HIGH ANXIETY: UNBINGED PICKS THE BEST TELEVISION OF 2023
Erin Maxwell December 12, 2023
In a year that was mired by industry strife and strikes, anxieties flared both on and off the screen, for 2023 was the year that television left audiences in a cold sweat. The best of the year didn't just pull at our heartstrings, but it played with our fears and sent us reeling into moments of existential dread while our anxieties soared to sky high levels that would have doctors concerned. But in a good way. The best example of this -- and one of the best offerings of 2023 -- was FX/Hulu's The Bear. In its second season, Carmy (the brilliant and soulful Jeremy Allan White) began renovating both his sandwich shop and its staff to create a fine dining experience. During the season, The Bear offered episodes that demonstrated pivots in character and story arcs that resonated with viewers. But it is the Christmas episode "Fishes" that impacted fans most. Once the credits roll, viewers are left with deeper insight into characters while carrying the memory of the episode with them like emotional baggage. This year we also said goodbye to Max’s Succession, ending the series with Tom (David Matthew Macfadyen) on top as the rest of the Roy clan were left adrift. In addition to the God-tier level of performances, every episode kept audiences on the edge of their seat as each awful Roy sibling made a play for the Waystar RoyCo throne. Stellar performances from leads Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, and Kieran Culkin paired with whip-smart scripts created emotional devastation every Sunday night. But Succession wasn't Max's only prized offering. Throughout the year, Max continued to deliver prestige TV by making seemingly impossible possible: creating a video game adaptation that impressed both critics and fans rather than divide them. The Last Of Us merged high-end horror with emotional gut punches thanks to the acting prowess of its leads, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay. Max's Barry also came to a close this year, leaving fans of the Bill Hader-led series in an emotional turmoil as the hitman's attempt to leave his life of crime behind goes awry thanks to his former acting teacher Gene (Henry Winkler). In the end, there is no redemption nor reprieve for these characters; just the knowledge that one can never truly escape the sins of the past. In the words of antihero Barry Berkman, “Wow.” This year, streaming juggernaut Netflix also delved out their fair share of emotional turmoil. Mike Flanagan’s take on Edgar Allan Poe resulted in his sinister yet satisfying The Fall of the House of Usher. Far from the haunting family dramas Flanagan usually offers, this horror anthology made the most of Poe's work with a grim and gory saga of the Ushers, a clan of billionaires whose patriarch (played by Bruce Greenwood) made a devil’s deal in exchange for power and riches. Netflix also tantalized us with Beef this year, starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as two strangers whose road rage incident escalates to new heights of destruction and depravity. Like watching a car crash in slow motion, Beef kept audiences guessing what each of these deviants would do next. But the true winner for creating the most hard-to-watch experiment in secondhand embarrassment was Showtime and Paramount+'s The Curse. Created by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, The Curse follows a pair of home rehabbers who use performance activism to find fame and fortune in the HGTV world. Starring Emma Stone with Fielder, Safdie, the trio create a viewing experience unlike any other that addresses moral and philosophical issues that arise when creating reality TV.For those who needed an escape from anxiety-ridden entertainment, Amazon Prime’s Good Omens, which opted to break hearts instead of raise blood pressure. The second season of the Neil Gaiman fantasy series centered on the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale, lifelong frenemies who just turned the corner on their relationship only to have Heaven and Hell intervene, causing all of Tumblr to fall to its collective knees. Luckily, not all great TV this year was a test of strength. FX/Hulu's fifth season of Fargo was an engaging outing that once again gathered one hell of a cast in a season that saw the series return to its roots. Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Joe Keery, and Jennifer Jason Leigh headed up a season that follows a housewife attempting to escape the clutches of her former husband. And finally, the young warriors of FX/Hulu's Reservation Dogs offered a third season that reflected on the gang’s future both with each other and possible long term goals as creators Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi continue to charm audiences with the Indigenous American dramedy. 2023 was a year of great series that sent us straight to the therapist, reflecting the fears and anxieties of its audience back onto itself thanks to its many stories. Hopefully, next year we’ll find kinder, gentler programming. Fingers crossed. The Top Ten for the Year 2023
- The Bear (Hulu, Season 2)
- Succession (Max, Season 4)
- The Last of Us (Max)
- The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)
- Beef (Netflix, Limited Series)
- The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix, Limited Series)
- Fargo (FX/Hulu; Year 5)
- Good Omens (Amazon Prime, Season 2)
- Barry (Max, Season 4)
10 Reservation Dogs (Hulu, Season 3)
Honorable Mentions: These shows were just as enjoyable and stress-inducing, but didn't make the Top Ten, including a handful of charmers such as Waititi's other shows FX's What We Do In The Shadows and Max's Our Flag Means Death, Max's The Other Two, and Netflix's One Piece. Amazon Prime's Gen V expanded the world of The Boys while the second season of Hulu's Shoresy had us thanking our neighbors to the North. And Amazon Prime's Swarm and Dead Ringers offer its leads a chance to embrace the unhinged while showing off their acting chops.
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