Tag: TV

Best 15 New TV Shows of 2023

~ Scott ~ Leave a comment

It feels a little weird to talk about the best new TV shows of 2023 when it’s July 2024. But once again, I’m a little behind in getting this out. However, I am still three weeks ahead of when I put out last year’s list.

In fact, I would like to go back and revise my top 15 lists for the last decade where I’ve been doing this. But for now, let’s just focus on 2023, which started incredibly strong. Most of my top series were released before my birthday in April.

There was that one weekend in early April where Netflix dropped Beef, and then that Sunday night’s episode of Succession was the one where you know who died off screen. That was an incredible weekend of television, one that could go unrivaled for some time.

As you’ll see in my list, limited series are really starting to take over these days. So many shows have recently ended or will end with their next season. It’s getting harder to sustain something great for three or more seasons, and sometimes they bring a limited series back when maybe it should have stayed a limited series.

But I can complain about Shogun next summer. Let’s get on with the 2023 list.

Note: Limited series and anime are included; all documentary series are excluded. I try my best to limit spoilers (but no promises).

15. Scavengers Reign (Max)

If you want an animated sci-fi series with a colorful, unique world and a progressively engrossing plot, Scavengers Reign will hit the spot. Don’t go in expecting anything like Aliens or Star Wars. This is more like if Primal was turned into a futuristic sci-fi series about exploring a new planet. Psychedelic drug users may also find a lot of value in this one, which was already cancelled but bought by Netflix with an uncertain future.

I don’t think the voice acting and overall plot are strong enough to move it into all-time status, but it’s worth the time.

14. The Curse (Showtime)

My best advice is if you want to watch The Curse, please make sure you’ve watched some of Nathan Fielder’s other work before like Nathan for You and The Rehearsal. If you already have and you don’t like his schtick, then you probably will hate this show since he acts very similar in it. However, he also shows more acting range than ever before, and Emma Stone is in her prime right now and does a great job as his wife.

Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) is the third lead, and you can literally play a game each episode trying to decide which of the main characters is the worst person on the show. Your answer will likely change too as we learn more about this couple and their phony personas for their HGTV shows about flipping houses.

The finale is insane, and unless you’ve been spoiled on it already, you’ll never guess how it ends. But this is definitely one for Nathan Fielder fans.

13. The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)

If you’ve watched Mike Flanagan’s other horror series for Netflix like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, then you should have a good idea of what to expect here. I’d rank those two series ahead of this one, but this is still very good and arguably the darkest series yet.

All six children of a pharmaceutical company CEO die in a 2-week span. That’s not a spoiler. You find out through the course of the season how and why they died.

It does a great job of handling the flashbacks and different timelines. The aftermath of the party scene in episode 2 is traumatizing.

12. Pluto (Netflix)

It was a banner year for Netflix anime, and Pluto was one of the best as a sci-fi murder mystery. If you like anime like Psycho Pass and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, you’ll dig this for sure. A Blade Runner fan should also like it.

I won’t give away spoilers, but it follows a detective investigating a string of murders of robots and humans. Even the dubbed version is quality work.

11. Gen V (Amazon Prime)

I’ll avoid the Season 4 discourse of The Boys, especially after it dropped the worst episode in franchise history on the 4th of July. But Gen V is a worthy spin-off with a lot of new, younger characters and a fresh take on the same universe of The Boys.

Yes, you can expect the same over-the-top violence and a ridiculous CGI penis scene. But if you like The Boys, chances are you’ve watched this already.

10. Silo (Apple TV+)

Who would have guessed that Apple TV+ would become the top streaming service for sci-fi series? Silo was another strong entry led by Rebecca Ferguson’s character navigating a dystopian, underground community where people aren’t supposed to go to the surface unless they want to die a few steps after being exposed to the atmosphere.

Of course, there’s a big mystery and conspiracy over the truth of this silo and what’s outside. It’s a great show and the setting gives it a video game feel a la BioShock or Fallout Shelter.

Good to see Season 2 is on the way, because too often shows like this get cancelled.

9. Shrinking (Apple TV+)

My kind of dramedy with Jason Segel as a grieving therapist (his wife died in a car accident) who starts to take an active role in his patient’s lives. Perfectly cast. It bounces between his work and his life at home trying to raise his daughter alone.

It’s a quick binge with episodes of the perfect length. It’s also great to see Harrison Ford get to do some real acting in his old age instead of being forced to play Han Solo or Indiana Jones again.

8. A Small Light (National Geographic)

    You don’t expect such quality from National Geographic, but the show was also available quickly on Hulu and Disney+ where I watched it. This is about the family who helped hide Anne Frank’s family during World War II.

    Yes, you already know the ending is going to be sad, but it’s a well-paced WWII story. Could they have just made a 2-hour movie about Miep Gies? Sure, but I think the limited series approach did a good job of showing just how long they had to endure the horror of the war, and how tragic it was that they lost so much of the Frank family in the later stages of it.

    7. One Piece (Netflix)

    This really could have been a disaster given the numerous misses already on Netflix’s resume for making live-action adaptations of popular anime series. There’s also the fact that I have never watched the One Piece anime because I’m always afraid of my OCD completionist qualities taking over and having to finish over 1,000 episodes of a show I may not actually enjoy that much.

    So, there was a lot working against this for me. But I went into the first episode with an open mind and found it surprisingly enjoyable. Good cast, the action scenes didn’t look cheap, and the story kept my attention the whole way. By the end, I was looking forward to Season 2.

    Still not planning to start the anime anytime soon.

    6. Poker Face (Peacock)

    See, Peacock isn’t entirely useless. A “case of the week” show format usually isn’t my vibe, but they pull it off so well with great special guests and Natasha Lyonne doing her Columbo thing every episode.

    It’s a throwback but also feels modern and high budget, and the pilot gets you interested immediately with Lyonne on the run from some casino gangsters that accounts for the serialized part of the plot.

    Bring on Season 2.

    5. Jury Duty (Freevee)

    Huge points for originality and creativity, and it’s coming from Freevee? Even more reason to celebrate this unlikely success of a scripted show about a jury trial where everyone is an actor except for one guy named Ronald.

    Assuming he truly was being himself and was not clued in on what this was, it’s an excellent comedy experiment with James Marsden stealing the show as he plays a fictionalized version of himself.

    But Ronald makes the show work, because if this guy was an asshole, the show could have been a disaster. Any future attempts at a story like this could go really poorly if they pick the wrong person, which is why I still have some suspicions that he really had no idea this was all scripted and planned.

    It’s far from the funniest show you’ll ever see, but it is very entertaining, and you have to give some bonus points for creativity these days. This shit could have been the Night Court reboot instead.

    4. Daisy Jones & the Six (Amazon Prime)

    I picked a good weekend to binge this last year as I was going through some shit at the time. They basically take a 1970s rock band in the vein of Fleetwood Mac and make a documentary 20 years later about their success and downfall, complete with a love affair angle between the two lead singers of the band (Riley Keough and Sam Claflin).

    It’s not going to work for everyone, but it clicked for me. Definitely helps to be a fan of that era of rock bands and to enjoy music documentaries. I also find myself still listening to one of the songs the actors recorded for the show called “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)” where you can instantly hear the Fleetwood Mac influence.

    3. Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)

    I would call Blue Eye Samurai the best Netflix anime offering, except it’s not really a Japanese anime series. This is a beautiful mixture of 2D and 3D animation with scenes that look as cinematic as something you’d see in Kill Bill.

    In this tale of revenge, you get excellent storytelling, top-notch voice acting, and memorable fight sequences. This should go down as one of the best animated series ever made.

    2. The Last of Us (HBO)

    I’m ashamed to admit I bought The Last of Us many years ago for PlayStation 3 and have yet to play it. So, I went into this one cold about the plot, but the pilot instantly grabbed me. I knew the girl he was with in the game wasn’t his daughter, but why didn’t I connect the dots that something horrible was going to happen to his real daughter in the first episode? What a start.

    While I could not give you the comparison to the game, I’m not sure it matters. What they did stood on its own as damn good television. I was pumped each week to watch this, and I even enjoyed the “one-off” episodes with the gay couple and the flashback to the mall with Ellie’s friend. Not to mention the other moments that shocked me, someone oblivious to the game, like what happened to Tess and the young kid and father they met up with later.

    Hopefully the day will come when I get around to playing the game, but for a video game adaptation to lead to this good of a season of TV, I’m optimistic about what we could see down the road.

    Something tells me not many of these adaptations will be as well done as this season was.

    1. Beef (Netflix)

    If you saw me tweeting about Beef in April 2023, you probably knew I’d put this as the No. 1 new show of the year. When it came out, all I knew about it was that it was a road rage story with Steven Yeun. I didn’t really know anything about Ali Wong at the time, but she was great as Amy in this. Glad they cleaned up at the award shows for this.

    I was basically dialed in from the first episode. A dark dramedy? That’s my genre. Loved the way they escalated the story to reach that absurd climax in the ninth episode, one of the craziest I’ve seen in any show, before calming things down for a memorable finale. The supporting cast was great, especially Danny’s brother and Amy’s husband.

    The music also put it over the top for me. Right in the first episode, they find a way to use Hoobastank (“The Reason”) as a needle drop going to the end credits. Later on you get Incubus (“Drive”), The Offspring (“Self Esteem”), System of a Down (“Lonely Day”), Bush (“Machinehead”), Keane (“Somewhere Only We Know”), and my favorite woman singer of all time in Björk (“All Is Full of Love”) to end the penultimate episode.

    Then the final scene couldn’t have gone any better when I heard “Mayonaise” start, my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song. The way the light in the room flashes to sync up with the drums, then getting to the line with “June” just before the credits show the name of the actress who played her daughter June… It’s perfect. I get goosebumps every time like when I watch the final scene of The Dark Knight.

    The script, the acting, the music, it all came together for me quickly. I felt I was watching something special in the third episode when Danny’s character goes to a church and starts crying during an excellent performance of “O Come to the Altar” by a church band. I’m not a religious person at all, but I find myself watching this video on YouTube frequently to this day as I really enjoy the way the song sounds here. Elevation Worship is the group best known for this song, but the extra guitars and dueling male-female vocals they use in Beef gives it a 1990s Midwest emo sound that just works best for me.

    Hands down, one of my favorite limited series of all time. Of course, they have announced a Season 2, so it looks like they’ll be turning this into an anthology series. That could be good, but I hope they leave the story of Danny and Amy alone.

    This was already perfection.

    Honorable Mentions

    • Carol & the End of the World: Carol’s voice can be annoying, but this animated dramedy about the apocalypse is worth the watch.
    • The Diplomat: Punchy dialogue between Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell lightens up meaty political plots.
    • Fellow Travelers: Well done gay love story that spans decades with Matt Bomer.
    • Lessons in Chemistry: Bill Pullman’s son can act, and I was certainly blown away by his character in this – just not as blown away as he was by…Just watch it.
    • A Murder at the End of the World – Some feel the ending is predictable, but I enjoyed the show and setting.
    • My Adventures with Superman: I actually didn’t watch the animated Superman series in the 90s, but I’ve been enjoying this one and S1 is better than S2 (so far).
    • The Night Agent: Very solid binge for fans of 24.
    • Rabbit Hole: In my best Jack Bauer voice, DAMNIT! They cancelled a good one here. Kiefer should be pissed at busted ass Paramount for not continuing this twisty thriller.
    • Special Ops: Lioness – Taylor Sheridan is singlehandedly keeping Paramount alive. Another good offering here with a CIA operative show.
    • Tiny Beautiful Things: Kathryn Hahn carries this dramedy about motherhood.

     So, that’s where I’m at with 2023. Here is a little table look at my picks for 2018-2023, and I’ll have to eventually get something updated and expanded for past years.

    As for 2024, I feel like I’ve been keeping up well with the new shows halfway through the year. Really enjoyed some of them already like Dark Matter and Baby Reindeer.

    I’m sure it’ll still take me into next July to get that 2024 list out. But as long as I get it out…

    Best 15 New TV Shows of 2021

    ~ Scott ~ 1 Comment

    That’s not a typo. While 2022 is almost halfway over (!), I am only now getting to my top new TV series that debuted in 2021. I wanted to match the effort I put in last year with my top 12 series of 2020, but I just never got around to doing this until this week, the start of a dead zone for me with no NFL or NBA games.

    After starting accounts with Disney+, Paramount+, and Apple TV for the first time in the last year, there are more shows than ever to watch. I watched 81 new series that started in 2021, but I was able to break that down into a top 15 I feel good about. Are there some series I still missed? Of course.

    I’m not going to share the full list I broke down, but chances are if one of your favorites didn’t make the cut, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as you did. Station Eleven (HBO Max) is likely one big example of that. I really loved the parts that focused on Jeevan, but anything with the Traveling Symphony in the future fell flat for me. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) reminded me of how people enjoy Martin Short and Steve Martin way more than I ever have or likely will.

    Note: limited series and anime are included; all documentary series are excluded.

    I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but no promises…

    15. Dexter: New Blood (Showtime)

    This may have snuck in at No. 15 just so I could talk about it. Technically a new series, this does do some justice to make up for the horrific original series finale that Dexter gave us in 2013. A fucking lumberjack? Fortunately, New Blood is better than the last four seasons of the original series, but it still is not up to par with the best of that series. Still, it was cool to see Dexter back with Deb as his new dark passenger, and Clancy Brown did a more than respectable job as the villain. The kid playing teenage Harrison did not bother me, though I have no interest in seeing a spin-off with him. Just let this thing die.

    As for that ending, it was poorly received again, but I actually thought it made sense and was necessary. Would I have shot the scene differently to make it more dramatic? Of course, but I really cannot complain with the story choice they made this time.

    14. Scenes from a Marriage (HBO)

    This modern take on the Ingmar Bergman classic was a showcase for the acting chops of Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, two actors I’ve taken an increased liking to in the last year or two. They both shine here, but dialogue-heavy series must be in your wheelhouse if you are going to enjoy this one. I’m happy to say they took an existing IP and made it their own thing instead of a straight remake.

    13. WandaVision (Disney+)

    Spoiler alert: this is the only Marvel show on my list for 2021. It was the first one I watched, and I thought it was the best one. 2021 really was the year of spoofing the classic sitcom, laugh track and all, but unlike with AMC’s Kevin Can Fuck Himself, we got a pretty clear answer of why this was done in WandaVision. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are great together, but one season is the right length for this unique idea.

    12. Midnight Mass (Netflix)

    Our first Netflix entry may have been slept on, but this was a really strong take on grief and loss combined with a more typical horror storyline. But Hamish Linklater was fantastic as the priest, and the ending was something you’ll never forget. I got a bit emotional during this one a couple times.

    11. Yellowjackets (Showtime)

    Between the Fear Street movie trilogy on Netflix, Cruel Summer, and this show, there was a lot of 90s nostalgia in 2021. This show did a great job of balancing multiple timelines with the plane crash survivors as teenagers and the current-day survivors navigating a new mystery. Christina Ricci is supposed to be the “ugly” one of the bunch, but she still looks pretty damn good and it was nice to see her in a big role again. I look forward to the second season and where they can take this one. The first season did not take all the predictable routes you may have expected from a story about a plane crash.

    10. Tear Along the Dotted Line (Netflix)

    This is probably my most obscure choice for the year, but it’s an animated series from an Italian, and it does a shockingly effective job of covering depression, anxiety, and a lost love. I’d probably have it higher if it was a little longer, but this was well done and should be watched on Netflix by those having BoJack withdrawal.

    9. To Your Eternity (watched on HBO Max)

    I wanted to watch some great, new animes as that was missing from my 2020 collection. This one delivered with good animation, interesting characters, a few shocking and emotional moments, and the second half really gripped me with the storyline. I was mad when I finished it because I wanted more, but fortunately a second season is on the way.

    8. The White Lotus (HBO Max)

    I was a fan of Mike White’s Enlightened series with Laura Dern on HBO, so it was cool to see him get another chance with The White Lotus, a high-caliber dramedy. You get the clue right away that someone on this island is going to die before the trip is over, but that mystery takes a backseat to the drama these characters get into, and the rhythmic music and sounds keep a steady pace over the six episodes that fly by when you watch them. Murray Bartlett (Armond) and Jennifer Coolidge (Tanya) are highlights, and you can never go wrong with seeing more Sydney Sweeney as the generations clash in this one. I’m a bit worried of using this as an anthology series with different characters, but if they have more stories to tell, I’ll watch them.

    7. It’s a Sin (HBO Max)

    I watched several movies about the early days of AIDS last year, but this British series from Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who) was the best, most touching, and scariest of them all. It does a great job of showing the impact this virus had on a close-knit group of gay friends in the 80s. After later watching Years and Years (2019), which I would highly recommend, there’s a raw honesty in Davies’ work that I just don’t see as much in a lot of American works, especially those that deal with LGBT stories as we tend to make them too preachy in this country. Davies’ approach is much more authentic as he’s not afraid to show us the flaws in these characters, but honoring them with respect is still the goal.

    6. Invincible (Amazon Prime)

    Went in cold to this franchise. I remember watching the pilot and thinking this felt pretty tame and aimed towards younger kids. Then that scene happened. Holy shit. I was hooked from there, and an impressive voice cast (J.K. Simmons, Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, Walton Goggins, etc.) sure helps bring the violence and story to life. I can’t wait for the second season.

    5. Hacks (HBO Max)

    I know I’m late to this 2021 party when I’ve already finished the second season of this show. But I love it. Jean Smart should win all the awards, the actress playing Ava is a delightful find for the industry, and the chemistry between Jimmy and nepotism Kayla is always fun. It’s also the only legitimate live-action comedy that made it to my top 25 finalists as I think comedy is so hard to do these days with the way people get offended, real or not, by everything. If you can make a show that’s funny without having to be animated – so not Big Mouth – then you are well ahead of the curve these days.

    Since this is about the 2021 series, I tried to not let my viewing of season two influence my ranking. Season two is really just as solid as the first season, though I love to watch the world building at the start of a show, so seeing Ava have to win Deborah over in season one probably edges it out over season two. The way it ended in season two, they really could have called it a series, but I am happy to see they’re bringing it back for a third season.

    Like I said, there is a real comedy drought these days, so let’s keep every good one we can find.

    4. Dopesick (Hulu)

    This series is almost like The Wire for the opioid crisis. I am not saying the character work is as strong as that HBO classic, but the writing and presentation is on par with how David Simon does things in his series. You get perspectives from everyone: doctors, patients, addicts, pharmacists, sales reps, the criminal Sackler family, lawyers, the DEA, and whistleblowers. Michael Keaton gets top billing, but he might not even be on screen as often as Will Poulter (a conflicted sales rep) or Michael Stuhlbarg (Richard Sackler).

    No series on my list is as important as this one, because it does expose just how criminally negligent this family was in making sure Oxycontin was being pushed to people in pain without any care for the addiction to come. This show should make you furious, but it is absolutely required viewing and it is so well done it hurts.

    3. Mare of Easttown (HBO)

    Guess I am still a sucker for a great whodunit murder mystery with an excellent lead actress (Kate Winslet) and a jaw-dropping scene that paid homage to Silence of the Lambs. You’ll know it when you see it. I also was not able to predict the killer until the very end, so good job on that with the usual red herrings and dead ends. I hope they just leave it as a limited series, though I won’t object to seeing more Mare on my TV.

    2. Maid (Netflix)

    Can it still be underrated if it has glowing reviews and 77,000 votes on IMDb? But that’s still half the ratings of Mare of Easttown, and I still feel like Maid doesn’t get talked about enough as the best limited series of 2021. Margaret Qualley delivers what should be a star-turning performance in the lead, and while I usually shit on nepotism, her performance and the casting of her real-life mom (Andie MacDowell) as her mother took this series to the highest level.

    Like Dopesick, it’s a series that makes you angry about the way our systems continuously fail the people who need help the most in this country. It just never seems like she is going to carve out a good life for her child and keep her away from her abusive ex. But you keep watching with optimism and the show does not disappoint.

    1. Squid Game (Netflix)

    I’m the guy who hounded Criterion for years to put Memories of Murder on Blu-ray. Of course I was all over this quirky, original South Korean series that took the world by storm last fall.

    I watched Alice in Borderland a year earlier, which was a similar series about people having to pass games that could kill them. That’s definitely worth watching too, but Squid Game really amps up the emotional punch with a more diverse cast (ages and backgrounds) of characters.

    It’s crazy, it’s intense, it’s sad, and there’s a big twist at the end. This is also why I really worry that season two will not deliver, because no matter how many unique, new games they can come up with, nothing will beat seeing this for the first time. Watching a sympathetic character get betrayed (Ali) or a smug prick meet his demise (toilet sex having Jang Deok-su) will always make you think of season one. Been there, done that.

    But what a ride it was for nine episodes.

    With my top two picks this year, I guess Netflix is proof that if you fire enough bullets, you’re bound to hit something. Now if only I could have thought of a non-gun reference to not sound like such a typical American.

    Honorable Mentions/Fun Binges

    • Arcane (unique visual style, but I wished I loved the story more)
    • Chucky (this had every right to suck but it was a lot of fun; declines a bit after Jennifer Tilly appears)
    • Cruel Summer (90s nostalgia in a teen whodunit)
    • Halston (must see for Ewan McGregor fans as he kills it)
    • Heels (indie wrestling show done right)
    • Inside Job (good year for animated series with this conspiracy theory workplace comedy)
    • Lupin (hard to believe one guy can pull all these cons off, but it’s entertaining)
    • My Name (solid South Korean action series on Netflix)
    • Super Crooks (another interesting take on baddies with superpowers)
    • Tokyo Revengers (solid time-travel anime with more to come)

    Finally, here are the previous lists from past years. These would all change a little based on shows I was slow to get to or only discovered later.

    Happy binging, and remember I am always tweeting about shows on Twitter. I already see strong competition for my best of 2022, which hopefully will be finished well before June of 2023.