Skip to main content

TV shows to watch: The binge-worthy list you’ll need this year

Wondering what TV shows to watch this year? We've got you covered

As we welcome a new year, we also welcome a bevy of new and returning shows with it. In an era when you can watch whatever shows you want on Netflix, Amazon Prime or basically any other streamer, it can be hard to even know which shows to look forward to in the year ahead. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with this list of some of the best shows that will hit screens in 2023. Some of these projects are completely brand new, and others are returning favorites that may get even better in their new seasons.

The Last of Us (2023)

The Last of Us
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Cast Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna
Created by Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann
Video game adaptations aren’t usually anything to look forward to, but The Last of Us may find a way to break that curse. The series, adapted from a video game of the same name and which tells the story of a smuggler tasked with accompanying a young girl across a zombie-ridden America, is built for a more linear, televisual approach. Add in some excellent talent both in front of and behind the camera, and there’s plenty of reason to think that The Last of Us will be worth the wait.
The Last of Us | Official Trailer | HBO Max

Poker Face (2023)

Poker Face
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Mystery
Cast Natasha Lyonne
Created by Rian Johnson
If Glass Onion didn’t prove to you that Rian Johnson is a master of the mystery genre, then Poker Face may prove it to you. The series will follow Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale, a former casino employee who can tell when people are lying. As she travels across the country, Charlie discovers a wide array of different crimes and can’t help but start solving them. Poker Face will follow an old-school, case-of-the-week style formula, which could be a breath of fresh air in an era where everything is serialized.
Poker Face Trailer #1 (2022)

You (2018)

You
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Mystery, Crime, Drama
Cast Penn Badgley, Lukas Gage, Charlotte Ritchie
Created by Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble
Even as its twists and turns have become more and more outlandish, You remains an insanely addictive look at one toxic and highly efficient man. This season, You will travel to Europe, and will likely parody a different sub-culture of semi-affluent elites. The twists and turns of You are part of what make the show so enjoyable, as well as the complete change in characters that comes with every new chapter. Whatever season four brings with it, we should all just be happy to be along for the ride.
YOU: Season 4 Part 1 | Official Trailer | Netflix

The Mandalorian (2019)

The Mandalorian
tv-14 3 Seasons
Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama
Cast Pedro Pascal
Created by Jon Favreau
The third season of The Mandalorian will be the first since Grogu got dropped off with Luke Skywalker, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see the little guy anymore. The Mandalorian has intentionally been built as a lightly serialized adventure story featuring a rotating cast of characters, but it’s also proven that that formula can work incredibly well for it. The third season will likely have a similar approach to the first two, and we know we’ll get at least a little baby Yoda action thrown in for good measure.
The Mandalorian | Season 3 Teaser Trailer | Disney+

Yellowjackets (2021)

Yellowjackets
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Drama, Mystery
Cast Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell
Created by Bart Nickerson, Ashley Lyle
Few shows have landed with a bigger splash recently than Yellowjackets, which had a much buzzed and speculated about first season. Now that the show is set to return, the bar is obviously much higher. The show’s split timeline allows for a number of revelations, but how long the writers can maintain the high-wire act of plot reveals that the show currently relies on remains to be seen. Things are going to keep getting weirder in those woods, but hopefully not so weird that the show alienates the people who made it a hit.
Yellowjackets Returns March 24 | Season 2 | SHOWTIME

Ahsoka (1970)

Ahsoka
1 Season
Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ivanna Sakhno
Ahsoka Tano is probably among the most beloved Star Wars characters to have such a limited presence in live action stories, but that’s about to change with Ahsoka. Not much is known about what exactly this show will be, but Rosario Dawson is more than up for the task of taking on the legendary character, and there’s plenty Ahsoka’s story that has yet to be written. Small screen Star Wars has been hit and miss thus far, but Ahsoka is among the most promising series still left in the tank.

Love & Death (1970)

Love & Death
1 Season
Genre Crime, Drama
Cast Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Patrick Fugit
Created by David E. Kelley
Elizabeth Olsen is a generational talent, and she’s finally going to get another chance to show off her skill outside of the Marvel universe. Love & Death follows the story of Candy Montgomery, a Texas housewife who was accused of murdering her friend in 1980. Although the series is based on a true story, we’re hoping that Love & Death will be creative enough to give its ensemble cast plenty of interesting things to do. That’s especially true of Olsen, who seems like she’s been waiting for an opportunity to show off her chops this way.

Succession (2018)

Succession
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Drama, Comedy
Cast Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin
Created by Jesse Armstrong
Perhaps the most critically adored show on TV, Succession ended its third season on something of a bombshell, and season 4 is all about picking up the pieces. Succession is so brilliantly written and performed that the show’s plot can feel almost irrelevant. In the end, though, what makes the show so smart is the way that the micro and macro elements all seem to add up to something even more brilliant than any individual piece. Succession is machiavellian, profane, and insanely popular, and it’s earned everything it has.
Succession Season 4 | Official Teaser | HBO Max

Loki (2021)

Loki
tv-14 1 Season
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino
Created by Michael Waldron
One of the more surprising successes of Marvel’s ventures into television was Loki, a time-bending series that also served as the firmest exploration of who Loki actually is. The first season’s final episode, which featured the introduction of Jonathan Major’s He Who Remains, a variation of Kang the Conqueror, is genuinely thrilling, and may also have massive ramifications for everything that comes next. Loki‘s wild, sometimes experimental first season only made us excited for more. Thankfully, that’s what we’re going to get.
Marvel Studios' Loki | Official Trailer | Disney+

Ted Lasso (2020)

Ted Lasso
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple
Created by Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Bill Lawrence, Joe Kelly
Ted Lasso‘s second season was seen by some as a bit of a letdown from the first, but the show still knows how to balance its positive, feel good message with some more grounded ideas. No one knows what the third season will contain, but the show has proven to be consistently excellent at finding ways to shine a light, even when things feel dark. Because its third season may also be its last, it’s important to be grateful for what we’ve already gotten, and hope that the show’s third season can bring the whole story home in a gently life-affirming way.
Ted Lasso — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

Editors' Recommendations

Movie images and data from:
Joe Allen
Contributor
Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…
The 13 best shows on Starz to watch right now
From Outlander to Party Down, these are the best shows you can stream on Starz
Outlanders

Starz has proven since its inception that it can hang with larger competitors like Max. Although it's now making television in an incredibly crowded landscape, Starz has managed to regularly launch shows that make an impact, and it speaks to the enduring quality of these shows that they've also stood the test of time.
These shows have also spanned a wide array of genres, making viewers laugh and weep, often in equal measure. Through it all, though, these Starz shows have proven that it can reliably make shows that touch viewers, and endure for years after its time on the air has concluded.

Party Down (2009)

Read more
The best shows on Amazon Prime to binge in September
This is a definitive list of the best shows that are available to stream on Amazon Prime
Hughie, Butcher, and Mother's Milk look down into a mysterious car trunk in "The Boys"

Even if you've picked a streaming service, it can be impossible to narrow down what you're really looking for. If you've run out of the best Netflix movies and Netflix original series to watch, you'll need to find somewhere else to turn. Fortunately, Netflix is far from the only game in town. Anyone who uses Amazon Prime to get packages delivered to them quickly also has access to a library of fairly impressive shows and movies.

If you're looking for your next series to binge, and you already have Amazon anyway, then we've got a list of the best shows on Amazon Prime well worth you're time. We've broken down the best streaming shows on Amazon Prime to start with below, with entries that range from sprawling sci-fi to touching, grounded comedies.

Read more
The 15 best Disney Plus shows to watch this month
Disney nostalgia and awesome new shows to stream
The Mandalorian looks out over the sun

Disney Plus has finally created a competitive library of original series that can compete with other services like Netflix and Max. It is also a treasure trove of Disney nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s. On top of all that, the streamer has released a few of the most popular TV series to come out in recent years, and those series, on top of the deep catalog, make a Disney Plus subscription worthwhile for any viewer or Disney fan.

With content from Star Wars, Marvel, and the Disney channel all available to stream right now, there's something for everyone, whatever you might be into. If you're looking for movies, take a look at our must-watch list of Disney Plus movies. Now, keep reading and check out the best Disney Plus shows you can stream this month.

Read more