Our Annual Report continues with our list of the 25 Best TV Shows of 2023. Stay tuned throughout the month for more awards, lists, and exclusive features about the year’s best in music, film, and TV. Find our complete Annual Report all in one place here.
At this point in the 21st century, there’s something reassuring about the fact that no matter what happens, it seems like there will always be television. A global pandemic couldn’t stop it. A two-guild strike couldn’t stop it. It genuinely feels like when civilization itself crumbles around us, there will still be television to watch, write about, and rank.
In 2023, we said goodbye to a lot of brilliant series, but those shows delivered equally brilliant endings worthy of what came before. Meanwhile, Nathan Fielder continued to do Nathan Fielder things, and those things left us gasping for breath (on multiple levels). And, proving nothing ever truly dies, some great revivals and continuations surprised us with their quality, including an animated series that was more than a remake and a tragically canceled comedy finding new life after over a decade.
This is because the best movies come and go, but television is an enduring presence, telling stories in a way no other medium can capture. Here are the 25 best TV shows of the year.
— Liz Shannon Miller
Senior Entertainment Editor
25. Blue Eye Samurai
Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)
Created by: Amber Noizumi, Michael Green
Cast: Maya Erskine, George Takei, Masi Oka, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Song, Darren Barnet, Randall Park, Kenneth Branagh, Ming-Na Wen
Network/Platform: Netflix
One of the year’s best surprises, this exceptionally graphic (in terms of both sex and violence) series also delivered some of 2023’s most beautiful animated sequences. Set in Edo period Japan, Blue Eye Samurai depicts a time when the presence of white people was outlawed, meaning that someone like the titular mixed-race Samurai was considered an abomination. That’s a big factor in their quest for vengeance which runs throughout the series, resulting in a lot of dismemberment and death, sometimes accompanied by an anachronistic but otherwise very appropriate hard rock soundtrack. Also worthy of note is the voice cast, with Ming-Na Wen getting to show her steel as a ruthless madam and an unexpected villain turn from Randall Park. — L.S. Miller
24. Daisy Jones and the Six
Daisy Jones and the Six (Prime Video)
Created by: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Cast: Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, Sebastian Chacon, Nabiyah Be, Tom Wright, Timothy Olyphant
Network/Platform: Prime Video
It was always going to be a tall order adapting Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, especially considering the book’s emphasis on inexpressible emotion, Rumours-esque conflict, and original songs beloved in an alternate version of the ’70s. Still, Daisy Jones and the Six’s creators managed to physicalize the fictional band’s heyday in an inspired fashion. The relationship arcs between bandmates are more developed and dynamic, and the show’s breakout performer, Camilla Morrone, absolutely nails a meaty, comprehensive role. Oh, and the original songs are a true delight — one listen to Aurora and you’ll be transported straight to the Pacific Coast Highway in 1978. — Paolo Ragusa
23. What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Created by: Jemaine Clement
Cast: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch, Kristen Schaal
Network/Platform: FX
FX’s vampire comedy continues to bite with both fangs in its fifth season. Guillermo’s wish to become a vampire finally comes true — sort of — and the fallout from that half-committed decision creates new wrinkles in the vampire residence’s fragile social fabric. While the show occasionally coasts on its pitch-perfect cast (who have never been better), this season had heaps of highlights, from Colin Robinson running for local office to Laszlo’s ongoing science experiments. Sometimes, it’s okay for a show to just hang out for a bit, especially when its essential ingredients deliver so very consistently. — Clint Worthington
22. History of the World, Part II
History of the World, Part II (Hulu)
Executive Producers: Mel Brooks, Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz
Cast: Brooks, Sykes, Kroll, Barinholtz, Jack Black, Kumail Nanjiani, Florence Pugh, Josh Gad, Johnny Knoxville, Taika Waititi
Network/Platform: Hulu
There’s no better sign of how revered Mel Brooks is than his 1981 film History of the World, Part I getting an eight-episode sequel series, packed with what feels like every notable comedy actor working today. Not every sketch is a laugh-out-loud banger, but there are also no shortage of standouts, from the Jesus-centric parody of The Beatles: Get Back to (a terrified) Zahn McClarnon’s stand-up routine: “You might be a colonizer!” Even if we never get a Part III, we’ll always have Part II as a loving tribute to one of comedy’s most iconic voices. — L.S. Miller
21. Welcome to Wrexham (Season 2)
Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
Producers: Drew Palombi, Jeff Luini, Aaron Lovell
Cast: Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds
Network/Platform: FX
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney knew they were taking a big risk by buying Wrexham, but it certainly appears to be paying off: After 15 years in the fifth tier of English football and a record-breaking, mind-blowing rivalry with Notts County this season, Wrexham AFC finally gained promotion out of the National League. The euphoric finale of Welcome to Wrexham is definitely satisfying, but the journey to get there is equally rich — not only are we given a great first look at Wrexham’s women’s team, we’re taken deep into the lives of these footballers, supporters, and the people that keep this club running. There isn’t another show quite like Wrexham right now, and its novelty is rewarding. — P. Ragusa
