Year-End Best TV of 2023

Is there an existing/preferred thread for sharing our (or critics’) favorite TV shows of the year?

― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Sunday, December 3, 2023 bookmarkflaglink

there's this: Your Ten Favorite Shows Currently on Television

but I wouldn't mind seeing a year-end thread like the movie and music threads that are started every year

― jaymc, Sunday, December 3, 2023 bookmarkflaglink

New York Times Best Shows of 2023

Best Shows
The Bear
Beef
The Curse
Dead Ringers
I’m a Virgo
Jury Duty
The Last of Us
Reservation Dogs
South Side
Succession

Honorable mention: Barry, Blue Eye Samurai, Dave, Happy Valley, How To with John Wilson, I Think You Should Leave, Killing It, Minx, Mrs Davis, Party Down, Scavengers Reign, The Traitors

Best International Shows
A Spy Among Friends
C.B. Strike
Happy Valley
Oshi no Ko
Paris Police 1905
Slow Horses
Somewhere Boy
30 Coins
Wolf Like Me
Yogi, the Regretful Spy

Best Shows That Ended
Barry
Doom Patrol
The Great
Happy Valley
How To with John Wilson
The Other Two
Reservation Dogs
Single Drunk Female
South Side
Succession

Honorable mention: A Black Lady Sketch Show, Miracle Workers, Painting with John, Sex Education, Summer Camp Island

Also Dave, The Great, The Other Two, Our Flag Means Death, Creamerie.

Haven’t watched nearly as much tv this year as in the past but the answer is reservation dogs

Oh and Fargo for sure, the way this season has kicked off

Didn't even realise they'd finally aired the last few episodes of Doom Patrol

Is this a noms thread or are we just listing personal faves?

Is this a noms thread or are we just listing personal faves?

― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Sunday, December 3, 2023 bookmarkflaglink

I made this thread to be a place to share critics lists and share your personal favorites—the latter likely more interesting than critics which will inevitably be variations on the same 10 or 12 shows.

Don’t mean for it to be redundant with any noms/polling. When does that happen? We can kill this thread if y’all think it’s repetitive

forks has historically run the TV polls but hasn't been around much this year and no one else felt like running the 2022 poll and I don't know if a 2023 poll will happen either. So.... here's the shows I really liked this year, in no particular order:

The Last of Us
Shrinking
Succession S4
I Think You Should Leave S3
The Bear S2
Foundation S2

Oh yeah sorry I didnt mean to say we shouldnt do this! Just wanted to clarify.

I might as well put a list here then of what Ive enjoyed. ...I watch a lot of TV I think.

ST: strange New Worlds
ST: Lower Decks
Silo
Lessons in Chemistry
For All Mankind
Shetland
Loki
Poker Face
Our Flag Means Death
Beef
Ted Lasso

Stuff that was ok enough I guess
ST: Picard S3
Ashoka
Happy Valley (hadnt seen much of the prev season which didnt help)
Jury Duty
I think you should leave
Upload

Never saw:
Succession, the Bear, Res Dogs (really must correct this one!)

Do Not Want:
Hijack (cliched,boring), Gen V (wayyyy too gory)

Dark Winds

Ooh! Yes, that was great, forgot about that one.

I've finished reading Wool and Shift of the Silo trilogy, but want to read Dust before seeing the TV show

mine, including shows that are still airing/I haven't finished catching up on:

Good:
Barry s4
D.P. s2 (S. Korean)
Deadloch
Doctor Who specials (still watching)
For All Mankind s3 (still watching)
Gannibal (Japanese)
Gen V
Good Omens s2
Lockwood & Co.
Loki s2
Minx s2 (still watching)
Moving (S. Korean)
Our Flag Means Death s2 (still watching)
Poker Face
Reservation Dogs s3 (No. 1 for the year, easy)
Shrinking
Slow Horses s3 (still watching)
Succession s4
The Bear s2
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Last of Us

OK:
Abbott Elementary s2
Ahsoka
Beef
Black Knight (S. Korean)
Decoy (S. Korean)
Heartstopper s2
Lupin s3
Sex Education s4
Silo
Swarm
Sweet Home s2 (S. Korean) (still watching and may end up in the below tier, so far not nearly as good as its first season)
The Mandalorian s3
The Revenant (S. Korean)

Bad/Did not finish/not for me:
Hijack
Ted Lasso s3
The Continental 
The Glory (S. Korean)
Treason
You s4

Dan: the Silo TV show only gets thru the first book I think?

And god, wasn't Hijack bad?

But it will never top my ALL TIME WTF HATEWATCH: MANIFESTO. Dear god.

First couple of episodes of Hijack were dumb but enjoyable I thought but it got progressively more stupid and boring as it went along

would love to see Idris Elba in an actually good action movie, his charisma pretty much carried the whole thing

I'm not entirely sure which series I've watched are from this year. Sandman, Old Man and Reacher were 2022 but I would have bet 2023.

Of the ones I'm sure of -

Amazing:
Reservation Dogs

Not quite amazing but excellent:
What We Do In The Shadows

Very Good but a step down from the previous season:
Strange New Worlds
The Bear

Very good and a step up from the previous season:
Poker Face

Good:
The Last of Us

Just the right amount of trashy:
Fall of the House of Usher

Fine but I don't really care:
The Peripheral
Silo

Bad and a step down from the previous season:
Sweet Tooth

Not mentioned thusfar: Perry Mason

"Bodies," anyone?

I still have 2 episodes to go, so I don't know if they're going to stick the landing, but so far I'm happily mindfucked.

forgot Yellowjackets s2 in my list earlier, which should be in its own category of pretty bad but watchable

agreed on perry mason

tried reservation dogs and what we do in the shadows series and im not gonna neg the thread so lets leave it there

Welcome To Wrexham (S2)
The Bear (S2)
Beef
Telemarketers
Succession (S4)

Enjoyed the first 3 seasons of Fargo too as I missed it the first time around

Stuff I enjoyed this year:

Time S2
The Gilded Age S2
For All Mankind S4
The Crown S6
A Nearly Normal Family
The Bear S2
Love Has Won
Boiling Point S1
The Reckoning
The Gallows Pole
Wolf
Maryland
The Lying Life of Adults
Happy Valley S3
Succession S4
Kaleidoscope
The Last of Us
Ted Lasso S3

Shows I started to watch but gave up partway through because they were too boring, incomprehensible or both:

Bodies
The Woman In The Wall

My favorites this year:

The Bad Batch
Barry
The Bear
The Diplomat
Fargo
Foundation
Invasion
Jury Duty
The Last of Us
Mrs. Davis
The Other Two
Our Flag Means Death
Reservation Dogs
Somebody Somewhere
Succession
Top Chef
What We Do in the Shadows
Yellowjackets

About half the shows on EW’s list don’t seem to be on any others I’ve seen.

10. Judge Steve Harvey
9. The Curse
8. Harlem
7. Bargain
6. American Born Chinese
5. The Bear
4. Reservation Dogs
3. Barry
2. I’m a Virgo
1. Succession

Very good and a step up from the previous season:
Poker Face

wld happily take a not-quite-as-good Season 0

Dan: what do you think of the books? xps

I remember enjoying them at the time but reread them all after watching Silo and wasn't as impressed, especially with the later ones.

Also, has anyone watched Beacon 23? (which is another Hugh Howey adaptation). Think it's on MGM+ which I didn't even know existed. Soooo many streaming channels

Golden Globes TV Nominations:

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

1923 (Paramount+)

THE CROWN (Netflix)

THE DIPLOMAT (Netflix)

THE LAST OF US (HBO | Max)

THE MORNING SHOW (Apple TV+)

SUCCESSION (HBO | Max)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC)

BARRY (HBO | Max)

THE BEAR (FX)

JURY DUTY (Amazon Freevee)

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Hulu)

TED LASSO (Apple TV+)

BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (Netflix)

BEEF (Netflix)

DAISY JONES & THE SIX (Prime Video)

FARGO (FX)

FELLOW TRAVELERS (Showtime)

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY (Apple TV+)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

HELEN MIRREN (1923)

BELLA RAMSEY (THE LAST OF US)

KERI RUSSELL (THE DIPLOMAT)

SARAH SNOOK (SUCCESSION)

IMELDA STAUNTON (THE CROWN)

EMMA STONE (THE CURSE)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

BRIAN COX (SUCCESSION)

KIERAN CULKIN (SUCCESSION)

GARY OLDMAN (SLOW HORSES)

PEDRO PASCAL (THE LAST OF US)

JEREMY STRONG (SUCCESSION)

DOMINIC WEST (THE CROWN)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

RACHEL BROSNAHAN (THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL)

QUINTA BRUNSON (ABBOTT ELEMENTARY)

AYO EDEBIRI (THE BEAR)

ELLE FANNING (THE GREAT)

SELENA GOMEZ (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING)

NATASHA LYONNE (POKER FACE)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

BILL HADER (BARRY)

STEVE MARTIN (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING)

JASON SEGEL (SHRINKING)

MARTIN SHORT (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING)

JASON SUDEIKIS (TED LASSO)

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE (THE BEAR)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

RILEY KEOUGH (DAISY JONES & THE SIX)

BRIE LARSON (LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY)

ELIZABETH OLSEN (LOVE & DEATH)

JUNO TEMPLE (FARGO)

RACHEL WEISZ (DEAD RINGERS)

ALI WONG (BEEF)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY SERIES, OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

MATT BOMER (FELLOW TRAVELERS)

SAM CLAFLIN (DAISY JONES & THE SIX)

JON HAMM (FARGO)

WOODY HARRELSON (WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS)

DAVID OYELOWO (LAWMEN: BASS REEVES)

STEVEN YEUN (BEEF)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ON TELEVISION

ELIZABETH DEBICKI (THE CROWN)

ABBY ELLIOTT (THE BEAR)

CHRISTINA RICCI (YELLOWJACKETS)

J. SMITH-CAMERON (SUCCESSION)

MERYL STREEP (ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING)

HANNAH WADDINGHAM (TED LASSO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ON TELEVISION

BILLY CRUDUP (THE MORNING SHOW)

MATTHEW MACFADYEN (SUCCESSION)

JAMES MARSDEN (JURY DUTY)

EBON MOSS–BACHRACH (THE BEAR)

ALAN RUCK (SUCCESSION)

ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD (SUCCESSION)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN STAND-UP COMEDY ON TELEVISION

RICKY GERVAIS (RICKY GERVAIS: ARMAGEDDON)

TREVOR NOAH (TREVOR NOAH: WHERE WAS I)

CHRIS ROCK (CHRIS ROCK: SELECTIVE OUTRAGE)

AMY SCHUMER (AMY SCHUMER: EMERGENCY CONTACT)

SARAH SILVERMAN (SARAH SILVERMAN: SOMEONE YOU LOVE)

WANDA SYKES (WANDA SYKES: I’M AN ENTERTAINER)

physically recoiled at the stand-up nominees

Yeah, that is a list of stand-up specials devised by people who don't pay any attention to stand-up specials.

Don't have too much to disagree with in the rest of the nominees. Glad to see The Diplomat get a shout-out - it was better than I expected it to be (despite a weak cliffhanger finale). I think both Daisy Jones and Poker Face are overrated but I'm not really going to complain too loudly about them.

I haven't seen Fellow Travelers or Lessons in Chemistry (though LiC is on my list and I'm rooting for it as a friend of mine directed a few episodes!).

I bailed on The Morning Show after its awful second season. Did season 3 improve or is this just critical inertia? I haven't heard anything good about All the Light We Cannot See so I'm surprised to see that. Also, Lawmen: Bass Reeves?? I haven't heard good or bad about it... but the title alone had me running from it.

main gripe for me is probably morning show-related, yeah. i've heard crudup is pretty good in it, though

he is tbf

Poker Face is some classic comfort food TV, at its worst. at its best, it's pretty wonderful.

I think if I treated Poker Face like an old-school, once-a-week show, I might have liked it better. I probably watched the whole season over two or three weeks and it got really tedious. Like, there is no real tension in this show - we see how the crime is committed, then we watch her very quickly figure out what we already saw. Every episode, same.

i binged watch twenty minutes and found it intensely irritating, coming on the heels iirc of finding glass onion similarly so after a very bright start

just not my vibe i guess

I don't know if the Crown nomination is for the last bad season or the current bad season but maybe it's like a lifetime achievement thing? Did it get snubbed for the good seasons?

If they’re nominating Fargo then I’d guess the Crown noms are for the current season. I

Xp to groovypanda regarding Silo: I finished listening to the audiobooks of Wool, Shift and Dust. I enjoyed them all, although Wool was clearly the best. I think that audiobooks, if they’re narrated well, can minimize some of the faults of plotting and writing. I still haven’t seen the show.

Forgot all about Abbott Elementary! Shame on me.

I really liked Lessons in Chemistry btw. It skates on the edge of "the Notebook" level chickflick schmaltz romance/drama, but is corrected well by its feminist undertones. Theres a whole episode narrated by a dog which on paper sounds like it should be dreadful but I CRIED.

Alan Sepinwall:

1. Reservation Dogs
2. The Bear
3. Succession
4. Poker Face
5. The Last of Us
6. Beef
7. Blue Eye Samurai
8. Cunk on Earth
9. Somebody Somewhere
10. Party Down

The Curse, Succession S4, and Jury Duty really the only unqualified successes

Liked enough to watch all the way through but in the end felt success was mixed: The Last of Us, Party Down revival, I Think You Should Leave, The Other Two

Watched some of but didn't grab me enough to make me watch a lot: The Bear, Silo, Loki S2

There are 12 TV categories in the Golden Globes and the winners were:

Succession
The Bear
Succession
Succession
The Bear
The Bear
Succession
The Crown
Beef
Beef
Beef
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon

Glad I didn’t bother to watch.

Also it occurs to me that Succession is much, much funnier than The Bear.

gervais winning that was absolutely baffling. I'm not sure why Mulaney's latest wasn't in there because it was funnier than any of the other nominees, I'll blame the Foreign Press.

The list of noms in that category was laughable - the five most famous comedians to release specials last year, more like.

Mulaney was on Netflix too, right? Didn't really register until I saw people mentioning it last night that the category was created specifically to award Netflix

i think mulaney isn't in there because not funny

didn't stop any of the other nominees

According to this TV is the best.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/jan/08/one-of-the-greatest-actors-on-earth-went-home-empty-handed-all-the-shocks-from-the-golden-globes

lots of bagging on Jo Koy as host but he was not appreciably worse than anyone else ever is at this thing, IMO.

Counterpoint: Yes, he was. I don't miss Gervais as host, but I do miss Fey and Poehler.

Is Barry Keoghan here? Where's Barry Keoghan seated? Where's your penis seated? Down front? That was the real star of the movie, Barry Keoghan's penis. If you haven't seen Saltburn, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. So watch it, then you'll understand what I was talking about. And then right after that, watch Barbie. And then you're gonna be like, 'Something's missing.' And then watch Maestro, and you'll be like, 'Oh, there it is. It's on Bradley Cooper's face.' What? That's hilarious!

lots of bagging on Jo Koy as host but he was not appreciably worse than anyone else ever is at this thing, IMO.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, January 8, 2024 4:06 PM bookmarkflaglink

nah, he was pretty next level bad. the issue was less the jokes (which, mind you, were still bad, but the jokes on the Globes usually are to varying degrees), but him getting hostile with the audience for not laughing. I can't stop repeating "WHAT? That's HILARIOUS!". and him letting the audience know he didn't write the jokes they weren't laughing at was also pretty funny.

the Barry Keoghan penis thing was weird

still thing nothing tops Seth MacFarlane's Oscar hosting as worst though

softening em up for a stewart lee stint

I really liked Lessons in Chemistry btw. It skates on the edge of "the Notebook" level chickflick schmaltz romance/drama, but is corrected well by its feminist undertones.

Not just skates the line of romance schmaltz but also the line of progressive back-patting! But I was pretty wrapped up by the performances, the production, the story to mind too much

3/4 way through watching it and I utterly despise it. A show that pretends to feminism and social consciousness but judges its lead character on her ability to conform to 50s mores, fall in love, trust a man, be a good mom, be a success, look pretty, etc. Wants to have its cake and eat it too, inviting audiences to revel in the aesthetics and sweet simplicity of 50s life while remembering to tut the racism and sexism which was actually the engine of said "simplicity". And as a scientist I am intensely offended that "being sciency" means giving complicated names to everyday things, whereas good science is about simplicity and clear thought. Ugly trash for the self-satisfied complacent. Not directed at anyone who enjoys it, just at the pap this era of landfill binge TV is stuffing our streams with.

60s, whatever

sorry - that was over the top. People are allowed to enjoy things, I need to remember.

Nah I feel your take, matt, in spite of enjoying the ride. I get why you think the show judges her for not following trad mores but felt it was a little more complicated than that. but totally agree it is a have-its-cake-and-eat-it show. A lot of its social consciousness is shallow and feelgood and rings false for that era

matt i really enjoyed that post and im not ever likely to even watch it tbh