My Top 10 TV Shows of 2023
You’ve heard about all the movies, now it’s time to hear about all the new TV shows of 2023! Check out my personal list of my favorite shows from the past year up above in video form, or you can read my thoughts below.
10.
Fired on Mars (Nate Sherman, Nick Vokey)
Fired on Mars is a super original animated sci-fi comedy. It stars Luke Wilson as a guy who moves to Mars permanently to be a graphic designer for the mega corporation that's housed there, but then gets fired and has to figure out what to do with himself while he's stuck on another planet. This is a really dry, comedic show. The tone is something in the realm of Bojack Horseman in terms of its ironic, sardonic humor. It has a little bit of that "main character always fails" syndrome, which I sometimes find frustrating to watch, but I think they give him enough wins over the course of the show to balance things out.
Fired on Mars seems like it's going to be a fairly typical animated sitcom in the first episode or two, but it is anything but. The deeper you get into the show, the more the plot gets revealed, and I guarantee you will not be able to predict where it's headed based on the beginning. It may be a comedy, but the plot and characters are treated extremely seriously, and things get super weird and super dark by the end of it. A couple episodes in particular are really poignant and thought provoking, as aided by a great voice cast. If you like sci-fi comedy, you need to check this one out! However, expect something subtler and more adult than most sci-fi comedies that air on TV.
9.
Jury Duty (Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky)
Jury Duty is an incredible concept. It's a hidden camera show in which every single person is an actor except for one guy, who believes that he is a juror in a real court case. In fact, the entire thing is made up. It's a concept that's been done a few times before in different ways, but it's especially funny and well executed here. The show is essentially a sitcom in the style of Parks and Recreation, except that one guy isn't acting. And it would still be really funny even if you removed that aspect from it, or if you just weren't aware that that one guy wasn't in on the joke.
This isn't a mean spirited show, it's not a prank show, and they don't call attention to the fact that he's unaware, other than focusing more on his reactions to the absurd situations. It's just a clever comedy that happens to have this layer of reality nestled inside of it. James Marsden in particular is awesome here, playing himself as a pompous ass, and I'm always a big fan of actors who are willing to make fools of themselves like that on camera. A really fun one to watch, with exactly the kind of satisfying ending you're hoping for it to have.
8.
Beef (Lee Sung Jin)
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong head up Beef, another mixture of comedy and drama about two people who start feuding with each other after an over the top road rage incident. The show follows both characters equally, smartly allowing you to understand and empathize with both their points of views. There's no one person here that you're rooting for more than the other. Actually, you're probably not rooting for either of them because they're both petty, chaotic monsters in their own ways.
Steven Yeun is just such a great actor, and I'm thrilled seeing him pop up in so many smart, complex projects, and that he hasn't been typecast as ‘guy from Walking Dead’. This is a show that explores the burning, boiling rage we all hold inside of us on a daily basis that's threatening to go off and cause havoc after the tiniest little thing sets it off. It's about the rage that we take out on others, when really it's aimed at ourselves and the choices we've made. It's also a great example of the classic Netflix binge model, as each episode ends with a hook and a catchy song that's gonna make you wanna jump to the next one immediately. Really satisfying, easy watching, with a deeper message that doesn't get in the way of the fun.
7.
The Last Of Us (Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann)
I'm an enormous fan of both Last of Us video games, so of course it was very gratifying to see the series done justice as a proper live action HBO series. For the most part, the show sticks very close to the game, with lots of scenes and dialogue coming straight out of those cut scenes. This just proves just how good that game was to begin with, as it required very little adapting. That said, when the show deviates from the game, those are my favorite parts. An early episode features a romance with a character from the game (played by Nick Offerman) who gets way more backstory than he ever really had before. There are more little tweaks to characters and situations throughout that make this more than just a retread. And of course, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey kill it in those roles.
I'm really excited to see how this show handles adapting The Last of Us Part II, which I know is a polarizing game, but I think it's even better than the original. It's gonna be fascinating to see how mainstream, non-gamer audiences react to it, or what they decide to change to make it more palatable to viewers.
6.
I'm A Virgo (Boots Riley)
I'm a Virgo comes from Boots Riley, who directed Sorry to Bother You, one of my favorite movies the year it came out. That’s why I was so excited to see what he was going to do with a TV show. This is essentially a superhero show, although it's more like a critique of superhero culture and hero worship in general, as well as capitalism, and several other things! It's about a kid who's 13 feet tall, and how he navigates the world.
Part of me actually wishes that this was a movie instead of a miniseries, as I think it could've used some tightening up, even though it's only seven episodes long. But when it gets good, it gets really good, particularly in the last couple of episodes which have some incredible sequences I wish everyone in the country would watch. This show is super weird! It dives head on into absurdity with giant people, and people who move super fast, and cartoons that can make people lose their minds… It's ostensibly set in the real world, but there's a very heightened, outlandish approach to everything. Definitely one of the most original things you can find on television right now. Plus, it has a kickass soundtrack, and Walton Goggins, who I'll always love no matter what he's in. I'm A Virgo is a little rough around the edges, but I love the places it's willing to go, and how messy it's willing to get in going there. I think Boots Riley is one of the most important voices we have, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
5.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Brian Lee O’Malley, BenDavid Grabinski)
Scott Pilgrim was a comic book, then a movie, then a video game, and now an anime. And yes, this is technically an anime, it was animated and produced by the studio Science Saru, so everyone can mark this down as probably the only time I'll ever list an anime in my favorite series of the year.
The original Scott Pilgrim is a story about a Canadian kid who needs to defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes in order to date her. I won't give away much about this new series, except to say that it is an adaptation of the comics, while also being entirely its own thing, to the point where some fans were very disappointed with the direction it takes. For me, it was even better than what I had hoped for. The entire cast from the live action movie returns to voice their same roles here, which is great because hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unlike the movie, this is a pretty quiet show. Yes, it still has bombastic fight scenes and rock and roll performances, but it has a very different vibe to it. I'd say it's a bit closer to the comics in the sense that there's more slice of life scenes of characters hanging out in Toronto and just talking to each other, a chill vibe that I really dug.
As I said, it goes to some very different places than the source material, and I would strongly recommend reading the comics or watching the movie before watching the show, as you'll get a lot more out of it that way. I loved how this fleshed out some of the characters who didn't get quite as much screen time in other versions, I think it adds color to every version of Scott Pilgrim that exists. I'm a fan of all of them! Please bring on the Scott Pilgrim musical next.
4.
Poker Face (Rian Johnson)
Here's another example of a filmmaker I love moving into television, with Poker Face, which was created by Rian Johnson. Poker Face is kind of a throwback to older monster-of-the-week style shows, in which the main character (played by Natasha Lyonne) travels from town to town solving mysteries. Her super power is that she can tell when someone is lying. You might think that that's a somewhat limiting power in terms of the stories it allows you to tell, but the writers find plenty of ways to mine storylines from it. Actually, it's not usually the main focus of the episodes, it's just her little quirk that happens to give her an edge, sort of like Monk having OCD, or Sherlock Holmes being a prick.
Anyway, the show itself has some really compelling mysteries that are filmed with great production values. Most of these episodes feel like they would work perfectly well as full length standalone movies. Each one introduces characters that you care about right away, and they leave things more or less fully resolved by the end, so you're ready to go for the next adventure. It helps that Natasha Lyonne is really charismatic and charming and funny, and I can't think of another actress who could carry this show the way she does. The Rian Johnson directed episodes are standouts, but they're all great watches.
3.
Scavengers Reign (Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner)
Now back to another animated series, my third on this list, with Scavengers Reign. It's another sci-fi series about the crew of a ship that's crash landed on a mysterious alien planet. Emphasis on the word "alien". At this point, we've all seen a hundred different visions of aliens and other worlds, which is why it's always so impressive to me when a piece of work is able to present something that feels truly unlike anything I've seen before.
Most of the show is made up of characters trying to survive on an extremely hostile world, where seemingly every organism that exists is trying to kill you in some way. But it's the way in which they behave that makes this such a fascinating viewing experience. It's almost like watching a nature documentary for a place that doesn't exist. Every life form feels like it's fully fleshed out, and even when you can't possibly comprehend exactly what they're thinking or feeling, you get the sense that it makes perfect sense in the context of this being in this place. I imagine that the creators of Scavengers Reign must have copious notes and drawings detailing the biology of all these creatures.
Oh yeah, and the animation bringing them to life is tremendous. A lot of the show is sparse in terms of dialogue, but as it progresses you learn more about these characters, and you'll find that there's a compelling human drama here as well. You absolutely cannot miss this one if you've ever been into science fiction.
2.
Swarm (Janine Nabers, Donald Glover)
Swarm is the newest show created by Donald Glover, his follow-up to Atlanta, and it seems like not nearly as many people are talking about this as they should be (probably because it aired on Amazon Prime and they don't know how to market for shit). It's about a girl who is obsessed with Nijah, a fictional pop star, basically a stand-in for Beyonce, or Taylor Swift, or insert your mega star idol of choice here. If you're familiar with Atlanta, I think you'll find similar filmmaking ideas at play here, but because there are only seven episodes, it's tight, it moves, it says what it has to say, and gets out without any fat on it.
I really wasn't sure what to expect with this one. From the premise, I thought it would just be a critique of obsessive fan culture, which it absolutely is, but there's also more to it than that. Dominique Fishback plays the main character, and she is just so fascinating to watch. She plays her character like this strange little alien who doesn't quite understand other humans, and it's such a joy to see her funny little looks and reactions to things. Like I'm A Virgo, this is a show that plays with reality on top of having an important message. It's also a dark, suspenseful thriller on top of everything else. Sublimely weird, and proof that Donald Glover is kind of a genius.
1.
The Curse (Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie)
My favorite new show of 2023 is The Curse, which is a collaboration between Benny Safdie of films like Uncut Gems, and Nathan Fielder, of shows like Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. It also stars Emma Stone, who is just killing it this year between this and Poor Things, two completely different performances, but both so excellent.
Anyway, The Curse is about a married couple who are working on a reality show about their ecologically friendly houses, and their efforts to build them up in a small town in New Mexico. Primarily it's a takedown of seemingly well meaning white people who want to make the world a better place as long as it makes them look good, and the conflict between their positive ideas and their stubborn ignorance when it comes to actually interacting with anyone outside their bubble.
This is the first example I think I've seen of Nathan Fielder doing long form scripted television, and his style and acting is perfect for this role. He's kind of doing his usual shtick that he does on his documentary style shows, but I think he shows a lot of range, and holds his own against Emma Stone, which is impressive. Many scenarios on the show actually feel to me like they could've come out of Nathan For You, which you might think means they wouldn't be as funny since those scenarios involved seeing the reactions of real people. However, the writing and the directing is so good, that it still feels completely believable and hilarious. It's one of those shows that will make you cringe, and make you feel bad for every character involved, and it's just so deeply funny. It's shot in this naturalistic way, almost like a horror movie at times, that makes it even funnier considering how uncomfortable it makes you feel.
Now, this show actually hasn't finished its season one yet at the time of this writing. There's still the finale to go, which is technically airing in 2024, but the majority of its episodes aired in 2023. So unless they somehow really fail to stick the landing, I feel confident in saying that this is my favorite from last year. It's made by some of my favorite creators, so it was sort of a layup for me, I admit. They really managed to create some captivating, engrossing television with The Curse.
And that’s all I have to say about movies and TV from 2023! Hopefully you enjoyed some of the same things I did, or you found something else to entertain you instead. Watch this space for more from me in the future, and listen to my continuing podcasts in 2024, which you can learn more about at jonathanestis.com.