It’s the end of the year; you know the drill. It was hard to pick my favorite shows of 2023, but here they are. My usual end of year caveat: with only so many hours in the day, some shows inevitably slip by, despite the best intentions to watch. For completion’s sake, here are shows I didn’t get to but might have earned a spot on this list: The Curse (Miniseries, Showtime), Yellowjackets (Season 2, Showtime), I Think You Should Leave (Season 3, Netflix), Rick and Morty (Season 7, Adult Swim), and Gen V (Season 1, Amazon). On to the list!

10. Loki (Season 2, Disney+)
In a rough year for Marvel and superheroes at large, Loki is one of the successful outliers (especially considering the abysmal Secret Invasion). Returning for its second season, Loki was one of the highlights of Marvel’s early television foray (my review), thanks largely to the charisma and pairing of Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, and Owen Wilson. There were some hiccups along the way: the season largely revolves around Jonathan Majors in a way no editing job could salvage. Similar to its first season, the middle episodes were largely convoluted wheel-spinning, but the final episode clicked everything into place and served as a grand finale that will satisfy fans of Hiddleston, the show, and sci-fi romps in general.

9. Reservation Dogs (Season 3, FX)
The third and final season of FX’s Indigenous dramedy feels more like a coda to season two’s perfect ending, but it’s far from perfunctory. The emotional thrust of the narrative was largely wrapped up, but this final season managed to pull in the stories of the Rez Dog teens in rural Oklahoma into a larger, generational tapestry. I’m also just a sucker for spending more time with these great characters.

8. Poker Face (Season 1, Peacock)
The rise of streaming and bingeable shows has dramatically altered how television stories are told, and Rian Johnson’s Poker Face is a return to a Columbo-style, case-of-the-week murder mystery. (We need more shows like this!) Each episode follows Natasha Lyonne’s on-the-run Charlie as she encounters a new location and cast of characters as the “howcatchem” story plays out. It’s full of witty, subversive plotting that will delight mystery buffs and casual watchers alike.

7. The Righteous Gemstones (Season 3, HBO)
There’s a version of this show that is much lazier in its lampooning of televangelism and megachurch culture, but the show’s brain trust (Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jody Hill) never slouch in their biting satire or taking the story in fresh, bizarre directions. Much of the show’s success is in its incredible cast: McBride, John Goodman, Adam DeVine, Edi Patterson, and a show-stealing Walton Goggins deliver one of the best written comedies available.

6. Beef (Miniseries, Netflix)
Another great, absurd black comedy is Lee Sung Jin’s Beef about two petty strangers and their escalating acts of vindictive sabotage in each others’ lives. The writing is funny and chaotic and Steven Yeun and Ali Wong shine as the hilarious, broken pair at the center of the feud.

5. The Last of Us (Season 1, HBO)
Based on the popular, post-apocalyptic/zombie video game franchise, there are a lot of factors keeping this from rote genre fare: namely, HBO’s resources and the performances of the co-leads, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. They play a familiar Lone Wolf and Cub; in fact, much of this story is familiar, but the talent involved elevates the material (the game itself was praised for its cinematic storytelling, making it an easy target for adaptation). The reason this is so high on the list is largely due to its third episode, “Long, Long Time,” which could really be watched as a standalone story. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and one of the best episodes of television I’ve experienced in a long time.

4. Barry (Season 4, HBO)
The show has naturally veered away from its initial black humor premise of a hitman-turned-actor in LA. It’s been a testing ground for creator and star Bill Hader to showcase his many storytelling capabilities. Barry wrapped with it’s fourth and final season, and while there was a slight drop in quality compared to earlier seasons, the show has always been impressive in embracing the consequences of the choices made by its cast of characters, and letting them take the show in exciting and interesting directions—and towards an inevitable, dark, and hilarious conclusion.

3. The Other Two (Season 3, HBO)
Another show finishing its run, The Other Two is one of the best comedies of the last decade. The show’s early focus was on the two older (loser) siblings of a teen brother who experienced overnight success and fame. From there, the show continued to expand the scope of its satirical barbs, delivering one of the sharpest commentaries on fame, Hollywood, celebrity, social media, and Millennial ennui. The best compliment I can give is that if you’re a fan of the sharp “comedian’s comedy” banter of 30 Rock or Community, this is the show for you.

2. The Bear (Season 2, FX)
This show feels special; its arrival last summer, fully formed yet somehow out of nowhere, was refreshing and established unfair expectations for its sophomore outing. The Bear yet again delivered an incredible season of television, smartly doubling down on its focus of the core characters, taking its time to spotlight the members of The Bear’s staff and deepening our love and investment in these people and their struggles and wants. The high point of the season (and year in television) was the one-two punch of the sixth and seventh episodes—”Fishes” and “Forks”—delivering expert writing, direction, and characterization.

1. Succession (Season 4, HBO)
Goodbye to the Roy family! On the surface, Succession was about the family machinations of the Roy children hoping to claim their father’s media legacy. That scheming, back-stabbing was a delight, but where the show truly excelled was its precise character study of broken saps who are continually given opportunities to change, flourish, unite, become better people—and who, for nature and nurture reasons, can’t help but undermine their own growth as they succumb to their selfish scramble for attention, power, and a misplaced sense of cosmic importance. The brilliant, specific, electric writing is brought to life by career-best performances of everyone in the cast and its array of heat-check supporting players. It’s the kind of show where someone could declare any character as their favorite and you’d nod: “Makes sense.” In my heart, I wish the show would’ve continued for 10 more seasons, but I must grudgingly respect series creator Jesse Armstrong’s decision to tell—and end—this story the way he wanted. I’m left on a New York City bench, staring catatonically across the river, contemplating when I’ll experience a show like this again.