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Must-Stream TV: All the Best Shows You Should Be Watching From 2023

Looking for something to watch? 2023 has served up plenty of ace TV — here's everything you need to catch up with.
By Sarah Ward
December 21, 2023
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By Sarah Ward
December 21, 2023
  shares
List
Map
  • Arts & Entertainment

    Gripping Murder-Mystery 'Black Snow' Is Streaming's First Must-See New Australian Series of 2023

    Travis Fimmel leads this North Queensland-set thriller, which jumps between 1994 and 2019 to investigate a shock murder of an Australian South Sea Islander teenager.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Netflix Heist Thriller 'Kaleidoscope' Is Ridiculously Easy to Binge No Matter Which Order You Watch It In

    Choose your own way through this eight-part series, which stars ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ alum Giancarlo Esposito.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Stardom Dramedy 'I Hate Suzie Too' Is the Most Stunningly Stressful Series You Can Stream Right Now

    After a must-see first run in 2020, this Billie Piper-led British series about a celebrity's chaotic life is back with another magnetic season.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    HBO's 'The Last of Us' Series Is a Spectacular Video Game Adaptation — and Just Spectacular

    Whether or not you’ve played the hit PlayStation game, this Pedro Pascal-starring post-apocalyptic drama is one of 2023’s best new shows.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'That '90s Show' Is Exactly the Right Amount of Nostalgic — for 'That '70s Show' and for the 90s

    Say “hello Wisconsin!” to a new era of teens hanging out in a basement, all thanks to Netflix’s sequel series to ‘That '70s Show’

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The 'Ted Lasso' Crew, Jason Segel and Harrison Ford Turn 'Shrinking' Into Apple TV+'s New Kind-Hearted Gem

    This comedy about therapists is Harrison Ford’s second-ever regular small-screen role — and he’s unsurprisingly exceptional.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson's Delightful 'Poker Face' Is Your New Favourite Mystery Series

    Whodunnits don’t get much better than this streaming ace, a collaboration between the ‘Russian Doll’ actor and the ‘Knives Out’ director.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Page-to-Screen Miniseries 'Fleishman Is in Trouble' Is a Stunningly Cast Character Study — and Mystery

    This smart, sharp Jesse Eisenberg- and Claire Danes-starring series reflects upon a marriage breakdown after a doctor’s wife suddenly disappears.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Eerie and Twisted Apple TV+ Horror Series 'Servant' Is One of M Night Shyamalan's Best-Ever Projects

    Like a thriller take on 'Mary Poppins', this unsettling series charts the strange events that follow a Philadelphia family when they hire a new nanny.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Cunk on Earth' Is Netflix's Gloriously Ridiculous Satirical Spin on David Attenborough-Style Docos

    Created by Charlie Brooker of ‘Black Mirror’ fame, this history-of-the-world series is an absurdist comedy delight.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Mad Men' Meets 'The Jetsons' in Apple TV+'s Stylish New Lunar Salesman Dramedy 'Hello Tomorrow!'

    What happens when selling the American dream means literally shooting for the moon? That’s this retro-futuristic sci-fi series’ premise.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Christoph Waltz-Starring Thriller 'The Consultant' Is Your Next Easy-to-Binge Workplace Nightmare

    In this moody Prime Video series, a gaming company’s nine-to-five grind gets diabolical when a new head honcho takes over.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Cult Catering Comedy 'Party Down' Is Finally Back and Just As Fantastic (and Funny) As Ever

    You’ll be having fun, and often, with this Adam Scott-starring gem’s 13-years-later revival.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Daisy Jones & The Six' Is a Fleetwood Mac-Worshipping Rock 'n' Roll Drama with a Catchy Refrain

    Riley Keough makes fantastic use of her rockstar genes in this 70s-set Prime Video series, which is based on the novel of the same name.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Keep Believing: 'Ted Lasso' Scores Another Goal with the Apple TV+ Hit's Higher-Stakes Third Season

    After an almost two-year gap, the Jason Sudeikis-starring soccer sitcom is finally back — and just as thoughtful and charming as ever.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Donald Glover's New Beyoncé-Inspired Series 'Swarm' Turns Toxic Fandom Into a Gripping Thriller

    How do you follow up 'Atlanta'? With another look at the music world, and America, that’s captivating, creative and constantly full of surprises.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Yellowjackets' Is Just As Wild, Weird and Wonderful in the Survival Thriller's Second Season

    This lost-in-the-woods hit ramps up the eeriness, chills, gore and questions in season two — and it’s still one of the best shows around.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Succession' Season Four Starts in Such Savage Form That You'll Never Want the HBO Hit to End

    In its final season, HBO's stellar one-percent drama hasn't lost its bite — or taste for blisteringly funny family-feud chaos.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Raw and Revelatory New British Dramedy 'Rain Dogs' Joins HBO's Ever-Growing List of Must-Sees

    'The Last of Us' isn’t HBO’s only new standout of 2023 thanks to this candid eight-part BBC coproduction starring Daisy May Cooper.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'The Big Door Prize' Is Apple TV+'s Latest Intriguing and Addictive Series Based Around a Mystery

    Starring Chris O'Dowd, this streaming newcomer starts with a magical machine arriving suddenly in a small town.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Netflix and A24 Dramedy 'Beef' Turns Petty Feuds Into Steven Yeun- and Ali Wong-Starring Perfection

    If you’ve ever gotten irrationally angry about a minor exchange with a stranger, then questioned your entire life, this new standout understands.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Aunty Donna Are Back on Your Screen — and 'Coffee Cafe' Is Your Next Absurdist Comedy Obsession

    After taking on sharehouses in 'Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun', the Aussie comedy troupe now tackles cafe culture — and the results are just as hilarious.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Bill Hader's Hitman Dramedy 'Barry' Has Always Been Phenomenal, But Its Final Season Is on Another Level

    The ex-'Saturday Night Live' star has made this four-season series about an assassin becoming an actor one of HBO's all-time greats.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Nun-Versus-AI Series 'Mrs Davis' Is 2023's Most Wildly Ridiculous and Entertaining New Show So Far

    Starring 'GLOW' alum Betty Gilpin, this happily OTT series battles an algorithm — and never feels like it was spat out by one.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Dead Ringers' Is As Much of a Body-Horror Masterpiece As a Series As It Was As a David Cronenberg Film

    Arriving 35 years after the movie, this six-part miniseries also delivers two astonishing performances by Rachel Weisz.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Love & Death' Turns a Well-Covered True-Crime Tale Into HBO's Latest Fascinating Miniseries

    This real-life tale has reached the screen before, but not with Elizabeth Olsen at its centre and 'Big Little Lies' creator David E Kelley behind the scenes.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Joshua Jackson-Starring 'Fatal Attraction' Remake Turns the 80s Erotic Thriller Into a Murder-Mystery

    Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan take over from Michael Douglas and Glenn Close in the latest movie classic to get turned into a TV series.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Pete Davidson Plays Pete Davidson Again — and Engaging New Dramedy 'Bupkis' Has Plenty of Fun with It

    Move over 'The King of Staten Island' — co-starring the great Joe Pesci and Edie Falco, this series gets satirical with the ex-'SNL' comedian’s life and fame.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Showbiz Satire 'The Other Two' Is Still the Funniest Comedy on TV in Its Stellar Third Season

    Skewering celebrity, the whole entertainment industry and chasing fame dreams doesn’t get any sharper than this.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Apple TV's Page-to-Screen Thriller 'Silo' Is Streaming's Next Gripping (and Great) Sci-Fi Mystery

    What happens when humanity's last 10,000 inhabitants are left living in an underground chamber? That's this new standout's instantly engrossing story.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'The Great' Keeps Living Up to Its Name in the Period Comedy's Delightfully Darker Third Season

    Huzzah! This satirical take on Catherine the Great's reign keeps proving a savage and witty charmer.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Patricia Arquette Is a Sleuthing and Hustling Delight in Private Investigator Comedy 'High Desert'

    Apple TV+'s latest star-studded series focuses on a recovering addict-turned-detective in California's Yucca Valley.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    David Attenborough's Dinosaur Documentary Series 'Prehistoric Planet' Is Still a Stunner in Season Two

    Move over 'Jurassic Park' — with its spectacular second five-night run, 'Prehistoric Planet' is the best dinosaur franchise now.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Disney+'s The Family-Inspired Australian Cult Drama 'The Clearing' Is Riveting and Eerie Viewing

    The streaming platform's first original scripted Aussie drama tells a nightmarish tale fictionalised from reality with a top-notch local cast.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen's New Buddy Comedy 'Platonic' Is Perfectly Cast — and a Great Hang

    They made an ace pair in 'Bad Neighbours' and 'Bad Neighbours 2', and they're just as entertaining together in Apple TV+'s new comedy.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson' Season Three Is the Best Way to Spend 90 Minutes Right Now

    Stop rewatching 'Coffin Flop' over sloppy steaks and start binging the latest hilarious sketches to drop from Netflix's best-ever comedy.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    The Kates' Smart and Hilarious Murder-Mystery 'Deadloch' Kills It as a Crime Drama and as a Comedy

    Get cracking — Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan's new series is one of the streaming highlights of the year.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    A Supernatural Sitcom and a Meaningful Exploration of Mental Health: That's Ryan Corr-Led Comedy 'In Limbo'

    Also starring Bob Morley, this six-part Australian dramedy is thoughtful, weighty, funny and exceptionally well-cast.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Black Mirror' Still Knows How to Chill, Thrill, Twist and Surprise in Its Must-Binge Sixth Season

    Charlie Brooker's dystopian hit is back with five new nightmares, all pondering humanity's worst impulses and instincts.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Supremely Well-Cast Spy Thriller 'Secret Invasion' Finally Gives Samuel L Jackson the Marvel Spotlight

    Olivia Colman, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke and Kingsley Ben-Adir also leave an imprint in the MCU's latest small-screen series.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Big, Bold and Brilliant: Boots Riley's Surreal 'I'm a Virgo' Is Like No Other Series You Can Stream Right Now

    Five years after 'Sorry to Bother You' stunned in cinemas, the musician-turned-filmmaker is back with a towering achievement of a streaming series.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Idris Elba's Tense Real-Time Plane Thriller 'Hijack' Is Nail-Biting and Swiftly Addictive Viewing

    The actor everyone would like to see as 007 tries to stop terrorists on a Dubai-to-London flight in this new Apple TV+ series.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Cannibalism Dramedy 'The Horror of Dolores Roach' Serves Up a Bloody Good Twist on 'Sweeney Todd'

    After starting out as a one-woman play, then becoming a podcast, this tale about empanadas with gruesome fillings hits streaming.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Genre-Bending Whodunnit 'The Afterparty' Is Still One of Streaming's Funniest Murder-Mysteries in Season Two

    There’s a new death and a mostly new cast, but sleuthing your way through this Apple TV+ comedy remains a treat.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Steven Soderbergh's Twisty New Miniseries 'Full Circle' Is an All-Round Compelling Crime-Thriller

    Fresh from 'Magic Mike's Last Dance', the prolific filmmaker directs, lenses and edits every episode of this starry must-watch show.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'The Bear' Serves Up Another Course of Sublime TV in the Hit Dramedy's Sizzling Second Season

    Yes chef — the best new show of 2022 is finally back, and it's just as appetising and intense as ever.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Shut Up and Take My Money: The Newly Defrosted and Still-Hilarious 'Futurama' Is Back in Vintage Form

    It's been 24 years since it debuted, and ten since it last aired episodes, but Matt Groening's other big animated hit feels like it never left.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Minx' Gets Bigger, Deeper and More Confident in Its Stellar Second Dive Into 70s Porn for Women

    Smart, raunchy, astute and funny, this empowering series about a feminist erotic magazine is still a must-see in season two.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Let This Vampire Comedy Live Forever: 'What We Do in the Shadows' Just Keeps Sparkling in Season Five

    Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou and Kayvan Novak were born to play Staten Island's vampire housemates.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Michael Sheen and David Tennant Still Make a Supremely Heavenly Duo in 'Good Omens' Season Two

    With the comedic fantasy series finally back to thwart another battle between heaven and hell, its lead casting couldn’t be more divine.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Coming of Age and Coming Out: 'Heartstopper' Season Two Keeps Swooning in Big, Small, Cute and Complex Moments

    Returning for a second season, Netflix's queer teen gem is still as sweet, smart and joyous as ever.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Sigourney Weaver Burns Up the Screen in Book-to-TV Aussie Miniseries 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart'

    The acting legend plays an Australian matriarch wading through secrets and lies with her orphaned granddaughter.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Adding Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep to 'Only Murders in the Building' Season Three Is Pure Whodunnit Heaven

    Getting sleuthing with the murder-mystery comedy’s OG crew and high-profile newcomers is an utter delight.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Rousing Matildas Documentary Series 'The World at Our Feet' Is Absolutely Essential Viewing Right Now

    This six-part Disney+ doco charts the national Australian women's soccer team's path to the 2023 World Cup — wins, challenges and all.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    HBO's Stunning New Scammer Docuseries 'Telemarketers' Is Your Latest True-Crime Obsession

    The Safdie brothers executive produce this has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed three-parter about the shoddiest and shadiest of call-centre operations.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Killing It' Season Two Tussles with Different Snakes — and This Savvy Satire Gets Even Sharper

    Craig Robinson and Claudia O'Doherty are no longer polishing off pythons, but they're still facing savage inequality while chasing the American dream.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    New 'Star Wars' Series 'Ahsoka' Chooses Wisely in Making Rosario Dawson Its Formidable On-Screen Force

    Disney's favourite galaxy far, far away delivers another master-and-apprentice tale, this time focusing on a 'Clone Wars' and 'Rebels' figure in live-action.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Justified: City Primeval' Brings Timothy Olyphant and His Stetson Back for a Perfect TV Revival

    Welcome back Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens, this time in Detroit in a miniseries that has hit streaming eight years after the original 'Justified' wrapped up.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Swoon: Three Seasons in, Rose Matafeo's 'Starstruck' Keeps Proving a Perfect Rom-Com Sitcom

    What happens after you've lived the 'Notting Hill' life and had a moment right out of 'The Notebook'? That's the latest question in this charming romantic-comedy series.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    New Horror-Fantasy Gem 'The Changeling' Is Eerie, Entrancing and Led by an Exceptional LaKeith Stanfield

    Streaming rarely get as evocative and ambitious as this page-to-screen highlight, which is based on the novel by Victor LaValle.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Rose Byrne Turns in One of Her Best Performances Yet in the Final Season of Aerobics Comedy 'Physical'

    The 80s-set Apple TV+ series is coming to an end with its third season — and with Zooey Deschanel joining the cast.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Sex Education' Knows How to Climax in Its Heartfelt, Charming and Mature Fourth and Final Season

    Across one last run of eight episodes, the Netflix favourite says goodbye to the Moordale crew with another affectionate and astute bang.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Glorious 'The Boys' Spinoff 'Gen V' Is Filled with College-Set Coming-of-Age Caped-Crusader Chaos

    Its superheroes might be younger, but nothing has been toned down in this characteristically gory and raucous entry in the Vought Cinematic Universe.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi's Pirate Rom-Com 'Our Flag Means Death' Keeps Sailing Sweetly in Season Two

    After proving one of the standout new shows of 2022, the queer seafaring sitcom is back for a second voyage — and it's just as charming.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Crime Capers Don't Get Much More Charming Than Netflix's Suave Omar Sy-Starring Standout 'Lupin'

    Slick, stylish, twisty and thrillingly entertaining, this heist series about everyone's favourite French gentleman thief is back for a third easy binge.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Loki' Remains One of Marvel's Standout Streaming Shows in Its Lively and Entertaining Second Season

    This returning Tom Hiddleston-starring stint of time-hopping trickery also benefits from adding 'Everywhere All At Once' Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan to its cast.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    TV Dramedies Don't Get Much Better Than the Sublime and Soulful 'Reservation Dogs' From Start to Finish

    This Taika Waititi-produced series just wrapped up its third and final season — and television is all the better for its 28-episode run.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'The Fall of the House of Usher' Is a Gloriously Creepy Gothic Horror-Meets-'Succession' Delight

    Netflix’s fifth horror series with filmmaker Mike Flanagan also gives the opioid crisis an Edgar Allan Poe spin.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    If 'Black Mirror' Was a Workplace Comedy and a Rom-Com, It'd Be Likeable Afterlife Series 'Upload'

    Three seasons in, this AI-, virtual reality- and capitalism-skewering series keeps proving an astute and engaging satire.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie's Unease-Dripping Cringe Comedy 'The Curse' Is One of 2023's Best New Shows

    Emma Stone stars alongside Fielder and Safdie in this brilliant dark satire of reality TV, gentrification, appropriation, marriage, privilege, karma and more.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'A Murder at the End of the World' Is the New Nordic Noir-Style Whodunnit That You Won't Want to Stop Watching

    Emma Corrin turns Agatha Christie in this twisty and chilly murder-mystery from 'The OA' creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Kurt and Wyatt Russell, Godzilla and Globe-Hopping Family Drama Make a Great Combo in 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'

    The 'Monsterverse' successfully hits the small screen in this engaging spinoff that jumps between the 1950s and 2010s.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' Is an Anime Remix of the Beloved Page-to-Screen Tale to Fall in Love With

    The page-to-screen tale about the twentysomething bassist battling Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes is back; however, this isn’t the same story but animated.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Oh Yeah, 'Fargo' Is Still a Twisty Treat in the Crime Caper's Jon Hamm- and Juno Temple-Led Fifth Season

    You betcha this small-screen take on the Coen brothers' big-screen masterpiece keeps proving one of the best film-to-TV adaptations there is.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Brie Larson Cooks Up a Stellar Performance in Charming Page-to-Screen Drama 'Lessons in Chemistry'

    The Oscar-winner gets her best role in years in this adaptation of Bonnie Garmus' bestseller about a chemistry genius who becomes a TV cooking show host, and a feminist hero.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Australian Rural Noir Gets Its Next Engrossing Mystery with Book-to-Screen Crime Drama 'Scrublands'

    Starring Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan, this gripping four-part series is based on Chris Hammer's novel.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    'The Artful Dodger' Gives the Dickens Character an Energetic, Engaging and Entertaining Down Under Twist

    You'll want some more of this new take on the pickpocket first penned in 1838, which is set in 1850s Australia.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Brilliant British Delight 'Slow Horses' Keeps Proving One of the Small Screen's Best-Ever Spy Thrillers

    This standout Apple TV+ series follows up its ace first two seasons in 2022 with a gripping third spin in 2023.

  • Arts & Entertainment

    Medical Thriller 'Dr Death' Delivers Another Dose of True-Crime Nightmare Fuel in Its Compelling Second Season

    Another sinister surgeon fuels this anthology series' Édgar Ramirez- and Mandy Moore-starring return — plus romantic scams, too.

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