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The entertainment industry had a weird year. Faced with evolving technologies and outdated studio systems, actors and writers united for a strike that ran for nearly four months. It’s a symptom of a much larger problem, challenging the current streaming system which produces hundreds of TV shows a year.
2023 saw the end of plenty of TV shows that had dominated entertainment, among them, “Succession,” “Barry,” and “Ted Lasso.” But many other shows were released to critical acclaim, suggesting that, despite the stress that surrounds it, television remains a place to find amazing stories, no matter the model.
Succession
“Succession” was the biggest TV release of the year, uniting millions of people every Sunday night at HBO. “Succession” had a rare power, one it perfectly exploited in its final season, which wrapped the tale of the Roys in an unexpected yet inescapable way.
The Bear
“The Bear” premiered its second season, taking us deeper into the world of a Chicago restaurant filled with a wide gamut of personalities. Season two steps a bit away from Carmy, (Jeremy Allen White) the lead character and focus of season one, in order to show us more of the lives of the people he works with.
The Last of Us
“The Last of Us” was a huge hit, elevating Pedro Pascal from a TV star into a world wide sensation. The series follows Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), two survivors in post-apocalyptic America as they trek the country in search of a cure for the devastating disease.
Dead Ringers
“Dead Ringers” stars Rachel Weisz and its an adaptation of a 1988 movie. The series follows Beverly and Eliot Mantle, twin gynecologists that are ambitious and dream of opening a birth center where they push for groundbreaking technology in the field. It gets really weird from there.
Blue Eye Samurai
Dropped fairly late in the year, “Blue Eye Samurai” is a Netflix animated series trailing Mizu (Maya Erskine), a half-white and half-Japanese swordsmaster in the Edo period of Japan, a setting popular for samurai films and stories.
Murder at the End of the World
“Murder at the End of the World” is another series that was released late in the year. Developed by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the creators of the beloved TV show “The OA,” the series is a murder mystery that retains an elegance and sincerity that’s rare in these types of stories. It follows Darby (Emma Corrin), a young author and amateur sleuth who’s somehow invited to a retreat alongside some of the richest and most important people in the world. Then, they all start dying.
Reservation Dogs
Lastly, “Reservation Dogs” concluded this year with its third season. The series is a comedy that follows four indigenous teens growing up in rural Oklahoma.