2023 is now in the books! But before we look ahead to 2024, let’s look back on the year that was in television; What was the best show? What streamer holds the championship belt? And who will win 2023 Television Madness? Find out all that and more with The Circuit’s 2023 Television Awards!
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If you’ve been following along all year (where the hell have you been if you haven’t!), you know that every quarter poll the number of nominees is half of the number of things I watched, or half rounded up if it’s an odd number. But for the yearly awards, we’re doing 10 nominees across the board (with some smaller categories getting 5). And we’re adding a bunch of new categories to further celebrate the year in television!
Here is the complete list of shows I caught in 2023:
1st Quarter: 9 2nd Quarter: 13
Bel-Air s2 Animal Control s1
Full Swing s1 Beef s1
How I Met Your Father s2 The Citadel s1
Kaleidoscope s1 City on Fire s1
Mandalorian s3 The Flash s9
National Treasure: Edge of History s1 Fubar s1
Poker Face s1 The Idol s1
Shrinking s1 Jury Duty s1
The Last of Us s1 Love and Death s1
Rise of the Pink Ladies s1
Succession s4
Ted Lasso s3
White House Plumbers s1
3rd Quarter: 10 4th Quarter: 10
Ahsoka s1 Bob’s Burgers s14
Based on a True Story s1 Fall of the House of Usher s1
The Bear s2 Gen V s1
Crowded Room s1 Goosebumps s1
Grey’s Anatomy s19 Invincible s2
HSMTMTS s4 Loki s2
Only Murders in the Building s3 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters s1
Secret Invasion s1 The Morning Show s3
Twisted Metal s1 The Santa Clauses s2
Winning Time s2 What If…? s2
42 shows! But there were still a number of shows I didn’t get to. Here is a list of some of the more notable shows I didn’t catch in 2023 (so if you don’t see your favorite show nominated for anything, it’s probably because I didn’t watch it).
American Born Chinese s1
Barry s4
Fargo s5
Lessons in Chemistry s1
The Marvelous Ms. Maisel s5
One Piece s1
Party Down s3
Reacher s2
Reservation Dogs s3
Righteous Gemstones s3
Silo s1
Slow Horses s1
Star Trek: Picard s3
That 90’s Show s1
Yellowjackets s2
Favorite Action/Superhero Show in 2023
1- Loki season 2
2- Gen V season 1
3- What If…? season 2
4- Fubar season 1
5- Invincible season 2
Season 1 of Loki was probably the best Disney+ show Marvel had made, until season 2 came around. The incredible time-bending shenanigans melted with the emotional heartstrings of Loki just wanting to be with his friends, and Loki season 2 ran away with this category for 2023. And Ke Huy Quan… great addition to the MCU!
Favorite Comedy/Musical Show in 2023
1- Ted Lasso season 3
2- The Bear season 2
3- Shrinking season 1
4- Jury Duty season 1
5- Only Murders in the Building season 3
Poor Carmy and the rest of The Bear staff. They finished second in this category in 2022 to Wednesday, and now they once again find themselves runner-up, this time to the inevitable Ted Lasso. Despite a lot of people feeling somewhat disappointed by the final season, I thoroughly enjoyed it. From Jamie teaching Roy how to ride a bike, to Ted, his son and coach Beard singing at the pub, to Nate (f*cking Nate!) getting redeemed, this season ripped my heart out of my chest and fed it to me.
Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show in 2023
1- The Last of Us season 1
2- Ahsoka season 1
3- Goosebumps season 1
4- The Mandalorian season 3
5- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 1
I have not played the video game, but The Last of Us was a truly gripping show that captured the feeling that The Walking Dead gave me in the early seasons. A great, condensed cast and some gnarly zombie-not-zombie sequences made this must-watch television each Sunday. And episode 3… come on!
Favorite Drama/Prestige Show in 2023
1- Succession season 4
2- Winning Time season 2
3- Beef season 1
4- City on Fire season 1
5- Poker Face season 1
Ted Lasso wasn’t the only iconic show that ended in 2023. The Roy’s saw their story end, juggling a wedding, a funeral, an election and a Cousin Greg in the last season of Succession. The cast brought their A-games and delivered an ending that I both completely saw coming and, at the same time, didn’t see coming at all. A perfect ending to maybe the greatest show ever made.
Favorite Episode of 2023
1- “Long, Long Time” (The Last of Us s1 e3)
2- “Science/Fiction” (Loki s2 e5)
3- “Kill List” (Succession s4 e5)
4- “The Hamburger Hamlet (Winning Time s2 e5)
5- “Fishes” (The Bear s2 e6)
6- “Connor’s Wedding” (Succession s4 e3)
7- “America Decides” (Succession s4 e8)
8- “Shadow Warrior” (Ahsoka s1 e5)
9- “What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?” (What If…? S2 e6)
10- “Sunflowers” (Ted Lasso s3 e6)
Can you tell I liked this season of Succession? It only had 3 of my 10 favorite episodes of 2023. However, not Loki nor Kendall Roy could dethrone “Long, Long Time” from The Last of Us. This episode, which as far as I know has very little to do with the game and is mostly a show creation, absolutely gutted me. This was one of the best love stories I’ve ever watched; in one 70 minute episode, we saw two lost souls connect, fall in love, protect each other and, well you can see what happens for yourself. But this was not just one of the best episodes of 2023, this might be one of my favorite episodes of television, period. Absolutely perfect.
Favorite Guest Appearance by an Actor/Actress in Television in 2023
1- Hayden Christiansen (Ahsoka)
2- Nick Offerman (The Last of Us)
3- Murray Bartlett (The Last of Us)
4- John Mulaney (The Bear)
5- Matthew Broderick (Only Murders in the Building)
6- Jamie Lee-Curtis (The Bear)
7- Jeff Goldblum (What If…?)
8- Neil Patrick-Harris (How I Met Your Father)
9- Kat Dennings (What If…?)
10- Tom Cavanagh (The Flash)
Offerman and Bartlett (the subjects of the aforementioned love story) were both incredible in their episode. And you know how much I love Mulaney and Broderick. But as someone who grew up with the Prequel trilogy rather than the Original trilogy, seeing Hayden Christiansen return as Anikan Skywalker and crush it was so magical. I stand by that those 50 minutes in that episode were the best 50 minutes of Star Wars ever. So Welcome back Hayden! Here’s an award and here’s to hoping you have more to do in a galaxy far, far away.
Favorite Performance by a Supporting Actress in Television in 2023
1- Carla Gugino (Fall of the House of Usher)
2- Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building)
3- Cheyenne Isabel-Wells (Rise of the Pink Ladies)
4- Alexandra Doke (City on Fire)
5- Lizzie Broadway (Gen V)
6- Greta Lee (The Morning Show)
7- Jessica Williams (Shrinking)
8- Olivia Colman (Secret Invasion)
9- Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)
10- Fortune Feimster (Fubar)
This was a terrible year for supporting actresses in television. The top of my rankings would be great at 8-9-10, but being 1-2-3 does not speak well to the quality of this field. Gugino picks up the win mainly for that one scene in Fall of the House of Usher. If you’ve seen the show, you know what I’m talking about.
Favorite Performance by a Supporting Actor in Television in 2023
1- Adrien Brody (Winning Time)
2- Kieran Culkin (Succession)
3- Harrison Ford (Shrinking)
4- Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
5- Ke Huy-Quan (Loki)
6- James Marsden (Jury Duty)
7- Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso)
8- Brett Goldsetin (Ted Lasso)
9- Sean Patrick-Small (Winning Time)
10- Alexander Skarsgard (Succession)
Now supporting actor though, what a blood bath! To have the Ted Lasso boy near the bottom of the rankings shows just how tough this year was. Marsden, Quan, and our favorite CEO all gave great performances, but this really came down to Ford, Culkin and Brody (YES I understand Culking was nominated for Lead Actor at all the awards. Along with TWO other Succession boys! To me, Strong is the lead of that show, so Culkin lands here. Deal with it). While Ford showed a side of him I hadn’t quite seen before and Culkin gave his best performance in the show yet, watching Brody transform into the legendary Pat Riley was truly something special to watch. His locker room scene gave me chills, and I’m so mad they canceled that show prematurely and took years of Pat Riley away from us.
Favorite Performance by a Lead Actress in Television in 2023
1- Elizabeth Olsen (Love and Death)
2- Natasha Lyone (Poker Face)
3- Ayo Edibiri (The Bear)
4- Sarah Snook (Succession)
5- Lily Rose-Depp (The Idol)
6- Amanda Seyfried (Crowded Room)
7- Jennifer Anniston (The Morning Show)
8- Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka)
9- Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)
10- Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)
I thought Olsen was fantastic in Love and Death. The show was just meh, but she turned in a great performance as per usual. She really ran away with this category from the likes of Lyone, Edibiri, Snook and even Rose-Depp (yes, I liked her in The Idol. The show wasn’t that bad, you prudes).
Favorite Performance by a Lead Actor in Television in 2023
1- Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
2- Jeremy Allen-White (The Bear)
3- Jason Sudekis (Ted Lasso)
4- Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)
5- Jason Segel (Shrinking)
6- Steven Yeun (Beef)
7- Jeremy Strong (Succession)
8- Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
9- Tom Holland (Crowded Room)
10- John C. Reilly (Winning Time)
Man Jeremy Allen-White can’t catch a break in 2023! His show finished 2nd in Comedy/Musical and now his bid to go back-to-back in lead actor fall just short. Hiddleston delivered his best performance in the MCU and brought me to tears more than once. I loved what Sudekis, Pascal, Segel and Allen-White all did in their shows, but Loki wins again.
Least Favorite Television Show in 2023
39- Secret Invasion season 1
38- The Citadel season 1
37- White House Plumber season 1
36- Based on a True story season 1
35- Twisted Metal season 1
If you asked me which show I would rather watch again, Secret Invasion or The Citadel, I would probably pick the former due to it being in the MCU and having characters I enjoy spending time with. But ya know what? F*CK that show! Baffling decision after baffling decision, that show was the epitome of why the MCU shows have sucked. A completely meaningless show, with utterly confusing storylines and an ultimate betrayal of a Marvel mainstay. Abysmal.
Favorite Television Show in 2023
1- Succession season 4
2- Loki season 2
3- Ted Lasso season 3
4- Winning Time season 2
5- The Bear season 2
6- Shrinking season 1
7- The Last of Us season 1
8- Jury Duty season 1
9- Only Murders in the Building season 3
10- Goosebumps season 1
There were a lot of great shows in 2023, but this award really came down to the top 3; Ted Lasso, Loki & Succession. All (seemingly) series finales, all emotional journeys with some fun twists and turns, but only one that kept me on the edge of my seat for 70 minutes every Sunday night; Succession. With all due respect to every other show in 2023, “you are not serious (people) shows”.
2023 Streamer Rankings
1- HBOMax
2- Apple TV
3- Disney +
4-Hulu
5- Netflix
6- Amazon Prime
7- Peacock
8- Paramount+
Just as they did in 2022, HBOMax (now Max, in one of the worst name changes in the history of business) wins Streamer of the Year in 2023. Apple did provide some tough competition with Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and Shrinking, but HBO continued to put out hit show after hit show. With bangers like The Last of Us, Winning Time and of course my Show of the Year Succession, HBOMax was the clear winner of 2023. Get your shit together Paramount+! I watched ONE show on your streamer this year, and not only did you cancel it immediately after the finale aired, but you ripped it off the streamer entirely. Do better.
Television Scoreboard: Nominations (Wins)
Succession- 10 (2)
The Last of Us- 7 (2)
Ted Lasso- 7 (1)
The Bear- 7
Winning Time- 6 (1)
Loki- 5 (2)
Only Murders in the Building- 5
Shrinking- 5
Ahsoka- 4 (1)
What If…?- 4
Jury Duty- 3
The Morning Show- 3
Beef- 2
City on Fire- 2
Crowded Room- 2
Fubar- 2
Gen V- 2
Goosebumps- 2
Poker Face- 2
Fall of the House of Usher- 1 (1)
Love and Death- 1 (1)
The Flash- 1
How I Met Your Father- 1
The Idol- 1
Invincible- 1
The Mandalorian- 1
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters- 1
Rise of the Pink Ladies- 1
Secret Invasion- 1
There you have it! The Circuit’s 2023 Television Awards in all their glory. Check back later in the week for the 2023 Film Awards, and make sure to check out all of our great content & podcasts here at The Circuit!