Hi friends! So, as you well know, I never am able to pull together a Best Of list before the end of the year, I have a mental block or something, I don’t know. And this year is no different. BUT! Instead of showing you more cute animals being cute for the last post of the year, I will share with you a collection of Best Of lists that other people made, because why not? It’s my blog, I do what I want.
OH! And I’m going to spoil what show they name their best of the year — it’s usually Succession — but you should click through to see the other shows that made their lists.
- The Hollywood Reporter chooses Reservation Dogs twice over.
- The A.V. Club picks Succession as its number one show.
- The Ringer names Succession as the best show of the year.
- Warming Glow says it’s Succession.
- Variety names The Last of Us and Succession.
- TV Insider chooses The Bear.
- The New York Times and Collider didn’t rank them, but instead put them in alphabetical order in a move after my own heart.
Bonus! Variety made a list of the 100 best shows of ALL TIME. I have a lot of issues with this list but don’t have time to get into it now, I need to shut down my brain for the last few days of the year.
Let me know what you think of these lists, and what you think should make mine — once I finally get around to it.
Oh, and Happy New Year! May 2024 not be the dumpster fire we’re all predicting it to be!
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
The Conversation: I find that I recommend this every time I see it, but it’s that good. Gene Hackman is the best. 9 p.m., Flix
Restoring Galveston: The Inn: The Saving Galveston folks restore a 1912 boarding house, turning it into a boutique hotel. Series premiere. Discovery+
SATURDAY
Time Bomb Y2K: This documentary tells the story of the complete panic and mania that surrounded the millennium. It genuinely was nuts. Premiere. 9 p.m., HBO
Mulholland Drive: I also tend to recommend this movie every time I see it, because it’s amazing and weird and amazing. 8:35 p.m., The Movie Channel Xtra
Harry Potter marathon: Abracadabra or whatever. 9 a.m., Bravo
SUNDAY
The Year: Countdown to 2024: Now that you’ve seen all the recaps of 2023, it’s time to look ahead to what will ABSOLUTELY BE A TERRIBLE YEAR. Maybe not as terrible as 2020, but definitely as bumpy as 2016. 6 p.m., ABC
Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest: You can go the safe route … 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., ABC
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash: Or the boring route … 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., CBS
CNN New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen: Or the unhinged drunken route. Your choice. 7 p.m., CNN
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Shark Tank (repeat) |
20/20 |
| CBS | Blue Bloods (repeat) |
Must Love Christmas |
| CW | Penn & Teller: Fool Us (new) |
Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic 2022 | Local |
| FOX | Friday Night Smackdown | Local |
| NBC | The Wall (new) |
Dateline |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | Monday Night Football (live) |
News/Local |
| CBS | NCIS: Sydney (repeat) |
48 Hours | 48 Hours | News/Local |
| CW | I Am Burt Reynolds (new) |
Local |
| FOX | College Basketball (live) |
TMZ’s Merry Elfin’ Christmas (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Password (repeat) |
Dateline (repeat) |
Saturday Night Live (repeat) |
News/ Local |
Saturday Night Live (repeat) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | The Year: Countdown to 2024 (new) |
Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 (live) |
Local | Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 (live) |
| CBS | NFL Football (new) |
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash (live) |
Local | Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 (live) |
| The CW | Local | Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night | Local |
| FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (repeat) |
The Simpsons (new) |
Krapopolis (new) |
Bob’s Burgers (new) |
Family Guy (new) |
Local/News |
| NBC | Sunday Night Football (live) |
I just finished The Bear yesterday so it may be recency bias and I haven’t seen Succession yet but The Bear was everything people made it out to be and more. Probably my favorite of 2023. My #2/3 is The Last of Us and probably The Righteous Gemstones.
Honorable Mentions to Gen V, Invincible, Yellowjackets, Barry, I Think You Should Leave, Cunk on Earth and Beef.
What a great TV year even with the strike.
For me, the lists didn’t have enough mentions of Abbott Elementary (ABC), Deadloch (Prime Video), and Our Flag Means Death (max). And not mentioned at all (unless covered behind the NY Times paywall) were Bill Russell: Legend (Netflix) and Rain Dogs (HBO).