Best Returning Series 2023

Logan Roy and his contentious family returned for the last time in 2023, finally revealing who would go on to succeed him, and while some shows are notorious for stumbling in the final stretch, pretty much everyone agreed that Succession’s swan song was as good as we all hoped it would be.

« Previous Category Next Category »

Succession: Season 4 (2023)
97%

#1
Adjusted Score: 105102%
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
Directed By: Jesse Armstrong, Adam McKay, Frank Rich, Kevin J. Messick

The Bear: Season 2 (2023)
99%

#2
Adjusted Score: 109988%
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
Directed By: Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai

Reservation Dogs: Season 3 (2023)
100%

#3
Adjusted Score: 103440%
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
Directed By: Tazbah Rose Chavez, Danis Goulet, Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi

Invincible: Season 2 (2023)
100%

#4
Adjusted Score: 103551%
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
Directed By: Robert Kirkman, Margaret M. Dean, Catherine Winder, David Alpert

Reacher: Season 2 (2023)
98%

#5
Adjusted Score: 101773%
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
Directed By: Nick Santora, James D Grant, Don Granger, Scott Sullivan

Happy Valley: Season 3 (2023)
100%

#6
Adjusted Score: 103107%
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
Directed By: Fergus O'Brien, Pat Harkins, Sally Wainwright

Foundation: Season 2 (2023)
100%

#7
Adjusted Score: 101894%
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
Directed By: Robyn Asimov, David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Welsh

The Other Two: Season 3 (2023)
100%

#8
Adjusted Score: 101672%
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
Directed By: Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer

Abbott Elementary: Season 2 (2022)
100%

#9
Adjusted Score: 101249%
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
Directed By: Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Melissa Kosar

For All Mankind: Season 4 (2023)
100%

#10
Adjusted Score: 101998%
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
Directed By: Ronald D. Moore, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Maril Davis

Star Trek: Picard: Season 3 (2023)
98%

#11
Adjusted Score: 101773%
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
Directed By: Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, James Duff

Only Murders in the Building: Season 3 (2023)
96%

#12
Adjusted Score: 105213%
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
Directed By: Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Jamie Babbitt, Dan Fogelman

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 2 (2023)
97%

#13
Adjusted Score: 100330%
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
Directed By: Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, Henry Alonso Myers

Barry: Season 4 (2023)
96%

#14
Adjusted Score: 101549%
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
Directed By: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Aida Rodgers, Elizabeth Sarnoff

Yellowjackets: Season 2 (2023)
93%

#15
Adjusted Score: 100221%
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
Directed By: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco, Drew Comins

Slow Horses: Season 3 (2023)
98%

#16
Adjusted Score: 101663%
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
Directed By: Graham Yost, James Hawes, Will Smith, Douglas Urbanski

Schmigadoon!: Season 2 (2023)
97%

#17
Adjusted Score: 99783%
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
Directed By: Lorne Michaels, Barry Sonnenfeld, Cinco Paul

Heartstopper: Season 2 (2023)
96%

#18
Adjusted Score: 100995%
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
Directed By: Euros Lyn, Iain Canning, Nicky Earnshaw, Hakan Kousetta

Fargo: Season 5 (2023)
93%

#19
Adjusted Score: 97994%
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
Directed By: Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 5 (2023)
96%

#20
Adjusted Score: 99119%
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
Directed By: Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Daniel Palladino

« Previous Category Next Category »

Movie & TV News