15. “What We Do in the Shadows”
The bloodsuckers of Staten Island may not be quite as laugh-out-loud hilarious as their prime but this show has barely sagged through five seasons now, which practically makes it a comedy immortal in today’s quick-burnout TV landscape. (It’s actually the longest-running show on this list if you don’t count the reboot of “Justified.”) Anyway, Jemaine Clement’s adaptation of his own film is still hysterically funny, with a fifth season that hinged on Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) trying to keep his new vamp status from his master Nandor (Kayvan Novak). The writing here is still some of the most inspired on TV, and the comic timing of the ensemble is unmatched (our review). – BT
14. “The Righteous Gemstones”
Creator Danny McBride has said that he hopes his HBO comedy runs for years and the third season proved that he has the sustained comedic longevity to pull that off. The third season saw Gemstone patriarch Eli (John Goodman) turning over more power to his children, leading to, well, some errors in judgment. Meanwhile, Eli’s sister May-May (Kristen Johnston) resurfaced, looking for help with her cult leader ex-husband Peter (a maniacal Steve Zahn). This season was about buried skeletons coming back to life with a grudge, and it featured some of the more daring plot twists and jokes of the entire series. “The Righteous Gemstones” feels like it’s getting more confident in its sense of humor, which really is like nothing else on television. (our review). – BT
13. “A Small Light”
Buried over in the Nat Geo section of Disney+, you can find one of the best WWII dramas in years. Bel Powley (“The Diary of a Teenage Girl”) does the best work of her already-notable career as Miep Gies, a Dutch citizen startled to see the rise of power of the Third Reich. Determined to do something to help the people around her, Gies ends up hiding her employer Otto Frank (a riveting Liev Schreiber), to protect his family, including his daughter Anne. “A Small Light” uses history as a call to modern times for people to do what’s right in the face of impending evil, an issue that feels even more relevant in the final months of 2023 than it did when it aired. It’s incredibly moving and as well made as most modern feature films. Don’t miss this one (our review). – BT
12. “Dark Winds”
The first season of AMC’s period thriller was fun, but it was the 2023 second season that really affirmed that this is one of television’s best. Adapting another novel by Tony Hillerman, the writers this year weaved a tale of regret, vengeance, betrayal, and abject evil. Zahn McClarnon really dug into the role of Joe Leaphorn, a Navajo police lieutenant in the ’70s who stumbles into a case that may involve the death of his son and the malevolence of a mysterious figure named Colton Wolf (Nicholas Logan). Alternating tense thriller scenes – the third episode has a stunning, red-soaked standoff that’s among the best sequences in any show this year – with rich character work, this a show that really plays like great literary fiction brought to life. – BT
11. “Poker Face”
Rian Johnson decided that he missed mystery-of-the-week shows like “Murder, She Wrote” and “Columbo,” so he decided to create one of his own. To do so, he turned to the phenomenal Natasha Lyonne, who does the best work of her career as a casino employee who happens to always know if someone is lying. On the run from a dangerous casino heavy, she stumbles into murders each week, allowing for entertaining guest turns from a parade of celebrities that includes Adrien Brody, Hong Chau, Lil Rel Howery, Chloe Sevigny, Judith Light, Ellen Barkin, Nick Nolte, and many more. It’s already been renewed for a second season. Let’s hope it runs as long as the shows that inspired it (our review). – BT
