WATCH THIS SPACE: BEST TV OF 2023

Well 2023 has come and gone and it sure was an eventful year for the medium. One of the biggest stories of the year was the two simultaneous strikes by the Writer's Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA over residuals and the encroaching threat of A.I. It was also heralded as the end of "peak TV" with prestige TV shows like Succession, Barry, Happy Valley and the Crown ending this year. There was also a sense of dread as the streaming services where removing some of their original shows and films from their services, bringing to mind how old TV shows were junked in the 60's and a sense of dread on how the business treats it's creators.

Not to end on a sour note but regardless there was some terrific TV this year and here my favourites of the year. Now the criteria for this list is that the shows must've aired within the year 2023, mostly due to it getting confusing if I add a show that started in the previous year. I will also add that this isn't a ranked list and it is going by alphabetical order. Mostly due to I find it hard to rank things and it's easier for me to write up on.

Also if there is a TV show that you've seen on other lists or that you liked and aren't wondering why it isn't on here like Scott Pilgrim Takes Off or Succession. I didn't watch them that's why. There's a lot of TV these days and is hard to catch up.

Because of 2023 was such a bumper year for the box, there were some shows I felt were good but didn't end up on my list but I felt deserve a special mention here, so it's time for some...

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

BARRY: Bill Hader ends his four year saga of Barry Berkman on a high. Not just a career best performance from Hader but everyone else in the cast. It's also a great examination on morality and how it drives people to do what they do. It also never lost it's comedic touch as it was also had a good balance of humour.

BEEF: Ali Wong and Steve Yuen deliver stirring performances as two people caught in a road rage incident that spirals out of control and collides with their own personal lives and everyone in their vicinity. Both funny and introspective, this miniseries was a delight. RUSSELL BRAND: IN PLAIN SIGHT: This Dispatches documentary is a great expose on the former comedian, showcasing the brave women who came forward but is a hard watch. THE FLASH: The Flash and the greater Arrowverse itself ended on a satisfying note, both given leeway for the show itself to say it's goodbye and other characters from other Arrowverse to have their final encore in a enjoyable way.

Now with the honourable mentions out of the way, let's get on the best of what television had to offer us in 2023, in my opinion.

BOILING POINT

Following up on the 2021 film of the same up, Boiling Point continues the story of the brigade of chefs from the original film but shifts to focus away from Stephen Graham's Andy and onto Vinette Robinson's Carly as she's dealing with the perils that comes from running a high end restaurant. The shows does this masterfully giving every cast member, either in big or small parts, a chance to shine. The show also manages to weave a lot of topical issues like the cost of living crisis, mental health and workplace harassment organically in a way that doesn't feel slapped on.

BLUE EYE SAMURAI

Animation had a banner year. We had returning shows like Futurama come back (again), new favourites like My Adventures with Superman, Pluto and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off show up (which I didn't get to watch) but Blue Eye Samurai was a stand out show. Set in Japan's Edo period, this violent tableau of revenge, was amazing from start to finish. The show details Maya Erskine's Mizu quest for revenge against the four men who could be her father. The show had a lot to say on topics of racism, sexuality and was stunningly animated. Great action sequences and good voice performances, particularly Brenda Song and Kenneth Branagh who bring good viewpoints away from the main character.

DOCTOR WHO

After what can be described as an "divisive" time for the show, Russell T. Davies returns to Doctor Who and simultaneously feels like he's never left but also different from what he did before. Doing three specials for the show's 60th and bringing back old faces, Doctor Who feels exciting and more energised than it did before but also has a good sense finality to it as well. We see the Doctor dealing with the toll that his adventures has taken on him reach it's peak and good old Rusty makes it a touching arc in just three episodes.

JURY DUTY

A reality show? On a prestigious end of the year list? Well this blog writer isn't prestigious but can still acknowledge a good show when I see it and Jury Duty was great. The premise of a normal guy not realising he's in a zany sitcom makes it an entertaining watch but also an intense high wire act where you wondering if he's going to find it out and how the makers of the get away with it kept me entranced. Throw in James Marsden giving a great performance you've got a damn terrific show.

POKER FACE

Rian Johnson brings the topsy turvy energy that he brought to the Benoit Blanc series to the small screen and makes a old fashioned style of show feel new. Doing the case-of-the-week "howcatchem" Columbo style detective show with the Incredible Hulk/Fugitive mould works wonders. Natasha Lyonne's Charlie Cale is an amazing protagonist and aided by a cadre of good guest stars.

THE BEAR

(Insert joke about the show coming back for seconds here). In it's second season, we see the staff of Original Beef trying to rebrand and renew the restaurant into a more classy joint. While doing the staff all begin new journeys to learn new skills but also learn about themselves. Like Boiling Point we get to learn about the brigade's personal lives and how they tick and it makes engaging television. Put in some great guest stars into the mix and some great standalone episodes you get an amazing season of television.

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

Mike Flanagan closes out his run of Netflix horror shows with an darkly gothic tale of greed and family. I haven't watched any of Mike Flanagan's Netflix output but I found this utterly compelling. Updating and combing all of Edgar Allan Poe's stories into the modern age makes this adaptation and engaging look at the corruption greed does to people and those caught in the blast radius. The show is also a performance powerhouse with Bruce Greenwood being the MVP of this terrifying tale of agonising avarice.

THE LAST OF US

Video game adaptations were central stage this year, not just on the movie front with the Super Mario Bros. and Five Nights and Freddy's dominating the box office, but shows like Castlevania: Nocturne and Twisted Metal showing up and making an impact, but it was this adaptation of the lauded video game that kicked off the discussion. Staying close to the source material, but still be giving room to change and expand different aspects of the game makes this show a great adaptation. Add great performances from a perfectly casted Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey and including a standout single episode in Long, Long Time makes it a textbook example of how to adapt from one medium to another.

THE RECKONING

A hard story to watch but one that needed to be told, Steve Coogan leads this drama depicting the life of Jimmy Saville which takes the subject matter with precarious care and seriousness. Steve Coogan's performance of the disgraced TV star is amazing as he is not only terrifying, but also shows an ego and shallowness to the character making him a figure of disgust. He makes the show an interesting watch, if a hard one to sit through.

TIME

Jimmy McGovern with fellow writer Helen Black goes back to jail for a second season of this prison set showstopper. Set in a minimum security women's prison this time round, this season focusing on three strong performances by Bella Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker and Tamara Lawrence who go through the penal system and changes them in more ways than none. Ramsey's troubled teen Kels learning how to grow up and take responsibility, Whittaker's single mum Orla going down a darker path in her life and Lawrence working through her grief makes this a dark, but touching series.

Those were my picks for the best television had to offer in 2023. I'm excited to see what 2024 brings us.