From comedy to prestige drama, this has been a vintage year for television. With so many to choose from we run through our top 25 of 2023, all of which are worth bingeing if you have missed out on them...
25) Barry - season 4
One newspaper called this the best show on television. Following the travails of a hitman who accidentally starts taking an acting class, the comedy became increasingly dark and experimental. While it didn’t take everyone with it, this was a genuinely maverick show and we are sad that this is the last we'll see of it, even if it did end in a brilliantly fitting way.
Barry season 4 is available to buy on Apple TV+, Prime Video and Sky Store
24) Fellow Travelers
Glossily produced, gorgeously acted, sexy as hell and unbearably sad, this drama, based on and expanded from Thomas Mallon's novel of the same name, follows the course and consequences of a decades-long love affair that begins between two men working in the US State Department at the height of McCarthyism. Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey plays the idealistic Tim Laughlin beautifully, while Matt Bomer, as his swaggering but closeted lover Hawkins 'Hawk' Fuller, delicately explores the conflicted masculinity of a gay military hero whose emotional survival tactics have eroded his capacity for love.
Fellow Travelers is available to stream on Paramount+
23) The Woman in the Wall
Nobody plays tormented characters quite like Ruth Wilson, and once more she gives a masterful performance in this shattering – and occasionally oddly funny – drama. Wilson plays Lorna, a woman who suffers from an extreme form of sleepwalking, brought on by trauma from her time in one of Ireland’s Magdalen laundries as a teenager. Throw in a murder, a tangled web of authoritarian intrigue and a determined young detective (a conflicted Daryl McCormack) and what you get is a riveting examination of trauma.
The Woman in the Wall is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
22) Heartstopper - series 2
Sometimes it’s nice to have respite from the high octane drama; this is one to warm the cockles. In 2023 that was where Heartstopper came (back) in. While season one focused on the will-they-won’t they dance between Nick and Charlie as they navigated school bullies and self-doubt, series two finds the pair happily coupled up and getting to grips with their first serious relationship. It makes for heartwarming, refreshingly low-stakes viewing; the pinnacle of Charlie’s hedonism is probably when he gets a hickey in Paris, and there are cheers all round when the bigoted bullies are quickly vanquished.
Heartstopper series 2 is streaming on Netflix
21) Jury Duty
Was this the weirdest show of 2023? It was a reality TV show about a group taking part in jury duty… except they are all actors in on the joke that only one person actually thinks it’s real. Starring actor James Marsden as himself, the joyfully bonkers Jury Duty gradually turns the screw on the poor unsuspecting Ronald, and left us watching through our fingers while still battling guilty chuckles.
Jury Duty is streaming on Amazon Freevee
20) I’m A Virgo
Teenage years are hard for anyone – but try navigating them as a 13ft giant. The show (from Sorry to Bother You’s Boots Riley) is an offbeat, bizarre comedy, but it has real funny bones as well as an ability to touch the heart. The mammoth protagonist Cootie, who is raised in secrecy by his protective family, discovers a bonkers world of superheroes and magic powers once he escapes their cotton wool embrace. And it's an unexpectedly fantastic joyride.
I'm A Virgo is streaming on Prime Video
19) Doctor Who
The Doctor returned in November, and hadn’t we missed the two-hearted timelord. After Jodie Whittaker bowed out at the end of last year, 2023 saw a soft reboot of sorts for the beloved franchise – showrunner Russell T Davies came back on board, and (even better) so did David Tennant and Catherine Tate, for three specials. The result was some of the best Doctor Who episodes ever created, drenched in nostalgia and indecently fun to watch.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
18) Reservation Dogs
Reservation Dogs hasn't received nearly the amount of praise it deserved over its three-season run, which ended this year. The comedy-drama (which was co-created by Taika Waititi) followed the fortunes of four Native American teens, stuck on their reservation and dreaming of running away. By turns heartbreaking, hilarious and ground-breaking, it is well worth seeking out.
Reservation Dogs is streaming on Disney+
17) Dreaming Whilst Black
This searing BBC Three comedy took its time getting to the small screen, but it left a real mark when it did: co-created by and starring Adjani Salmon, the show followed the fortunes of Kwabena, an aspiring filmmaker struggling to make it big. Wickedly funny and affecting, it featured cameos galore from top British comedians (including Jessica Hynes and Peep Show’s Isy Suttie), and manages to pull off the most excruciating karaoke scene ever committed to film.
Dreaming Whilst Black is streaming on BBC iPlayer
16) Culprits
Everyone’s so over heist shows, right? Wrong, as proved by Disney+’s action-packed thriller Culprits. Starring Nathan Stewart-Jarret and Gemma Arterton, the series actually starts some time after the robbery, as members of the gang are being targeted by unknown assassins. Flashing backward and forward in time – to the robbery, to their new lives, and then their mission to survive – this was an absolute blast, made all the better by the surprise cameo at the end.
Culprits is streaming on Disney+
15) Beef
Beef was one of those surprise Netflix hits that stormed the internet without warning: suddenly, everybody was talking about it, and for good reason. This delightfully batty show followed the escalating feud between two neighbours, Danny and Amy (Steven Yeun and Ali Wong), who are set at loggerheads after an unfortunate road rage incident that soon expands to involve urination, robberies and driving off a cliff. Pure gold.
Beef is streaming on Netflix
14) Boiling Point
It was the year of the restaurant kitchen anxiety watch, and there may be an argument that if you wanted pure high-stress kitchen drama, then Boiling Point, rather than The Bear, was where it’s at. After the explosive events of the 2021 film, most of the cast returned for this year's BBC series, but this time, sous-chef Carly (a brilliant Vinette Robinson) is the one running the kitchen, as Stephen Graham's Andy is trying to put his life back together. Though the one-shot take didn't carry over, the tension, loveable characters and fascinating kitchen politics did, for a delicious (if stomach-tightening) treat.
Boiling Point is streaming on BBC iPlayer
13) The Gold
Cocksure, swaggering and packed to the brim with attitude, The Gold told the story of 1983’s Brink’s-Mat robbery – aka the largest theft in British history. Packed full of stars including Dominic Cooper and Jack Lowden, this was dramatised with real flair, taking the viewer into seedy backrooms, smoke-filled pubs and sterile police stations as the cops try and catch these wiliest of robbers. Recently there was good news that it would return for a second series.
The Gold is streaming on BBC iPlayer
12) The Long Shadow
This haunting show told the story of Peter Sutcliffe, otherwise known as the Yorkshire Ripper, and his six-year killing spree. Sutcliffe targeted sex workers and vulnerable women from across the north of England, but this series chooses not to focus on him, but on the botched police investigation to catch him. The story is sensitively handled, powerfully told and everybody (especially Daniel Mays) puts in great performances.
The Long Shadow is streaming on ITVX
11) Blue Lights
This went a little under the radar in March, despite airing on BBC One. Audiences may have been put off by the thought of yet another police drama, but give it a go – while not quite Happy Valley, this stands head and shoulders above most in the genre. Set in Belfast, the series lifts the lid on the unvarnished side of life for three fresh young recruits who face huge pressure out on the streets every day. The writing is taut and it’s impossible not to be swept up in all the character’s lives as they navigate criminal gangs, a divided society and trying to pass their exams. A stellar cast in a stellar show.
Blue Lights is streaming on BBC iPlayer
10) Top Boy - season 3
All good things must come to an end, and 2023 marked the finale for Netflix’s hit London show, Top Boy. And the last series went out with a bang: Dushane and Sully’s feud bubbled to a head, hard-nosed dealerJaq went rogue and cinema’s golden boy Barry Keoghan even made an appearance as an Irish gangster. This was all brought thrillingly to a head with a killer ending, and was a fitting way to bow out for a brilliant London show that had an international impact.
Top Boy is available to stream on Netflix
9) The Curse
Indie film studio A24 really played a blinder with this one. The Curse was billed as a dark satirical comedy series and it sure delivers. Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder (who also co-created it) star as the couple who move to a remote town in New Mexico to film a house renovation series, landing them in ever-deeper ethical and moral quandaries. It’s wickedly dark and utterly bizarre, skewering reality TV and gentrification: a left-field treat.
The Curse is streaming on Paramount+
8) Dead Ringers
Rachel Weisz gave not one but two of the best performances of 2023 in Dead Ringers, based on the 1988 David Cronenberg horror film. She plays twins Beverly and Elliot Mantle, two visionary gynecologists who plan to open their own clinic to revolutionise how women give birth. Acclaimed British playwright (and sometime Succession writer) Alice Birch oversaw this twisty-turny, very graphic – and very funny – chiller that took Cronenberg’s body horror film and turned it into a deep exploration of class, race, family, healthcare and capitalism. And with Weisz front and centre (in double vision) it’s impossible to look away.
Dead Ringers is streaming on Prime Video
7) Colin from Accounts
For those put off by the title, fearing a drab office drama, it’s time to head to iPlayer to catch the comedy of the year (and by the way Colin from Accounts is a dog). This hilarious show seemingly came out of nowhere but quickly built a huge following in the UK for its very particular, cheerful brand of sarkiness and jokes about bodily functions that could only have come out of Australia.
It follows Gordon and Ashley, played by real life husband and wife Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who are brought together by fate – as well as a bit of flashing, a car accident and the cutest dog seen on screen all year. The pair also wrote this Sydney-set will-they-won’t-they show which had some of 2023's biggest laughs, from the accidental mess in a sock drawer to even more accidental dick pics.
Colin from Accounts is streaming on BBC iPlayer
6) Slow Horses - series 3
This masterful spy thriller, about the misfit spooks that MI5 have basically disowned, made a welcome return to Apple TV+ this year. Led by Gary Oldman’s flatulent Jackson Lamb, the gang of oddballs at Slough House are pressed back into action when one of their own is kidnapped in a job that seems linked to an MI5 cover up. Also starring Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas and Saskia Reeves, this starry, brilliantly scripted drama (described by one paper as “delightfully grim”) was an absolute delight once more.
Slow Horses is streaming on Apple TV+
The top five...
5) The Last of Us
When a TV adaptation of smash hit video game The Last of Us TV series was announced, it was met with widespread apprehension. Would the show live up to the source material, or would it (like so many other video game adaptations) crash and burn? Well, the first episode silenced those doubts comprehensively and the show just got better and better.
Featuring powerhouse performances from Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as Ellie and Joel, two lost souls who team up to cross a zombie-infested dystopian America, the show took the best elements of the video game and (if possible) improved on it. And that’s without mentioning the famous episode three, featuring perhaps the most gorgeous apocalyptic love story ever rendered on screen and prompted much debate over whether it was the best standalone episode of TV ever.
The Last of Us is available on Sky and Now
4) The Sixth Commandment
In a year laden with true crime stories on screen, this one stands out. The story itself was bizarre – in 2019, Ben Field, a man in his 20s, was convicted of seducing and killing two elderly parishioners he met at the church they attended. Field’s crimes were numerous – gaslighting, emotional and physical abuse, manipulating victims by writing notes on the bathroom wall he pretended were from God – and this series brings the true horror of what happened vividly to life.
Éanna Hardwicke is simply superb as the sinister Field, but the show also takes the time to examine the impact his actions had on his victims, Peter Farquhar and Anne Moore-Martin, as well as on their families. As true-crime shows go, it's unbeatable.
The Sixth Commandment is streaming on iPlayer
3) The Bear - season 2
It’s clear a show has cut through when its catchphrase can be heard in the wild. While I was dining at a fancy eaterie in Soho this week, those working in the open plan kitchen were repeatedly hailed by diners with the cry, “Yes chef.” This has undoubtedly been sparked by the rise of The Bear (maybe with a little Boiling Point thrown in – see earlier) whose second series somehow did the impossible, and improved on the first.
Series two and The Beef of Chicagoland is itself being turned into a fine dining establishment. And of course it isn’t a smooth ride. Anchored by Jeremy Allen White’s lowkey charismatic Carmy, this season goes deeper into the backstories of the rest of the Beef’s motley crew – and each one gets a chance to shine. This stands up to repeated viewings and, alongside Succession, offered one of the great ensembles on TV, without a weak link in it. This is a Michelin star-level treat… roll on series three.
The Bear is streaming on Disney+
2) Happy Valley - series 3
For fans of Hebden Bridge copper Catherine Cawood, it has been a long seven years waiting for her final showdown with twisted criminal Tommy Lee Royce, who began series three on the run.
So was the final installment in Sally Wainwright's police series worth the wait? A resounding yes: from sinister near misses and cold-hearted killings, it was gripping from start to finish, with exceptional performances from Sarah Lancashire and James Norton, as well as a stellar supporting cast.
The initially understated kitchen confrontation between Catherine and Tommy, followed by the show’s shocking finale, is one of the most intense pieces of TV in recent memory.
Happy Valley is streaming on iPlayer
And the show of the year is...
1) Succession - season 4
It was the prestige TV event of the year. The final season of Jessie Armstrong's comedy drama promised to finally reveal who would take over from irascible patriarch Logan Roy, and amazingly it didn’t disappoint. It merged family psychodrama with corporate chicanery, there was treachery and intrigue – was Kendall’s name underlined or crossed out? – Realpolitik, betrayal and some lovely interiors. The series, replete with some of the sharpest writing anywhere on screen, also landed one of the most extraordinary rug-pulls in recent TV history a third of the way through. What a way to sign off.
This is a show that has made bankable stars of all of its cast – quite a few of whom can be seen next year on West End stages – and has been deservedly garlanded with awards. It just got better and better, richer (in more ways than one) and more compelling, and will be looked back on as one of the great series of the modern era.
