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With 2023 ending, it’s time to reflect on everything the television landscape delivered to its audiences. While everyone looks forward to the large, universe-spanning projects major streaming platforms are developing, networks are putting out some of the best content they’ve ever released. The draw to shows on streaming services was the ability to binge-watch an entire season in one sitting. However, the weekly format of network television can be more fulfilling, giving audiences something new to look forward to every week.
2023 only added more material for the Golden Age of television, delivering groundbreaking shows from gripping character dramas to compelling procedurals to murder mysteries. There’s something for everyone and since most networks have gone ahead and developed their own streaming platforms, audiences can binge their favorite show any way they prefer. These were the best 2023 offered.
Justified: City Primeval
|
Creator |
Dave Andron and Michael Dinner |
|---|---|
|
Cast |
Timothy Olyphant, Boyd Holbrook, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor |
|
Number of Episodes |
8 |
|
RT Critic Score |
91% |
|
RT Audience Score |
45% |
|
Metacritic Score |
79 |
|
Where to Watch |
Hulu |
Critics and audiences were very divided on Justified: City Primeval, but critics loved Timothy Olyphant’s return as Raylan Givens. Not only did this miniseries show the U.S. Marshal in a different setting other than rural Kentucky, it gave him a proper send-off, completing the story of Raylan Givens. The absence of Boyd Crowder might disappoint fans of the original series, but City Primeval isn’t without its own Boyd. Boyd Holbrook fills the role of the show’s primary antagonist, Clement Mansell. Holbrook delivers a frightening performance as a man willing to do whatever he needs to get what he wants, including backstabbing allies and intimidating law enforcement officials. Raylan seems out of his element on the streets of Detroit, but that’s half the fun of the show. Seeing him get his bearings while simultaneously dealing with his teenage daughter, who’s just as disobedient as the criminals Raylan deals with on a regular basis.
Found
|
Creator |
Nkechi Okoro Carroll |
|---|---|
|
Cast |
Shanola Hampton, Kelli Williams, Brett Dalton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar |
|
Number of Episodes |
12 |
|
RT Critic Score |
70% |
|
RT Audience Score |
60% |
|
Metacritic Score |
49 |
|
Where to Watch |
Peacock Premium |
Procedural fans find something truly unique about Found, a show about a recovery specialist and her organization dedicated to finding missing people all around the country who the media and law enforcement have forgotten. The show’s lead, Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton), has a significant edge that helps with her success rate but also shows her willingness to walk the line of morality as she uses insight from the same man who kidnapped her when she was a child. A man she keeps chained up in her basement. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved By the Bell) puts on a masterful performance, leaving audiences wanting more from his character. The dynamic between Hampton and Gosselaar’s characters makes for an interesting twist, asking the audience who truly is on the right side of the law here.
Poker Face
|
Creator |
Rian Johnson |
|---|---|
|
Cast |
Natasha Lyonne, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Helberg |
|
Number of Episodes |
10 |
|
RT Critic Score |
98% |
|
RT Audience Score |
81% |
|
Metacritic Score |
84 |
|
Where to watch |
Peacock Premium |
Fans might not approve of his Star Wars film, but there’s no denying that Rian Johnson has a knack for murder mysteries, even those that show you who committed the crime from the get-go. Poker Face follows Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) as she goes on the run from her employer after inadvertently causing his son to plunge to his death. Every stop she makes, Charlie helps out somebody who is in just as bad of a spot as her. She has a gift for solving crime as she can tell when somebody is lying. Natasha Lyonne is fantastic in this series, playing her character with just enough comedic relief to help the audience forget about the traumatic events happening on the screen and with enough emotion to humanize her character. Then there’s the plethora of familiar faces that guest star in every episode. From Adrien Brody to Ron Perlman to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, there’s enough talent in here to tire out the audience’s arm from pointing at the screen so often, like Leo from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
A Murder at the End of the World
|
Creator |
Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling |
|---|---|
|
Cast |
Emma Corrin, Brit Marling, Harris Dickinson |
|
Number of Episodes |
7 |
|
RT Critic Score |
86% |
|
RT Audience Score |
93% |
|
Metacritic Score |
74 |
|
Where to watch |
Hulu |
Fans of the canceled OA series will find solace in this murder mystery, as the same creative team develops it. Furthermore, A Murder at the End of the World delivers a compelling story that follows the young Darby Hart (Emma Corrin) use her amateur sleuthing and tech skills to prove a death at a secluded resort was murder. If The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes had a baby, it would be this series with Darby being a more modern take on the classic detective. Unlike Poker Face, A Murder at the End of the World is a classic “whodunnit” that sucks audiences in with its mystery and keeps them guessing as to who the murderer is. It’s thematically heavy, telling a deeper message underneath the overarching story that will make it worth a rewatch or two when it ends. The acting is brilliant, with everyone bringing their character to life, especially Emma Corrin.
The Last of Us
|
Creator |
Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin |
|---|---|
|
Cast |
Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv |
|
Number of Episodes |
10 |
|
RT Critic Score |
96% |
|
RT Audience Score |
89% |
|
Metacritic Score |
84 |
|
Where to watch |
Max |
Of all the video game adaptations, The Last of Us stands out as the most anticipated and the most successful. Its Rotten Tomato scores say it all. The writers for the HBO series clearly enjoyed the game as much as the fans, as it’s easy to see the care they took with its production. Did they change a few aspects of the story to better fit it in a cinematic world? They definitely did, and those changes improved the entire project. “Long, Long Time” alone proved that an adaptation can stray from the source material to keep the story’s spirit alive while elevating it to make a deeper emotional connection with its audience. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey deliver beautiful performances and work wonderfully opposite each other, delivering authentic representations of Joel and Ellie. Even viewers who never experienced the game will find enjoyment in HBO’s The Last of Us.
