10 Best TV Shows Of 2023 (So Far)
What a great six months we've had...
Six months in, and 2023 has already proven to be a stellar year for the small screen. From big and small hits that have taken audiences by wonderful surprise to returning gems that have yet to stumble, we've had plenty of TV shows to keep us enthralled.
The future may be quite dark -- as of this writing, the Writers' Guild of America and their union allies are continuing to strike against the studios that are failing to treat them with the pay, respect and opportunities they deserve -- but the art remains unshaken, and many shows from the last six months have been genuine all-timers.
Before we be get into the top ten, though, some honourable mentions are in order:
The dark Amazon drama Dead Ringers offers a great chance for Rachel Weisz to deliver two magnificent performances; Fleishman Is In Trouble and A Small Light have cemented 2023 as a year of great Hulu miniseries; and the star-studded coming-of-age tale American-Born Chinese is truly a genre-bending sight to behold.
With that in mind, then, from raucous comedies to hard-hitting dramas and dystopian blockbusters, here are the 10 best TV shows of 2023 (so far)!
10. Yellowjackets (Season 2)
Back in 2021, the world was enraptured by the story of a crashed airplane and the embattled survivors whose lives were forever changed by its aftermath, and this year Yellowjackets has proven its magnificent first season wasn't a one-off.
Slipping through time to explore how the survivors have been moulded and haunted by their pasts, the season is a twisty, horrible exercise in tension and performance, directed with high thrills and anchored by sublime work from stars Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Sophie Thatcher and Jasmin Savoy-Brown.
Admittedly, its high character count and time-bending tricks mean it can sometimes get a touch ahead of itself, but Yellowjackets sophomore effort nonetheless cements the series as a modern classic, with enough unexpected twists, pathos, heartbreak and narrative innovation to keep you clambering back for more.
Wherever it goes next -- and season three is already on the way! -- I for one will be there on day one.