Best Returning Series 2023

Critics Consensus: As compulsively watchable as ever, Succession's final season concludes the saga of the backbiting Roy family on a typically brilliant -- and colorfully profane -- high note.

Starring: Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Dagmara Domińczyk

Critics Consensus: Instead of reinventing the menu, The Bear's second season wisely opts to toss its lovable characters into another frying pan of adversity, lets 'em cook, and serves up yet another supremely satisfying dish.

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott

Critics Consensus: Bowing out while still having plenty of creativity to spare, Reservation Dogs' final season sidesteps feeling premature by satisfying on every level.

Starring: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor

Critics Consensus: Still as bracing as a punch to the face and invigorating with its vivid worldbuilding, Invincible is practically impervious to disappointing audiences in this sterling sophomore season.

Starring: Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen

Critics Consensus: Brawny as Alan Ritchson's biceps, Reacher swaggers confidently into its sophomore season as rock 'em sock 'em pulp with a sly wink.

Starring: Alan Ritchson, Willa Fitzgerald, Malcolm Goodwin, Marc Bendavid

Critics Consensus: Full of highs and with nary a low, Happy Valley returns at the peak of its hardscrabble powers, with Sarah Lancashire seamlessly slipping back into her quintessential role for one final mystery.

Starring: Sarah Lancashire, James Norton, Siobhan Finneran, George Costigan

Critics Consensus: With its complicated bedrock now established, Foundation spreads its wings in an improved sophomore season that rewards viewers' patience with a brainy sci-fi epic of genuine grandeur.

Starring: Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey

Critics Consensus: The elder Dubek siblings may still feel like they're also-rans, but The Other Two remains cream of the crop in a third season that turns foiled dreams into delightful comedy.

Starring: Drew Tarver, Heléne Yorke, Case Walker, Ken Marino

Critics Consensus: Class is back in session and the plucky teachers of Abbott Elementary remain an absolute delight, with creator/star Quinta Brunson's savvy and sweet sensibility honed to perfection.

Starring: Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti

Critics Consensus: Houston, there's no problem here -- For All Mankind's fourth season hones in on what the series does best and forges ahead with a thought-provoking revisionist history.

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Coral Peña, Krys Marshall

Critics Consensus: Finally getting the band back together, Picard's final season boldly goes where the previous generation had gone before -- and is all the better for it.

Starring: Patrick Stewart, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes

Critics Consensus: Relocating the action to the theatre, Only Murders in the Building can take a bow for yet another twisty mystery handled with a good-humored touch.

Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton

Critics Consensus: Boldly going where this hallowed franchise has gone before with effervescent execution, Strange New Worlds' superb sophomore season continues to recapture classic Trek with modern verve.

Starring: Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush

Critics Consensus: What began as a macabre comedy is now close to completely shorn of genuine mirth, but Bill Hader's masterful indictment of stardom closes the curtain with one hell of an encore.

Starring: Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg

Critics Consensus: Having already made a startling first impression, Yellowjackets coils itself in a second season preparing for the long haul -- thankfully, its superb performances and mesmeric ambience are fine substitutes for fast answers.

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress

Critics Consensus: Slow Horses' shabby charms reach a full gallop in this superb third season, yielding what might just be Slough House's most compelling operation yet.

Starring: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves

Critics Consensus: Schmigadoon! returns with more libido, pizzazz, and all that jazz in a sophomore season that improves upon what was already a nifty production.

Starring: Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Dove Cameron, Jaime Camil

Critics Consensus: Beautifully acted and scripted, Heartstopper's second season is fit to bursting with emotional truth.

Starring: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney

Critics Consensus: A back-to-basics caper populated by the likes of a mesmerizing Juno Temple and a thick slice of Hamm, Fargo's fifth season is a superb return to peak form.

Starring: Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Rysdahl

Critics Consensus: All good comedy sets must arrive at a final punchline, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reliably nails its own with a fifth season that wisely puts Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein's repartee front and center.

Starring: Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Zegen, Alex Borstein, Tony Shalhoub