Best TV Series 2023

Succession will likely go down as one of HBO’s greatest series — and that’s already saying something — but as we wait to see how the Emmys will pan out for its final season, we can at least add a Golden Tomato Award for Best TV Series of 2023 to its list of accolades.

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Succession: Season 4

Adjusted Score: 105203%

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.

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

Directed By: Jesse Armstrong, Adam McKay, Frank Rich, Kevin J. Messick

The Last of Us: Season 1

Adjusted Score: 112854%

Critics Consensus: Retaining the most addictive aspects of its beloved source material while digging deeper into the story, The Last of Us is bingeworthy TV that ranks among the all-time greatest video game adaptations.

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Starring: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Lamar Johnson, Nico Parker

Directed By: Neil Druckmann, Rose Lam, Craig Mazin, Asad Qizilbash

The Bear: Season 2

Adjusted Score: 110309%

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.

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

Directed By: Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Nate Matteson, Hiro Murai

Poker Face: Season 1

Adjusted Score: 109638%

Critics Consensus: With the incomparable Natasha Lyonne as an ace up its sleeve, Poker Face is a puzzle box of modest ambitions working with a full deck.

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Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Lil Rel Howery, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Directed By: Rian Johnson, Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Nora Zuckerman

Invincible: Season 2

Adjusted Score: 103547%

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.

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

Directed By: Robert Kirkman, Margaret M. Dean, Catherine Winder, David Alpert

Reservation Dogs: Season 3

Adjusted Score: 103547%

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

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

Directed By: Tazbah Rose Chavez, Danis Goulet, Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi

Reacher: Season 2

Adjusted Score: 101879%

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.

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

Directed By: Nick Santora, James D Grant, Don Granger, Scott Sullivan

Happy Valley: Season 3

Adjusted Score: 103103%

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.

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

Directed By: Fergus O'Brien, Pat Harkins, Sally Wainwright

A Small Light: Limited Series

Adjusted Score: 102881%

Critics Consensus: Bel Powley's arresting performance burns bright in A Small Light, a sensitive portrait of heroism in the face of all-encompassing tragedy.

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Starring: Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber, Joe Cole, Amira Casar

Directed By: Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Susanna Fogel, Avi Nir

Beef: Season 1

#10

Adjusted Score: 110307%

Critics Consensus: Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are a diabolically watchable pair of adversaries in Beef, a prime cut comedy that finds the pathos in pettiness.

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Starring: Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Joseph Lee, Young Mazino

Directed By: Lee Sung-jin, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, Jake Schreier

Foundation: Season 2

#11

Adjusted Score: 101884%

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.

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

Directed By: Robyn Asimov, David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Welsh

Drops of God: Season 1

#12

Adjusted Score: 101881%

Critics Consensus: A saga of cutthroat competition with notes of cool intelligence, Drops of God is a sleek entertainment sure to stimulate refined palates.

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Starring: Fleur Geffrier, Tom Wozniczka, Tomohisa Yamashita, Stanley Weber

Directed By: Oded Ruskin

The Other Two: Season 3

#13

Adjusted Score: 101661%

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.

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

Directed By: Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer

Extraordinary: Season 1

#14

Adjusted Score: 101772%

Critics Consensus: Amiable and cleverly constructed, Extraordinary grounds the fantastical and makes it all the more accessible and thrilling as a result.

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Starring: Máiréad Tyers, Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, Luke Rollason

Directed By: Toby MacDonald, Jennifer Sheridan, Nadira Amrani, Lee Morris

Abbott Elementary: Season 2

#15

Adjusted Score: 101281%

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.

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

Directed By: Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Melissa Kosar

Primo: Season 1

#16

Adjusted Score: 101439%

Critics Consensus: Bearing the unmistakable stamp of creator Shea Serrano's authentic voice, Primo is a generation-spanning sitcom that feels like home.

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Starring: Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Christina Vidal, Carlos Santos, Henri Esteve

Directed By: Shea Serrano, Mike Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett

For All Mankind: Season 4

#17

Adjusted Score: 102105%

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.

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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

#18

Adjusted Score: 100990%

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.

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

Directed By: Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, James Duff

Gen V: Season 1

#19

Adjusted Score: 105426%

Critics Consensus: Just about as gruesomely subversive as its origin series, Gen V builds on The Boys in occasionally chaotic but overall inspired fashion.

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Starring: Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Asa Germann, Chance Perdomo

Directed By: Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen

Only Murders in the Building: Season 3

#20

Adjusted Score: 105199%

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.

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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

#21

Adjusted Score: 100325%

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.

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

Directed By: Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, Henry Alonso Myers

I'm a Virgo: Season 1

#22

Adjusted Score: 103316%

Critics Consensus: Boots Riley's towering imagination looms as large as his supersized hero in I'm a Virgo, an uproarious satire that's given an enormous heart to match by star Jharrel Jerome.

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Starring: Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes

Directed By: Boots Riley, Tze Chun, Michael Ellenberg, Lindsey Springer

Barry: Season 4

#23

Adjusted Score: 101541%

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.

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

Directed By: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Aida Rodgers, Elizabeth Sarnoff

Yellowjackets: Season 2

#24

Adjusted Score: 101428%

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.

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

Directed By: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco, Drew Comins

Slow Horses: Season 3

#25

Adjusted Score: 101879%

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.

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

Directed By: Graham Yost, James Hawes, Will Smith, Douglas Urbanski

Schmigadoon!: Season 2

#26

Adjusted Score: 99770%

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.

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

Directed By: Lorne Michaels, Barry Sonnenfeld, Cinco Paul

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season 1

#27

Adjusted Score: 97207%

Critics Consensus: A faithful adaptation of Rick Riordan's novels, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a lovingly realized odyssey through adolescence and myth.

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Starring: Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Jason Mantzoukas

Directed By: Rick Riordan, Bert Salke, Dan Shotz, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: Season 1

#28

Adjusted Score: 101647%

Critics Consensus: A resplendent romance between two of the most interesting characters in the Bridgerton saga, Queen Charlotte is a spin-off that arguably perfects the primary series' formula.

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Starring: India Amarteifio, Adjoa Andoh, Michelle Fairley, Ruth Gemmell

Directed By: Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica

Heartstopper: Season 2

#29

Adjusted Score: 101204%

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

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

Directed By: Euros Lyn, Iain Canning, Nicky Earnshaw, Hakan Kousetta

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Season 1

#30

Adjusted Score: 100877%

Critics Consensus: Retaining the heart and wit of the original movie while also carving out a fresh path for itself, Scott Pilgrim takes off in the animated medium and soars.

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Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans

Directed By: Bryan Lee O'Malley, BenDavid Grabinski, Edgar Wright, Nira Park

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