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Best TV Shows of 2023

2023 was yet another strong year for television. There were some terrific new shows that premiered this year while it also saw the return of some superb shows and a couple of conclusions that were quite perfect. Here is the list of best new and returning shows released this year.

Best New Shows of 2023:

7. The Fall of the House of Usher

The final spot on this best of list has to go to the newest Mike Flanagan series. Yes, The Fall of the House of Usher is over-the-top and silly, paling in comparison to the much more serious ‘Midnight Mass’. Also, the finale itself was a letdown. But the cast of characters was quite memorable, the kill scenes were unique and fun while the homages to Poe were very well handled. It’s one of the most purely entertaining albeit campy shows of 2023.

6. The Last of Us

Going into this acclaimed show, I’d expected that I would be ranking it much higher on the year-end ranking of shows, but unfortunately that is not happening as The Last of Us disappointed me quite a bit. Yes, the show is incredibly well performed by its talented cast. It’s technically polished and quite faithful to the source material. But the thorough lack of zombies and action in it along with a less subtle approach to dialogue and characterization made it quite inferior to the original game. Loved the game, but just liked the series.

5. Carol and the End of the World

Carol and the End of the World is a terrific Netflix animated series that is pleasantly reminiscent of ‘BoJack Horseman’. Its animation is familiar, but mostly pretty good as was the score and voice acting. It’s an uneven, but mostly terrific series that is very unique in its tone and protagonist and it’s a genuinely moving story that deftly explored its deeply existentialist themes. It’s one of the most underrated and underseen new shows of the year.

4. Pluto

As for new anime, Pluto definitely has to be considered among the best of the bunch. In my opinion, it’s the very best Japanese anime. It has its flaws, but it’s superbly animated and scored while exploring its major themes incredibly well. This is a heady science fiction story that is thrilling and dark while being surprisingly emotional as well. Noirish in its atmosphere and very sophisticated in its themes, Pluto is a great treat for SF fans.

3. Castlevania: Nocturne

This new Castlevania show premiered this year and it was mostly wonderful. It has its flaws, but for the most part it offered a great return to this intriguing, dark world. The storytelling is rich, the animation is polished, the action sequences are fantastic and the character development is largely outstanding, leading to a great start for this new series in the Castlevania franchise. I just wish that we don’t have to wait too long for the second season.

2. Blue Eye Samurai

Blue Eye Samurai is an excellent new show that sets another benchmark for American animation. This is probably the best anime of 2023 due to superb, stylish animation and phenomenal action sequences that were thrilling throughout. It has a great character roster, an interesting story and a meticulously detailed, intriguing world. This was a fantastic Netflix series that I can’t wait to return for what will undoubtedly be a phenomenal second season. It signals Netflix’s undeniably great influence on the animation medium that finally grew up in the West.

1. Beef

While uneven in its second half, Beef is for the most part an incredible show. This miniseries is extremely relevant for today’s age as it explores deeply universal themes of rage, dissatisfaction and frustration. It’s a brilliantly scripted, tonally diverse series that is propelled by two outstanding turns from Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, both being compelling throughout. It was by far the most entertaining show of the year and one that was immensely rewarding in characterization and unique tonally speaking. Beef is a delight and it’s easily the best new series of 2023.

Best Returning Shows of 2023:

7. Shadow and Bone Season 2

Shadow and Bone Season 2 has its problems – it is rushed and overly convoluted in its first half and some characters are underutilized. But the second half improved things considerably, connecting the disparate plot threads solidly and delivering in emotion and spectacular fights. It has terrific VFX and some of the best action that you can find on streaming right now. It’s a shame that this ended up being the last season of this show as Netflix shamelessly canceled it.

6. Big Mouth Season 7

Big Mouth Season 7 will not rank among the best seasons of this show and it paled in comparison to its terrific predecessor. Most characters did not get their proper due with Jay and Lola being sidelined, but Andrew was hilarious throughout while Jessi and Nick got their solid storylines too. It’s a season that somewhat seemed like a filler, but it has its fair share of terrific episodes, so it ultimately worked.

5. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2

The second season of this wonderful new Star Trek show is very uneven. It failed to properly utilize on its SF elements that were sidelined way too much this time around. But the structure of giving every character their own episode worked and most got their moments to shine for sure. This series continues to be immensely enjoyable and charming due to its very likable crew of actors and characters, fantastic dialogue and emotionally engaging storytelling.

4. Hilda Season 3

This final season of Hilda failed to properly utilized its secondary characters with Frida and David not getting much to do and Alfur faring even worse, but the aging up of characters was a refreshing choice that worked and the more mature, mysterious and family-centric storytelling was phenomenal too. The eight-episode count was too low for the final season, but at least the finale was suitably epic and long. It’s a wonderful Netflix animated show that is among the best family-friendly offerings of the decade.

3. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16

The newest season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn’t as great as the previous one due to its lack of truly hilarious episodes for the most part, but this season saw all four characters and actors delivering and having great moments throughout. The sophisticated nature to a couple of episodes was also surprising and quite welcome. It’s a flawed, but mostly terrific season of this outstanding show that somehow continues to be this good in its sixteenth year.

2. Vinland Saga Season 2

The second season of Vinland Saga ended up being a flawed, but ambitious anime season that changed gears entirely from a blood-soaked revenge story to a pacifist, philosophical take on a period piece. While repetitious in dialogue, the themes are excellent and the characterization is among the best in all of anime. The final two episodes were the highlights as they were so emotionally rewarding. This anime season is definitely polarizing for how they changed the show in its essence, but its ambition, originality and strong themes need to be appreciated.

1. Succession Season 4

And the obvious number one pick has to be the fourth and final season of Succession. It had its rough spots and the beginning was slow and uneventful, but that finale was explosive, unexpected and ultimately perfect. It is truly one of the best episodes in the history of television. The acting performances are outstanding, the dialogue is brilliant, it deals with the business world in a very realistic manner and every character’s arc got a proper sendoff. It’s overall one of the best drama shows of all time that this year got its proper conclusion.