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grigori77 · 11 months ago

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2023 in TV - My Top 10 Shows

10. THE MANDALORIAN (Season 3)

The fortunes of post-George Lucas Star Wars have really fluctuated over this past decade, for almost every blissful high there has been an excruciating low to tip the balance back on its axis … thank the gods, then, for the consistent success of Lucasfilm’s biggest success story since they were bought by Disney, their streaming service’s epic and expansive series following the (mis)adventures of Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (the legendary Pedro Pascal) and his adopted ward, the impossibly adorable Force-sensitive baby Grogu. The show’s gone through some major shake-ups as it’s expanded its outlook in the SW universe beyond just Din’s own experiences to take in the larger canon, and some purists have complained that it’s starting to lose its identity because of this, but as long as Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni continue to present a finished product of this consistently high standard it’ll remain EMINENTLY worthy of our time. I for one actually really LOVED the greater prominence of Katee Sackhoff’s Mandalorian royal scion Bo-Katan Kryze throughout this third season as her rise to prominence makes her almost as much of a key character now as Din himself, and given how this season delivers what feels like a comfortable close to the original Mando’s story, I think this does a really beautiful job of setting up how the series could most smoothly continue in the future. So long as it remains as exciting, inventive, emotionally rewarding and downright GORGEOUS as it has been, I’ll keep watching.

9. THE GREAT (Season 3)

Hulu’s opulent black comedy satire from Aussie playwright and screenwriter Tony MacNamara (The Favourite, Poor Things) recounting the youthful rise to power of the mighty world-renowned Russian monarch Catherine the Great (albeit very loosely) has been a very enjoyable TV distraction these past few years, particularly once things starting really going to shit, and this latest (seemingly LAST) season is no exception. Elle Fanning continues to excel in what’s become the best role she’s had to date as Catherine, still effervescently self-confident despite her growing exasperation with her ongoing struggle to bring her adopted home of Tsarist Russia into Enlightenment and away from the far more base urges that have held it in their grip for so long. This is made all the more difficult by her persistently complicated and tempestuous love-hate-love-hate-love-murder-murder-stabby-stabby relationship with her husband Peter III (the always brilliant Nicholas Hoult), who’s FINALLY trying to learn to better himself for the sake of his own deep love (and throbbing carnal obsession) for his wife and the mother of his adorable infant son Paul. Fresh difficulties arise to baffle the lovers at every turn, from dastardly courtly machinations to civil unrest and an EXTREMELY ill-advised “accidental” war with Sweden, and it doesn’t help that their various friends and advisors – including Phoebe Fox’ spiky Marial Brezhnev, Peter’s complicated aunt, the Empress Elizabeth (the delightfully ODD Belinda Bromilow), and, of course, Adam Godley’s spectacularly perverted Russian Orthodox Archbishop “Archie” Samsa – largely seem to be in it for themselves. It’s anarchically brilliant as ever, every episode proving more chaotically unpredictable, gleefully off-the-wall and endearingly, downright FILTHILY hilarious than the last – it’s a rare thing indeed to get a comedy show that’s THIS fiendishly ingenious, making it a consistent must-watch. Unfortunately, the story has finally reached its (admittedly wise) conclusion, but I’d love to see Fanning revisit Russia’s greatest ruler sometime in the future …

8. AHSOKA

It was one of my greatest pleasures from the second season of The Mandalorian to get to see the live action (re)introduction of Anakin Skywalker’s wayward padawan Ahsoka Tano, now grown up and truly come into her own despite years spent in self-imposed exile after the Galactic Jedi pogroms and the subsequent collapse of the Empire. Seeing her return (however briefly) in the ultimately disappointing Book of Boba Fett was one of that show’s saving graces, so it seemed to only be a matter of time before she got her own series on Disney+, and gods knew I was one of the most hopeful. Thankfully, the wait has not been in vain – this is BY FAR the best piece of Star Wars-based TV I’ve had the pleasure of indulging in this year, Dave Filoni not only allowing us to spend plenty more time with our girl but also getting to see a resolution to the open ending of the very enjoyable Rebels series as we see some of her key Rebellion-era comrades return as well. Rosario Dawson has really grown into the title role now, bringing fresh nuance and complexity to a character who was already SO INTERESTING, and the new additions here are very welcome ones, particularly Natasha Liu Bordizzo (The Society) as my very favourite Mandalorian, Sabine Wren, who’s become Ahsoka’s very reluctant apprentice after showing some small aptitude with the Force, as well as the late Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me) as mercenary former Jedi Baylan Skoll and his vicious apprentice Shin Hatti, who are working to bring the infamous Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn (the legendary Lars Mikkelsen, finally getting to portray his chillingly masterful villain in live action) back to the Galaxy Far, Far Away. This is a rich, evocative and epic adventure story that takes this well-trod universe to intriguing and exotic new worlds as it opens the saga out to intriguing new possibilities, and while this was conceived as a limited series I’m personally holding out real hope for more moving forward … and I KNOW I ain’t alone …

7. GOOD OMENS 2

Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of his own much beloved collaborative novel with the legendary late fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett was such a perfect piece of television that it was a no-brainer for Amazon Prime to greenlight more, making it most fortuitous that the two writers had already made impressive progress planning further adventures for the wayward divine duo of the angel Aziraphael (Michael Sheen) and the devil Crowley (David Tennant), so he already had a starting point for more. Ultimately this is less THAT specific story than a bridge between the main story from the novel which formed the first season and the next saga, but that doesn’t make this any less worthwhile an experience, Gaiman again proving he’s one of the very best writers OUT THERE by presenting us with another exquisitely crafted sextet of hour-long episodes of gleefully comic theology-themed speculative fantasy which does a beautiful job of expanding the universe and offering rich and rewarding new character arcs for our two favourite gay angels. Giving away much of any of the plot would do the brilliantly twisty story an injustice, suffice to say that the arrival of a VERY NAKED amnesiac archangel Michael (the wonderfully game Jon Hamm in a MUCH more expanded role this time round) on the doorstep of Azirapahael’s book shop sets another potentially cataclysmic true-existential crisis into gear which will have massive repercussions for our reluctant heroes moving forward into the inevitable third season. Nice to see that Amazon have ALREADY asked Gaiman to bring the series to a satisfactory close, then.

6. THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA (Season 2)

More rightly renewed genius from Amazon Prime, this time with the second season of the animated adaptation of the first campaign of Critical Role’s TTRPG live-play webcast series, still undeniable essential viewing for both fans of professional Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and his friend’s online antics and just those who enjoy their fantasy adventures a bit more irreverent and adult. Given that the second major arc of the campaign was already a doozy, I knew ahead of time we were moving into what was sure to become an even more potent stretch of the saga than we got in the already impressive first season, and the deeply-committed folk behind it have NOT disappointed with this follow-up. The stakes have been raised CONSIDERABLY as the fantastical land of Tal’dorei falls under the brutal sway of the Chroma Conclave, a collective of tyrannical dragons bent on bloody conquest, so it’s up to the dysfunctional adventuring party of Vox Machina to save the day. Oh dear … this is JUST as much fun as the first season, with plenty more thrilling action, side-splitting satirical comedy (thank you AGAIN Sam Riegel for the gift of pure, unadulterated R-rated JOY that is the gnomish bard Scanlan Shorthalt) and inspired creative invention, but once again proceedings are tempered with plenty of powerful emotional heft and heartfelt LOVE for the characters these players created and remain STRONGLY connected to so many years later. Since Amazon wisely made the decision to commission the THIRD season WELL in advance of the second’s release we already know there’s more coming, and given where I already know this story is headed I can’t help getting REAL excited for its future …

5. THE LAST OF US

Okay, here we go, finally time for the proper ORIGINAL STUFF … yeah, it’s been a particularly great year for new IPs on the small screen, meaning that my Top Five all get to be completely fresh and “original” properties instead of continuations or spinoffs from existing series. One of the most deservedly long-awaited, well-received and rightly ACCLAIMED new shows to emerge in 2023 was HBO’s highly anticipated adaptation of the much beloved post-apocalyptic zombie survival horror video game series from Naughty Dog, and their wise move to team the games’ original creator Neil Druckmann with Craig Mazin, the man behind the now legendary Chernobyl miniseries, has paid off SPECTACULARLY here, since this is one of the very best TV series I’ve come across in a good long while, a work of breathless brilliance and soul-destroying POWER which just left me SPEECHLESS at the end of SEVERAL episodes in its all-too-brief run back in the New Year. Pedro Pascal may be The Mandalorian, but I think he's found his TRUE greatest role EVER here in Joel Miller, the world-weary survivor of a particularly nasty zombie apocalypse who lost EVERYTHING in the collapse, only to be given an opportunity twenty years later to make a difference when he’s charged with taking Ellie (Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey), a wilfully tough teenage girl who’s IMMUNE to the cordyceps fungal infection that brought down the world, across the American hellscape in the hope that she can help with the creation of a cure. Given that Joel lost his own daughter in the initial outbreak they naturally start to bond, their burgeoning connection creating a powerful driving throughline at the heart of the series as it goes from bad to worse to TRULY FUCKED and beyond … this is everything The Walking Dead always tried to be but never QUITE managed to become, a brutally challenging but infinitely rewarding tale of hope, love and compassion in the face of Armageddon, and since there’s still a second game to adapt and plenty of potential for expansion besides, I for one CANNOT WAIT for the second season’s arrival in 2025 …

4. SCAVENGERS REIGN

It’s also been another really great year for ANIMATION, particularly grown-up fare, and this brand new series for Max was EASILY the year’s most unusual and effortlessly ORIGINAL piece of work, in some ways frequently becoming downright DISTURBING, but often with a stark, challenging BEAUTY to even its most TWISTED creations. Relative newcomers Joseph Bennett and Charles Hueffner have taken their original short film and expended it into a sci-fi story of rare vision and endless invention, following a scattered collection of desperate survivors from a colony ship crashed on a miraculous but deeply hostile alien world fighting to reach what’s left of their ship in order to have a fighting chance of building a new life, maybe even ESCAPE if at all possible. They’re an interesting and rewardingly well-rounded collection of characters, each of their disparate storylines providing equally fascinating arcs across the series as they encounter weird, wonderful, unfathomable and sometimes downright TERRIFYING alien phenomenon building up to a thrilling and suspenseful climax which gives the season a strong conclusion while laying ground for possible future development. The animation from Titmouse (The Legend of Vox Machina, Pantheon) is FIRST RATE and refreshingly unique, with the design-work frequently reaching OFF-THE-CHART levels of artistic creativity, while the writing proves impressively robust too, creating realistic character arcs and compelling stories that keep the viewer invested to the end. Given how the ultimate climax, I wouldn’t be sad if this really WAS all we got, but I hope this gets picked up for more, it’s DEFINITELY worth signing up for a longer haul ...

3. ONE PIECE

Another year with Netflix DOMINATING the small screen with their Original Programming then, although I’ll admit when they were putting THIS together I was, like a whole lot of people, extremely pessimistic of its chances. If there’s ONE THING I’ve learned over the years as a fan of the genre, it is EXCEEDINGLY RARE for Western adaptations of manga and anime to work, PARTICULARLY in live action – like many, I STILL ain’t gotten over the HORROR of what Netflix themselves did to my beloved Cowboy Bebop … thankfully, somebody in creative control was paying attention to that, because FOR ONCE, this is one of those infinitely rare occasions where it’s actually WORKS, and VERY WELL INDEED. Thankfully, the original creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, was brought onboard as creative consultant by showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (Lie To Me), and they CLEARLY listened to him because this is EVERY INCH a madcap, sprawling classic anime comedy adventure show brought to vivid life in live action – I’ll be honest, I never actually got into the manga or anime myself, there’s just WAY too much of it for me to even know where to begin or really want to commit to it, but I’ve watched plenty of other shows like this, and I’ve learned the ropes well enough to know they got it VERY RIGHT here. It’s a fantastically rich world for their creatives and an incredibly game cast to play in too – obviously, the beating, thriving HEART of the series is, rightly, Iñaki Godoy (The Imperfects) as Monkey D. Luffy, the irrepressibly UPBEAT wannabe pirate who wants to find the legendary treasure of the title and become truly the new King of the Pirates, although like many I’m sure I definitely fell hardest for Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), a roguish master swordsman who wields THREE BLADES, and Sanji (Gassed Up’s Taz Skylar), a talented cook and unapologetic ladies’ man who’s also a powerful martial artist who fights exclusively with his FEET. The whole crew that Luffy brings together are a sweet, lovable bunch, while the bizarre assortment of freakish pirates, criminals and marines they encounter are uniformly bizarre and thoroughly memorable, while the show is a masterclass in controlled anarchy, well-written character work and the perfect balance of riotous comedy and stirring pathos. The end result was definitely the year’s most effortlessly ENJOYABLE TV show, and one I’m definitely in for the long run with. Good thing Netflix have already greenlit season 2 …

2. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

Mike Flanagan really has become one of Netflix’ most powerful secret weapons, each one of his original series proving to be an undeniable MASTERPIECE of inventive writing and ingenious direction coupled with sheer, heart-wrecking FEELS. Such is the case with his latest offering, an admittedly BALLSY take on the collective works of Edgar Allan Poe, all filtered through a modern-day reimagining of one of his most famous stories, although this is definitely something a little different from Flanagan. This time, instead of focusing on a family of dysfunctional but ultimately decent people who love each other deep down, the Usher clan are, almost to a man, some of the most DESPICABLE excuses for human beings you’d probably never wish to really encounter in your life. The head of the family, Roderick (another magnificent turn from the great Bruce Greenwood, alongside Midnight Mass’ equally excellent Zach Gilford as his younger self), is a morally bankrupt born salesman who seized control of the massive pharmaceutical conglomerate of Fortunato with the help of his even more viciously sociopathic genius twin sister Madeline (Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald), and his equally precocious offspring are, collectively AND individually, just as unpleasant as him – the only ray of light is his granddaughter Lenore (Doctor Sleep’s Kyliegh Curran), the only Usher with compassion, decency and a truly gentle heart. Unfortunately their empire is built on lies, murder and a dark, demonic bargain made with an unknowable angel of death, Verna (Carla Gugino), who’s finally come to collect on the debt, and she plans on taking THE WHOLE FAMILY as payment. This is the most PURE piece of horror that Flanagan has made to date, his usual restraint largely absent as he lets rip in a series of brutally ironic and fiendishly twisted murderous reckonings that sees each member of the family meet the worst fates you could possible imagine, while the true monstrous depths of how this all came to be are slowly revealed in typically non-linear narrative fashion. In the end, while The Haunting of Hill House remains Flanagan’s finest hour on the small screen, this may be his finest work for Netflix since, and it’s definitely the darkest and most cathartically MONSTROUS work he’s produced to date. I really do hope he lets his dark side out to play again before too long …

1. BLUE EYE SAMURAI

While we champ at the bit for the long-awaited second season of Arcane, Netflix have thrown us a fresh bone to chew on in the meantime with this truly INCREDIBLE new adult animated series from screenwriter Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049), who co-showruns here with his wife Amber Noizumi and animation storyboarder-turned-director Jane Wu (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse). To be honest, this show could have been PRECISION CRAFTED expressly to appeal directly to ME, this is SO MANY THINGS I love all in one package – it’s a gorgeously animated, super-violent action thrill series telling the story of Mizu (Man Seeking Woman’s Maya Erskine), a half-white, half-Japanese woman who has to hide both her heritage AND her gender as she wanders Edo period Japan as a lethal ronin samurai in search of the unknown white man who fathered her so she can murder him for making her a monster in the eyes of the country she was born in. Thankfully there are only FOUR of them in Japan at this time, and her current target is Irish gunrunner Abijah Fowler (a fantastically oily vocal performance from Kenneth Brannagh, who gets to use the accent he originally grew up with), a brutally subtle hulk of a man who’s got his own far-reaching plans for the conquest of the very country he’s a dirty little secret in … Mizu is an INCREDIBLE creation, a fierce warrior with truly astounding talent with a blade matched only by her ice cold determination to mete out her vengeance by ANY MEANS NECESSARY, and I am ABSOLUTELY BESOTTED with her, I swear. Fowler, meanwhile, is one of the very best and most well-written, super complex villains I have come across in a good long time, while he’s just another one of a whole RAFT of fully fleshed out and compelling characters which also includes Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever) as arrogant but principled samurai Taigen and Heroes’ Masi Oka, who frequently STEALS THE SHOW as Ringo, a portly sushi chef born without hands who becomes Mizu’s incredibly unlikely protégé through sheer force of will and an unendingly sunny disposition. The action sequences are some of the best the year’s offered up, captured in a fascinating mixture of 3D flare with a distinctive mock hand-painted 2D finish which makes for some very distinctive animation that obviously owes a whole lot to the influence of Arcane, paying off equally well in the distinctive character designs and gorgeous watercolour-styled panoramic vistas. Most of all, this is some of THE MOST SKILLFUL writing I came across in all of 2023, even putting some of the year’s most impressive BIG SCREEN offerings to shame with its ingenious plotting, peerless character development and handling of intriguing, powerful themes of gender and sexual identity, body positivity and systemic racism which are just as potent today as they were in the historical period they represent. This is IMPORTANT television then, but most of all it’s just DAMN FINE WORK, and I cannot wait for the now greenlit second season to arrive …

Honourable mentions:

Our Flag Means Death (season 2, HBO Max), Sweet Tooth (season 2, Netflix), Loki (season 2, Disney+), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix), Foundation (season 2, Apple TV+), Star Trek: Stange New Worlds (season 2, Paramount+), Shadow & Bone (season 2, Netflix), Chainsaw Man (Crunchyroll), The Witcher (season 3, Netflix), The Wheel of Time (season 2, Amazon Prime Video)

#best tv shows of 2023 #the mandalorian #the great #ahsoka #ahsoka series #good omens 2 #the legend of vox machina #the last of us #the last of us hbo #scavengers reign #one piece #one piece live action #one piece netflix #the fall of the house of usher #blue eye samurai

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