Television feels like it’s at a turning point at the end of 2023. The form has said goodbye to some of its heaviest critical darlings, including losing HBO Emmy juggernauts “Succession” and “Barry,” along with the too-soon demise of FX’s “Reservation Dogs.” It really felt like there was a question of where TV goes next … and then it went nowhere. The full impact of the dual strikes on the industry won’t really be felt until 2024, but it’s undeniable that an era that already felt transitional was impacted by the industry shutdown.
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And it’s not just that people stopped making shows, one wonders if viewers got used to not seeing new programming, moving on to other forms of entertainment. There will surely be another “Succession,” but it’s hard to see it on the horizon. Looking back is more fun at this time of year anyway, chronicling the best of what we saw while we wait to see where TV goes next.
Follow along with all our Best Of 2023 coverage here.
20. “Full Circle”
The masterful and always-working Steven Soderbergh reunited with “No Sudden Move” writer Ed Solomon for this tense six-part mini-series at Max, a show that didn’t get enough attention when it debuted in the middle of Summer 2023. It starts with a brilliant twist as the son of a wealthy NY couple (Claire Danes & Timothy Olyphant) is kidnapped, but the criminals get the wrong kid. The question of how far you would go to save someone else’s child expands out to a complex, generational story about buried secrets and burned bridges. Zazie Beetz, Dennis Quaid, and Jharrel Jerome co-star (our review). – Brian Tallerico
19. “Slow Horses”
Working from the book series by Mick Herron, this Apple series has been one of the most consistent for the streamer since its launch in April 2022. Already dropping three six-episode seasons, this spy thriller has only gotten more confident in its third outing, one that features Sope Dirisu as a former security head who is ready to tear down MI5 after they burn his agent-girlfriend. Of course, the real draw here, other than the sharp writing, is one of the best performances of Gary Oldman’s career as Jackson Lamb, a man who likes to pretend that he doesn’t need the outcasts of Slough House but ultimately does everything in his power to protect them (our review). – BT
18. “Shrinking”
“Ted Lasso” may have exited the pitch, but co-creators Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein have already found a new team in a show that had a better 2023 than the Emmy powerhouse. They partnered with Jason Segel in this character study about a therapist who decides to get bluntly honest with his patients and himself. The “How I Met Your Mother” star plays Jimmy, a widower who finds himself stumbling through life more than the people who pay him for advice. There are some kinks to iron out in season two, but this is a very promising freshman outing, especially the excellent work by Harrison Ford as a colleague of Jimmy’s. Ford is looser, funnier, and more genuine than he’s been in years. He makes it worth watching on his own (our review). – BT
17. “Justified: City Primeval”
Eight years after the end of FX’s beloved “Justified,” FX brought Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) back into living rooms with this underrated standalone mini-series that grafts the character onto another Elmore Leonard novel, “City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit.” An older Raylan seems a bit wiser when he basically stumbles into a criminal conspiracy in Detroit after crossing paths with a truly bad dude nicknamed the Oklahoma Wildman (Boyd Holbrook), but he also gets a potential path to happiness with an attorney named Carolyn Wilder (Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis). It’s once again a smartly-written show that works not just because of Leonard’s taut plotting but the rich characters brought vividly to life (our review). – BT
16. “Fargo”
It’s so nice to have “Fargo” back, don’tcha know? After a fourth season that arguably strayed from what works best about Noah Hawley’s Emmy-winning playground of Coen Brothers-inspired characters, the fifth season of the FX/Hulu thriller has gone back to basics. This time, Hawley has turned the tables on the kidnapping plot from the film, turning the housewife (Juno Temple) into a force of nature that’s unleashed when her slimy lawman ex-husband (Jon Hamm) tries to reclaim her. With excellent supporting turns from Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, and many more, it’s another deeply funny and thrilling installment of this anthology series (our review). – BT