My 20 Favorite Television Shows of 2023

For the uninitiated, it's a yearly tradition for me to start this list by breaking down my relationship to television, counting how many TV shows I watched in full during the calendar year.  In 2023, I had a healthy amount of 87, so the days of watching over 100 shows in a year are long in the rearview now.  One difference here is I got so behind on TV that there were some shows I really wanted to get in under the wire that I didn't have time for.  There are always things that I miss out on, but they're usually more of a "I'm mildly intrigued to check this out" case.  This time, there are some heavy hitters that I just didn't get around to.  Hell, there was a new season of Black Mirror in 2023 and I still haven't watched it.

So now more than ever, this top 20 you're about to see is not necessarily definitive, just my favorites of what I managed to cross off my watch list.

The rules: Shows are considered for this list based on their episodes that aired between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023.  This used to be a big thing when people watched more network shows where the seasons bled into the new year, but it doesn't factor in as much.  Although this year some shows like The Curse, For All Mankind, and Fargo are doing this annoying thing where almost all of the season aired this year but then the last two episodes are going to bleed into 2024.  That's stupid!  I hate it!

Honorable Mentions (25-21)

There was nothing on television remotely like How To with John Wilson (HBO), the expansive video essay series that captured the spirit of New York and humanity at large in its winding, unpredictable episodes.  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX) is the Lebron James of television, performing at a high level far past anyone thought humanly possible.  Though The Buccaneers (Apple TV+) initially starts off as a thin modernized update of Edith Wharton's novel of the same name, it eventually evolves into a rich, emotional story that's well worth your time.  Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's offbeat sensibilities blend well with the traditional whodunnit setup in A Murder at the End of the World (FX).  The march of progress continues apace on the yet-to-be completed fourth season of For All Mankind (Apple TV+), where the expansion of the Mars settlement project has introduced a fascinating upstairs-downstairs dynamic that's kept the show fresh as it enters middle age.

20. Servant (Apple TV+)

Final seasons are worrisome under any circumstance, but they're particularly tricky to pull off when your series has an element of mystery to it.  Will you be able to tie up loose ends and answer every question put forth throughout the show's run?  And will those answers be satisfying and logically sound?  Servant, Apple TV+'s excellent M. Night Shyamalan-produced supernatural thriller, managed to hit more than it didn't in its fourth and final season.  Not everything worked -- including a series finale that was a bit of a dud -- but it landed the plane in all of the ways that matter, most notably the biggest dangling thread hanging over the entire series.  Season four continued to push the limits of visual storytelling on the small screen, as well as its own wild narrative turns, always taking things in unpredictable and deliciously strange directions.  And when the journey is such a jolt to modern television conventions, what does it matter that the destination isn't perfect?

19. Dave (FXX)

Everything that Dave does should be a misfire.  The cavalcade of guest stars this season (Killer Mike, Kylie Jenner, Usher, Jack Harlow, Rachel McAdams, Drake, etc.) could come off as the desperation move of a show resting on its laurels.  Every Black character having an "oh snap, White Boy can rap..." moment feels like Lil Dicky trying to get the validation he's always wanted in real life through his fictional counterpart.  And season three's focus on Dave finding love sounds insufferable on paper.  But despite the odds, Dave remains a hilarious show with an easygoing magnetism.  Season three takes things on the road, which proves to be a great spine for the story, and allows for interesting variation between episodes in different stops around America.  Shows about striving tend to have trouble when their protagonist finally finds success, but so far Dave has navigated that territory with aplomb.

18. I Think You Should Leave (Netflix) 

It might not have had the meme staying power its predecessors did, but season three of I Think You Should Leave was as funny as ever.  It feels like the show operates in its own bizarre language, one that becomes scarily natural the more you watch it.  And its sketches work with premises that start absurd and get even more absurd, as well as ones that blow up from grounded social interactions.  At the center of most of the odd hilarity is Tim Robinson, whose elastic face and go-for-broke comedic sensibility only heightens the surreal writing.  With episodes that fall into the 15-18 minute range, you could binge the whole season in one sitting, but it's best to space episodes out so you don't hurt yourself from laughing too hard.

17. Class of '07 (Prime Video)

Not to be confused with the high concept drama Class of '09 that also came out this year (didn't watch it), Class of '07 is an Australian comedy that caught me by surprise when I checked it out on a whim.  It comes with a high concept of its own: a group of women attending a 10-year reunion at their boarding school get stranded there when a cataclysmic event strikes, leaving them completely surrounded by water and unsure if anyone else is left in the world.  The show finds many laughs amid the apocalypse, and its effervescent charm leaves you unprepared for the huge emotional core it contains.  It boasts a terrific ensemble, a cast full of characters who seem like archetypes at first but quickly reveal fascinating wrinkles of personality.  Even in difficult circumstances, Class of '07 manages to be a great hang with a ton of heart.

16. Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)

Daisy Jones & the Six is the television version of stadium rock.  Adapting the hit novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the show chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional band modelled on Fleetwood Mac, and it's always aiming for the rafters with its storytelling choices.  It takes these big emotional swings and frequently hits home runs, perfectly capturing the electricity of the complicated creative partnership at the core of the story, and how powerful it can be to find somebody who gets you on an elemental level.  On the fringes of that, it finds all kinds of nuances to characters and relationships that could just be window dressing in a less successful story.  Daisy Jones & the Six plays the hits, but it does them damn well.  It's immensely satisfying television.

15. The Apothecary Diaries (Crunchyroll)

If you've always wanted House M.D. in anime form, then The Apothecary Diaries is perfect for you.  Set in the royal palace of a fictional country based on China, the series follows apothecary Maomao, as she solves medical mysteries and becomes reluctantly involved in court intrigue.  Maomao is one of the most well-drawn protagonists of the year -- clever, curious, a little strange -- and it's fun to watch her balance her strong sense of justice and desire to do the right thing with a self-preservation needed to stay afloat in this dangerous environment.  And as the episodic mysteries start to build up and interlock into grander stories, the world becomes surprisingly complex.  With beautiful visuals and music on top of that, The Apothecary Diaries is the complete package.

14. Heavenly Delusion (Hulu)

Heavenly Delusion feels like an unearthed classic.  It's one of those anime that makes you think "I wish they still made them like this," except it exists right now.  It starts as a series shrouded in mystery, right down to the question of how its two main storylines -- one following a boy and a girl on a road-trip across a post-apocalyptic world populated by strange creatures, the other centering on a group of kids in a closed-off utopian location where things seem off -- relate to one another.  Along the way to unearthing answers, the series excels in its moments of downtime, thrilling setpieces, and flashes of sci-fi horror.  On top of that, it's one of the most beautiful series of the year, with a detailed and unique art style, and animation that often reaches a movie-level quality.  That timeless essence and immaculate production values make it the perfect watch for anime diehards and newcomers alike.

13. Silo (Apple TV+)

If you're a fan of sci-fi television, you're missing out on the best of what the genre currently has to offer if you're not subscribed to Apple TV+.  (Apple TV+ is the best streaming service in general when it comes to TV, but we'll talk about that another time).  Joining the likes of For All Mankind, Severance, and Foundation this year was Silo, based on series of novels from Hugh Howey.  You can see its novelistic origins pretty early on, as it quickly introduces its gripping concept and a world that's thoroughly conceived, where every corner is filled with detail and every character feels lived-in.  That strong framework allows for the mystery of its narrative to get its hooks in you, guided along by showrunner and TV veteran Graham Yost's sturdy command of the hourlong television drama.  Silo never falters or disappoints in providing answers to its enticing questions in its first season, and it leaves you with enough unanswered that season two can't come soon enough.

12. The Other Two (Max)

This summer, around the time it was announced that Max's The Other Two would be ending after three seasons, a report came out alleging verbal abuse and difficult working conditions established by showrunners Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider.  Suddenly it made a sick sort of sense that the show was able to depict its striver protagonists who were willing to be awful to anyone on their way to success with such pinpoint accuracy.  Though the laughs now come with a sting of recognition, The Other Two continued to be one of the funniest and most biting showbiz satires out there.  Its joke density, deep references meant for only the most pop culture-literate, and surprising melancholic streak were always a reminder of a bygone era where the scripted comedy was in a stronger place.  Let's hope the next time one of its kind comes around, it's made by nice people.

11. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

Last year, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds surprised in the way it offered pleasures for those who are relative newcomers to Star Trek.  Season two didn't falter either, delivering a set of episodes that were even more confident and exciting than the first season.  With the ensemble fully established now, the writing staff just lets them rock, deepening them as individuals and the way they relate to each other, trying on new combinations of characters to great effect.  And the show's episodes balance serialization and episodic storytelling perfectly, getting playful with its weekly premises while never losing track of the larger forward momentum of its arcs.  That ability to make difficult writing look easy is what makes Strange New Worlds one of television's best programs.

10. Justified: City Primeval (FX)

Justified was always the forgotten child of the Peak TV era: not as literary or ambitious as Mad Men, not as popular as Breaking Bad, not even as much of a "niche cool guy" pick as The Americans.  But if it didn't have the flash of its peers, it sure did have the entertainment factor, and the wealth of Elmore Leonard source material made it so that a return to the world wasn't completely off the table.  We finally did get that return eight years after the original series finale with City Primeval, which loosely adapts the Leonard novel of the same name.  And though only Timothy Olyphant's Raylan Givens returns from the original series, the Justified spirit courses through it nonetheless.  That lived-in grit to the world, the colorful characters who have fully fleshed-out life stories and worldviews, an onslaught of crackling dialogue; they all infuse this miniseries with a spark that carries on until its satisfying conclusion.  City Primeval might not stand up with the best of Justified's original seasons, but it gets way more close than you'd think it has any right to.

9. Party Down (Starz)

The rule used to be that unless you were Twin Peaks: The Return, it was best not to try to do a revival of a show that's been gone for a long time.  Then 2023 came and gave us not one, but two great comebacks of beloved series from TV's previous generation.  The above show on this list was the first, and the second is Party Down, the previously canceled cult classic comedy about the ups and mostly downs of a group of people who work for a catering company in Los Angeles as a day job while trying to make it in Hollywood.  Its two-season run from 2009-2010 was assumed to be all we'd ever get of the show, but against all odds it came back this year, and even more surprising was how accurate to the spirit of the original run season three was.  Narratively, the return stays true to what would become of these characters' lives in the decade since we last saw them.  And structurally, the episodes were as airtight as ever, using the show's ingenious format to produce some of the funniest moments of the year.  Sometimes it's not always good to get what you want, but season three of Party Down is a hilarious exception.

8. The Eric Andre Show (Adult Swim)

Every time I have to write about The Eric Andre Show for one of these year-end lists, it gets harder and harder.  Comedies are difficult to write about in general, but when they're as short and non-narrative as this one it's even more daunting.  It's a relief, then, that the show has at least started taking longer breaks between seasons lately.  Coming three years after its previous installment, season six delivered the series' signature laughs and anarchic spirit.  Some may feel like it has lost a step in its gradual transition away from the lo-fi aesthetic and complete spontaneity of its early years, but while it may not have that punk rock aura anymore, its blitzkrieg of bits still entertain this humble blogger.

7. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Crunchyroll)

Time moves differently for Frieren, an elven mage whose lifespan is much longer than the humans around her.  10 years is a significant chunk of our lives, but just a drop of water in a deep lake to her.  That concept forms the emotional backbone of Beyond Journey's End, which is about the dull ache of not realizing things were meaningful to you until they're already gone.  Taking place after the kind of big, action-packed journey that usually make up fantasy series has already happened, this anime is much more melancholic and introspective.  There are flashes of action, but the bulk of the series' time is devoted to character building and wistful rumination.  No matter what it throws at the viewer though, it's always exquisitely animated by Studio Madhouse, featuring some of the most breathtaking visuals of the year.  The care shines through in every second of Frieren, and every week of watching it is like getting lost in another world for 25 minutes.

6. Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

Early into the third season of Slow Horses, a member of Slough House, the vestigial group in MI5 where disgraced agents go to languish, gets kidnapped.  When they're taken to a safe house, you can see their eyes darting around, taking in all the data they can about the location they're at in case they need to relay this information later.  The show never explicitly communicates this to the viewer, but it trusts us to know that this is what's going on.  It's that kind of writing that makes Slow Horses such a great watch -- the espionage is just as fast and smart as you'd want a series in this milieu to be.  Showrunner Will Smith's comedy background shines in dialogue that's hilarious and sharp.  In fact, the barbs are so entertaining that you're always caught off guard when the show arrives at the point in the season where the stakes get incredibly high.  Season three was the most intense one yet, where the bodies pile up and the noose around the ensemble continually gets tighter.  And it ends in a really satisfying place, somehow topping the high bar set by the first two seasons.

5. Skip and Loafer (Crunchyroll)

Over the past couple of years, as I've become a more dedicated anime fan, I've widened the scope of genres and styles of series I watch.  If this was 2019, I probably would have passed on a pastel-colored, romance-adjacent anime like Skip and Loafer, no matter how many raves it got. What a shame that would've been, because I'd be missing out on an excellent experience.  Skip and Loafer boasts some of the year's best character writing, granting no shortage of complexity to all of its cast, always having empathy and understanding of who they are.  So many shows of this kind rely on misunderstandings to fuel storytelling, but everyone in the ensemble is so perceptive and introspective, and it turns out that much richer drama can come from that.  Its distinctly homespun art style full of soft, vivid hues just adds to the comforting, easygoing aura it exudes.  Animation studio P.A. Works rarely does second seasons of its shows, but it would a minor tragedy if this is the last we see of Skip and Loafer.

4. Poker Face (Peacock)

It may sound crazy to the younger set, but we used to live in a world where procedural, episodic storytelling ruled television.  Though case-of-the-week stories could be repetitive at their worst, they also taught writers how to really hone their craft and cater to the confines of the medium.  Face it, there's a reason why people are watching and tweeting about Columbo all the time these days.  And just in time, Poker Face arrived to keep that spirit alive and well.  The series, whose protagonist has a gift for being able to tell when people are lying that gets her reluctantly embroiled in new mysteries while on the run from very bad men, comes from Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, the universally beloved and not at all controversial Star Wars: The Last Jedi) who brings his brand of quality to start things off.  But even episodes without him penning the scripts or standing behind the camera have a visual flair and narrative spark.  Each installment does a deep dive into the world of its setting and players, packing every crevice with so much personality.  The best of classic TV is back with Poker Face.  Now if only we could get 24 episodes of this a year, we'd really be cooking.

3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Sometimes there's a creator you get on a fundamental level, whose work feels like it's tapped right in to your personal frequency.  Gilmore Girls and Bunheads are two of my favorite shows of all time, so it's safe to say Amy Sherman-Palladino is that for me.  Her ambling plotting that some criticize as scatterbrained, I see as cresting and falling away in a rhythm that always knocks me flat.  The creative choices of hers that get labelled as misguided, I always find that they make some sort of emotional sense to me.  (Yes, even the Rory Gilmore Sex Boat.)  The laughs in her work are plentiful and delightful, but the moments of pathos always feel real and hard-won.  For five seasons, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was all of that, but also happened to be the only show ever that was simultaneously inspired by the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s, the MGM musicals of the 50s, and the variety TV shows of the 60s.  And in its final season, it tried an ambitious gambit of dancing backwards and forwards through the years in a move that some found not quite successful, but formed this overwhelming latticework of refractions and insights that I found almost unbearably moving.  It seemed like everybody either forgot about or gave up on Maisel in its last few years, but I never did.  Just like Amy Sherman-Palladino's other series, this one is firmly in the pantheon of all-time greats.

2. The Curse (Showtime)

Showtime is known for their safe and conservative programming, but every now and then they let a weird one slip through.  It happened in 2017 with Twin Peaks: The Return and now, in the last few weeks before it got swallowed up into Paramount+, they did it again with The Curse.  As a meeting of minds between Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, it just might be the densest work in either of their careers.  At the outset, the premise of following this do-gooder liberal couple (Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder) filming an HGTV pilot about them providing sustainable housing for an underprivileged community seems like a soft target for satire, but as the show establishes roots it unveils a truly fascinating examination of white guilt.  And even though it pokes and prods and makes fun of its two main characters, there's also a genuine love between them in their foundation.  Likewise, Safdie's Dougie is drawn and styled like a buffoon, but thanks to some very nuanced writing and a jaw-dropping performance from Safdie, he's the most moving character of the year.  Everywhere you look, there's this strange humanity poking out of The Curse.  And the show's voyeuristic camera and penchant for sitting in discomfort means you also get to live with these people and their emotions for extra seconds at a time.  There are still two episodes left in the season at the time of this list dropping, but it's pretty safe to say we've got a towering achievement on our hands.

1. Succession (HBO)

Succession might've been my number one show in the last two years that it was on the air, but endings are always a tricky undertaking, so it wasn't a total foregone conclusion that it would claim that top spot for its final season.  Thankfully, this series didn't shrink from its high expectations, landing the plane with perhaps its best season yet, the perfect culmination of all the intricately laid groundwork before it.  When you've constructed such a rich ensemble with a dense network of competing self-interests and complex motivations, the drama writes itself, and there were many times where season four seemed to be operating in a free-flowing state of ultra instinct, dropping hours of television so dazzling and perfectly sculpted that they flew by in the blink of an eye.  Over the course of its four season run, Succession was a chameleon: a riveting drama, a gut-busting comedy, an acerbic media satire, a portrait of America in decline through the lens of one family and its many hangers-on.  But most all, it was far and away the best thing on the air for the time it was on.  Goodbye to TV's number one boy.

Well, that wraps things up for my best shows of 2023 list.  I love reading other lists, so feel free to share yours in the comments.  Or if you want to share your thoughts on my list, then you can do that too!  To see a complete inventory of all the TV I watched this year (with even more rankings), you can find it on this Google Doc.

Previous lists
2022

2021

2020

2019

2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013