We are halfway through the year 2023, and it has been a wild ride, especially in the movie space. As an average consumer, you are surely spoiled for choice, as streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video and traditional TV networks such as HBO compete for viewership by releasing more content than ever. However, having an almost limitless amount of TV content at your disposal may confuse you about what to watch.
Fortunately, we at Medianaija have done the legwork for you and identified the ten of the best shows released so far this year. Read on to discover your next favorite show.
10, Platonic
We are starting our list with an Apple TV+ comedy that attempts to solve the age-old question. Can men and women be friends? Platonic stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen, whom you may remember from the 2014 movie “Neighbors,” “follow two pals who reconnect in mid-adulthood at key times (one post-divorce, the other married and with a family). However, chaos ensues as their friendship becomes more consuming and destabilizes their lives.
9, Beef
Next up is Netflix’s road rage comedy-drama, aptly titled Beef. The show stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as Amy Lau and Danny Cho. Two people from very different backgrounds whose lives spiral out of control following a road rage incident. With a rotten tomato rating of 98 percent, Beef is one of the year’s top shows.
8, Based on a true story
To answer your question, this show is not based on a true story. However, this Peacock comedy show is a must-watch. What distinguishes this comedy show is how it uses a dark yet comic lens to illustrate our society’s growing preoccupation with true crime. Based on a True Story stars Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as a couple who discover that a member of their tiny social circle is a serial murderer and decide to use the public’s fascination with true crime to their advantage rather than informing the police.
7, Dave
Fans of shows like Atlanta will also enjoy Fxx’s highly-rated hip-hop comedy “Dave.” I consider this one of the best shows airing at the moment, and if its 90 percent rotten tomatoes score is anything to go by, I am not the only one. The show recently completed its third season run, which follows Lil Dicky as he finally achieves fame while searching for love and facing his inner demons. Its third season also features guest stars like Jack Harlow, Rick Ross, Drake, Brad Pitt, and Rachel McAdams.
6, Succession
A popular adage goes, “More money, more problems,” and this cannot be further from the truth for the Roys. HBO’s comedy-drama, Succession, is everything you would expect from the primetime Tv channel. The show, steeped in family drama, and the constant struggle for power between siblings Kendal, Shiv, and Roman and their patriarch Logan Roy, offers an insufferable cast of characters you will love to hate. Moreover, showrunner Jesse Armstrong and his team delivered some of the year’s best material in its final season. Excellently concluding the four-season-long journey on a high note, something most shows of its caliber fail to do.
5, The Bear
Arguably one of last year’s biggest surprises, FX dramedy the bear recently debuted its second season to critical acclaim. It follows Carmy, a young chef from the fine dining world who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. The second season features a bigger ensemble cast and fixes several shortcomings of the show’s first season.
4, Silo
Silo, an Apple TV+ production, is perfect for sci-fi fans looking for their newest obsession. The show, which stars Rebecca Ferguson, Common, David Oyelowo, and Rashida Jones, is based on Hugh Howey’s series of novels. It is about a dystopian future where humanity clings to survival underground within a silo governed by a strict set of rules.
3, Swarm
Warning: This show is not for the faint of heart. However, this show is for you if you are searching for a fun new psychological horror thriller with Barack Obama’s approval. Swarm follows Dre, a Houston-based fan who goes to progressively violent measures for her favorite R&B musician, as played by Dominique Fishback. Janine Nabers and Donald Glover created the Amazon Prime television series.
2, The Last Of Us
This HBO production premiered in January and was the year’s first hit show. The Last of Us, an adaptation of Peter Druckmann’s best-selling post-apocalyptic video game of the same name, received praise from critics and fans for improving on its source material. It stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, a smuggler charged with transporting the immune adolescent Ellie (Bella Ramsey) through a post-apocalyptic America.
1, Shrinking
Fans of comedies will like this lighthearted comedic drama about a bereaved therapist who begins to breach the rules by telling his clients exactly what he feels. All while trying to heal himself and his teen daughter (Lukita Maxwell) who is over his mess. But the path to recovery is never easy. Shrinking stars Jason Segel and Harrison Ford and explores serious issues such as therapy, sadness, and grief. This show will definitely remind you of other enjoyable comfort shows like Scrubs and Ted Lasso.