Top 10 Best TV Shows of 2023

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Another great year on the small screen! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the greatest scripted series to hit the small screen in 2023!
Transcript
00:00 "I have time for this."
00:01 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest scripted series
00:06 to hit the small screen in 2023.
00:08 "Who's gonna believe that?"
00:13 New and returning shows are fair game, but we're sticking to live action only.
00:17 "We must go there immediately!"
00:20 Number 10.
00:21 Gen V Season 1.
00:23 In a world where many superhero franchises have become less and less, well, super, the
00:28 boys fans can relish in the fact that this spin-off is an absolute delight.
00:33 "I'm super focused."
00:34 "I'm super inclusive."
00:37 "I'm super curious."
00:39 In Gen V, we follow a crew of up-and-coming heroes attending the God Yu School of Crime
00:43 Fighting as they vie for one of the school's top spots as part of The Seven.
00:47 "Where did you find that kind of courage?"
00:50 "I'm superhuman, right?
00:52 I'm made of steel."
00:54 The show does a great job of differentiating itself from its predecessor, exploring similar
00:58 ideas of the moral responsibilities of power with a fresh and relatable coming-of-age lens.
01:04 "So what's your angle?"
01:05 "My angle is that sometimes people don't have an angle.
01:11 Sometimes they're just actual human beings."
01:14 It's gross.
01:15 It's fun.
01:16 It's weird.
01:17 It's everything young adulthood is, but with superpowers.
01:20 What more could you ask for?
01:22 "Being a hero is, uh...
01:27 It's not what you think."
01:28 Number 9.
01:29 The Righteous Gemstones Season 3
01:32 Danny McBride, you've done it again.
01:34 "Hopefully maybe Judy and Kelvin could help out.
01:36 Seeing as how I do every other goddamn thing around here lately."
01:40 Season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones continues to deliver the same balance of suspense, action,
01:46 and absurdity, all while staying grounded in its core themes of family and corruption.
01:50 "You keep 'em here, you keep 'em safe.
01:53 You're their uncle!"
01:54 Not to mention the dialogue, and each character's one-of-a-kind delivery of it remains some
01:58 of the sharpest and funniest on television today.
02:01 "Dr. Gemstone, I don't take advice from you a no-mo.
02:04 At this moment, I am not in the mood to discuss this any further.
02:09 Perhaps we can make an arrangement sometime in the future."
02:11 "What are you looking at?"
02:13 "I'm not talking to him anymore."
02:15 "Okay."
02:16 Despite The Gemstone family's often strange and abhorrent behavior, the series still manages
02:21 to find heart and sympathy for its leads at every twist and turn.
02:25 Oh, and Walton Goggins as Baby Billy is the performance of a lifetime.
02:30 We said what we said.
02:31 "You haven't seen the last of me."
02:33 Number 8.
02:34 Star Trek - Strange New Worlds Season 2
02:37 Trekkies unite!
02:38 While the Patrick Stewart-led series Star Trek Picard wrapped up with its third installment
02:42 in 2023, Strange New Worlds makes our list as it continues to impress fans in its second
02:48 season.
02:49 "You gonna say it?
02:50 Your thing?"
02:51 "My what?"
02:52 "Your thing.
02:53 You know, everyone in the chair has their thing."
02:57 The prequel series sticks to its guns, or should we say its phasers, by embracing the
03:01 classic Star Trek's episodic nature, focusing on unique individual storylines and general
03:07 character arcs over the course of the season.
03:09 "Captain, I'm reading a transporter signal.
03:11 The Orions have beamed up the portal."
03:13 "Captain Cross, care to explain?"
03:15 But even if you're not a diehard fan of the OG franchise, you can still enjoy this
03:19 out-of-this-world sci-fi romp across the galaxy for its lighthearted tone, adventure-filled
03:24 plots and even, spoiler alert, a musical number.
03:27 "Eternal torture is every Klingon dream.
03:30 You know what I mean.
03:32 Make 'em all scream!"
03:35 Number 7.
03:36 Beef Season 1
03:37 Who hasn't got such bad road rage that they literally plotted to ruin the other person's
03:42 entire life?
03:43 Right?
03:44 "Come, come, come, come, come, come, come!"
03:46 Well, regardless, that's the hook that thrusts us into the Netflix original Beef, starring
03:51 powerhouse performers Ali Wong and Steven Yeung.
03:54 "Thank you for meeting me."
03:56 "So what?
03:57 Waving the white flag, huh?"
03:59 The whole concept is undoubtedly fresh and daring, taking the extremely human experience
04:04 of suppressed emotion and using it as a vehicle to investigate the lives of its two lead characters
04:09 and their mutual hatred for one another.
04:11 "I don't want anything from you, okay?
04:13 I don't want anything to do with you.
04:15 You are sick.
04:16 You're a disease."
04:17 "Okay, so you think you're better than me now, huh?
04:20 Is that it?"
04:21 Plus, all the artful symbolism used throughout the series makes it a perfect rewatch contender.
04:26 Not that we didn't get it the first time.
04:28 We totally got it.
04:30 Number 6.
04:31 The Fall of the House of Usher
04:33 Speaking of symbolism, where are our Edgar Allan Poe fans?
04:37 "Lo, death has reared himself a throne in a strange city, lying alone."
04:46 This Mike Flanagan miniseries has everything.
04:49 Big Pharma, Acid Rain, a series of brutal and mysterious deaths, and uh, Mark Hamill.
04:55 "We thought maybe you could try a couple common combinations, see what it wants."
05:01 "But it isn't hers."
05:02 "I understand.
05:05 Maybe try anyway."
05:06 It's a fantastically spooky watch, coalescing a variety of Poe tales to create a new narrative
05:11 about a wealthy family's dark history and gory downfall.
05:15 The story spans generations and digs into each character's literally fatal flaws, all
05:20 within the larger context of a criminal investigation and confession by the Usher patriarch Roderick.
05:25 "I'll tell you how my children died."
05:28 It's difficult to truly capture the scope of this gothic drama.
05:32 You'll just have to watch and see for yourself.
05:34 "Hell rising from a thousand thrones shall do it reverence."
05:41 Number 5 - Poker Face Season 1
05:44 We'd likely be entertained listening to Natasha Lyonne read the phone book.
05:48 But nobody owns phone books anymore, so we'll just watch Poker Face instead.
05:51 "I figured out I could do this thing and it worked, so I did it for a while."
05:54 Rian Johnson directs this next generation Columbo, as we watch central character Charlie
05:59 investigate murder mysteries across the country while on the lam.
06:02 Oh, and she has a secret skill in her back pocket.
06:06 She is a human lie detector.
06:08 "Tell him to take a look at his dash cam footage from last night.
06:11 The cops are gonna want to see that it's gonna prove they got the wrong lady sitting in a
06:14 jail cell right now."
06:16 Every episode has a different setting and vibe, but one is as incredibly entertaining
06:20 and genuinely intriguing of a whodunit as the next.
06:23 "Hey, now you listen to me."
06:26 Unfortunately, Lady Gaga does not make an appearance.
06:30 Maybe season 2.
06:31 "Buckle up, kid."
06:32 Number 4 - Barry Season 4
06:35 In its final season, everyone's favorite hitman turned actor Barry continues to attempt to
06:39 forge a path towards redemption despite his increasingly villainous behavior throughout
06:44 the run of the show.
06:45 "Well, that's a sign."
06:50 Not only is Barry one of TV history's most captivating and irredeemable antiheroes, the
06:54 entire cast of this dark comedy - emphasis on the dark - carries the series with defining
07:00 performances.
07:01 "This is not a good guy, bad guy story.
07:04 It goes way deeper than that.
07:07 So much deeper."
07:08 The show has never faltered, always masterfully blending high-stakes tension and just enough
07:13 levity to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.
07:16 "Hey, man.
07:17 I've got two people here who want to say hi to you."
07:20 We won't spoil the finale for you.
07:22 We'll just say that each character meets satisfying ends and that you'll have to see it for yourself.
07:27 "I don't think that's what God wants for me."
07:30 Number 3 - The Bear Season 2
07:33 Every guy in their 20s' favorite Halloween costume is now a hit TV series.
07:36 Okay, kidding.
07:37 "It's just not fun for me."
07:39 The Bear followed up on its mega-popular first season with another banger of season 2, a
07:43 feat that many shows are unable to accomplish.
07:46 We dig deeper into the Berzotto family history, all while Carmi and Sidney begin to turn the
07:51 restaurant from a small-time sandwich shop into what they hope will become a Michelin
07:55 star spot.
07:56 "You want a star?"
07:57 "I think it'd be nice, yeah."
07:59 "Godspeed."
08:00 "Thank you."
08:01 What continues to impress about the series is how incredibly raw and human each character's
08:05 story is, both impeccably written and acted as such.
08:09 "Yo, I know you sent me there to get rid of me."
08:11 "To get rid of you?"
08:12 If that doesn't convince you to give it a watch, there are some star-studded cameos
08:16 that might.
08:17 "That is a fact."
08:18 "And you go around rolling ass on me."
08:20 "That is also a fact."
08:21 "I'm caught up."
08:22 Number 2 - The Last of Us Season 1
08:24 This post-apocalyptic series was adapted from the mega-popular video game, and has been
08:29 a hit with existing fans and new audiences alike.
08:32 "Do you trust me?"
08:33 We wonder why pandemic-centric content might appeal to so many people.
08:37 Sorry, too real?
08:39 Anyway, the story of infection survivor Joel and immune teenager Ellie is as thrilling
08:43 as it is emotionally taxing.
08:45 "Look, it's me.
08:47 It's me."
08:49 Seriously, this is not a series you can watch without the tissues at arm's length.
08:53 But it's these intricately crafted, heart-wrenching moments that are what make The Last of Us
08:57 so impactful, instead of becoming just another gory outbreak show.
09:01 "I'm old.
09:03 I'm satisfied.
09:05 And you were my purpose."
09:12 We can't wait for the seasons to come.
09:15 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:19 Reservation Dogs Season 3
09:21 We delve deeper into the Rezdogs' histories in the final season of this coming-of-age
09:25 dramedy.
09:26 "You stole that?"
09:27 "Yeah, I do."
09:30 Loki Season 2
09:31 Tom Hiddleston gives us a fantastic performance in a story filled with exciting twists.
09:36 "Uh, do I know you?"
09:38 "Yes, in the future.
09:40 Well, it's your future.
09:41 My present.
09:42 It's complicated."
09:43 Abbott Elementary Season 2
09:45 Janine and company continue to bring us joy and shed light on the realities of the education
09:50 system.
09:51 "You guys ever seen that movie Into the Wild?"
09:52 "For the eighth time, Janine, no."
09:53 "Janine, that movie's nuts.
09:54 I need all teachers in the library in two minutes.
09:55 We're gonna decide who's gonna get those tickets."
10:00 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5
10:03 The curtains close on Miriam's story as we see her road to stardom finally unfold.
10:07 "They say ambition is an unattractive trait in a woman.
10:11 Maybe.
10:12 But you know what's really unattractive?
10:15 Waiting around for something to happen."
10:17 One Piece Season 1
10:19 An enjoyable, super-fan-approved, live-action adaptation of the fantasy-adventure anime.
10:24 "Yeah, you're a crew."
10:26 "Nope, not a crew."
10:27 "Not together."
10:28 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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10:45 The Idol Season 1
10:47 Obviously topping our list is the hottest HBO series that everyone will be talking about
10:52 for years to come.
10:53 Just kidding.
10:54 "Because it's like stupid and I hate it and you're gonna hate it too."
10:58 "You hate it?
10:59 How can you put out something you hate?"
11:02 Succession Season 4
11:03 Ah, corporate America.
11:04 "Well, I wanted to say something."
11:06 "Yeah?
11:07 You're gonna go through the sale?
11:08 No surprises there.
11:09 Unless you do it to the tune of 'Girl From Ipanema'."
11:13 The Roy children have been clawing for the top spot at Waystar Royco, and in the show's
11:17 final season, we finally see the winner take it all as a succession actually takes place.
11:22 "Rom."
11:23 "What?"
11:24 "You promised me.
11:25 You promised me you wouldn't do this.
11:26 You promised me you wouldn't change your mind on this."
11:28 But before that, we're taken on a rollercoaster of major business deals, a presidential election,
11:33 and Connor's wedding.
11:35 If you know, you know.
11:36 "It's okay.
11:37 I love you.
11:38 Um, and, and, and, and I love you, uh."
11:42 There's no denying that this show deserves all the praise it's received by critics and
11:47 audiences alike.
11:48 It's a fascinating look into the world of incomprehensible wealth and power, where our
11:52 key players could not be more childlike and dysfunctional.
11:55 "I love you, but you are not serious people."
12:05 You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll never get that theme song out of your head.
12:18 Did we miss your number one show of the year?
12:21 Let us know what series topped your list in the comments.
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12:35 [music]