I’m not a huge TV show person. Unless I can binge it, watching at my own pace without the chance of being spoiled, I prefer to sit and watch a movie over shows. But, 2023 was a year to change that. I found myself returning week after week to keep up on my favorite shows, staying right on the edge of my seat. So, this year I kept track of these shows to see what my favorite one of the year would be (it came as no surprise to myself what ended up taking the top spot). Here are my favorite TV series and seasons of this year.
Honorable Mentions
This year, I was so consumed by how amazing the media was coming out consistently that I managed to fall so behind on some shows that I still haven’t finished them. First up is The Last of Us. I watched all of the episodes until the finale and psyched myself out, so now I’m rewatching it with the goal of actually finishing it this time. Do not get me wrong, this is an amazing show. Honestly could be up for the best show of the year if I had actually kept up with it. I just got too scared to finish it.
Next is Heartstopper. This is in the same vein as The Last of Us in that I just got so anxious thinking about the final episodes (knowing what would happen, since I read the comic first) that I couldn’t get myself to watch the last two episodes. I promise I will!
My final show that didn’t make the list was New Girl. This was the show I turned on throughout the year when I didn’t really have much to watch and just wanted to relax between classes or wind down after a long day. I’ve only got one season left and it’s easy to say this is one of my favorite long-term shows that I know I’ll come back to time and time again.
5. Black Mirror: Season Six
Okay, I have mixed feelings about this season. Black Mirror has consistently produced some of my favorite episodes of TV ever, and I was somewhat let down with these ones. Don’t get me wrong, I think the concepts were really cool. Episode two, Loch Henry, was amazing while other episodes, in my opinion, were either alright or downright bad. The thing that always brought me back to Black Mirror was their take on evolving technology and how everything has a good and potentially deadly side. This season it seemed like they wanted to lean away from that. There were a few episodes dealing with things that were supernatural like demons and werewolves (which seriously confused me the first time one of those appeared). Hopefully in future seasons we get more of the core of the show, though I’m not completely opposed to this shift.
4. Only Murders in the Building: Season Three
If you’ve never seen this show, I highly recommend it to you. Whenever I come back from school for breaks, my mom and I always dive deep into watching new movies and shows but rarely find something we both enjoy. Only Murders is exactly that show. It’s the kind of show you can turn on and just enjoy without having to think too hard on what’s happening. Each season a new murderer is introduced and, each season, I’ve struggled to figure out who it is until the last second. The show does an amazing job at being funny and also keeping you hooked, piecing together each of the clues along with the three protagonists. Season three specifically changed some of their tone by leaning into one of the character’s love for theatre. There’s musical numbers (that are surprisingly good), tons of drama between the protagonists, and lots of clues that throw you off the trail.
3. Our Flag Means Death: Season Two
OFMD is something that makes you care about the characters no matter what. The first season of the show did a great job of setting up characters and their relationships to be expanded on in the second season. We got a ton of development with everyone in the show, including who used to be a character I hated (who I ended up loving in the last episode). Not to mention the representation throughout the show. There’s truly something for everyone in this show about pirates and the second season did a great job. The only thing I can say negatively about this season is that the last episode felt a little rushed – it definitely could’ve been split into two separate episodes to help slow things down a little, but other than that this season was perfection.
2. Kaleidoscope
This was one of the first things I watched this year and I’m still thinking about it. The whole concept behind the show is that you’re watching it out of order but are always learning about the central plot point: a heist. Sometimes you’ve got an episode that’s ten years before it happens, other times you’re watching the day after. Netflix randomizes the watching order for everyone and I remember the internet debating what the ‘right’ order was to watch. And honestly, there’s no wrong way to watch the show. You can go chronologically, in color order (every episode is named a color), or just how Netflix gives it to you. The only thing the internet seemed to agree upon was that White has to be watched last. There’s nothing more rewarding than ending your binge with the heist itself.
1. Loki: Season Two
It should come as no surprise to anyone that this was my favorite show of the year. Loki might just be my favorite thing I consumed this year, period. I’ll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, just because the ending wrecked me so much that everyone needs to go in without knowing anything.
Season one was something I struggled to get through the first time. I rewatched it right before going in to this season and found it was much more enjoyable the second time. However, I didn’t have that issue with Loki season two. Right from the beginning I was in love with the story they were trying to tell and Loki’s development that was beginning to show. Episode three takes Loki right back to his villainous origins and I found myself smiling the. Entire. Time. This season delt a lot with time and how much the timelines are crucial to life, which pushed Loki to points I never could have guessed we’d ever see with him. The finale was brutal and I was sobbing throughout the credits, but it was something I felt was needed. His character development is unmatched in the Marvel universe. My only hope is that this is the end of his story. That’s the only way all of season two is worth it.
Thanks for checking out My Top Media of 2023: TV Series and Seasons! If you’re interested, I’m also recapping other media I consumed this year from movies to Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and everything else in between. If you’re interested in seeing more of my reviews, the link to my next recap will be here once my next post is live. Happy watching!
Payton Klaer 
Leave a comment