The Best New TV Shows of 2023 Ranked
(Photo by Sophie Kohler/Peacock)
Rotten Tomatoes’ list of top shows of 2023 (so far) compiles the TV and streaming seasons that debuted in the U.S. this year and were designated Certified Fresh.
We kicked off the list with some early favorites including the series premieres of Beef on Netflix, The Last of Us on HBO, Poker Face on Peacock, and Shrinking on Apple TV+, as well as the final seasons of Paramount+’s Star Trek: Picard and HBO’s Succession. The final season of HBO’s Barry falls out of the top spot, allowing British import Cunk on Earth to rise again with a perfect score on 23 reviews. With a 96% score, The Last of Us season 1 has the most reviews of any title on the list with 143 reviews across the season and its individual episodes. (Not all titles receive episodic reviews and scores.)
To be Certified Fresh, seasons must score at least 75% on the Tomatometer, with at least 20 critic reviews (five of those from Top Critics). Shows retain their Certified Fresh status even if they fall below 75%, as long as the scores stay at 70% or above.
Just added: The Mandalorian, Dead Ringers, Mrs. Davis
Read Also: The Best Movies of 2023
Adjusted Score: 101230%
Critics Consensus: Diane Morgan feigns dopiness with ingenious comedic timing in Cunk on Earth, a gut-busting sendup of anthropological documentaries.
Adjusted Score: 101527%
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.
Adjusted Score: 109247%
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.
Adjusted Score: 109203%
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.
Adjusted Score: 103029%
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.
Adjusted Score: 101802%
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.
Adjusted Score: 104469%
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.
Adjusted Score: 99918%
Critics Consensus: All good comedy sets must arrive at a final punchline, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reliably nails its own with a fifth season that wisely puts Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein’s repartee front and center.
Adjusted Score: 99776%
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.
Adjusted Score: 113197%
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.
Adjusted Score: 102434%
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.
Adjusted Score: 98155%
Critics Consensus: Authentically brutal with pinpricks of humor that’s all the more true to life, Rain Dogs is a bracing story of toil that proves to be immensely rewarding.
Adjusted Score: 101205%
Critics Consensus: The hunter becomes prey in You‘s London-set fourth season, which shows some wear as this premise begins to outlive its believability — but Penn Badgley’s sardonic performance continues to paper over most lapses in logic.
Adjusted Score: 99017%
Critics Consensus: Returning after a long layoff, Party Down brings patient fans a third season that’s every bit as sharp — and laugh-out-loud funny — as its predecessors.
Adjusted Score: 96526%
Critics Consensus: Hosted by Alan Cumming with theatrical relish, The Traitors deploys a rogues’ gallery of reality television stars to make for a compelling murder mystery party.
Adjusted Score: 97146%
Critics Consensus: Turning a high concept into a grounded good time, The Big Door Prize realizes its full potential thanks to a lovable cast of relatable characters.
Adjusted Score: 97393%
Critics Consensus: With the fortune of Bob Odenkirk in its favor, Lucky Hank makes ennui essential viewing with a comedy rooted in relatable human behavior.
Adjusted Score: 92181%
Critics Consensus: Positively bonkers while undergirded by an intelligent design, Mrs. Davis makes Betty Gilpin a hero for modern times in a highly imaginative mixture of spirituality and technology.
Adjusted Score: 92790%
Critics Consensus: Tiny Beautiful Things is littered with cumbersome narrative choices, but Kathryn Hahn’s soulful performance is one big plus that keeps this adaptation firmly compelling.
Adjusted Score: 92029%
Critics Consensus: As much an exposé on ugly cultural forces as it is a straightforward presentation of Brooke Shields’ life, Pretty Baby is disturbing and triumphant in equal measure.
Adjusted Score: 89181%
Critics Consensus: Mileage may vary by a couple parsecs as The Mandalorian becomes more and more about the connective tissue of broader Star Wars lore, but this remains one of the most engaging adventures in a galaxy far, far away.
Adjusted Score: 93972%
Critics Consensus: Ted Lasso‘s third and possibly final season takes time to find its footing, but patient viewers who believe will find that they appreciate Coach as much as ever.
Adjusted Score: 91710%
Critics Consensus: Swarm can be as unpleasant as a hornet sting, but Dominique Fishback’s ferocious performance and the creators’ bold creative swings add up to a truly subversive take on toxic fandom.
Adjusted Score: 87412%
Critics Consensus: More cohesive and engaging than its woolly first installment, Perry Mason‘s sophomore season is a marked improvement driven by an urgent sense of purpose, with Matthew Rhys commandingly watchable as ever.
Adjusted Score: 86527%
Critics Consensus: The Company You Keep gets off to a rocky start in the first few episodes, but the show’s appealing cast and entertaining blend of crime and romance will pay off for patient viewers.
Adjusted Score: 91489%
Critics Consensus: Shrinking has darker ideas on its mind than its earnest approach can often translate, but Jason Segel and Harrison Ford’s sparkling turns make these characters worth close analysis.
Adjusted Score: 89171%
Critics Consensus: If Dead Ringers doesn’t wield as cutting a blade as David Cronenberg’s original chiller, it’s not a pale imitation either, thanks to Rachel Weisz putting on a clinic in doppelgänger duplicity.
Adjusted Score: 82174%
Critics Consensus: With Christoph Waltz’s menacing charm on retainer, The Consultant compensates for its lack of depth with slick presentation and diverting twists.
Adjusted Score: 76897%
Critics Consensus: Although Rabbit Hole tumbles into one twist too many, Kiefer Sutherland remains compelling in his welcome return to the espionage genre.
Adjusted Score: 79269%
Critics Consensus: Shadow and Bone‘s sophomore season packs in too much story sinew to properly breathe, but this adventure remains great fun for fantasy fans.
Adjusted Score: 79286%
Critics Consensus: Bingeable as a beach read and just as forgettable, The Night Agent is a routine spy thriller told with commendable bravado.
Adjusted Score: 81311%
Critics Consensus: A solidly serviceable sequel series, That ’90s Show may take a little time to find its rhythm, but still delivers a respectable number of warmly nostalgic laughs.
Adjusted Score: 72640%
Critics Consensus: While it never realizes its full potential as a revenge fantasy for real historical atrocity, Hunters tracks down a satisfying enough conclusion in this second and final season.
Thumbnail image: Sophie Kohler/Peacock