Hollywood was at a standstill for much of 2023, with screenwriters and actors simultaneously on picket lines for the first time in more than 60 years. The strike, which came on the heels of a pandemic that disrupted television production but made television central to daily life, had an immediate and lasting impact. Late-night programming has gone dark, broadcast networks have ended their fall season, and the peak era of television has come to an abrupt end. Both unions are making convincing claims of victory, but the industry, which has relied for years on boom-time profligacy, is bracing for a drop in output and perhaps a decline in quality.
At the end of this year, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the television world. Certain factions have already adopted destructive thinking. Over the past few weeks, multiple people have asked me whether businesses will return to a risk-averse attitude. (We hope not!) But before we look to the next chapter of television, it’s worth celebrating the highlights of the past 12 months. There were fewer contestants than usual considering the studio shutdown. But the best of 2023 is strong enough that the following alphabetical top 10 list could rival lists from other years.
“Barry” (HBO/Max)
“Barry” follows the titular assassin-turned-actor played by Bill Hader, who is unable to daydream about a career in showbiz after his beloved mentor reveals him to be a murderer. It abandoned its comedy roots midway through season four. Abandoning its original premise, the show is now a dramatic thriller punctuated with scenes of comic absurdity, but it’s more about the characters and their inescapable existential horror. It has become a faithful one. Hader, who took over as showrunner and oversaw every episode of the final season, was instrumental in the series’ defining moments, such as when the eight-year time jump saw the hitman go from convict to fugitive to an unlikely career. He guided the characters to an inevitable destination while respecting the theme. -Photo subject. Despite the change in genre, “Barry” continues to offer inventive action sequences and bold monologues (especially by the always-overlooked Sarah Goldberg), all with one of TV’s trickiest tonal balances. maintained his performance. Forget about stardom. A writer is born here.
Photo: Andrew Cooper / Provided by: Netflix
“Beef” (Netflix)
A street assault leads to a chase between two self-loathing thugs (Steven Yeun and Ali Wong), who unleash something fierce within each other, making this one of the best on this list. The most acutely observed series becomes the anchor. Highly entertaining and largely unpredictable in its plot, this drama is also a showcase of ridiculously good performances not only by Yoon and Wong but also by an ensemble that includes veterans (Patti Yastake) and newcomers (Young Maginot) alike . The show, which explores intergenerational trauma and the dual protagonist’s struggles with mental health, may foreshadow new avenues for cultural specificity on screen.
“The Curse” (Showtime/Paramount+)
After years of guiding his docu-comedy subjects into cringe-inducing situations, Nathan Fielder returns with a series of dizzying, disorienting scripts he co-created with Benny Safdie. , he ended up playing himself as a victim on a reality show. In “The Curse,” Fielder and Emma Stone play a couple aiming for HGTV stardom, but their marriage begins to fall apart during filming due to the serpentine influence of a producer (Safdie). Also, no matter what kind of relationship you have, exposing yourself to camera surveillance will arouse suspicion. . An anxiety-inducing character study that grapples with the performativity of both domestic bliss and enlightened whiteness, the show explores the rifts that can grow into rifts when two people can’t see each other clearly. is the most successful quest. In his first completely fictional outing, Fielder clearly continues to do what he enjoys most: toying with viewers’ sense of reality.
Photo provided by: Niko Tavernise / Provided by: Amazon Prime
Reboots, remakes, sequels, and prequels rarely make it to the year’s best lists. But playwright and screenwriter Alice Birch decided on a project that no one seemed to have asked for, David Cronenberg’s 1988 film Dead Ringers, about twin gynecologists played by Jeremy Irons. ‘ is a gender-flipped update of the original, turned into a spicy, atmospheric, fun and creepy thriller. Rachel Weisz plays a central role. Cronenberg’s film was about two men who had expertise in female anatomy but were unable to relate to women. Through Birch’s transposition, she shows that the female body is a place where medicine often seeks to bend the laws of nature, and that such cutting-edge treatments are only available to those who can afford them. You can meditate on being a thing. In other words, this miniseries is a thorough and timely reimagining of the original story, and Weisz gives one of the year’s most captivating performances (or is she two?).
History is an oppressive force in The Fellow Travellers, but miraculously this eight-part adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s novel rarely descends into tragedy. The sensual and heartfelt show follows two men (played by Matt Bomer) who first met in Joseph McCarthy’s Lavender Phobia in the ’50s, when far-right senators were looking to purge not just communists. and Jonathan Bailey)’s relationship of more than 30 years. But gay men and women in the civil service. “Fellow Travelers” dramatizes the moral compromises and ugly choices forced by the closet at a time when queer solidarity was tenuous at best. Bayley, in particular, lends this period romance a charming unpredictability. The romance is less didactic and more about how these characters react to historical circumstances and gradual social advances that arrive just in time for some and for many. I’m interested in exploring. For others, it’s late.
Photo by Shane Brown/Courtesy of FX
The third and final season of “Reservation Dogs” began with Oklahoma-born Bear getting lost on his way home from California. The remaining episodes also had a meandering nature, experimenting with different protagonists, points of view, moods, timelines, and realities. The production became an ambitious but satisfying swan song for the acclaimed Native American drama, in which his quartet of teenagers assume new roles within their community. In the process, the show gave the coming-of-age story new cultural weight, even cosmic significance, a risky and prescient reframing.
“Scavenger’s Rain” (Max)
When science fiction was still a genre proverbially shoved in the locker, many advocates cited its relevance and similarities to our world as a reason to take it seriously . Personally, I’ve often wondered why science fiction isn’t interested in invoking creatures that don’t have a reference point on Earth. The highly original “Scavenger’s Rain,” which began as a short for Adult His Swim, is a triumph of imagination, using animation to bring surprisingly unfamiliar flora and fauna to life. Many are impersonally hostile, some have practical application, and others simply fascinate the crew of a transport ship stranded on a distant planet and must understand a new ecosystem in order to survive. Brutal, depressing, and sparse in dialogue for most of the first half of its 12 chapters, “Scavenger’s Rain” is the kind of show that forces viewers to get used to its unhurried rhythm. It doesn’t take long for you to become hypnotized.
Photo courtesy of HBO Max
Bridget Everett’s vehicle “Somebody Somewhere” has the perfect vibe of TV’s nicest hangout drama. Everett’s sleazy, mean-spirited Sam would wince at anyone calling his small-town Kansas adventures with his gay best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) “nice,” but the fun here is soft. There is no denying that it is bright. After showing that Sam is there in the first season; was There was a place for her in her hometown, especially in the queer community, but the second time she faced the consequences of living life as a clenched fist. Her tensions with Joel, who adores Sam but fears that her closed-off feelings and codependency may limit his chances of finding love of his own, are exacerbated in middle age. It’s completely believable because it’s rooted in both characters’ suffering over unrealized potential. Like homemade biscuits, this type of low-key, low-stakes range has few ingredients, and mixing them in the wrong proportions can make a mess. “Somebody Somewhere” nails that recipe exactly, and it couldn’t be more comforting.
By the time most subjects in cult documentaries step in front of the camera, they’ve already gone through the transition from true believers to outspoken heretics. “Stolen Youth” follows one of the victims, Felicia Rosario, as she gradually deprograms herself and sorts out her true memories from the false ones planted by her abusive ex-partner, Larry Ray. It is characterized by very intimate footage of the process. Ray ultimately recruited and brainwashed six students from Sarah Lawrence College, including her best friend and her boyfriend, while living with her daughter Talia on campus. His misdeeds made headlines in 2019, but this sensitive documentary is a far cry from the high-profile cash cows that litter the television landscape. In fact, this is a rare work in the true crime genre that brings to the fore the pain and resilience of the victim.
Photo provided by: Graham Hunter / Provided by: HBO Max
2023 has been a remarkable year for even casual observers of the Murdoch family, with patriarch Rupert finally settling into semi-retirement and the Dominion lawsuit raising many surprises about the inner workings of Fox News. As a testament to its brilliance, Succession serves as both a mirror for the political influence of the Murdoch family and a chronicle of the particular dynastic dysfunction of the Roy family, played by perhaps the best cast on television. I accomplished it. In the final season, we first say goodbye to his father’s family, Logan. Logan’s sudden death left a crater in the heart of the family. Funnier than most comedies and more stressful than most horror films, Succession gave us plenty of unforgettable moments. Roman collapses in tears before finishing his eulogy at his father’s funeral, Shiv uses her pregnancy as a weapon against her estranged husband Tom, and second son Kendall insists that he is the “eldest son.” To be worthy of the throne – to fill a ridiculously large bag.
Honorable mentions: “This Fool” (Hulu) and “The Other Two” (Max) – two comedies with a dark and poignant sensibility – that probably made me laugh more than any other show this year. Zombie travel drama “The Last of Us” (HBO/Max) bucked the trend of bad video game adaptations with its thoughtful post-apocalyptic world-building and the eerie beauty of its mushroom monsters. Sports documentarian Greg Whiteley (Cheer, Last Chance U) writes The Wrestler (Netflix), about an independent wrestling league struggling to survive, about athletics, coaching, and economic instability. He demonstrated another deep humanist study. ‘Shiny Happy People’ (Amazon Prime) may be 2023’s most surprising documentary series, a sordid behind-the-scenes look at the Duggar family’s reality TV phenomenon. “Dear Mama” (FX/Hulu) offered a diptych portrait of talented but troubled former Black Panther Afeni and her world-famous rapper son Tupac Shakur . Director Allen Hughes gave the series an extraordinary visual energy, tracing the successful and unsuccessful efforts of a hip-hop star to translate the political lessons he learned from his mother into a timeless hit. ♦
