Welcome to my tenth annual, completely biased, end-of-year list. As always, I watched some critically acclaimed series, some “lowbrow” series, an unhealthy amount of true crime, and a little bit of everything in between. And after consuming 60+ series across 20+ channels and streaming services, here’s my top picks for shows, moments, and more of 2023*.
Best TV Show of 2023: FX on Hulu’s Reservation Dogs
There is not a single weak entry in the entire run of Reservation Dogs, and that is especially true for its final season. Also, every actor, and guest star, will impress, and if you’re not laughing or crying from how well the show tackles difficult subjects and life’s more lighthearted moments then you’re probably dead inside. If I wasn’t so committed to not repeating winners, this would have also been my top pick for best series finale of the year. Go watch Reservation Dogs if you haven’t already.
Runner Up: HBO’s The Last of Us
Not sure I have much more to add to the general praise-heavy discourse for The Last of Us. It’s a really damn entertaining show with really excellent action, casting, and special effects.
Best (Favorite) Show: Hulu’s The Bear
The beautiful thing about season two of The Bear is how the series was still the same fast paced anxiety ridden ride as the first season, but with the added bonus of quieter character spotlights. I loved them all, but “Forks” (S02E07) in particular was a surprisingly effective installment. I was hardly a Richie fan before this episode, but found a surprisingly new appreciation for him after the fact.
Best New Show: Peacock’s Poker Face
One of my absolute favorite things about Poker Face is the way the show leans into the strengths of the television format, i.e. it’s really good at crafting both episodic and overarching narratives. I eagerly looked forward to “tuning in” each week. Plus, Natasha Lylone’s Charlie Cale is an incredibly easy protagonist to root for.
Best Easy Breezy Viewing: Prime’s The Lake
Looking for a new scripted show with incredibly low stakes? May I recommend Prime’s The Lake, a Canadian import starring Julie Stiles and Jordan Gavaris. Set at the titular lake, the show leans into the absurdity of the community’s summertime antics and traditions. After all, it’s a place where relationship drama can be settled with camp-like competitions or schemes. Overall, it’s a fun 2-season watch (no word yet on a third) that will make you wistful for a good ol’ summer vacation.
Best Series Finale: HBO’s The Other Two
I can’t think of a more fitting ending for a consistently funny and occasionally sweet show than Cary getting the dressing down he deserved, Brooke satisfying her need to help people by becoming labeled the worst, and Pat getting her family dinner at Applebees (with the really great “peas and carrots”).
While narratively the show went out on a high note, I’d be remiss to not mention that things were less copacetic behind the scenes. The show’s creators, Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, were the subject of staff complaints throughout the run of the series. A formal investigation ultimately cleared them of any wrongdoing, but after reading Maureen Ryan’s book “Burn it Down” I think it’s important to take these matters seriously so as not to normalize toxic workplace behavior.
Runner Up: Apple+’s Ted Lasso
Look, I’m not about to defend the final season of Ted Lasso as a whole, but when it came time to bid adieu there were a lot of satisfying moments. And I most definitely cheered when Keeley handed Rebecca a prospectus for a Richmond Women’s Football Club.
Best Show More People Should Be Watching: Freevee’s Primo
If you’ve been craving a new family sitcom with heart and humor, Primo is the show for you. It’s a real delight. Even better yet, it’s free to watch. All eight episodes are on Freevee, Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service. You can even stream it through Prime if you’d prefer to not download one more app. No word yet on a second season, but fingers are crossed because I really would like to spend more time in this world and with these characters. Plus, I have no doubt creator Shea Serrano has plenty more in store as it’s semi-autobiographical. And co-executive producer Michael Schur has a solid track record of making feel-good and funny shows.
Best Docuseries: FX’s Welcome to Wrexham
I don’t know about you but I’m a sucker for sports stories, especially ones featuring underdogs and boy does Welcome to Wrexham check both boxes. And while all the usual beats of a classic sports narrative are more than satisfied on a weekly basis, this docuseries really excels when it shines the spotlight on the larger community and football culture as a whole. From explaining to us uninitiated Americans how the relegation system works to giving us a peek into the lives of the players and fans, it’s impossible not to become a bandwagon fan of Wrexham A.F.C., even from afar.
Best True Crime Series: HBO’s Telemarketers
Hoo boy, the telemarketing industry is so much slimier than I ever imagined. But the dogged investigation led by two real characters from Jersey makes for an amusing watch, even if the subject matter is so icky.
Best Show That Was Canceled: Prime’s A League of Their Own
Sadly I’ll be adding A League of Their Own to my list of cancellations I’ll never get over (right up there with Netflix’s GLOW). After being renewed for a measly four-episode second season in the spring, Prime then reneged on the renewal citing the SAG strike as the cause, which is a pretty lame excuse for the reversal. This show and its characters deserved so much more.
Runner-up: Starz’s Shining Vale
Was I surprised that Shining Vale was canceled after two seasons? No, not at all. I literally did not know another person who was watching it. But the announcement was still a bummer. The Courteney Cox-lead series was a unique blend of horror and comedy and the bombshell reveal at the end of season two would have been a lot of fun to explore in subsequent seasons. (The creators planned for seven.) To rub salt in the wound, the show is also expected to disappear from the Starz library by the end of the year, which means it’s probably already too late to see what it was all about.
Best Binge Watch: Prime’s Class of ‘07
If you dig Yellowjackets and The Wilds, but long for something a bit more absurd, then the dark comedy series Class of ‘07 is for you. At just eight episodes, this Australian series goes down quick. A second season is rumored but unconfirmed. And like the aforementioned series, its soundtrack is likewise full of nostalgic needle drops. Please enjoy the end of the world.
Best TV Magic: The Toy Story Andy’s Room Version of the NFL
This year ESPN and Disney brought us a fully animated telecast of an NFL game, from Andy’s room! That’s right, the week 4 matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons featured the whole Toy Story gang and more as the two teams faced off in true Pixar fashion. Even more impressive is that the game had just a small real-time delay. Learn more about how this animation feat happened.
Best On-Location Cinematography: HBO’s The White Lotus
I don’t care if the people are terrible and a dead body is likely to appear, I want to vacation in the world of The White Lotus and sit by the Italian seaside and drink endless aperol spritz. I also binge watched season one this year and was ready to book a flight to Hawaii the same day. If watching the show elicited a similar response for you, here’s a really great article on the subject of locations and emotions featuring series creator Mike White and cinematographer Xavier Grobet.
Best Joke / Sight Gag: Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
There’s obviously a lot of jokes in a show about a stand-up comedian, but honestly the running gag of Midge’s parents not answering the phone in the series finale had me cracking up. Not only was it simple in its execution, but I also found it to be perfectly emblematic of those characters and their family dynamic.
Best TV Show For a Good Laugh: Netflix’s Cunk on Earth
I got a real kick out of Cunk on Earth, like literally LOLed while watching. This mockumentary is just the right kind of absurd, observational, and clever humor that I enjoy. I reckon a quick watch of the trailer will let you know if you’ll find it funny too. Also, bonus points for their incredible use of Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam”.
Best Soundtrack: Paramount+’s Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
My 2023 Spotify Wrapped is evidence of how much I loved this show’s soundtrack, which features over 30 original songs. What can I say, there’s a lot of bangers in the bunch. I dare you not to sing along to the likes of “Good Girl Act”, “New Cool”, “Merely Players”, “High Rollin”, “Crushing Me”, or “Brutal Honesty”.
Best Musical Moment: Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”
While we’re on the topic of showtunes, Only Murders in the Building wrote an original song too. But the patter song itself is not why we’re here, although it is good. It’s actually Charles’ rehearsal of the lyrical tongue-twister that earned this series the best musical moment title.
His fear of performing the song causes him to subconsciously go to the “white room” while he unconsciously does unspeakable things. We don’t actually see those things, we just witness the aftermath and everyone’s horrified reaction to it. The mystery of course only adds to the effectiveness of the running gag. Watch Charles nail the number below.
Best Reboot / Revival / Return: Audible’s Slayers: A Buffyverse Story
No, you did not miss the premiere of a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show in 2023, rather this new saga is an audio series. From Buffyverse alum Amber Benson and long-time author of Buffy-related books Christopher Golden, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is set after the series finale, but plays around in the world we all know and an alternative universe where Cordelia Chase is the Chosen One and Drusilla is the Big Bad.
With a bit of mix and mingling of both worlds, we the listeners are treated to a variety of familiar faces, or voices I should say. The stacked cast includes: James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield Ford, James C. Leary, Juliet Landau, Amber Benson, Anthony Head, Danny Strong, and more!
As a long-time Buffy fan who’s had to reckon with the legacy of a certain someone, it’s nice to be able to return to this world with an all new story that gives characters like Cordelia, Tara, and Anya their due. There’s also a small “Once More With Feeling” easter egg that made me giddy.
Best Renewal: Minx Season Two, Saved by Starz
Even though Starz’ heroics only staved off cancellation for a year, I’m still glad the network swooped in and saved Minx after HBO reversed course and scrapped an almost-complete second season. For one, I’m all for letting people’s hard work see the light of day. But also, Jake Johnson really rocks the 70s attire. Currently you can catch both seasons on Starz, no idea if or when it’ll vanish from the service.
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What were your favorite shows and TV-related moments of 2023? Share them in the comments section below.
* Sorry for not including Succession, I cannot, nor do I wish to, watch everything.
