doubt been told by at least five people to watch it. The FX on Hulu series – about Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef who reluctantly quits his job at a Michelin-starred restaurant to move back to Chicago and open his family’s Italian beef deli save – was really all anyone wanted to talk about. about when it first premiered in 2022. While the intensity of the kitchen scenes proved terrifying for some viewers, for others that’s part of what makes the drama so unique. And The bear quickly amassed a slew of A-list fans, many of whom make cameos in the second season (see: Olivia Colman). But it’s one episode in particular from season 2, “Fishes,” that has raised the already impossibly high bar for the series. It is a flashback episode set during a Christmas dinner and stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Carmy’s mother, Donna; Bob Odenkirk as Donna’s friend; Sarah Paulson as Carmy’s cousin Michelle; and John Mulaney as Michelle’s boyfriend Stevie. In many ways, the episode is a bit of an outlier, as it has little to do with the events of the series (Carmy tries to speed up the reopening of the deli as a family-style dining experience). But in the span of 66 minutes, it manages to fully immerse viewers in Carmy’s life and explain many of the quirks that make him who he is.
Barry
Barry is one of the rare series that started life as an excellent series and then managed to surpass itself with each new season. While the premise of a rental gun wanting to go straight has been done before, all about Barry was different: the comedy was darker (and therefore funnier), the violence was more brutal and the drama felt more authentic. Co-creators Alec Berg and Bill Hader never placed limitations on the show or its characters, and weren’t afraid to experiment with the form. So while audiences tuned into the show’s fourth (and final) season expecting hitman Barry Birkman (Hader) to get his comeuppance for all his misdeeds, they got something completely different — including the time jump that no one saw coming.
Cunt on earth
Black mirror Creator Charlie Brooker took a break from scaring us with depictions of failed technology to surprise us with this painfully awkward mockumentary series. Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) is the host of a history series titled Cunt on earth, for which she travels the world to share (and learn) about history and some of the most fascinating places on earth with real-life experts. It’s there, in those interviews, where the show really shines. Morgan’s deadpan delivery and bewildered reactions, coupled with her absolutely unhinged questions (“If you teach Shakespeare to a child, does it make their heads physically bigger?”), observations (“Most banknotes don’t feature women – apart from the Queen, who’s all on it”), and the facts (“It’s reassuring to realize that we don’t have nuclear weapons these days”) provide non-stop laughter. In one episode, when an Egyptology professor explains the mummification process to her, she swears Cunk that this is the same spa routine that Gwyneth Paltrow uses. There are only five episodes, so this is a show to enjoy.
The curse
Between Nathan for you And The rehearsal, there’s no doubt that Nathan Fielder is one of Hollywood’s most unique voices. Even when you think you know what you’re going to get from Fielder, he has a way of quickly turning everything you thought you knew about what you were watching on its head. For The cursehe collaborates with writer-director-actor Benny Safdie (Uncut gemstones), who co-created the series and stars in it with Fielder, alongside Oscar winner Emma Stone. Whitney (Stone) and Asher (Fielder) are a newlywed couple and the stars of their own HGTV house-flipping show, Flipanthropy. They’re also trying to start a family, so there’s a lot of stress, especially when a young girl supposedly puts a curse on them. Where it goes from there, you’ll just have to experience it for yourself.
Happy Valley
After an agonizing wait of seven years, the third season of Happy Valley finally arrived, and for once the series title didn’t seem so ironic (at least not initially). Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is still hunting criminals in her small West Yorkshire town, but the chaos that has surrounded her over the past two seasons – including the grief following her daughter’s suicide, the challenges of raising her young grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah), her ongoing affair with her ex-husband Richard (Derek Riddell), and her tense relationship with her son Daniel (Karl Davies) – seem to have been put to rest. That is until Catherine learns that her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) has taken Ryan to his father, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), in prison, compounding the trauma of her daughter’s rape (by Tommy Lee) and Catherine’s own violent interactions with him. Meanwhile, she is also tasked with solving a murder and the disappearance of a young woman with her eyes on the future, as she jumps into her new Land Rover and heads to the Himalayas. The show’s highly anticipated final season is just as compelling as the previous two, but also manages to wrap up the story in a way that doesn’t feel forced or rushed, while Lancashire (who can currently be seen starring in Max’s Julia) delivers another great performance.
I think you should leave
Since its debut in 2019, there has been an ongoing dialogue about the extent to which many men have connected with it I think you should leaveand how that irritates the women in their lives. But the polarizing nature of Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s sketch comedy series has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with an appreciation for completely unhinged absurdist comedy. If the name “Bart Harley Jarvis” means anything to you, you’re clearly a fan of the show, which in its third season continues to deliver a stream of bizarre, loud and endlessly quotable sketches about everything from banana breath to small talk at a cocktail party gone terribly wrong.
Jury duty
Part mockumentary and part Truman Showthe surprise hit Jury duty puts the common man Ronald Gladden in the middle of a mock trial where everyone but him is in on the joke. Among those who fool him is James Marsden, who plays a not-quite-real version of himself and becomes a friend of Gladden as they are chosen together to serve on a jury. Marsden’s turn as both a slick Hollywood type who isn’t afraid to brag about his resume and someone as down-to-earth as the next guy has earned him high praise, as well as his first Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. But it’s the sincere and sincere Gladden who keeps the show from being a total farce and, shall we say, heartwarming.
Reservation dogs
There’s something both brave and refreshing about a TV show that delivers on a high note and leaves fans wanting more, and that’s exactly what Reservation dogs did during his third and final season. The show, co-created by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo, began with a group of Native teenagers who dreamed of moving away from their Native American reservation in Oklahoma and committing petty crimes in an attempt to save enough money to make that happen. At the start of season 3, the kids are in California, but things don’t go exactly as planned, starting with the theft of their car with all their belongings inside. Ultimately, the Rez Dogs come full circle and learn to appreciate the comforts of home and the sanctuary of community.
Succession
From the very first episode, Succession proved it wasn’t afraid to defy expectations. But while it started out as an interesting show, it quickly turned into an excellent series – the kind of series that will forever be mentioned alongside it. The sopranos, The wire, Break badAnd Crazy men as one of the most prestigious ‘prestige TVs’ of the 21st century. Although fans were devastated to learn that the fourth season would be the last, hopes were high that we would finally learn who would appoint media titan Logan Roy (Brian Cox) as heir to the Waystar Royco conglomerate. But nothing ever comes the easy way Succession, and the power exchange was no different. Backs were stabbed, relationships were forever changed, important words were never said, and ultimately time was lost. But even in the most tense moments, Succession managed to keep his jet-black sense of humor. TV series come and go and start and end. But even in a world where we literally have hundreds of programs to watch, Succession stood out as something unique, powerful and important. “Connor’s Wedding,” the third episode of the final season, is 62 minutes of the best television ever produced, with some people immediately calling it the best television ever. greatest TV episode of all time.