The Best TV Shows of 2023

10. “I’m a Virgo” (Prime Video)

In Boots Riley’s Prime Video parable, men can fly high above the streets. Guns aren’t just guns — they’re laser rifles. Giants walk among us. Yet the people of Oakland are, well, the people of Oakland — they’re your friends and neighbors. Their joys are universal, and their problems feel all too real. “I’m a Virgo” balances its brilliant imagination against recognizable truths in ways that make the former feel irresistibly fantastic and the latter foolishly constricting. If we can dream this big, then why do we let earthly impediments make us feel so small?

Riley’s seven-episode series is anchored by its writer-director’s beguiling world-building and star Jharrel Jerome’s endearing, joyful performance. As Cootie, the 13-foot-tall teenager at the center of “I’m a Virgo,” Jerome conveys curiosity and conviction in equal measure. He may have been raised in a sheltered environment — by an aunt and uncle (Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps, respectively) who feared what the public would do to their colossal child — but he’s still a kid, eager to get out there, find his friends, and make an impact. Cootie’s Oakland odyssey is at once surprising and foreseeable; going out for burgers with your buds isn’t quite so easy when you can barely fit in the restaurant (let alone afford enough double-doubles to satiate an enormous appetite), but the allure, the satisfactions, the fun, they’re all the same. Adjustments must be made, and it’s only when people, places, and things refuse to accommodate Cootsie do situations get tricky. It’s only a small world when we make it one, and no one knows that better than an actual giant.

For more, read Ben Travers’ SXSW review of “I’m a Virgo” and Eric Kohn’s behind-the-scenes feature on its creation.

9. “Barry” (HBO)

Bill Hader completes his black comic masterpiece in “Barry” Season 4, as the titular hitman/actor finally comes face to face with his dreams — and his demons. After a Season 3 finale that sees Barry Berkman (Hader) hauled off to jail, the final season delves into what happens once he’s been found out. We see Sally (Sarah Goldberg) react to the news in suitably horrified fashion. We watch as Gene (Henry Winkler) tries to rewrite history in his favor, Fuches (Stephen Root) embraces a new role forged behind bars, and Hank (Anthony Carrigan) descends further into the darkness felt during his own brief imprisonment.

“Barry,” along with the majority of its characters, has always been on a steady trajectory toward rock bottom, but among the heavier moments in an admittedly grim series ender, Hader — who directs every episode — finds consistent humor, whether it’s via clever set-ups, farcical rhythms, or sudden bursts of laughter. Ambitious and honest, biting and raw, bleak and lively, “Barry” is a dexterous blend of various genres and ideas, all in service of the same unforgettable story. That it’s this funny to the end only makes its harsh truths all the more cutting.

For more, read Jim Hemphill’s interview with Bill Hader and Steve Greene’s episodic reviews.

8. “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” (Netflix)

Nude egg. Driving Crooner. Monsters on the world.

Absent the context provided by “I Think You Should Leave,” these words are less than meaningless; they’re redundant, absurd, or at least grammatically dubious. But for those who’ve seen Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s Netflix sketch series, each brief description elicits memories as clear and delightful as they are bizarre and distinct. Plenty of storytelling functions similarly — “Rosebud” wouldn’t mean much without “Citizen Kane” — but “ITYSL” creates powerful associations within just a few minutes, and each one is harder to explain than the last. Episodes are barely one quarter of an hour, with three or four sketches in each. Subjects are often jerks or dummies. What happens may feel ordinary or unfathomable, and yet there’s a truth buried within these unpredictable arcs and mystifying characters. Enough that we keep coming back, over and over, either by clicking play on Netflix or scrolling memes online. “I Think You Should Leave” sticks with you, and you’re always better off for remembering.

For more, read Ben Travers’ review of Season 3 and check out the team’s ranking of every sketch throughout the series.

7. “The Other Two” (Max)

Hollywood’s “30 Rock” successor shines brilliantly in its final season, as Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Cary Dubek (Drew Tarver) continue their crusade to break into the top tier of showbiz, no matter the cost. And boy, is there ever a cost. With high-concept episodes and a go-for-broke satiric edge, Season 3 offers nothing but payoffs , making it hard to choose the best part of, well, anything:

Best guest star? Ben Platt…no. Kiernan Shipka? Maybe… oh wait, it’s Simu Liu, which also brings us to the best episode — “Cary Gets His Ass Handed To Him” — even though certain Indiewire staffers have argued it’s really “Brooke Hosts a Night of Undeniable Good.” (They’re wrong, but why split hairs?) Best cast member is as impossible to choose as best joke, especially when Ken Marino just keeps getting better (and bolder) with age, and Molly Shannon discovers new depths to her do-it-all host, entrepreneur, and mother, Pat.

Showrunners Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider find an ideal resolution for a comedy that could’ve gone just about anywhere and covered just about any topic. Elastic and exacting, “The Other Two” holds true to its family’s journey while infusing incisive pop culture commentary throughout. Liz Lemon would watch every episode, which is perhaps the highest compliment of all.

For more, read Sarah Shachat’s craft coverage of the Applebee’s episode and “Pleasantville” spoof, Samantha Bergeson’s interview with Josh Segarra, and Proma Khosla’s conversation with the casting directors.

6. “Reservation Dogs” (FX)

Sterlin Harjo’s genre-busting series makes its boldest move literally. Season 3 starts with our core four characters — Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor) — stranded in California. They made their long-discussed coastal excursion at the end of Season 2, finding closure for a lost friend whose death set the series in motion. But rather than immediately return to their Oklahoma home, the final episodes take plenty of detours. There’s an open-ended aspect to these initial half-hour entries that allows for renewed purpose and pathos in its middle section, before closing with a moving tribute to community. “Rez Dogs” has always had the confidence to shift perspective, to play with tone, to buck expectations, but its swan song feels both deliberate and spontaneous as only truly special stories can. There’s so much life in Okern, so much vitality and understanding. Other small-town stories have struggled to capture that feeling with similar verisimilitude, but Harjo’s evocation is nearly effortless. Time away can magnify what’s important, so by shifting his subjects out of their home and keeping them there, even for a few episodes, “Reservation Dogs” sets the table for powerful ending to his tender coming-of-age tale. And delivers.

For more, read Proma Khosla’s Season 3 review, her exit interview with Sterlin Harjo, and Sarah Shachat’s “Deer Lady” audio investigation.

5. “The Last of Us” (HBO)

After 150 seasons of “The Walking Dead” and untold additional post-apocalyptic sagas, the last thing anyone thought they needed in 2023 was another sad zombie show — especially a sad zombie show that also carried the curse of adapting a video game. Well, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann knew better, crafting a drama built from the well-worn bones of its predecessors and fashioned into something purposeful and new. Joel (Pedro Pascal) is a jack-of-all-trades tasked with protecting Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a valued young girl, as they traverse a dangerous American landscape devastated by a deadly fungal pandemic. Along the way, they narrowly escape cannibals and fascists, the infected, and their own harrowing histories.

What may sound familiar on paper is anything but in practice. “The Last of Us” repeatedly usurps expectations and genre cliches to force a reconsideration of American mythos. Gripping and provocative, thrilling and thoughtful, Mazin and Druckmann’s adaptation is satisfying in ways that push not just its chosen genres forward, but all of television.

For more, read Ben Travers’ review, his analysis of how and why the series splits from the video game, all our episode reviews, Steve Greene’s Episode 3 music breakdown, Sarah Shachat’s interview with the casting directors, her Episode 5 production explainer, and an interview with co-showrunner Craig Mazin.

4. “The Bear” (FX)

Second seasons are supposed to evolve. No matter how smooth or shaky the initial launch, whatever comes next should be striving to get better; to hone in on what’s working and why, to cut what’s extraneous or defective, and to reach for greatness, even if greatness was already achieved. “The Bear” Season 2 does all of this, and does it so, so, so well. Even if I’d written a wish list ahead of production, I couldn’t have asked for a better follow-up season to Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo’s half-hour restaurant drama, which moves forward with the confidence of the hit show it became last year, as well as the curiosity required to keep discovering itself in seasons to come.

Expanding its perspective beyond Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and taking enough breathers to let us appreciate the growing ensemble, “The Bear” finds fresher flavors and richer zing. Sydney was a huge attribute in Season 1 not only because of Ayo Edebiri’s charming turn, but because she helped alleviate the near-constant thrum of tension driving the narrative. Character portraits of Marcus (Lionel Boyce) baking in Copenhagen and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) training in Chicago help open up a story that could feel too claustrophobic for its own good, while introducing a cooking-free passion to Carmy’s life adds dimensions to a man who, before, was little more than a workaholic in mourning. Meanwhile, episodes like the Berzatto family Christmas and the pressure-packed finale serve up enough apprehension to keep the stakes elevated. “The Bear” only got bigger in Season 2, and its ambition was rewarded thanks to an astute attention to what the first season did right, what the series could do better, and where this heartening story could go next.

Read Ben Travers’ review of Season 2, Proma Khosla’s interview with the casting director, and Anne Thompson’s interview with Jeremy Allen White.

3. “The Curse” (Showtime)

You are not ready for “The Curse.” Even if you’ve kept up with the squirm-inducing black comedy’s first four episodes (all that have been released as of this writing), there’s simply nothing that can prepare you for the magnificent totality of Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s diabolical creation. I’ve seen it — all of it — and I don’t feel ready to approach each hour again, hand in hand with the world at large. Call it cringe comedy, and you’d be right. Consider it torture, and I wouldn’t argue. But whatever it is to you, it’s incredible television for all. Steel yourself, as best you can.

For more, read Ben Travers’ review and report from the NYFF premiere.

2. “Dead Ringers” (Prime Video)

There is an urgency at the heart of Alice Birch’s immaculate adaptation of “Dead Ringers,” rooted simultaneously in primal understanding and modern demand. Twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot Mantle (both played by Rachel Weisz) are at the top of their field. They’re incredibly successful, incredibly smart doctors, trapped in a system they despise. They want a better birthing environment for their patients; they want to revolutionize the way women deliver babies and create better, longer, healthier lives in the process. Together, they’ve devised a plan to do just that — but together is also where their problems begin.

Long before Beverly and Elliot navigate the ghastly families and unfeeling executives necessary to fund their altruistic dream facility, their codependent relationship is primed to crack. They already swap identities at work, whenever one is more equipped to deal with a troublesome patient or nagging coworker, but they also shift personas socially. Not knowing when to stop or where their individual selves diverge become recurrent themes in the beguiling six-episode limited series, as the Mantle twins embark on a journey of discovery. Weisz has never been better, setting a ferocious tone from the jump and embracing the mad scientist archetype as confidently as she usurps it. “Dead Ringers” is driven — driven by curiosity, conviction, and chaos. From the biting dialogue to the brilliant ideas, it’s a venture of glorious purpose, and one helluva ride to boot.

For more, read Sarah Shachat’s analysis of the revealing production design, Jim Hemphill’s explainer on how the twins were shot, and Steve Greene’s interview with the prosthetics designer.

1. “Succession” (HBO)

Nothing more needs to be said about “Succession.” Not now, not for a few years, at least. The HBO series earned its thorough coverage over four exceptional seasons, and explaining Jesse Armstrong’s vicious, humbling, black-comic tragedy at this juncture would only be redundant. Now, our job as cultural connoisseurs is to remember. Maybe on its five- or 10-year anniversary, we can reassess, but for now, a brief recap of what Season 4 was able to accomplish:

No one, no matter how sure they claimed to be in predicting the ending, knew exactly how “Succession” would end. Everyone, even those who considered themselves casual fans, got caught up in guessing who could win, if anyone could win, and what winning would even look like. Meanwhile, there were astonishing creations like Living+ and The Hundred, landmark moments like Shiv and Tom’s balcony brouhaha and an election night call for the ages, and vivid performances from a cast so heralded it seemed impossible for them to top themselves. Oh, and in case we’ve already forgotten (and here’s a spoiler warning for those who’ve yet to watch): “Succession” also killed off its star in the third episode! The Emmy-winning masterpiece will be remembered for a lot of reasons, but for now, let’s cherish its tenacity. In our ongoing age of I.P. and franchises, too few shows have the courage to break from convention. “Succession” was never afraid to carve its own path.

For more, find all of IndieWire’s in-depth “Succession” coverage right here.

And 10 More, For Good Measure

“Beef”
“Dave”
“Full Circle”
“Mrs. Davis”
“Perry Mason”
“The Righteous Gemstones”
“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off”
“Somebody Somewhere”
“Starstruck”
“What We Do in the Shadows”