THE BEST OF 2023 - The Best TV Shows of The Year
- 2023, what a year. For me personally, this has been one of the craziest years ever. A full year of dealing with Long COVID, a year and a half since it all began in Summer 2022. While there were some incremental improvements, I'm still dealing with it now - and yeah, it's not fun. So be safe out there. 2023 was a lesson in dealing with ongoing adversity. But even in the toughest of times, I still had film, TV, comics, and music - thank god. I never lacked in things to look forward to, to keep me occupied, to distract me, to provide escape, to make me think, to expand my horizons. Even when I couldn't physically travel far, I still - through the power of great storytelling - sailed the stars aboard the Enterprise, explored a vast and secret-laden underground silo, and drove around the country solving mysteries alongside a wise-crackin', lie-detecting woman-on-the-run. Yeah, times were tough. But there was some amazing TV in 2023 that helped to get me through.
That isn't to say that 2023 was smooth-sailing, as far as TV goes. The entire entertainment industry was in upheaval. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes brought ongoing issues with payment and residuals to the forefront of public conversation - not to mention the use of AI as a means of cutting actual humans out of the creative process. Luckily, after a pair of prolonged strikes, major wins were eventually had for writers and actors. But there is still much work to be done, and still plenty of potential for studios to abuse their powers. We see that now with the constant cost-cutting in the name of shareholder appeasement, which includes removing TV series from streaming availability altogether (despite the original promise of streaming being a place where shows could be accessed at the viewer's leisure). We also continue to see series get canceled after having barely had a chance to find an audience, often after having been unceremoniously dropped in an overcrowded streaming market with barely any real promotion. Finally, there is that continued sense that in a post-Better Call Saul world, the great age of Prestige TV is in the rearview mirror. TV, for nearly twenty years now a place of experimentation and risk-taking and truly brilliant entertainment ... now starting to feel a bit like an IP factory filled with short-run series that are part of interconnected universes with a corporate mandate to, much like the studios themselves, expand infinitely or die.
And yet ... while you may need several streaming services to find it all, there was a metric ton of great TV this past year (and that's even with heavy hitters like House of the Dragon and The Handmaid's Tale MIA). There's so much - I still have dozens of shows on my "to-watch" list, from Shrinking to Slow Horses to The Diplomat to Reacher. Art finds a way. So let's get to it.
DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2023:
1. RESERVATION DOGS
- Reservation Dogs third and final season solidified the show as one of the best ever. With a unique blend of magical realism, comedy, and very real pathos, this coming-of-age series set on a Native American reservation did what so many of the best TV series do - it gave us a story both hyper-specific and universal. I genuinely feel like I learned a lot from this show about Native American culture. But there were also so many times when the traditions, concerns, and family dynamics of these specific characters reminded me in various ways of my own upbringing. I will miss the Res Dogs, and I hope that those who haven't yet seen this amazing show will continue to discover it.
2. POKER FACE
- A streaming-age throwback of sorts to the case-of-the-week detective shows of yesteryear, Poker Face, nonetheless, felt like something new and different and very much welcome in the current TV landscape. What makes it so good though is the absolutely top-tier writing - fantastically constructed mysteries matched with sharp-as-a-tack (and oftentimes hilarious) dialogue. All brought to life by the instantly-iconic leading performance from Natasha Lyonne, who in each episode also happens to be surrounded by a murderer's row of supporting guest stars.
3. THE CURSE
- I had no idea what to make of The Curse, at first. And as I write this, I'm still eagerly waiting to see how it all ends. But with each passing week, I become increasingly sure of this show's genius. It's a brilliant new spin on the Nathan Fielder cringe TV brand, taking it to the world of scripted drama while maintaining that same sense of "holy $&%&, what is going on here?!" spectacle of Fielder's previous series. Emma Stone on this show though - wow. An acting master class. She and Fielder give us a scathing indictment of a Millennial generation gone wrong.
4. SILO
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The best sci-fi mystery series since Lost, Silo's first season absolutely gripped me from start to finish. I couldn't wait to find out more about the true nature of the show's mysterious setting - a massive underground silo completely cut off from the world above. All the while, I was willing to go wherever the show led me because of the incredible lead performance from Rebecca Ferguson - playing a badass underdog who I'd follow anywhere. A top-tier supporting cast - from Tim Robbins to Will Patton - solidified this show as something special. Bring on Season 2.
5. BEEF
- I don't make this comparison lightly, but Beef reminded me of Breaking Bad with the way it kept ratcheting up the stakes and the intensity, thrusting its normal-seeming characters into absolutely crazy situations that often made me think, with a smile on my face: "well, that escalated quickly." Beyond that though, Beef was a brilliant show about the anger that currently runs rampant in our society - and how even minor arguments can snowball into heated blood feuds. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong crushed it. Amazing television.
6. TED LASSO
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I didn't want to like Ted Lasso, at first. It was one of those shows that annoyingly became that show that people wouldn't stop fawning over. Early on, I didn't get it, and the show didn't 100% work for me. But I stuck with it and it grew on me. I liked S1, but I loved S2. And I loved S2 but I *really* loved S3. Such sharp writing, such perfect jokes, such a great ensemble of actors and memorable characters. I know some people didn't like S3 as much as I did, but for me, this was the season when the show leveled up and, for me, truly became an all-time fave.
7. PICARD
- The beginning of 2023 was a rough time. I was dealing with Long
COVID flare-ups as well as an injury from a fall - all coupled with a
difficult move to a new place. But each week for several weeks, I
received the television equivalent of a warm hug from an old friend. Sir
Patrick Stewart was, once more, Jean-Luc Picard, and one of the
all-time great TV characters was back just when we needed him most.
While the first two seasons of Picard tried their best to avoid leaning
on nostalgia, S3 went all-in on it, and delivered a fitting epilogue to
the entire Star Trek: The Next Generation era - bringing back nearly the
entire cast of TNG. It was the best season of the series by far. It
made me smile, laugh, and on many an occasion raise my fist in glory.
What an ending.
8. JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL
- Justified is one of my favorite shows ever - and it had one of the
best final episodes ever - so I had mixed feelings about it coming back
for another go. While City Primeval didn't necessarily feel essential,
it was still damn good TV - especially given the context that since
Justified's ending, well ... they just don't make TV shows like that
anymore. Except here it was - more of that trademark sharp-as-glass
writing, more of Timothy Olyphant being as great as ever as Raylan
Givens, and yet another memorably awesome loose-cannon villian in Boyd
Holbrook's Clement Mansell. Throw in great turns from Aunjanue
Ellis-Taylor, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and more and you've got yourself some
old-school, peak-TV-era-esque appointment viewing.
9. THE LAST OF US
- Fans (myself included) of the Last of Us games knew that there was
potential for the series adaptation to be something special. Even so, it
was a bit surreal to see everyone obss over a story that videogamers
had, years ago, discussed and analyzed to death. But even for those of
us familiar with the post-apocalyptic storyline, there were still
surprises to be had here. For one, the incredible performances by Pedro
Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie - giving a new life to these
characters. For another, new expansions to this universe that quickly
became instant-classics - like the seminal third episode that gave us a
ballad of Bill & Frank, that stands among the best single episodes
of television I've ever seen.
10. THE BEAR
- I am a latecomer to The Bear, only recently having binge-watched the
show. And ... wow. It lived up to the hype. This series is incredibly
intense in a way that I can only describe as "Uncut Gems-esque." But
it's also an incredible character study of flawed individuals. A funny,
resonant look at a makeshift family that reminds me at times of The
Sopranos. It's a look at how high-stress situations matched with modern
day anxiety can make every day feel like a pressure cooker. Season 2 had some of the highest highs yet.
The Next Best:
11. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
- This smart, funny show hit another home run in Season 3 - once again combining a genuinely enthralling murder-mystery with the never-funnier hijinks of Steve Martin and Martin Short, plus a fantastic Selena Gomez. Not to mention an A+ supporting cast filled with great bit players top top bottom. Also, "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?" was the fake TV song of the year.
12. PAUL T. GOLDMAN
- I became absolutely obsessed with Paul T. Goldman earlier this year. If
you're a fan of weird mind-trip meta TV that leaves you wondering "wait,
is this real or fiction?" then you need to watch this show. It's on
Peacock. It's hilarious. It's mesmerizing. It's awkward as hell. Paul T.
Goldman is a real person who thinks he's helping to make a movie based
on his (heavily-embellished) book about his own life. But the show Paul
T. Goldman is about the making of that not-actually-being-made movie
(and various spin-offs!). But what it's really about is how the power of
self-delusion can lead one man to self-mythologize to the point where
he convinces himself that he's the hero of an adventure that never
actually happened. This is genius stuff. Next level. Go watch it.
13. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
- What We Do In the Shadows had another great season - with a couple of instant-classic episodes. It's amazing how dark this show goes with its plotting and how the actors are called upon to be both extremely funny and to deliver on some genuinely intense/dramatic/horror-filled moments. On the whole, this is the best TV sitcom since Brooklyn Nine-Nine went off the air. And I can't believe next season will be its last. More!
14. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
- In Mike Flanagan we trust. Flanagan's series - but this one in particular - are truly catnip for us writers. They're just so ... writerly. The Fall of the House of Usher was filled with long, flowery monologues and I loved it. Give me Bruce Greenwood delivering wonderfully-composed monologues all day. And give me this sort of character study meets dark social satire meets gothic horror all day as well. One of the best series from Flanagan yet.
15. BARRY
- On the whole, I absolutely loved the final season of Barry. To me, the show came out of the gate hot with an incredible first season, was up and down in S2, and then lost a lot of momentum in S3. But S4 really brought back the must-see feel of the early days and made Barry, once again, a show where I could not wait for each new episode to drop. Going to miss this darkly hilarious tale of a killer-trying-to-go-straight. Bill Hader - what a performance. When it was at its best, Barry was one of the greats.
- S3 of The Righteous Gemstones was, once again, brilliant and hilarious. This send-up of Big Religion simply doesn't miss - and is always the perfect blend of high-stakes drama with insane humor. Nobody has made me laugh harder over the last fifteen years than Danny McBride. Well, except for maybe Walton Goggins as Uncle Baby Billy.
- It's always fun when a show comes out of nowhere and absolutely kicks your ass. And Blue Eye Samurai is nothing if not kick-ass - a bloody and brutal revenge tale set in 17th century Japan. With eye-melting animation, fantastic voice work, and an instantly-iconic lead character in Mizu - this one is going to be something special when all is said and done.
20. WINNING TIME
- The second (and tragically, final!) season of Winning Time was absolutely fantastic. And I'm still kind of baffled how this wasn't a huge hit? HBO Sunday night pedigree, A-list cast, larger than life sports heroes / cultural icons. What happened? Regardless, this show about the Showtime Lakers really improved season over season, as it focused in on the basketball of it all.
21. SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF
- This Netflix animated series gave us a funny, surprising new direction for the Scott Pilgrim story that smartly re-contextualizes Scott Pilgrim vs The World and shows some interesting new sides to the characters that we know and love from the film and the original comics. So many great little moments, many a geek-out-worthy reference, and super cool animation to boot. Plus, the entire cast of the movie returns to voice their characters!
22. PERRY MASON
- The first season of Perry Mason picked up stream towards the end of its run. But the second season rode that wave of momentum and delivered a great season of television of start to finish. The great Matthew Rhys rocked it in the lead role. Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham, and a number of other top-tier talents rounded out the cast. This felt like legit Prestige TV at a time when that's becoming more rare. Moody, rich, dense, smart. Wish we'd get more.
23. INVINCIBLE
- I'm a huge fan of the Invincible comic book series, and it's been awesome to see Robert Kirkman's superhero saga come to life as a TV series. The Amazon series is a remarkably faithful adaptation both in terms of plot and aesthetic, but the stacked voice cast and interesting divergences from the comics help give it its own identity. At the end of the day though, Invincible has such a unique take on superhero storytelling and such a distinct vibe - it's just uber-satisfying to see it adapted so well.
24. JURY DUTY
- One of the big comedy sensations of 2023, Jury Duty matched a killer premise with perfect casting. This reality-meets-fiction series placed a real-life everyman in a fake jury pool filled with not-real actors, including a game James Marsden playing an out-there, narcissistic version of himself. And the results were often drop-dead hilarious.
25. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH
- S2 of Our Flag Means Death was a fun and surprisingly poignant season of television. Rhys Darby (as "The Gentleman Pirate" Stede Bonnet), Taika Waititi (as Blackbeard), and the entire supporting cast were once again fantastic. And I loved some of the new characters - with The Pirate Queen Zheng Yi, played by Ruibo Qian - being a new favorite. As with S1, I was continually amazed at how this series works as a rip-roaring pirate adventure, a heartfelt romance, and as a really funny comedy.
Just Missed the Cut:
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:
The Best TV Heroes of 2023:
1.) Juliette Nichols - Silo
2.) Captain Jean-Luc Picard - Picard
3.) Raylan Givens - Justified: City Primeval
4.) Charlie Cale - Poker Face
5.) Ramona Flowers - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
The Best TV Villains of 2023:
1.) Clement Mansell - Justified: City Primeval
2.) Roderick Usher - The Fall of the House of Usher
3.) Fuches and NoHo Hank - Barry
4.) Arthur Pym - The Fall of the House of Usher
5.) Lucas Lee - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
1.) Joel and Ellie - The Last Of Us
2.) Loki - Loki
3.) Barry - Barry
4.) Mizu - Blue Eye Samurai
5.) Dorothy "Dot" Lyon - Fargo
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