Shadan Larki’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2023

‘Peak TV,’ ‘The Golden Age of Prestige TV,’ assign whatever moniker you’d like. We are undeniably surrounded by a surplus of damn good TV.

The problem, of course, is that we are destined to be perpetually behind, and we inevitably miss out on some incredible programming. As I am equally in love with books and movies, I am the star player in an endless game of pop culture catch-up. 

This list would probably look a lot different if I had the time to finish The Last of Us or Poker Face or catch the final seasons of The Other Two, Reservation Dogs, or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. As we are only limited to ten slots here, I didn’t have space for The Morning Show, Daisy Jones and the Six, Queen Charlotte, Silo, The Fall of the House of Usher, Shrinking, and many other shows that surprised and delighted. 

When making any favorites list, my top criteria is always, “What’s the thing that I can’t stop thinking about?” Beyond that, it’s what shows made me think. Pushed me to reconsider a preconceived notion or taught me something new? What shows was I begging friends to watch? What brought me joy? Here are just some of those shows.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

10. I’m a Virgo

When I left Boots Riley’s directorial debut, Sorry to Bother You, my first thought was, “Where the heck does he go from here?” As I mentioned, I love ambitious filmmakers with big ideas, and Riley is one of the most promising directors on the scene. 

He has returned five years later with I’m a Virgo, a miniseries about a 13-foot-tall Black teenager (Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome) coming of age and venturing out into the world after having been heavily sheltered by his parents. I’m a Virgo is throwing out a lot of ideas, and not all of them fully land, but Riley is delivering razor-sharp commentary on racism, capitalism, consumerism, and many of the other big-picture ideas that plague us. Like many of the other shows on my list, I’m a Virgo. It felt inventive and new, challenged me, and, most importantly, pushed me to reexamine the confines of my comfort zone.

9. Lessons in Chemistry

It’s rare that I enjoy an adaptation more than the source material, such is the case with the Apple TV+ miniseries Lessons in Chemistry, and for that reason alone, I had to find a place for it on my list. Free from Marvel’s stale restraints, Brie Larson is phenomenal as a chemist turned TV cooking show sensation. The show features an all-time cute dog, a kid (Alice Halsey) who is just the right about of precocious, and Lewis Pullman as a dreamy love interest. Lessons in Chemistry is charming, romantic, and full of heart—a simply delicious watch.

8. Abbott Elementary

I was very worried about Abbott Elementary suffering a dreaded sophomore slump, but I need not be because, on the whole, I actually found the second season of Abbott even funnier than the first. We got to see the characters outside the school environment, got a slew of fantastic guest stars (Taraji P. Henson), spent more time with our supporting characters (William Stanford Davis’ Mr. Johnson continues to delight), and most importantly, we are making progress with Janine (creator Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams)’s will they/won’t they plot line. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to go back to school.

7. Fellow Travelers 

Fellow Travelers was the last TV show I watched in 2023, but recency bias aside, I feel confident in giving it a placement on my list because it is simply gorgeous. The series moves between the 1950s with Joseph McCarthy’s ‘Lavender Scare,’ a crackdown of gay people working in the federal and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s; chronicling the decades-long love affair between Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey).

When I say Fellow Travelers is gorgeous, I believe that applies to every level of craftsmanship that went into the series, from the cinematography, costumes, writing, music, and even the title sequence. And I must give special mention to Mr. Bailey, who delivered one of my favorite performances of the year. Having only seen Bailey in Bridgerton, his dramatic work here was a pleasant surprise—he is tender and brave, and his chemistry with Bomer is palpable. Fellow Travelers is one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve seen in some time.

6. Swarm

I first watched Swarm during SXSW in March, and this miniseries has stayed with me all these months later. I love nothing more than a filmmaker with a bold vision who takes a big swing, and Janine Nabers has delivered exactly that. After the death of her best friend, Dre (the astonishing Dominique Fishback) goes on a revenge-seeking rampage. I love that Swarm operates on so many levels, it is perfectly enjoyable as a horror-slasher series. But Swarm also has so much to say about grief, anger, the cult of celebrity, and the mistreatment of black women. Swarm is worth all the buzz and more.

5. Beef

What starts as a road rage incident between two strangers (Steven Yeun and Ali Wong) turns into a twisted tale about the dangers of unchecked anger and resentment. The more Wong and Yeun’s characters intertwine, the more their public and private lives unravel, and the lies they have told to others and to themselves come to the surface. Beef is a miniseries I saw earlier in the year, but I find myself returning to key moments again and again. Plus, Beef has my favorite type of ending, the kind that recontextualizes everything that came before. Beef isn’t afraid to challenge its audience, giving us plenty to chew on.

4. The Gilded Age

Downton Abbey is my ultimate comfort watch, and if I’m honest, as soon as I found out Julian Fellowes was coming back with another lush period drama, I fell in love sight unseen. And The Gilded Age has given me everything I could have wanted—exquisite production designs, hats that get bigger, and jewels that get bolder with each episode. I love how unapologetically over-the-top The Gilded Age is. The sophomore season centered on the creation of the Metropolitan Opera (“the Met”) and watching a bunch of grotesquely rich people squabble in a manufactured opera war was pure campy perfection. Can the footman keep the contaminated soup away from the unsuspecting Duke? I was riveted. Sure, Fellowes would do well to downsize his cast and focus the story a bit more in season three, but I would happily watch 100 more seasons of Carrie Coon’s scheming Mrs. Russell.

3. Jury Duty

No show was a bigger surprise for me than Jury Duty, and no show made me laugh harder than this delightfully weird mockumentary about an average Joe (Ronald Gladden) who becomes the foreman of a fake jury. The character actors who bring to life this fake world for the unsuspecting Gladden are operating on all cylinders, delivering both physical comedy and the most insane lines of improvisational dialogue without missing a beat. It’s always a good sign when you have to pause a show from laughing so hard. I must say, seeing that genuine friendships that have formed between the cast is the jolt of wholesomeness my cynical heart needed. And James Marsden, one of our most underappreciated leading men, is finally getting the praise he deserves for his hysterically funny performance…playing himself. My verdict? Jury Duty is an absolute must-see. 

2. The Bear

I loved the first season of The Bear, but the second season absolutely blew me away. The series follows Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, the breakout star of the TV season), a Michelin-star chef who returns home to Chicago to take over the family business. What I appreciated most about The Bear is the confidence with which creator Christopher Storer and the whole team approached season two. They knew they had a solid base and built on it beautifully, with character development that felt organic and well-plotted. Episodes like “Forks” and “Fishes” are brimming with tension, taking our characters out of their comfort zones and providing rich pay-offs. The storytelling is smart and inventive, and each character is given dimension and depth—a rarity for a cast this large. I had heard heaps of praise about The Bear from TV connoisseurs and casual viewers alike, but it somehow felt like the magic of watching The Bear was undersold to me. Give this crew their Michelin stars (and Emmys) ASAP.

1. Succession

Succession wasn’t just the best show of 2023; now that the series has wrapped, I can confidently say it’s one of my favorite shows of all time. It’s the perfect, tantalizing mix of family drama, political intrigue, and social commentary— all of the themes I love, wrapped up in an exceptionally well-acted package.

“Connor’s Wedding,” which said goodbye to Brian Cox’s Logan Roy, is my pick for the year’s single best episode of TV. I’ll never forgive the LA Times for spoiling his death by tweeting out a fake obituary during the episode. But still, watching Logan’s four children come to terms with the loss of their patriarch in real-time was excellently plotted on television. That’s the thing about Succession: it’s a finely crafted chess match. Moves made in season one pay off in the end, and resentments explode in a blisteringly bitter battle during the finale. Those last few scenes will stay with me forever. But the brilliance of Succession is that each rewatch brings to light previously overlooked details that recontextualize certain scenes, lines of dialogue, or even a glance between characters. Check-mate.