As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers fought for better wages and treatment in Hollywood, we imbibed as many TV shows and movies as we could throughout 2023. In addition to a handful of standout continuing series, this year also saw the debut of multiple must-sees ranging in genre and creative approach.
This is the best television of 2023, according to staff at The Beat.
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake
1 season, 10 episodes
Produced by Frederator Studios, Cartoon Network Studios
As seen on Max
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake could have been a half-assed Spider-Verse rip-off. Instead, the series digs deeper and comes up with something far more unexpected… and by extension, much more rewarding, for the returning characters and the audience alike. Building off of established continuity from Adventure Time and Adventure Time: Distant Lands, this clever evolution delivers the most mature incarnation of the franchise to date. Plus, we get fresh songs of such high caliber that they easily rank alongside classics like “Bacon Pancakes.” While the 10-episode first season will leave you wishing for more, a recent renewal announcement means the narrative potential of the show’s strange premise will, fortunately, be further explored in the future. Now we just need another season of Distant Lands to follow up on all the hanging, non-Fionna and Cake Adventure Time plot threads. — Avery Kaplan
The Afterparty Season 2
1 season, 10 episodes (2 seasons, 18 episodes total)
Produced by Lord Miller Productions, Sony Pictures Television Studios, TriStar Television
As seen on Apple TV+
I know a spot where a wedding and a murder happened—at Minnows vineyard for the Minnows wedding! Our intrepid lovers, Aniq and Zoë, find themselves at another celebration of murder mystery tropes and genre-shifting episodes. This time, we build out Zoë’s side of the family and her struggles while Aniq fumbles with romance again. Again, the title sequence tells the tale and a secret from this whodunit’s cast of shifting viewpoints and foreshadowed plot turns. Where homage can reduce depth and voice, The Afterparty never fails to use every production department’s full creativity in constantly fascinating ways. See you at the after-Afterparty party! — Beau Q.
Fall of the House of Usher
1 season, 8 episodes
Produced by Intrepid Pictures
As seen on Netflix
Film and television programs based on the fallout of the so-called “opioid epidemic” were a dime a dozen this year. These programs are a mixed bag, often oversimplifying a complex issue in a way that makes well-meaning pain patients appear to be the nation’s biggest villains. However, Netflix’s take on the collective works of Edgar Allen Poe, with each episode based on a different classic from the author, takes a different approach. In this reimaging of Poe’s works, the Usher family owns a pharmaceutical company that’s a stand-in for Purdue Pharma, who made billions lying to Americans about the addictiveness of Oxycontin. And they truly are the villains, not the patients who become addicted. — Rebecca Oliver Kaplan
My Adventures with Superman
1 season, 10 episodes
Produced by DC Entertainment, DC Studios, Warner Bros. Animation
As seen on Adult Swim, Max
I have a strong feeling a Superman renaissance is on the horizon that will hopefully culminate with the 2025 Superman: Legacy film. In the meantime, this anime-inspired My Adventures with Superman animated series is the textbook example of how to do the character right. Rather than shy away from the “Boy Scout” image, the series fully embraces it, depicting Clark/Superman as a quasi-Ted Lasso optimistic while also giving him some nuance. I’m not at all surprised the series with its aforementioned anime aesthetics has resonated with viewers and garnered a dedicated fanbase. Season 2 can’t arrive soon enough! — Taimur Dar
Poker Face
1 season, 10 episodes
Produced by Zucks, Animal Pictures, T-Street, MRC Television
As seen on Peacock
Everyone loves a little guy down on their luck. Ask Charlie Cale, and she’ll tell you like it is. No bullshit. Every episode of Poker Face is a howcatchem where the next killer guest stars—everyone is a top character actor in film from comedy, surrealist, and music. Though, they’re not always the killer as the mystery of the week constantly upends the sometimes heady playing of red herring and unreliable narrator. Along the way, Charlie doesn’t always know where she’s going, but she’s willing to ask, and discover what the truth looks like. I invite big little guy fans to examine the mysteries on display as they would any Columbo throwback. — Beau Q.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
1 season, 8 episodes
Produced by Marc Platt Productions, Complete Fiction, Faust Av, Science Saru, Universal Content Productions
As seen on Netflix
What could have been another warmed-over rehash of Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series becomes something thrilling and unexpected in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Drawing on all previous incarnations of the narrative (including the movie and video game), this series looks, sounds, and feels like a dream come true. The fact that, in an interview with Rolling Stone, O’Malley cited Michael Cera’s role in Twin Peaks: The Return tells you everything you need to know before watching this excellent adaptation. Let’s hope that when the MCU reboots Spider-Man in five years, they keep Takes Off in mind. — Rebecca Oliver Kaplan
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4
1 season, 10 episodes (4 seasons, 40 episodes total)
Produced by CBS Studios
As seen on Paramount+
The fourth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks sees the series arrive at a point where it’s comfortable with its intrinsically referential nature, and Trekkies are reaping the benefits. Between further developing leads Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) and T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz), reintroducing classic Trek characters like Nick Locarno (Robert Duncan McNeill), Rom (Max Grodénchik), and Leeta (Chase Masterson), and referencing series creator Mike McMahan’s unforgettable Star Trek: Short Treks episode, this season fires on all cylinders. — Delta Shift
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2
1 season, 10 episodes (2 seasons, 20 episodes total)
Produced by CBS Studios
As seen on Paramount+
Justifiably, the musical episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, “Subspace Rhapsody,” has gotten an outsized amount of attention. However, all ten episodes of this sophomore season are excellent. Whether you’ve been a Trekkie since the 1960s or never watched a minute of Trek before in your life, SNW presents a winning formula. Now we just need another crossover with Lower Decks… — Delta Shift
Don’t miss all of our “best of 2023” lists:
Comics and Graphic Novels | Manga | Webtoons | Anime | Movies | Television
In case you missed it, here are The Beat’s best of 2022.
Source link