The Best TV Shows Of 2023 So Far

2023 has already been packed with more great television shows than you can shake a stick at; most of it coming from the various streaming services rather than traditional network TV. With plenty of new series hitting the air and even more series returning with strong new seasons, there are dozens of shows worth watching this year. Trying to keep up with all of 2023's best TV shows is a tall order and a major time commitment, so it's important to prioritize which series deserves your time and which can wait until later or be left off your rotation altogether.

Plenty of good shows were left by the wayside when making room on the list for the best of the best, and there was an especially high number of impressive third seasons that just barely missed the cut. Some quick honorable mentions include the critically-praised third seasons of "Dave," "The Other Two," "Star Trek: Picard," "Godfather of Harlem," "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson," "Wu-Tang: An American Saga," "Ted Lasso," "The Mandalorian," and the long-belated third season of "Happy Valley," the British cop show that made its return after a seven-year hiatus. Now without further ado, these are the best TV shows of the first half of 2023.

One of the most peculiar new television shows to debut in 2023 was the Amazon Prime original mini-series, "Dead Ringers." The show is a bold new take on the excellent David Cronenberg film of the same name from 1988. Cronenberg's film was itself an adaptation of the book, "Twins," from 1977, but the new Amazon limited series is a clear re-imagining of Cronenberg's film more than it is an alternate adaptation of the original source material, right down to the blood-red surgical gowns that would never find use in a real hospital setting.

Just like Jeremy Irons had back in 1988, Rachel Weisz now takes on the roles of both halves of a pair of twin OBGYNs. Weisz's dual performances are as impressive as the technology used to marry the two halves together, and viewers are sure to forget that they are watching just a single actor before long as Weisz performs expertly opposite herself. Fans of the original "Dead Ringers" film will likely be perplexed as to how the premise could be spun into a prolonged television series, but series creator Alice Birch — who previously worked on "Succession" — managed to find a unique angle to make the show feel fresh with an increased sense of energy and humor over the course of six episodes.

For over a decade, "Party Down" was remembered as a short-lived comedy series that met a premature end but had a cult following. After 13 years off the air, the series made a triumphant return for its third season. The show was revived by its original network, Starz, and the original cast members all returned even though many of them had graduated to far large projects in the intervening years.

The original series followed the comedic exploits of a group of wannabe actors in Los Angeles who pay the bills by working for an event catering service. Season 3 rejoins these characters many years later to find them working in other professions, but the show wastes no time bringing them back around to their original catering roles. Just as funny as ever, "Party Down" didn't miss a beat in all of its years off the air and has fared better than many other TV show revivals.

In a review for The New Yorker, critic Inkoo Kang wrote, "The revival does not disappoint, setting a new standard for series resurrections by being unafraid to tackle the low-grade dismay of financial precarity and middle-age failure." The only downside was that this belated installment of the series clocked in at just six episodes as opposed to the prior seasons' standard ten-episode length.

"Poker Face" is a Peacock original series about a woman who is essentially a human lie-detector (Natasha Lyonne) and travels from place to place getting caught up in murder mysteries. The show released its debut season in 2023 and was already renewed for a second season before the first batch of episodes had even finished airing. In addition to the star power of Lyonne, "Poker Face" also has the draw of being the creation of Rian Johnson, hot off the success of his two "Knives Out" movies.

These days, Johnson is a big-name filmmaker with the likes of "Looper" and "The Last Jedi" in addition to the aforementioned "Knives Out" movies, but he also has a bonafide background in television. "Poker Face" is the first series that Johnson has created, but he previously directed an episode of "Terriers" and three memorable episodes of "Breaking Bad," including "Ozymandias," the show's final episode before the big-time jump for the conclusion. In addition to creating and writing "Poker Face," Johnson also directed multiple episodes, defining the style of the series. Fans of "Knives Out" are in for more compelling and comedic crime solving.

"The Great" felt like one of the freshest shows to hit television when it premiered as a Hulu original series in 2020. With Season 3 now in the books, the show has managed to keep up its impressive momentum, wit, and stunning use of extravagant locations and costumes. The series is set in 18th-century Russia and centers primarily around the fascinating dynamic between the volatile and childish emperor Peter The Great (Nicholas Hoult) and his new wife (Elle Fanning), who is tempted by power. What could be a stuffy period drama is instead a fast-paced and often hilarious show that barrels forward with a hefty dose of comedy and surprising moments of violence and conniving schemes.

The series is created by Tony McNamara, who co-wrote 2018's "The Favourite," directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Fans of that Oscar-winning film are sure to love "The Great" too as they share similar tones and comedy styles, and the two were even shot in some of the same regal locations. A fourth season of "The Great" hasn't yet been confirmed, but the story remains open-ended, and Season 3 wrapped up by presenting a drastic new direction to take the future of the series if Hulu does end up renewing it.

The best new Netflix original series of 2023 was undoubtedly "Beef." Throughout 10 episodes, "Beef" tracks the escalating feud between Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong) as they spiral out of control after becoming enemies through road rage. The show is full of surprises and provides its two leads with complex characters to sink their teeth into.

It remains up in the air if "Beef" has finished forever or if it will remain ongoing with a second season. The show was originally positioned as a limited series, and creator Lee Sung Jin has publicly said that the story of the main characters was brought to a complete close by the end of the season. At the same time, Jin has said that "Beef" could continue by adopting a seasonal anthology format, which would find a potential second season following different main characters engaged in another feud; and the season finale also offered a glimpse of a potential future for the series if it does end up continuing.

"Rain Dogs" was one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 television season. Set in London and named after the Tom Waits album of the same name, the show stars Daisy May Cooper and Fleur Tashjian as a mother and daughter trying to work their way out of poverty as well as Ronke Adekoluejo and Jack Farthing as their atypical found family. With an effective blend of dramedy and an insightful look at its subject matter, "Rain Dogs" greatly impressed critics and became one of the year's highest-rated television shows. Time Magazine critic Judy Berman wrote of the series, "Like any great album, the show's eight short, thrilling episodes demand to be played on repeat."

"Rain Dogs" airs as a BBC production in the U.K. but streams in the U.S. as an HBO original. A second season hasn't been confirmed by either party yet, but the overwhelming critical adoration makes a compelling case to keep the show going. Series creator Cash Carraway has said the overall goal is to release a trilogy of seasons that will bring the full story to a close. The series started out as an autobiographical series adapted from Carraway's own memoir, "Skint Estate," before morphing into its more comedic and fictionalized final form as "Rain Dogs."

"Succession" reins as the top dog television show for the first half of 2023, and it would take a lot to dethrone it in the second half of the year. This HBO series managed the impressive feat of starting out exceptionally strong in its first season yet somehow managing to only get better and better each time. With a pitch-perfect blend of comedy and drama, "Succession" tackles the explosive family drama of the uber-wealthy Roy clan with staggering performances across the board from the ensemble cast of Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Nicholas Braun, and Matthew Macfadyen, who have all been nominated for or won Emmys for their performances.

Delivery surprising character revelations and outcomes every step of the way, the final season of "Succession" perfectly succeeds in paying off the show's overarching Shakespearean-tragedy-esque storyline while still delivering plenty of laughs and emotional thrills. With its feature-length finale episode, the show nailed its denouement as well as it possibly could have and ensured that "Succession" will go down in history as not just one of the best shows of 2023 but as one of the best TV shows ever made.