Discover
Need some help discovering what to watch, listen to, read, or catch-up on in the world of TV? This is the place!
YEAR IN REVIEW
It’s officially our favorite season (the season of year-end TV lists, of course), and we thought it only fitting to close out 2023 by showing some love to the shows that kept us glued to our screens. Read on to see what shows made Team ATX TV’s Top 10s this year!
CAITLIN MCFARLAND, CO-FOUNDER
- The Bear (FX / Hulu)
- Succession (HBO / Max)
- The Diplomat (Netflix)
- Jury Duty (Freevee)
- The Circus (Paramount+ with SHOWTIME)
- Beef (Netflix)
- Sex Education (Netflix)
- Single Drunk Female (Freeform)
- Painkiller (Netflix)
- Mrs. Davis (Peacock)
Honorable Mentions: I really wanted to include some reality this year because it really did bring me a lot of entertainment and joy. Therefore… here are some favorites:
- Shark Tank (ABC), Selling Sunset (Netflix), Southern Charm (Bravo), Real Housewives Beverly Hills (Bravo)
EMILY GIPSON, CO-FOUNDER
My list this year really came down to what I was most excited to sit down and watch…and keep watching. And then, what did I feel left a hole in my heart when it was gone? I immersed myself into each of these shows. They were the ones that made me excited to turn off all my other devices, pick the perfect food or beverage pairing, and be fully present for whatever ride they were about to take me on. Then I either immediately needed to talk about them as soon as I was done (Succession, The Diplomat) or just bask in the feeling of delight (Heartstopper, Somebody Somewhere). But I do also need to give a shout-out to my honorable mention, Night Agent. It may have been the show I recommended most this year simply because it was such a fun and unexpected ride!
- Succession (HBO / Max)
- Sex Education (Netflix)
- Reservation Dogs (FX / Hulu)
- The Bear ( FX / Hulu)
- Heartstopper (Netflix)
- Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
- The Diplomat (Netflix)
- The Righteous Gemstones (HBO / Max)
- The Last of Us (HBO / Max)
- Somebody Somewhere (HBO / Max)
Honorable Mentions: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video), The Night Agent (Netflix)
JENN MORGAN, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING
I’ll be honest – this year was a strange TV year for me personally. I found it harder than usual to stick with things I had previously enjoyed, and to finish seasons all the way through to the end. (An extra strange feeling because typically, I am very much a completist.) But these 10 series were truly the exceptions, because for one reason or another, they felt thrilling. They swung for the fence (Beef), they stuck the landing (Succession), they defied the “sophomore slump” (The Bear), they took something familiar and made it feel new and exciting again (Poker Face). A perfect farewell from Reservation Dogs, an unexpected hero in Jury Duty, a genuinely delightful family comedy in Primo, a satisfying yet gory new installment from Mike Flanagan – these are the things I’ll remember from this year in TV.
- Reservation Dogs (FX / Hulu)
- Succession (HBO / Max)
- Beef (Netflix)
- The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
- Jury Duty (Freevee)
- Barry (HBO / Max)
- The Bear (FX / Hulu)
- Primo (Freevee)
- The Diplomat (Netflix)
- Poker Face (Peacock)
LAURA KINCAID, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Per usual, my Top 10 List is a little all over the place! You’re welcome! I so very much enjoyed all of my Top Tens (but I did really struggle with the order this year, I’m sure I’ll want to change them up as soon as I finalize them), so if there’s something on there you haven’t watched, I encourage you to add it to your holiday viewing list! There’s a little something for everyone — and if you haven’t heard of Extraordinary or Lockwood & Co., look ‘em up.
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO / Max)
- Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
- Extraordinary (Hulu)
- Shetland (BritBox)
- The Righteous Gemstones (HBO / Max)
- Lockwood & Co. (Netflix)
- Welcome to Wrexham (FX / Hulu)
- What We Do In the Shadows (FX / Hulu)
- The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
- Shrinking (Apple TV+)
Honorable mentions: Vera (Britbox), Telemarketers (HBO / Max)
VICTORIA BURK, OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
When thinking about my Top 10 shows of the year, I thought about which shows truly had me captivated from start to finish and which I could not wait to share with others. What were the shows that I looked forward to watching every week? What were the shows that had me telling everyone how great or wild the last episode was even if they had never seen the show? (I make no apologies to anyone I brought along with me on my Scandoval journey.) All of the shows in my Top 10, I have definitely recommended to friends and family or felt an intense void in my TV watching when they ended, especially the series finales.
- The Bear (FX / Hulu)
- The Last of Us (HBO / Max)
- Vanderpump Rules (Bravo)
- Shrinking (Apple TV+)
- Platonic (Apple TV+)
- Jury Duty (Freevee)
- The Real Housewives of New York City (Bravo)
- Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
- Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
- Below Deck Down Under (Bravo)
Honorable Mentions: Cunk on Earth (Netflix), Below Deck Sailing Yacht (Bravo), Outerbanks (Netflix)
DANIELLE TURCHIANO, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
In college a friend told me I watched so much television that it made *his* eyes bleed, which became a line I used for my social media bios and the reason I spent a career writing about television. I spent so much time writing at length about long-running series that when I joined Team ATX TV this year and they asked me to contribute to the annual Top 10, I decided to focus only on shows that were new in 2023. The shows I selected are all ones that satisfy my usual appetite for ensemble comedies and dark (and often dystopian) dramas, but they are all ones for which I had yet to really get to scream my love. I could write thousands of words on each, but I will spare you and let the photos speak those thousands of words instead. But if you do want to hear more, find me on social. And yes, there is one “bonus” show on this list of 10, but don’t discount the list because of that! It is a show I wanted to include, but although the U.S. version was new in 2023, the format was not, so I didn’t feel it truly fit the parameters. I am nothing if not a stickler for structure.
- Beef (Netflix)
- The Last of Us (HBO / Max)
- Jury Duty (Freevee)
- Gen V (Prime Video)
- Silo (Apple TV+)
- Primo (Freevee)
- The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
- A Murder at the End of the World (FX / Hulu)
- Unprisoned (Hulu)
- Neon (Netflix)
Honorable Mention: The Traitors (Peacock)
ATX TV MEMBERS
We also have our ATX TV Members make their Top Ten Lists every year — and then we combine them all to make one mega list!
- The Bear (FX / Hulu)
- The Last of Us (HBO / Max)
- Succession (HBO / Max)
- The Diplomat (Netflix)
- Poker Face (Peacock)
- Reservation Dogs (FX / Hulu)
- Jury Duty (Freevee)
- Shrinking (Apple TV+)
- Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)
- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix)
Honorable Mentions: Primo (Freevee), Somebody Somewhere (HBO / Max)
TV GUIDES:
HOLIDAY GO-TOs
A few cable and streaming favorites that keep us coming back year after year.
HOME ALONE
Why: Holiday viewing in my house is very intense. There’s a long list and I get to them in a certain order. They do include Elf, While You Were Sleeping, The Holiday, and The Family Stone, But THE Holiday viewing necessity that cannot be missed is Home Alone. In fact, it is usually watched on 12/23 with a pizza and ice cream situation, a lot of quoting, a lot of laughing and a replaying Daniel Stern screaming when a spider is placed on his face. It is my favorite thing to watch my mother watch this movie for the 50th time!
Where: Stream it on Disney+, Hulu, or Starz, or catch it on FX proper!
– Caitlin McFarland, Co-Founder
THE HOLIDAY
Why: When it comes to holiday movie staples, there are just so many options. From Elf to Home Alone to The Family Stone to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, there are just so many holiday movies that I absolutely adore and just love watching with friends and family every year. However, The Holiday has got to be my number one choice. It is just such a fun watch and I just love the storyline between Kate Winslet and her elderly neighbor played by Eli Wallach so much. It is actually a struggle for me to not watch this movie during the year so I’m always so excited when December rolls around and I can finally kick off my holiday movie watching with The Holiday!
Where: Airing on Lifetime (or rent it)!
– Victoria Burk, Operations Coordinator
THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL
Why: So I have all the classic movies that I absolutely do not miss during the season just like everyone else – White Christmas, Elf, The Ref, Scrooged, Love Actually, Die Hard – but the number one, absolute must watch is The Muppet Christmas Carol. I have a very special place in my heart for The Muppets – it’s totally my dream to somehow work for or with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Michael Caine is the perfect Scrooge, and all the songs were instant classics – and I can sing along to each and every one of them. And now that “When Love Is Gone” is back in (take THAT Jeffrey Katzenberg), we can all settle in and enjoy my most favorite Christmas movie of all time. Merry Muppet Christmas!
Where: Stream it on Disney+ and Hulu!
– LAURA KINCAID, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
Why: To be specific, the Ethan Embry and Thora Birch 1991 version. My sister and I watched this every year on repeat (and now I continue the tradition with my nieces). It was fun to see kids taking charge of their lives, having an adventure in NYC, and though I never thought I’d call a mouse adorable, after this movie, I dreamed of having a little Snowball of my own! It’s also got an adorable teen romance, the magic of family at Christmas time (including a family-owned diner!), and of course, it snows at the exact right moment. Then you add in Lauren Bacall as the perfect grandmother, and Kevin Nealon gets locked in a… well, I don’t want to spoil that plot point for those that haven’t seen it.
Where: Stream it on AMC+ or rent!
– EMILY GIPSON, CO-FOUNDER
MATT ROGERS: HAVE YOU HEARD OF CHRISTMAS?
Why: Less “family friendly” than the previous recommendations? Perhaps. But Matt Rogers’ comedy-music-holiday special “Have You Heard of Christmas?” is exactly the cure for your end of year blues. Fans of the Las Culturistas podcast (which Rogers hosts with SNL’s Bowen Yang) and cancelled-too-soon comedy I Love That For You can and will evangelize about Rogers’ infectious charm, comedic timing, and ability to belt every American Idol Winners ballad on cue – but this special is the kind of earnest-in-its-ridiculousness, queer holiday spectacle that could only come from the self-proclaimed “Prince of Christmas.” And yes, it’s only been out for a year, but it immediately became Holiday must-watch in our house (and thank Mariah Carey we have an accompanying album to stream now). Make the yuletide gay, INDEED!
Where: Stream it on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME! (And stream/buy the album wherever you get your tunes.)
– Jenn Morgan, Director of Programming
IN THE QUEUE
Stay cool and stream on.
SLOW HORSES
(Apple TV+)
If you haven’t joined the Slow Horses club, now is a great time to jump in. Smartly written with a truly excellent cast, yet not overly self-serious — it’s always a delight to have new episodes to look forward to.
The Season 3 premiere is streaming now on Apple TV+, with new episodes weekly — and Seasons 1 & 2 are available to catch up on anytime.
– Jenn Morgan, Director of Programming
MIDSOMER MURDERS (Acorn TV)
Season 24 is kicking off Dec. 4th and I. Am. Ready. It’s time to return to the fictional, and very murdery, Midsomer county, and enjoy the ultimate cozy mystery. I like to curl up on the couch with a (spiked) cup of tea and watch all the DSs and DCIs do their thing.
Stream Midsomer Murders on Acorn TV.
– LAURA KINCAID, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
REACHER
(Prime Video)
He’s baaaaaaaaaaack (finally!). One of the break out hits of 2022, Prime Video’s Reacher, returns for Season 2 this month, and hot dang are we ready for it. Reacher is somehow exactly what you think it will be, and yet delightfully surprising — largely thanks to Ritchson’s disarming performance, which both leans into and plays against his considerable physical presence.
Season 1 (only eight episodes) is available to stream now on Prime Video, and Season 2 premieres December 15.
– Jenn Morgan, Director of Programming
