The AV Club's 30 Best Shows of 2023

[feurioo]

The AV Club has chosen their favorite shows of 2023. Do you (dis)agree with these choices? Which shows were overlooked?

Personal surprises: Somebody Somewhere (I posted a primer for it here), I'm A Virgo (not finished yet)
I agree with: Barry, Beef, Somebody Somewhere (because I haven't watched/finished any others!)
I disagree with: The Curse, mainly because we're not even at the halfway point of S1. At the snail pace this show is moving, you can't judge much.
I'm missing: The Glory, Yellowjackets (don't care that S2 was weaker, the Alanis Morissette theme alone!), Shrinking, Swarm

Number of shows I've never heard of: 6

Comments

[jo]

Huh. My preferred go-to list is the Guardian's annual 50 Best Shows of [year]. They drop the first 40 in batches of 10 (50-41, 40-31, etc.) and when they get to the top 10, it's a daily reveal. Today was batch 20-11, so we start the top 10 tomorrow. Here's the link if anyone's interested: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/dec/01/the-50-best-tv-shows-of-2023

Anyway, to get back to this list...

Shows I've never heard of: 6
Shows I've heard of but had zero interest in checking out: 14
Shows I tried to get into but just didn't work for me: 5, including the top 4 on the list
Shows I will probably eventually watch but haven't gotten around to yet: 3
Shows I've actually watched and liked: 2 (Dark Winds and Party Down)

Shows that are missing -- everything I did watch and really enjoyed from this year! To name the few that actually come to mind this early in the morning: Colin from Accounts, Silo, Foundation s2, Star Trek Strange New Worlds s2, Hijack, The Piano, Outlander s7 first half, Welcome to Wrexham s2, Big Door Prize, The Winter King... Most of those are fairly recent viewing so I'm forgetting loads that I watched at the start of the year. Plus there are several that I know will be very good, but haven't started watching yet, e.g. the latest seasons of For All Mankind and Slow Horses.

[ruuger]

Wait, 15 is Top Chef? As it Top Chef Top Chef? They still make it? And it's on a best shows list? Or is this some other show with the same name?

[feurioo]

It's the same show. According to the blurb, they went abroad and had a cast of previous contestants for the 20th season. I guess that's what might have made it stand out.

[lirazel]

Too American imo, which seems unforgivable in 2023! (Mostly I just came in here to compliment you on your Coffee Prince icon!)

[feurioo]

Thank you! :D And you're absolutely right re: that list. To be honest, I didn't look for the best or most comprehensive one, I simply posted what came first on my news feed in the hopes that it might kickstart a discussion about personal favorites.

[lirazel]

That's very fair! I think that's the only real use of such lists--to inspired people to talk about their own faves!

[shadowkat]

It's AV Club - they tend to be slanted towards US. Also, the US is insane in the sheer amount of media content it exports to other countries - I think it exports far more than it actually imports, actually. That's changed in the last few years...but not completely.

[lirazel]

Yeah, I know, I'm American. It's just disappointing!

[dr_zook]

Huh, what about The Fall of the House of Usher? Wasn't that 2023 as well? (It's not like I claim to have a general overview over my life or the world, but I think it's been only a few weeks since I watched it.)

[necrophilia]

It was! I was genuinely surprised to not see it included on the list.

[shadowkat]

It was terribly flawed in places - in that unlikable characters. And had mixed reviews. Also it drug here and there. I think it works best for folks who really know their Edgar Allen Poe and enjoy satire?

[dr_zook]

I think it works best for folks who really know their Edgar Allen Poe and enjoy satire?

Haha, that would have been me. ;)

[shadowkat]

I know I liked it because of the Edgar Allen Poe stuff - I honestly don't know if I'd like it or be able to follow it - if I didn't know the Edgar Allen Poe stuff.

[dr_zook]

Same! Also, for the unlikable characters: I found it refreshing to be exposed to literally a whole show of complete assholes (apart from Usher's granddaughter, her mother, and maybe Verna, but that's probably debatable) and not being compelled to switch off, haha.

[shadowkat]

I'm not sure it works that well in horror - mainly because the thrill or suspense is kind of not there if you don't care about the characters? However, with Poe, it may not matter. Poe's brand of horror wasn't really about suspense so much as the horrific people and situation. I'm not sure it matters here - since it's kind of similar set up to The Menu and Triangle of Sadness, in that it is satirical horror. Cabin in the Woods - also kind of fit into that brand of horror.

So, Fall of the House of Usher - works, but only for people who like satirical horror, such as The Menu, Cabin in the Woods, Triangle of Sadness, and Edgar Allen Poe.

[dr_zook]

Thank you for confirming my memories. 😌

Also, iconlove!

[starfleetbrat]

I've never even heard of some of these and I watch a LOT of tv.

Never heard of: 10
No Interest in: 9

Disagree with:
#15 - Because its Top Chef. And no reality competition show should be on a list of best shows of the year.
#14 - The Curse. Because its only four episodes in so how can it be the best show???? Also its slow as fuck and not in a good way. Also because the male lead reminds of Raymond in Everyone Loves Raymond.

Agree with:
#28 - Mrs Davis. That show was really clever and funny. Betty Gilpin was amazing in it.
#18 - One Piece. I loved this! I hadn't read any of the manga and had only seen some of the anime (due to having a son who watched it when he was a kid). I only watched it because of the hype but then really enjoyed it.
#12 - What We Do In the Shadows. Should have been higher on the list imo.
#6 - Poker Face - I love this one but can't really describe how. I think its a combination of Natasha Lyonne and subverting the mystery of the week formula.
#2 - The Bear - this show is just SO GOOD. I finally watched S2 this week and omg, that episode with the christmas dinner was so chaotic how did they even film that?!

Missing from the List:
The Lazarus Project
Ghosts (US and UK)
Only Murders in the Building
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Little Bird
Dear Edward
Swarm
1923
The Consultant
Slow Horses
A Small Light

and actually so many many more. I had a much longer list - it was about three times as long, but cut it down because it felt too long lol

[shadowkat]

Agree with you on #15. Have never heard of #14, and thinking pass anyhow on the basis of the comments to this alone. (I don't like Everybody Loves Raymond.)

Hmm...thanks for the rec on Mrs. Davis and One Piece. I totally agree on The Bear - that was amazing.
I was blown away by that series.

Also, agree - I've not seen over half of them, and I also watch a lot of tv. (I'm thinking there's more television shows currently on and available worldwide that no human being could possibly watch in their lifetime or know existed.)

Hmm.. been flirting with One piece, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, and Slow Horses for a while now.

Haven't heard of Dear Edward, A Small Light, Little Bird, or The Lazarus Project.

[dr_zook]

Slow Horses, deffo!!! Love that show to pieces, haha.

[executrix]

I love Slow Horses too, and Gary Oldman is amazing. But the show has the same problem as Dalziel and Pascoe: TV just won't grapple with the full disgustingness of the personal habits of either Dalziel or Lamb.

[dr_zook]

I'm not sure what you mean re: the full disgustingness, but that may be due to English not being my first tongue. I mean, as far as I can remember we're introduced to Lamb by him farting himself awake in his rancid office. Or do you mean more interpersonal disgustingness? I have only read the first book of the series by Mick Herron-- which actually read like the screenplay, haha. You're welcome to explain further what you mean. :)

[executrix]

He looks like he occasionally puts on clean clothes and is sober!

[dr_zook]

Thank you for clarifying! I'm maybe projecting too much spy-ness into the portrayal of his character, because I assumed indeed he's not ALWAYS stinking drunk, but likes to project this so others underestimate him. Generally I'm admitting adaptions to try their own spin on stories, so I wouldn't mind the mismatch with the source material. But I see that the show's Lamb would be a different Lamb than the book's, and I can understand the irritation about that. :)

[yourlibrarian]

Loki was not that great but maybe at 30 it made it in just for name recognition. Given the love for Abbott, I'm surprised it's at 21. I tried one episode of Archer last month and just couldn't get into it. I watched a few episodes of Crunk on Earth and did like it, but top 10?

[shadowkat]

Agree on both Archer and Loki - couldn't get into Archer either. Tried it more than once - the animation style and satire annoy me for some reason or other. Abbot may be too mainstream for AV Club?

[shadowkat]

These lists are so subjective - and tell me more about the critics that post them than the shows. Or whether I want to see the shows. However, I agree with you: Somebody, Somewhere is worth watching. It surprised me how good and comforting it truly was.

Personal surprises: Somebody Somewhere (worth watching), Dark Winds
I agree with: Somebody Somewhere, Dark Winds, The Bear, (not sure about Barry - I've only seen the first two seasons...which I did enjoy), on the fence about What We Do in the Shadows (only made it through the first two seasons, couldn't get into the third)
I disagree with: Loki (and I wouldn't put it on the list. I barely got through S1, and am struggling to get into S2 - it's a time-travel storyline with a twist, and kind of convoluted and heavy on the evil workplace imagery, which has never entertained me that much. A lot of folks love satires about evil or crazy workplaces, but I want to escape my crazy workplace when I watch television not be reminded of it.), Top Chef (it gives me a headache - won't watch), The Last of US (I liked the episode about the two old guys who lived together, and loved each other, and had no zombies in it or relatively few. But I couldn't get much past that episode, and gave up), the appeal of Succession continues to be lost on me...I've tried and failed.
I'm missing: Queen Charlotte (which surprised me), Peaky Blinders (granted it's an older series but I watched it this year and fell in love), The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Arvaros, I'm sure there's others but my mind is a blank at the moment.

Most of these I've never heard of or seen. Flirted with a few of them.