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

[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. :)