Best TV Shows of 2023

Television took a hit due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in the summer of 2023, which ran into the fall TV season. Fall TV is critical for the broadcast networks in particular. It also affected the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, which was supposed to air in September. It instead got pushed to January 15, 2024, which was Martin Luther King Jr Day. HBO's Succession was the most nominated with 27. HBO was the most nominated network with its The Last of Us having 24 and The White Lotus with 23. Succession was expected to walk away with the top prize of Outstanding Drama Series, which it did. Apple TV+ has Ted Lasso, which was the most nominated comedy series with 21. Amazon Prime's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was the second-most nominated comedy series with 14. Neither Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were expected to win the top prize of Outstanding Comedy Series. FX's The Bear with 13 nominations was the one expected to take that award, which it did. In fact, The Bear won 10 Emmys overall for its first season, which broke the record for a comedy series to do in one year. Netflix was the second-most nominated network and its show, Beef was expected to win Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, which it did, nabbing a total of 8 Emmys overall.

When it comes to shows that I enjoyed, the majority of them came from Netflix. I also find myself mainly on Hulu, which provides access to a large chunk of broadcast programming. The only other real exception is Paramount +, which is the streaming service that has been producing original content in the Star Trek franchise. I haven't been too keen on most of that original content but the final season of Star Trek: Picard managed to rope me back, at least for that one season.

Another show that I was late to see was HBO's The Gilded Age, which had its second season this past year. It's basically the American version of Downton Abbey (2010), which makes sense, given that it was created by the same man, that of Julian Fellowes. Speaking of lauded British screenwriters, Peter Morgan released his final season of The Crown (2016). This was probably the most anticipated of all the six seasons because it was the season that dealt with the death of Princess Diana, recounting the final hours of her life. It also addressed some of the issues with a more-grown up Prince William and Prince Harry. The ending was also adjusted in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022, which ended the longest reign of any British monarch at 70 years. The last episode was a fitting send-off.

Best New Series of 2023

10. PAINKILLER (Netflix)

9. NEVER LET HIM GO (Hulu)

8. ALASKA DAILY (ABC)

7. SAM A SAXON (Hulu)

6. THE DIPLOMAT (Netflix)

5. NEON (Netflix)

4. BODIES (Netflix)

3. THE NIGHT AGENT (Netflix)

2. THE LAST OF US (HBO)

1. BEEF (Netflix)

Best Returning Series

10. RAP SH!T: SEASON 2 (HBO)

9. THE LINCOLN LAWYER: SEASON 2 (Netflix)

8. AMERICAN AUTO: SEASON 2 (NBC)

7. QUANTUM LEAP: SEASON 2 (NBC)

6. THE CROWN: SEASON 6 (Netflix)

5. THIS FOOL: SEASON 2 (Hulu)

4. AND JUST LIKE THAT: SEASON 2 (HBO)

3. THE GILDED AGE: SEASON 2 (HBO)

2. STAR TREK: PICARD - SEASON 3 (Paramount +)

1. THE BEAR: SEASON 2 (Hulu)

Best TV Movie or Individual Episode from Non-Listed Series

10. NANA'S BOYS (Showtime)

9. KALEIDOSCOPE (Netflix) - "Green" episode

8. RESERVATION DOGS: SEASON 2 (Hulu) - "Wide Net" episode

7. ACCUSED (FOX) - "Robyn's Story" episode

6. NUOVO OLIMPO (Netflix)

5. A MILLION MILES AWAY (Amazon)

4. RYE LANE (Hulu)

3. B.S. HIGH (Max)

2. BARRIO BOY (VOD)

1. BRUISER (Hulu)