The Seven Best TV Shows Of 2023 For The OutKick Audience
The year is nearly over, and that means it's time to talk a walk down memory lane with the best TV shows of the year.
Unfortunately, multiple strikes brought Hollywood to a grinding halt in 2023. Writers and actors striking while hammering out new deals resulted in shows being delayed and pushed off deep into the future.
That left entertainment fans with limited options. As a result, we don't have a locked and loaded list as we might have in the past. However, I've still carved out seven great viewing options for the OutKick family.
Let's dive into the best can't miss shows of the past year.
"The Last of Us" is on the list of best TV shows in 2023. (Credit: HBO)
The best TV shows of 2023 unveiled.
"Special Ops: Lioness" from Taylor Sheridan was my personal favorite show of the year. It follows a young Marine inducted into a secret program to infiltrate and destroy a terrorist network.
It's incredibly dark, gritty, violent, loaded with suspense and features storylines about the true nature of terrorism, another that can easily be interpreted as pro-life and shines a light on a shadow world the public doesn't know anything about.
Believe it or not, there are some women at the tip of the spear that are only whispered about as if they're ghosts. "Special Ops: Lioness" is the first show to pull back the curtain on a world I wish more people knew more about.
I can't recommend it enough. If you enjoy war stories, espionage, action and just great entertainment, this show is for you.
"Special Ops: Lioness" is a great show. (Photo Credit: Greg Lewis/Paramount+)
Was there any chance this wouldn't end up on the list of the best shows of the year? Absolutely not. "Justified" is the greatest TV show in the history of Hollywood, in my very humble opinion.
For six incredible seasons, fans got to watch Raylan Givens hunt bad guys while balancing the demons in his own soul and his inability to untangle himself from Boyd Crowder - the greatest villain in TV history.
The show wrapped up its original run in 2015 and after eight years, made a triumphant return with "City Primeval."
"Justified: City Primeval" exceeded expectations. (Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX)
I will admit, it does start a shade slow before really picking up steam the back half of its run. And while Clement Mansell isn't Boyd, he makes a very worthy adversary to Raylan.
"City Primeval" also gave fans an all-time great tease to close out its run. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of Boyd and Raylan battling it out, and I'll leave it there.
Definitely go ahead and add "Justified: City Primeval" to your list of TV shows to crush.
"The Last of Us":
The hit HBO series with Pedro Pascal is based on the popular video game series, and put up monster numbers for the network.
I never played the game and went into "The Last of Us" completely blind. I had no idea what to expect. It was released not long after "House of the Dragon," and HBO managed to stack two massive home runs on top of each other.
The post-apocalyptic thriller follows Joel and Ellie, who is immune from the virus, as they attempt to travel to safe haven following the world's collapse.
There's absolutely no laughs or anything cheery about "The Last of Us." It's downright brutal for large chunks of time, but Pascal and Bella Ramsey are both outstanding.
You can check out Alejandro and myself break it down a bit more in the video below.
I can't recommend it enough if you haven't already seen it. You simply can't go wrong as a TV fan with "The Last of Us." Also, shoutout to Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett for arguably the two best guest appearances TV fans have seen in a while.
"The Fall of the House of Usher":
I'm probably going to catch some flak for this one because people either loved it or absolutely hated "The Fall of the House of Usher," but I personally loved it.
Carla Gugino gave the performance of a lifetime as the menacing and sinister (or is she not?) Verna. Fans watch a powerful pharmaceutical family start having members killed one by one in the worst ways imaginable, and Verna seems to be in control of everything. But why? Why is this mysterious woman hunting down the Usher family? Fans get to untangle that web in Mike Flanagan's latest hit.
Bruce Greenwood is also excellent and Willa Fitzgerald also gives an outstanding performance as a young Madeline Usher. Even Mark Hamill knocked it out of the park in his limited screen time.
Were there a couple cringe moments? Yes, but overall "The Fall of the House of Usher" easily earned its spot on the list of the best TV shows of 2023. Think I'm wrong on this one? I'd love to debate it at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
"White House Plumbers":
This is a must-watch for anyone who is a huge history buff like myself. It follows Woody Harrelson as E. Howard Hunt and Justin Theroux as G. Gordon Liddy and the White House Plumbers during the infamous Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration.
Most young people reading this might not even have a clue what I'm talking about, but the show does an outstanding job of breaking down the scandal in an incredibly and captivating fashion.
More than anything, "White House Plumbers" is probably best described as a dark comedy. Definitely add this to your list if you love history and need something to crush.
"Hijack":
I randomly stumbled upon "Hijack" with Idris Elba while looking for something to watch with the girlfriend. Elba is always great, and that was enough for us to give it a shot.
It will hook you from the opening scene and refuse to let go until the credits roll. The plot revolves around expert negotiator Sam Nelson (Elba) on a plane that's been hijacked by multiple bad guys, but nothing is as it appears on the surface.
It's about much more than a simple hijacking on a plane bound for England. Buckle up and prepare for chaos because this show keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
"From" (season two):
I'm really late to the party on "From." I believe OutKick's Zach Dean was on the hype train long before I ever saw a single episode and might have mentioned it in Nightcaps.
How does one even describe what "From" is as a TV show? Is it paranormal? Is it science fiction? Is it fantasy? I honestly don't know.
The plot revolves around a small community people wind up in, and on the surface, it seems like everyone just got lost.......except mysterious creatures resembling humans come out a night and kill everyone not hiding in safety. What a twist!
Season one premiered in 2022 but season two came out this year. We'll let it slide to qualify for the list. I truly can't wait for season three. I cruised through the first two seasons, and I'm locked in and hooked to find out where we go from here.
It's 100% worth your time, as long as you're fine with gore and horror.
Well, that's a wrap on the best seven TV shows of the year. What did I leave off the list you think should be added? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com!