The 10 Most Watchable TV Shows of 2023

TV was weird this year. In 2022, television output increased to 599 scripted series—the most of all time, according to FX’s annual tally. But thanks to two separate Hollywood strikes delaying productions and postponing airdates, that record is in no danger this time around. Still, as the headline notes, at least 10 shows have aired new seasons in 2023, so at Adweek, it's our duty to let readers know the best ones to watch. However, "best" is so subjective. What does "best" even mean? Instead, we've gathered a list of the most watchable, binge-able, can't-look-away content and streamable shows, including everything from FBoy-filled reality shows to Pedro-Pascal-driven zombie dramas. Whether or not our picks are the "best," we can guarantee they are objectively, extremely and endlessly watchable. 10. FBoy Island, The CW Fboy Island Season 3 on The CW. There may not be many end-of-year TV lists including FBoy Island, but those lists are clearly wrong. At Adweek, we made sure our list was F'd up. In the reality dating/competition series, host Nikki Glaser guides three single women through a deluge of suitors, with some being nice guys and others being FBoys. If the women choose nice guys in the end, they get to split $100K. If they choose FBoys, the guys can keep the money for themselves. Earlier this year, The CW saved FBoy Island after its untimely cancellation on then-HBO Max, causing the masses to scream out a collective "F-Yeah!" And Season 3 doesn't disappoint, with a former Bachelorette making an appearance, a missing cupcake controversy and plenty of FBoys saying FBye. Others may disagree, but all we know is you can't start a TV list out much stronger than with FBoy Island. And if you did, the FBoys would do shirtless pushups until the stakes were even. —Bill Bradley 9. Slow Horses, Apple TV+ Gary Oldman returns in Slow Horses Season 3. Neither slow nor about horses, Slow Horses remains a chronically underrated series on Apple TV+. A spy thriller television show based on the Slough House series of novels by Mick Herron, Season 3 finds Jackson Lamb's (Gary Oldman) group of MI5 misfits caught up in a friendly fire mission that goes wrong. Season 3's finale is still yet to air, with a release date of Dec. 27. But through the first five episodes, the show continues rolling with just the right amount of cliffhangers and Gary Oldman flatulence jokes to keep us hooked. To put a show on our top list when it hasn't even aired its finale yet is the biggest compliment our little TV list can give. But we're not horsing around.—BB 8. FX's The Bear, Hulu Ayo Edebiri in The Bear. The Bear is not a comedy, despite what the Television Academy may think when it comes to the Emmy nominations, and this is a hill I will die on. The FX-produced series is, however, uplifting, full of heart and grit and takes viewers back to Carmy Berzatto’s (played by Jeremy White) Chicago restaurant world. While Season 2 may have changed some of its signature courses with the introduction of a new restaurant, called, of course, The Bear, the stellar second season is a successful follow-up to last year’s breakout hit. Ayo Edebiri shined as Sydney, and we couldn’t look away from the fast-paced, addictive 10-episode season. —Mollie Cahillane 7. Silo, Apple TV+ Rebecca Ferguson stars-in and produces Silo. In The Greatest Showman, Rebecca Ferguson's opera star, Jenny Lind, sings "Never Enough," and those words have never rang more true than with Silo. The series, based on post-apocalyptic books by Hugh Howey and produced by and starring Ferguson, is a gripping mystery/thriller about an underground, self-sufficient Silo and its increasingly anxious inhabitants. And each episode leaves audiences wanting more. If you haven't watched it, be prepared. This show freely throws around overly serious, somewhat vague/nonsensical phrases like "the before times," "Freedom Day" and "The Flamekeepers;" however, the series packs serious twists and star power, with the likes of Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo and even Jorah Mormont himself (Game of Thrones' Iain Glen). And like the early seasons of Game of Thrones, no one is safe. Rebecca Ferguson is here to take all of your TV-watching time with fire and blood. For me, the "before times" is before I watched Silo. —BB 6. Beef, Netflix Steven Yeun in Netflix's Beef. In Ray Bradbury's famous short story "A Sound of Thunder," one person crushes a butterfly after a quick cruise in a time machine, and the act goes on to change the course of history. In Beef, that butterfly turns out to be a bird—namely, Ali Wong's Amy Lau flipping the bird—leading to an ever-escalating, all-out battle between her and Steven Yeun's Danny Cho, showing how one small incident changes both their worlds forever. The series—which was one of Netflix's most-viewed titles in its What We Watched report, coming in at around 221,100,000 hours viewed—explores class issues, Eastern and Western cultural differences, childhood and generational traumas and, above all, why people should be nice on the road. (Please don't honk at me.) —BB 5. Jury Duty, Freevee Ronald Gladden is oblivious star of Jury Duty. What do you get when you have a fabricated court case and trial where every person is an actor, except for one? Phenomenal television, that’s what. I don’t watch too much reality TV. (Am I allowed to say that?) But I couldn’t get enough of Freevee’s Jury Duty. Solar contractor—and regular guy—Ronald Gladden stars as a juror in the reality hoax sitcom show with James Marsden, but Gladden has no idea he’s in a TV series. In a real-life Truman Show that could easily have turned mean-hearted (and given me second-hand anxiety), I instead found myself rooting for an offbeat group of people who become something of a found family. The scale of production and dedication from the actors is a true commitment to the bit, and one I hope Freevee chooses not to replicate, as lightning rarely strikes twice. — MC 4. Succession, HBO/Max Jeremy Strong in the final season of Succession. This is a most-watchable list, not a best-of list, but HBO’s Succession is both. Why do we love to watch terrible people do terrible things? Succession brought back appointment viewing, with Sunday nights dedicated to the Roy family and the world of the ultra-rich in New York media. Undoubtedly a show of the decade, it can be hard for a series to stick the landing in its final season, but creator Jesse Armstrong managed it. Who can forget the stunning plot twist only in Episode 3 that left us all wondering, “What’s next?” —MC 3. Poker Face, Peacock Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in Poker Face. I’ve loved Natasha Lyonne since the But I’m A Cheerleader days, so it was a no-brainer for me to check out Peacock’s Poker Face. Lyonne gave the performance of her career in the “case-of-the-week” style murder mystery series with a twist—her character Charlie Cale can always tell when someone is lying. While some episodes are stronger than others, each is a good time that kept me coming back. Renewed for Season 2 just a month after Season 1’s release, the next episodes have been pushed to 2024 following the Hollywood strikes, leaving plenty to look forward to next year. — MC 2. FX's Reservation Dogs, Hulu D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Paulina Alexis in Reservation Dogs. Adweek has honored Reservation Dogs in each of its previous two seasons on our Best TV lists, and Season 3, the show's final run, is no different. In Season 3, the Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi-created series drove home the message of how even death can't stop a community from going on. It's an apt theme, as Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor) and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) gather together one last time. There are dozens of reasons to give the series attention. The show is the first (and only) series to feature all Indigenous writers and directors; it addresses generational traumas and injects humor without cheapening those moments; and the show has the enviable ability to seamlessly switch between everything from wild snack food truck heists to heartwrenching family drama—all while including plenty of inside-jokes for Indigenous viewers. (Yes, there's a reason those owl eyes are blurred out.) But above all, it's just a great show, and it will certainly live on. —BB 1. The Last of Us, HBO/Max Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us. Video games can be difficult to translate to television, and The Last of Us is one of my favorite game franchises—ever. So, I was nervous, but cautiously optimistic, when HBO announced the Craig Mazin and Niel Druckmann series. My fears were unfounded, and I was in tears only a few minutes into the first episode. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey brought Joel and Ellie to life, and the HBO adaptation went all-in on production and design. I couldn’t stop watching, and I’m not the only one. The Season 1 finale scored 8.2 million viewers the night it aired, and the first six episodes averaged 30.4 million by the finale in March. The Last of Us broke out into mainstream conversation in a way we rarely see in this era of Peak TV, and Season 2 promises to be bigger, bolder and will infect even more fans. — MC Honorable mentions: The Golden Bachelor, ABC/Hulu I'm a Virgo, Prime Video Shrinking, Apple TV+ Yellowjackets Season 2, Showtime Gen V, Prime Video The Diplomat, Netflix Ted Lasso Season 3, Apple TV+ Loki Season 2, Disney+ Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Netflix The Great Season 3, Hulu