‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Party Down’
New year, new TV.
Yes, we may just have started 2023, but in this age of (seemingly) infinite TV shows, that means dozens of new and returning series have aired or streamed this year. And a few of them have even been pretty good.
The best shows of the year so far include returning favorites (one is back after a very long time away), new thrills, comfort TV and post-apocalyptic nightmares. They’ve made us laugh, cry and gasp – sometimes all at once. And it’s only the beginning of the year. There are so many more adventures and romances coming our way on the small screen for the rest of 2023. We can’t wait.
5. ‘The Company You Keep’
(ABC; Sundays, 10 EST/PST)
Sometimes you just need something easy to watch. ABC scratched an itch we didn’t know we had with this spy/heist thriller starring a suave Milo Ventimiglia as a con man in (seemingly doomed) love with a CIA agent (Catherine Haena Kim). Fun, a little funny and very sexy, “Company” hits all the right leisure-watching notes.
Full review:Milo Ventimiglia is sexy and swoon-worthy in ‘The Company You Keep’
4. ‘Poker Face’
(Peacock; streaming Thursdays)
A little bit of old-fashioned detective work never hurt anyone, least of all Natasha Lyonne and director Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”), the masterminds behind Peacock’s alluring mystery series. Inspired by “Columbo,” this murder-of-the-week drama has Lyonne’s lie-detecting Charlie Cale road-tripping across the U.S. and solving murders as easily as she spouts one-liners.
Full review:Johnson and Lyonne offer fun ride with old-fashioned ‘Poker Face’
3. ‘Abbott Elementary’
(ABC; Wednesdays, 9 EST/PST)
Currently in the middle of a strong sophomore season, “Abbott” continues to delight and induce belly laughs every week. Star and creator Quinta Brunson has leveled up the series this year, pushing the will they/won’t they relationship between her ever-positive Janine Teagues and somber Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) just far enough to keep the romantic tension high.
2. ‘The Last of Us’
(HBO; Sundays, 9 EST/PST)
Action-packed, emotional, tragic, violent and heartbreaking, HBO’s adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic video game is a resounding critical and commercial success for the premium cable network. Led by the delightful team of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, “Us” lives up to its hype without buckling under it. It’s no new “Game of Thrones,” but it’s the closest HBO has had to a water-cooler series since that fantasy juggernaut bowed.
Full review:HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ is the best video game adaptation ever
1. ‘Party Down’
(Starz; Fridays, 9 EST/PST)
Reviving a little-known but deeply loved comedy more than a decade after a short two-season run on premium cable might not seem like a good idea on paper because of all the time that has passed, but it miraculously turned into TV gold with a new season of “Party Down” on Starz. The deeply cynical comedy about cater waiters in Los Angeles who are slumming through a side hustle while trying to make it in Hollywood offers a brand of deranged, irreverent humor that made it an under-appreciated delight in its original 2009-2010 run. Every ounce of that darkly hilarious tone is recaptured and then some in the six new episodes reuniting most of the original cast: Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally, Ken Marino, Martin Starr and Ryan Hansen (Lizzy Caplan was unavailable). We are, in fact, having fun yet.
More:The 10 best TV shows of 2022, ranked, from ‘White Lotus’ to ‘Andor’ and ‘The Bear’
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