My Favorite TV Shows of 2023
As 2023 marches to the graveyard of time it is time once more for me to look at the TV shows which I enjoyed the most for this year. As per usual I draw the line at TV shows that had a US season or series premier in 2023. No this is not a ranking, and I am sure I am missing shows that will make you go “oh how could you leave off…..” I’m only human and can’t watch everything. So here are my favorite shows of 2023.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (Netflix): If there was an award for TV show summed up by its title this anime would take home the gold. In this anthology series the works of, manga artist Junji Ito are adapted into the stuff of nightmares. As any horror fan will tell you, the Japanese have their own style of scaring viewers and Japanese Tales of the Macabre is no different. The stories told in rich animation are unnerving, strange and downright terrifying involving things like giant homicidal heads floating in the sky, a house overtaken by mold, and a mysterious tunnel.
Clarkson’s Farm (Amazon Prime): Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson is largely known for being blunt and occasionally rude to the point of getting him in trouble at times. But when he took over a farm on the cusp of the pandemic, it gave viewers an entirely different perspective on the gearhead as someone hardworking, affable, creative, and dare I say compassionate. In season 2 this continues as we see him fighting to keep his Diddly Squat Farms going against the challenges of; shortages, fluctuating markets, and selfish politicians. In the face of all of this, Jeremy is bound and determined to continue to grow his farm and with the help of his lovable friends and neighbors like: Lisa, Kaleb, Charlie, and Gerald (or as I call hime British Boomhauer).
Poker Face (Peacock): During the 1970’s detective shows like Columbo, Hec Ramsey, and Kojak achieved success by being fun thanks cool protagonists, and sharp writing. It is clear to see famed filmmaker Rian Johnson has a love for these shows that comes cross in his own creation Poker Face. Thanks to her ability to tell when anyone is lying, former casino worker Charlie Cale finds herself in trouble with a powerful gangster. This leaves her with no choice than to hit the road in her Plymouth Barracuda along the way stumbling across a variety of mysteries she uses her wits, scrappiness, and talent for finding honesty to get to the bottom of.
Star Trek Picard (Paramount+): One thing that has long been a point of soreness with Star Trek fans is that the beloved crew of The Next Generation never got their own Undiscovered Country, to serve as a grand final adventure. But this year what was once thought impossible finally happened, when Jean Luc Picard receives a distress call from Dr. Crusher and a mysterious young man, he joins with Ryker, Seven of Nine, Captain Shaw and the crew of the USS Titan for a rescue mission that becomes so much more. Together they learn of a conspiracy involving the Changeling, Vadic, that threatens to wipe out the Federation. With nowhere left to go, Picard has to lean on the family he made so many years ago on the Enterprise. This season of Picard hits all on the right nostalgia notes while still being fresh and new, giving audiences the perfect farewell to one of TV’s greatest ensembles while paving the way for the potential future of Star Trek.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount +): While on the topic of Trek, last year Strange New Worlds breathed new life into the franchise. While the creative teams behind the adventures of Christopher Pike and the original crew of the Enterprise could have easily rested on their laurels, they strike out taking bold creative risks. I dare say there are no other shows out there that would have a deep philosophical look at the psychological toll of war sandwiched between a hilarious crossover with the genius Lower Decks and a musical episode. But Strange New Worlds has no problem boldly going in directions Trek has gone before and it is nothing short of genius.
My Adventures With Superman (Adult Swim): Moving to the big city to start his life as an intern at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent forms a quick bond with his colleagues Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. He is going to need friends this close because in addition to beginning his career as a reporter, the discovery of his Kryptonian heritage also kicks off his career as Superman. With a slick anime style, My Adventures With Superman brings an epic scale to the Man of Steel that is an absolute blast to watch. More than being great to look at this animated series gets to the very heart of Superman being unafraid to portray the Big Blue Boy Scout in a way which is both modern and true to the icon we have known for decades.
Ted Lasso (Apple TV): One of the best shows in recent years has reached its conclusion, and while ending a popular TV series can often be a challenge, the people behind Ted Lasso hit the perfect header into the net. With a return to the Premier League, Ted finds himself having to lead Richmond FC against the top competition from the top tier Man City to West Ham under the leadership of the newly confident Nate. While the season has its highs and lows, Ted has to struggle with the idea of returning to the US and being a father once again. All the while every character in the ensemble is given their own fulfilling character arc in what was a fittingly incredible season.
Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix): For one final time horror visionary Mike Flanagan gives Netflix viewers a haunting and beautiful miniseries that burrows into your very soul. This time the mastermind behind the Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass pays tribute to the master of literary terror Edgar Allan Poe. Following the brutal and strange deaths of his children, the evil and powerful pharmaceutical CEO Roderick Usher invites his nemesis, US Attorney Dupin to his childhood home to listen to a story. What follows his a darkly enthralling epic of how the actions of his youth seemingly cursed his family line as a mysterious woman from his past has returned.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount +): I have never made a secret that I love westerns, and while the genre is nowhere near as prevalent as it once was there are still plenty of tales of the Old West left to be told. Case in point, is this series based on the life of US Marshall Bass Reeves. Before he became the inspiration for the Lone Ranger, Reeves was an escaped slave who made his way westward at the end of the Civil War. In this unforgiving land, he rebuilds himself as a law man. Using his wits, skills, and knowledge of the region thanks to a relationship with the American Indian population, Bass Reeves has to balance a dangerous career with a wife and children back home.
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (HBO): In the mid 2000’s Amy Carlson left her family and children behind and became the figurehead of a New Age movement which eventually made her its divine leader. In the process she amassed a collection of colorful weirdos who bought into her message and it is these people who were the focus of this excellent HBO docuseries. There was something in the message of Carlson which attracted all of these people and we see even to this day they hold onto the life they lived in this cult.
I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson (Netflix): Coming in like a dating reality show contestant on a zipline, the third season of I Think You Should Leave is just as brilliantly demented and absurd as the previous seasons. Sketch comedy shows are plentiful, but I Think You Should Leave is on another level thanks to Robinson’s insane creative genius. From the perfect proposal park turned wrestling venue to a shirt brother’s disregard for rules and a nude egg on the work computer, there is no shortage of strange and wonderful hilarity,
Perry Mason (HBO): I am sure anyone who had owned a TV in the past few years has realized there is no shortage of bland and uninspired remakes of classic shows out there. Which makes it all the more tragic that this brilliant return to television by Erle Stanley Gardner’s pulp hero attorney came to an end with this second season. This season saw Perry Mason try to shift to the more lucrative field of civil cases, but when two poor immigrant young men are railroaded for murdering the son of a prominent LA businessman the underdog attorney feels compelled to jump in. Of course a high profile trial comes with high profile issues as the truth behind the crime threatens the highest order of the city’s elite. This means Perry, along with his allies Della Street and Paul Drake find themselves under constant threat as they try to find the truth. While the series ended with the promise of bigger things which will sadly never come, this season allowed Perry Mason to go out on a high note.
Letterkenny (Hulu): You were talking with your pals the other day….about how to end one of the sharpest, wittiest and best written shows to come from the Great White North. After 12 seasons and 7 holiday specials it was time to say good by to the hicks, skids, hockey players, natives, Christians, and degens we have come to know over the past seven years. Pulling off a final season for a beloved show can not be easy, especially for one with such a sprawling cast, but creators Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney nail it to perfection. While saluting the past, they moved things in new and exciting ways reminding viewers why they fell in love with this town of 5000 people and their problems.
Inside No. 9 (Britbox): The BBC’s brilliant dark comedy/horror anthology from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton returned for an 8th season this year actually kicked off the year prior with a Christmas special. With everything from black magic rituals to game show contestants with a hidden advantage, once viewers enter a house, apartment or studio numbered 9 madness ensues.
The Curse (Showtime): While it may get me labelled as a pretentious cinephile, I am a big fan of the films produced by the studio A24. This year the famed studio ventured to television with Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie for a bleak and satirical look at a young couple trying to achieve fame through patronizing good deeds. Fielder stars with Emma Stone as Whitney and Asher, the standard “influencer” type looking to break into television thanks to their pretentious acts of charity. But this comes back to haunt them as Asher provokes a young girl to put a curse on them.
Death in Paradise (Britbox): This long running British mystery series proved it still has plenty of surprises on the shores of Saint Marie. In its 12th season Death in Paradise has shifted from its usual murder-of-the-week formula by introducing longer arcs and a darker tone. DI Neville Parker, DS Naomi Thomas, and the rest of the island’s police force deal with a strange cult, Neville’s finding love, and a nefarious celebrity author. Over time all of these elements tie together and it could spell danger for one of their best.
Foundation (Apple TV): There was plenty of great science fiction on TV this year, but none were as ambitious as this adaptation of sci-fi legend Isaac Asimov’s epic. In an intergalactic empire ruled by a trio of clones; war, rebellion, strife, and political backstabbing are only natural. Hoping to escape an oncoming collapse, those who follow brilliant scholar Hari Seldon flee to the furthest reaches of the empire, but even they can not get far enough away. Balancing cerebral storytelling with grandiose spectacle Foundation is nothing short of excellent.
Run the Burbs (CW/Hulu): Coming off multiple Canadian Screen Awards thanks to his role on Kim’s Convenience, Andrew Phung got the chance to take the lead in his own sitcom. Andrew and his wife Camille may have moved to the ‘burbs of Rockridge but they are doing anything but settling down with their two kids. While Camille looks to transition from the corporate world to cooking Andrew makes seta out to be the kind of civic leader to make his home a better place. This year Run the Burbs finally made its way to the States, originally on the CW but now it has found a permanent home on Hulu.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV): In the recent run of Godzilla movies produced in the US it is clear the draw has largely been seeing big monsters smash stuff up. While this is cool, you can not help but forget the people being trampled underfoot who will have to deal with the aftermath. It is these people who finally get their spotlight thanks to the new series Monarch. Newly discovered half-siblings Cate and Kentaro learn that their father was tied to the shady organization Monarch. In order to uncover the truth they find themselves teaming up with Lee Shaw (played by the always fantastic Kurt Russell) to give viewers a POV of what it is like in a world where shady organizations and giant monsters are a way of life.
