The best shows of 2023 and the most anticipated shows of 2024

Today, we count down a few of my favorite shows from last year and the ones I'm most looking forward to next year

Best Shows of 2023

The Last of Us

The binge-era of television has made it difficult to recapture the water cooler talk of TV past. A few shows like Stranger Things have broken through, but the quantity of streaming is far too enormous for everyone to share their experiences. Luckily, HBO’s top-quality productions and their weekly releases have made them one of the few channels remaining who can still capture that sort of hype, and The Last of Us is a prime example of that. The zombie apocalypse genre may be overdone, but this show stood out by wisely sticking to the playbook of the beloved video game and adapting it into Must-See TV. Anchored by the chemistry between Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, showrunner Craig Mazin crafted a fast-paced narrative that managed to thrill us in one scene, scare us in another, and then rip our hearts out in the next. Its most impressive achievement is that Mazin managed to earn moments of hope in this utterly depressing setting; whereas most shows reject those moments, standout episodes like “Long Long Time” simmered in a newfound love, and it’s just one of the many reasons why The Last of Us managed to breathe new life into a mostly dead genre.

Beef

Many people are very angry nowadays. Perhaps no show captured the internalized rage of today better than Beef, and it did so while honing in on how it translates to the Asian-American experience. It explored a culture with tricky expectations and a propensity for ignoring emotions, funneling those through two broken people (an emotional scene in a church was the culmination of many of those themes). But make no mistake, this is a very funny series, both because of the natural humor that comes out of these absurd situations and through the comedic talents of Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. It also did a commendable job with its plotting, setting up all of these seemingly stray plotlines that eventually interconnect, creating a complicated web of relationships within its main cast. This sleight of hand extended toward its conclusion, which nicely wrapped up the preceding events in an unexpected, surreal, and darkly comic manner. In a time when the quality of Netflix content continues to dwindle, it took a collaboration with A24 to deliver one of their best originals to date.

Fargo

After a three-year hiatus, Fargo returned to our airwaves with a season that’s firing on all cylinders. The criticism leveled against so much of streaming content is that it felt “written by AI”, and Noah Hawley’s wicked-sharp writing for this series feels like anything but. The dialogue is snappy, the narrative is unpredictable, and the show overall has a distinct style to everything. The tracking shots, the bursts of violence, and even the moments of confrontation involve accidents and clumsiness that satisfyingly drive the plot forward. All of the personalities on screen pop, but at the heart of the season are two memorable main characters. Jon Hamm’s Roy is a steely antagonist whose presence is both menacing yet grounded enough to emulate the real-world reflection of abusive men like him. Dorothy’s deep-seated trauma (excellently portrayed in the season’s best episode, “Linda”, a dreamy installment that manages to successfully communicate domestic abuse using puppets) is balanced with her cunning survival skills that make her a far better character, all juggled by Juno Temple’s nuanced performance. We have yet to see if they’ll deliver a satisfying conclusion, but seeing the quality of this season’s first half, I have complete confidence that Hawley will deliver.

Gen V

There was some great TV this year, but a lot of my most anticipated shows of the year let me down. Black Mirror, Ted Lasso, The Continental, and Servant all underwhelmed, and I honestly expected Gen V to do the same. I adore The Boys, but a spinoff set on a college campus did not sound very appealing to me, and the trailers didn’t do much to win me over. So I was very surprised when the show instantly hooked me in, both in how it recaptured the spirit of The Boys and carved out its own place in the universe. The college setting provided ample opportunity for shocking superhero debauchery, (sorry Fargo, but Gen V still had the best use of puppets on TV this year) and it had the same excitement and humor as its predecessor while bringing a touch of its own dramatic weight to flesh everything else out. Now, the show wasn’t perfect (its dialogue and characterization was often uneven), but the beginning and ending were both strong enough to deserve a spot on this list.

Honorable mentions: Barry, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Abbott Elementary, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Arnold

Most Anticipated Shows of 2024

The Boys (season 4)

My favorite show currently airing, The Boys looks to be showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Every season of this show has been ace, but the last season especially dialed up the intensity and pointed to an even more insane future, particularly with Homelander getting closer to losing his mind with every passing minute. We got the first trailer a month ago, and it especially seemed to dial up the ratcheting tensions in this depraved world, most evidently in the political tensions that will hit close to home in a divided election year. The cherry on top is Jeffrey Dean Morgan joining the cast, as his incredibly charismatic work on The Walking Dead should allow him to perfectly gel with the other great performers. I don’t want to go too far out on a ledge, but with Butcher and Negan teaming up, Homelander might be screwed.

Severance (season 2)

My second favorite show currently airing, I honestly have no idea if this season will actually come out this year. Plagued with some production troubles and a pair of strikes, it feels like we have been already waiting too long since Severance’s first season concluded. And that’s long by current streaming standards, which already tend to take an eternity. Or maybe this wait just feels longer because the first season ended on the most nail-biting cliffhanger since this side of Breaking Bad, and it left us all salivating for the intensity that’s still in store. Here’s hoping that all of the anticipation turns out to be worth it, and one of the most intelligent, thoughtful, and suspenseful shows on television gets a worthy second season. And that it gets here quickly.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Please, please don’t screw this one up. The Walking Dead has certainly had its ups and downs, but the show’s anchor was always Rick Grimes. Excellently performed by Andrew Lincoln, Rick went through a number of transformative arcs, whether that’s turning into a merciless beast who must protect his family against anything, or a man who must regain his humanity by taking his role as a leader. When he left the show, a certain part of its soul died, and it didn’t help that the fierce Michonne, who always showed her soft side around the Grimes family, left shortly after. Every fan has been eagerly anticipating the reunion of the two, as well as the reveal of whoever Rick’s mysterious helicopter saviors are, and this show is finally providing those overdue answers. Though the universe hasn’t been in the best place for the last few years (with one exception), the promising footage shown makes me all the more hopeful that these two characters will finally get a satisfying ending. And please, for all of our sakes, let’s see at least a bit more of Rick at his most brutal self. (Out February 25)

True Detective: Night Country

I don’t expect True Detective to ever hit the highs of its first season again. 10 years ago, the crime anthology burst onto the scene with a compelling mystery, cinematic directing that amplified the Southern Gothic tone, and an all-time character in Rust Cohle (flawlessly portrayed by Matthew McConaughey) who eloquently communicated the show’s philosophy. It was a stunner, and it’s a shame that a poorly constructed second season and a much-improved, yet still not stellar third season lost some of the series’ steam. A five-year gap between seasons lost showrunner Nic Pizzolatto, meaning Night Country is helmed by a new creative team. A chilly murder mystery set in Alaska, a return to its neo-noir roots and the star power of Jodie Foster would have been enough, but glowing reviews indicating a return to top-form have all renewed my faith for this upcoming season. (Out January 14)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 12)

After almost 25 years, Curb will draw to a close in its 12th season. The show has had an incredibly impressive run, managing to always remain fresh and find new societal observations for our lovable misanthrope Larry to always pick apart. Few other comedies have its tight writing, which weaves together numerous different situations in every episode that eventually climax in one final punchline, with plenty of A-listers and screaming matches preceding it. Though I felt that the last season was the first time the show has ever felt a dip in quality, largely because the writing started to feel more forced than organic, I have no doubts that Larry will give us a pretty, pretty, pretty good finisher. After all, look at how beloved his ending to Seinfeld wa…oh, right. Well, second time’s the charm. (Out February 2nd)

Shogun

An FX limited series, this long-awaited project based on a novel by the same name looks to be an epic, expensive historical drama. Starring the reliably entertaining Hiroyuki Sanada, it tells the tale of samurais, political rivalries, and an English sailor stranded in Japan that, if it ends up being as beloved as the novel or the 1980s miniseries it was originally adapted into, will be a grand story filled with expansive world-building. Under FX and a showrunner with writing credits for Top Gun: Maverick and Counterpart, it seems to be in good hands. (Out February 27)

Masters of the Air

There are a number of reasons to get excited about this new Apple TV+ drama. After a long development stage, the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks-produced series follows Air Force pilots during World War 2. In case those names don’t excite you enough, they are the same team who produced HBO’s other acclaimed war miniseries Band of Brothers and The Pacific. It also has a number of A-list TV directors on board, the most notable for me being Cary Fukunaga, most known for his incredible directing on the first season of True Detective (he’s also reuniting with the cinematographer of that season). With Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan in the cast, as well as all of the footage looking like a high-octane war production on a cinematic scale, this is sure to be one of the most buzzed-about shows of the year. (Out January 26)

The Sympathizer

Another HBO drama, this time collaborating with A24, who’s always a watermark for quality. The Sympathizer’s very interesting premise follows a North Vietnam spy infiltrating a South Vietnamese community in the U.S. and his struggle to choose where his loyalties lie. With actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Oh on board and Park Chan-wook, director of films such as Oldboy and Decision to Leave, acting as showrunner, I can already smell the Emmys.

Abbott Elementary

The funniest show on network television is back after an extended hiatus due to the writers’ and actors’ strike. A comedy surrounding teachers, it feels like one of the few shows standing that seems to carry the torch of shows like The Office or Modern Family, and it’s rightfully beloved for it. All I hope for in its return is that both the writing, the cast (particularly Principal Ava), and the show as a whole is exactly the same comforting presence that it was when we left it. (Out February 7)

Fallout

I’ve never played the video game this is based on, but I’m quite a fan of the post-apocalypse genre. This long-awaited adaption follows an alternate history where a nuclear exchange post-World War 2 led to a futuristic society that was eventually decimated in a following war. The few survivors hid in fallout shelters, and the show follows one venturing out into a destroyed Los Angeles. Though I’m not the biggest Westworld fan, I’m interested to see what Jonathan Nolan and the rest of that show’s creative team (including composer Ramin Djawadi) will do with another sci-fi show, and Walton Goggins as a cast member is always a plus. The trailer’s stylish visuals and clearly creative world-building gives me even more hope for the final result. (Out April 12)

Honorable mentions: The Penguin (more Colin Farrell is always welcome, as is more of Matt Reeves’ Batman-verse), Cobra Kai season 6 (this show feels like it has overstayed its welcome a bit, but I’m sure there will be more fun to be had in this absurd world of karate), 3 Body Problem (Netflix’s new sci-fi show developed by the showrunners of Game of Thrones—out March 21), Dune: Prophecy (Max’s big-budget Dune spinoff), The Regime (HBO’s new political drama starring Kate Winslet and written by a vet of The Menu and Succession—out March 3), Orphan Black: Echoes, Apples Never Fall (out March), Expats (out January 26), Brothers of the Sun (out January 4), Palm Royale (Out March 21)

If you want my full thoughts on some of these shows, particularly if you want some negativity from me on the most disappointing ones, you can find them below.

The Continental is a weak continuation of the John Wick franchise that misses its shot

Why Barry and Ted Lasso both failed to stick their landings

Black Mirror season 6 is too ambitious for its own good

Daryl Dixon isn’t perfect, but it is exactly what The Walking Dead needs

This Weekend On-Screen: We've got a lot to catch up on, don't we?

This Weekend On-Screen: Missing will keep you guessing, apocalypse now on The Last Of Us