Best New TV Shows of 2023

We finally made it! CableTV.com has been compiling our favorite new TV series of the year since January, serving up eight per quarter to ultimately bring us here with 32 excellent freshman shows for 2023. Don’t worry; we didn’t leave out the best pre-2023 series—you’ll also find 32 older shows that had killer seasons this year.

The best new TV shows of October–December 2023

The Fall of the House of Usher | Netflix | Drama, horror

The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass director Mike Flanagan adapted and modernized The Fall of the House of Usher and other Edgar Allan Poe works in this sleek, mind-bending miniseries. Stars Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell, Mark Hamill, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, Zach Gilford, Michael Trucco, and especially Katie Siegel brought their A games to the proceedings.

Blue Eye Samurai | Netflix | Animation, drama

One of Blue Eye Samurai’s creators called the series “Kill Bill meets Yentl,” which is underselling it. The samurai is young Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine); she’s tracking down the white man who raped her mother and made her a blue-eyed “creature of shame” in 17th-century Japan. The gorgeously animated—not anime—series also features the voices of Masi Oka, Brenda Song, and George Takei.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Paramount+ | Drama

Yellowstone showrunner Taylor Sheridan’s newest western for Paramount+ is an anthology drama series about real-life historical figures. The first of the lawmen is Bass Reeves, a former slave in 1800s Arkansas who became the first Black U.S. Marshal, played by David Oyelowo. Like Sheridan’s other shows, Lawmen: Bass Reeves has some big names in its cast, including Dennis Quaid and Donald Sutherland.

The Curse | SHOWTIME, Paramount+ | Comedy, drama

It’s a given that any production from Nathan Fielder and Bennie Safdie is going to be polarizing and uncomfortable. But with America’s sweetheart Emma Stone thrown in the mix, The Curse ascends to Cringe Heaven. Fielder and Stone play a married couple filming an HGTV series (Flipanthropy!) in New Mexico, but the appearance of doing good locally is the only goal. Find your own tap-out moment.

Colin From Accounts | Paramount+ | Comedy, drama

Spoiler: The titular Colin From Accounts is actually a cute dog who has the misfortune of being hit by a car driven by a distracted Gordon (Patrick Brammall), whose attention was on Ashley (Harriet Dyer, Brammall’s real-life wife). This Australian import kicks off with a novel meet-cute (the dog’s fine, BTW) and evolves into a sweet rom-com grounded in adult realities. Season 2 looks to be even better.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off | Netflix | Animation, comedy

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels and the classic 2010 live-action movie—it’s the best of all worlds. The eye-popping animated series features all the voices of the O.G. stars from the film: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Alison Pill, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, and Ellen Wong (as the inimitable Knives Chau).

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Apple TV+ | Drama, sci-fi

Godzilla is having a moment in theaters (Godzilla Minus One) and on TV with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a spiritual sequel to Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse debut, 2014’s Godzilla. The time-jumping series’ best trick is employing Wyatt Russell and his father Kurt to play the same character in the 1950s and now, if not giving only the occasional glimpse of Godzilla (it’s a TV budget, after all).

Carol & The End of the World | Netflix | Animation, comedy

Says show creator Dan Guteman, Carol & The End of the World is “a love letter to routine. A show about the comforts of monotony.” He buried the lede: Earth is on an extinction-level collision course with another planet, but Carol (voiced by Martha Kelly) just wants to quietly do her office job rather than join the end-of-the-world, bucket-list brigade. As a low-key meditation on life, Carol is nearly perfect.

The best new TV shows of July–September 2023

Gen V | Prime Video | Drama, sci-fi

Superhero satire The Boys now has a legit spinoff in Gen V, about a Vought International-run college for young supes that’s every bit as R-rated outlandish as the original—if not more so. If you’re expecting The Umbrella Academy, look away. The series takes hilarious swipes at influencer culture and “branding,” but Gen V really excels at bloody action and bizarre super-sex, including one early scene you’ll never unsee.

Wilderness | Prime Video | Drama, thriller

Brit couple Liv (Jenna Coleman) and Will (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) are happily married New Yorkers—until Will has an affair. To rekindle their romance, Will suggests a cross-country trip through America’s national parks, but Liv has another plan: Revenge (there are myriad ways to “accidentally” die in the Wilderness). The scenery is gorgeous, the tension burns, and you’ll think twice about ever crossing your partner.

Star Wars: Ahsoka | Disney+ | Drama, sci-fi

Ex-Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) is out to save the galaxy from an emerging Imperial threat with the help of young Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and New Republic general Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Set after Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka takes the franchise in an exciting new direction full of heart and humor (and action—relax, fanboys). Step aside, Mandolorian.

Telemarketers | HBO, Max | Documentary

In 2003, a pair of coworkers in a New Jersey call center figured out that the “charity” they were collecting donations for was, in fact, a billion-dollar scam, so they began documenting it all on video. Telemarketers, produced by Danny McBride and Jodi Hill (The Righteous Gemstones), is a 20-year company takedown loaded with office mischief, rogue detective work, and self-owns of American capitalism.

Twisted Metal | Peacock | Comedy, sci-fi

Based on the vintage video game (hey, it’s 30 years old), Twisted Metal stars Anthony Mackie as a delivery driver who works between walled-off, post-apocalyptic cities while dodging motorized maniacs and thieves (like Will Arnett and Stephanie Beatriz). From the day it dropped on Peacock, Twisted Metal has been praised as one of the very few video game adaptations to get it right (sorry, Halo).

Justified: City Primeval | FX, Hulu | Drama

Creating a sequel to the original 2010–2015 Justified series seemed ill-advised, but Justified: City Primeval lives up to the legacy. Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) left Kentucky for Miami years ago, but now he finds himself in Detroit tracking down a criminal fugitive called The Oklahoma Wildman (Boyd Holbrook). Justified: City Primeval is a gritty, twisty ride from start to finish.

Special Ops: Lioness | Paramount+ | Action, drama

Yellowstone honcho Taylor Sheridan finally created a series that’s not all about broody dudes: Special Ops: Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program that trains female undercover operatives. A CIA station chief (Zoe Saldaña) recruits a young Marine (Laysla De Oliveira) to infiltrate a terrorist organization, but she’s soon in too deep to likely get out alive. Special Ops: Lioness is a whole new breed of military drama.

The Horror of Delores Roach | Prime Video | Comedy, horror

In The Horror of Delores Roach, Delores (Justina Machado, One Day at a Time), fresh out of prison after a 16-year sentence, starts a new job as a masseuse in the basement of her friend Luis’ (Alejandro Hernandez) empanada shop. What’s the Horror of the title? The secret ingredient in Luis’ wildly popular new “Muy Loco” empanadas is … people. Easily the best dark comedy about cannibalism this year.

The best new TV shows of April–June 2023

Beef | Netflix | Comedy, drama

Beef, a 10-episode dark comedy about a road-rage incident between two stressed-out strangers (Ali Wong and Steven Yuen, committing to the ridiculousness) went hard and strange in the best possible ways. There’s more to the pair’s relationship than it first appears, and since Beef is an A24 production, the revenge-revenge-repeat cycle is deliciously unpredictable. Don’t binge Beef; take some breaks.

Mrs. Davis | Peacock | Comedy, drama, sci-fi

Nun Simone (Betty Gilpin) is on a mission to shut down the world’s most powerful AI, called Mrs. Davis. Sound weird? Just wait. Mrs. Davis has drawn comparisons to Westworld, Preacher, Monty Python, classic Chuck Jones cartoons, and The Leftovers (Damon Lindelof created that show and Mrs. Davis), but the eight-episode trip reigns colorfully in its own universe. A minor masterpiece of a series.

Dead Ringers | Prime Video | Drama, thriller

Prime Video’s gender-flipped new take on David Cronenberg’s 1988 cringe-classic Dead Ringers may have bested the original. Rachel Weisz assumes the Jeremy Irons role(s) as Beverly and Elliot Mantle, twin OBGYNs who share everything (drugs, lovers, etc.), including an insatiable drive to push the limits of medicine. The six-episode Dead Ringers is easily the peak of Weisz’s already impressive career.

Slip | The Roku Channel | Drama, comedy, sci-fi

Slip, created, produced, directed by, and starring Zoe Lister-Jones, spins the Everything Everywhere All at Once multiverse formula with sex—a lot of it. Bored wife Mae (Jones) has a one-night stand with a stranger, only to wake up married to the stranger in an alternate universe. This kicks off an emotional journey through multiverses as Mae struggles to find her way back. Slip is a capital “O” Original.

The Diplomat | Netflix | Drama, thriller

Career diplomat Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) reluctantly takes on the job as a U.S. ambassador to the U.K. just as an international crisis is blowing up. Also, her longtime marriage to former ambassador Hal (a droll Rufus Sewell) is on the rocks, so her professional and personal lives are in major flux—and yet Kate is a consummate pro (who hates photo ops). The Diplomat gets the politics and dramedy beats right.

White House Plumbers | HBO, Max | Drama, comedy

It’s dubbed a historical drama, but White House Plumbers has a bitingly dark-comic edge, as you’d expect from the producers of Veep and Succession. Incompetent White House hired guns E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) run a series of covert ops in a 1971 campaign to reelect Richard Nixon, each more cartoonishly unsuccessful than the last. It’s a (mostly) true story,

Platonic | Apple TV+ | Comedy, drama

Neighbors stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are together again in Platonic, a 10-episode Apple TV+ comedy. Former college buds Sylvia (Byrne) and Will (Rogen) revive a relationship they see as platonic and fun, but their friends and family see as “weird and destructive” (they’re both right). Platonic swings from physical comedy to introspective drama, which Byrne and Rogan navigate effortlessly.

Based on a True Story | Peacock | Comedy, drama

When a realtor (Kaley Cuoco) obsessed with true crime deduces the identity of a Los Angeles serial killer, she has the idea to produce an interview podcast with the killer. Since they’re broke with a baby on the way, her ex-tennis pro husband (Chris Messina) is all-in. But, the killer (Tom Bateman) has his own media-empire aspirations, making Based on a True Story a hilariously uneasy (and murder-y) partnership.

The best new TV shows of January–March 2023

Poker Face | Peacock | Comedy, mystery

It’s an unapologetically retro murder mystery-comedy that borrows liberally from ’70s detective classics like Columbo, but Peacock breakout hit Poker Face is fresh and funny thanks to star Natasha Lyonne and director/writer Rian Johnson. We see the crime and the perpetrator first, then watch Lyonne’s Charlie Cale (who has the gift of spotting a liar) crack the case. So simple, but so clever.

The Last of Us | HBO, Max | Drama

With The Last of Us, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey make a dramatic duo to rival The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal and Grogu (a.k.a. Baby Yoda). The post-apocalyptic series also overcomes the stigma many video game adaptations face, dropping quiet, personal breaks into the monster action, as well as brief-but-touching cameos (give Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett all the Emmys).

Shrinking | Apple TV+ | Comedy, drama

Who knew Harrison Ford could still be this funny? Shrinking, about a widowed therapist (Jason Segel) who begins giving his patients unorthodox advice (with highly positive results), is a hilariously smart comedy that isn’t afraid of the feels. The power trio of therapists Segel, Ford, and Jessica Williams could have carried Shrinking, but the show’s ensemble is loaded with MVPs.

Daisy Jones & The Six | Prime Video | Drama

Daisy Jones & The Six might as well have been titled The Fleetwood Mac Story But Not Really, but it takes the standard rise-and-fall tale of a ’70s rock band (fronted by Riley Keough and Sam Claflin) to dazzling and occasionally surprising new heights. The cast even sings and plays instruments themselves, performing original songs by Phoebe Bridgers, Jackson Browne, and more.

The Night Agent | Netflix | Drama, thriller

On the surface, The Night Agent looks like another Jack Ryan/Jason Bourne spy thriller, but show creator/writer Shawn Ryan (The Shield) knows how to wring depth from a familiar setup. As an FBI desk jockey who’s dragged into a deadly conspiracy, Gabriel Basso plays an everyman instead of a superman, and Eve Harlow’s fashionable wildcard assassin nearly steals the show.

Lucky Hank | AMC, AMC+ | Comedy, drama

Instead of trying to top Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk sidesteps that fool’s mission as Henry Devereaux Jr., a cranky college professor testing the boundaries of his tenure at a mid-level Pennsylvania college (mediocrity’s capital, as he calls it). Academic satire isn’t easy, but Lucky Hank is a dark comedy that flows effortlessly, and English grads will love the word nerdery.

Animal Control | FOX, Hulu | Comedy

Like Welcome to Flatch before it, Animal Control is a throwback to a time when FOX produced live-action comedies with attitude and smarts. It helps that Joel McHale, as a snarky Seattle animal control officer, is working with an ensemble cast that’s nearly as good as his old Community crew (including Vella Lovell, Ravi V. Patel, and New Zealander delight Grace Palmer).

Not Dead Yet | ABC, Hulu | Comedy

Not Dead Yet tweaks the Ghosts formula slightly with Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) as a down-on-her-luck newspaper obituary writer who can see and talk to her recently deceased subjects—literal ghostwriting. In addition to delivering sentimental fuzzies, Rodriguez and co-stars Hannah Simone (New Girl) and Lauren Ash (Superstore) make an unbeatable comic trio.

Best returning TV shows of 2023

• Abbott Elementary (Season 2; ABC, Hulu)
• Barry (Season 4; HBO, Max)
• The Bear (Season 2; Hulu)
• Dark Winds (Season 2; AMC, AMC+)
• Fargo (Season 5; FX, Hulu)
• For All Mankind (Season 4; Apple TV+)
• Foundation (Season 2; Apple TV+)
• The Great (Season 3; Hulu)
• Harley Quinn (Season 4; Max)
• Hunters (Season 2; Prime Video)
• Invincible (Season 2; Prime Video)
• It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Season 16; FXX, Hulu)
• Killing It (Season 2; Peacock)
• Loki (Season 2; Disney+)
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 5; Prime Video)
• Minx (Season 2; STARZ)

• Only Murders In the Building (Season 3; Hulu)
• The Other Two (Season 3; Max)
• Our Flag Means Death (Season 2; Max)
• Party Down (Season 3; STARZ)
• Perry Mason (Season 2; HBO, Max)
• Physical (Season 3; Apple TV+)
• Reacher (Season 2; Prime Video)
• Reservation Dogs (Season 3; Hulu)
• The Righteous Gemstones (Season 3; HBO, Max)
• Somebody Somewhere (Season 2; HBO, Max)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 2; Paramount+)
• Succession (Season 4; HBO, Max)
• Ted Lasso (Season 3; Apple TV+)
• Welcome to Wrexham (Season 2; FX, Hulu)
• What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5; FX, Hulu)
• Yellowjackets (Season 2; SHOWTIME, Paramount+)