The end of the year is nigh – and with it comes the Top Ten TV Shows of 2023.
The last twelve months has been filled with fantastic television across the board, from Blue Eye Samurai to Cunk On Earth.
But with so many shows to choose from, it can be a challenge knowing which is worth the watch time.
Thanks to Rotten Tomatoes, MailOnline have collated a list of the Top Ten TV shows – so you can don’t miss out on the best from this year.
Have you watched any of these stellar shows? Take a look and let us know.
10. Primo
Primo proved that Freevee TV could have potential with its original content, premiering with a 100 per cent rating from 22 reviews and a 97 per cent audience score
The multi-generational sitcom follows college-bound Rafa (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio) trying to navigate the world with the help of mother Drea (Christina Vidal) and his five uncles
Freevee TV came with the big guns this year when they launched American sticom, Primo, on May 19.
The semi-autobiographical show, loosely based on creator Shea Serrano’s life, follows college-hopeful Rafa (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio), 16.
The youngster makes his best ploy at navigating the world with the help of his single mother, Drea (Christina Vidal), and his five opinionated uncles.
Co-created by Serrano and The Good Place’s Michael Shur, Primo hit screens with a phenomenal critic score of 100 per from 22 reviews.
The show also received acclaimed from viewers, bagging a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 97 per cent.
Starring Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Christina Vidal, Carlos Santos, Henri Esteve, Johnny Rey Diaz, Primo has proved to be a success as a result of its realness and diversity.
Describing the protagonist in Primo, The Hollywood Reporter said: ‘Rafa may come across as a sitcom character, but the grounded family and world around him give him and the show ample enjoyable room to grow on a streamer that’s coming of age as well.’
9. Cunk On Earth
Cunk On Earth is a hilarious history mockumentary which initially premiered on BBC Two in 2022, but Netflix picked up the series in January 2023
The series follows Philomena Cunk (played be Diane Clunk) as she explores the evolution of earth from the prehistoric era to present day through comically delivered fake facts and interviews
Cunk On Earth is a hilarious history mocumentary fronted by Philomena Cunk, played by funnywoman Diane Clunk.
The popular BBC Two show hit screens on January 2022 and later premiered on Netflix in 2023.
The documentary sees Philomena explore the history of the world to the present day, visiting historical hotspots and asking well-educated professionals bafflingly hilarious questions in the process.
But this isn’t the first time Ms Cunk has graced our screens, making her first debut in Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe in 2013,
She later even bagged her own mini-series Cunk On Britain in 2018.
Christopher Stevens raved about the show in his MailOnline review, branding it as ‘wickedly funny send-ups of a certain TV egotist’.
He said: ‘When Cunk first appeared on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe, some of her interviewees took her stupidity seriously, which made it all the funnier.
‘Now everyone’s in on the joke, and instead we get the joy of watching Oxbridge historians trying to suppress fits of the giggles as they answer her magnificently dim-witted questions.’
Just about making it on the Top Ten Rotten Tomatoes list, the completely unserious show was a 10/10 for critics and landed an 86 per cent score from viewers
8. Reacher
Action crime drama, Reacher (played by Alan Ritchson, pictured) stormed its way into the eighth spot on the list, with an incredible Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 84
Based on the novel series by Lee Child, former military officer Jack uses his phenomenal fighting skills to uncover corrupt criminals in society’s underbelly (pictured: Jack and Paul played by Marc Bendavid)
The second season hits closer to home, as our protagonist teams up with former colleagues to solve the death of his murder military colleague in New York
Action crime drama, Reacher stormed its way into the eighth spot on the list, with an incredible Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 84.
Based on the book series by Lee Child named Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson), the series follows the character of the same name, who is a former US Army policeman with phenomenal skills.
Claiming he is homeless, the veteran is faced with numerous villains throughout his journey on the streets.
The first season follows Jack as he travels to a rural and also fictional town named Margrave, Goergia.
The former US Army officer partners up with two policeman – Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) and Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) – in a bid to uncover the towns crooked lawkeepers, as well as a corrupt and powerful businessman and his heir.
Season two investigates a crime closer to home for Jack, as he opts to get his old team together in an attempt to get revenge for a murdered former colleague in New York.
In a review of the show for The Guardian, Graeme Virtue penned: ‘Reacher is certainly more intense than procedural potboilers such as NCIS or Blue Bloods.
‘But it is not that much more sophisticated. What elevates it to the level of addictively watchable is Ritchson’s screen-filling physicality and oddball energy.’
7. Drops Of God
Apple TV+’s Drops of God premiered in April to a 100 per cent critics score with 25 reviews and a 93 per cent audience score (pictured Fleur Geffrier as Camille Leger and Tomohisa Yamashita as Issei Tomine)
Bagging the seventh spot on the list is Drops Of God, which boasts a phenomenal audience score of 93 per cent.
Upon its release it also received a critics score of 100 per cent.
Based on the Japanese manga series, the brand-new show opens with Camille Leger (Fleur Geffrier) who will one day be handed her late father’s – Alexander (Stanley Weber) wine guide.
But before she receives her birth right, she is instructed to fly all the way to Tokyo and face multiple tests.
Keen to earn what is rightfully hers, Camille faces off with her father’s protégé, Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita) – but will she manage to win her multi million dollar inheritance?
The show received acclaim from critics, with Maddy Casale from Decider describing the show as ‘engrossing’ and ‘full bodied feast for you senses’.
Newsday’s Verne Gay added: ‘Tran’s especially interested in his human characters. and he’s created a taut, elegant, flat-out fun series to explore what unites them. I love “Drops.” You will too.’
6. Foundation
Foundation returned for its second season in July. While its first season received a 72 per cent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, season two redeemed the series with a 100 per cent rating
The Apple TV+ series, based on Isaac Asimov, follows exiles living in different planets throughout the Galactic Empire (pictured: Jared Harris as Hari Seldon and Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick)
As the empire falls apart, these exiles rally together to save society and rebuild civilization
The Apple TV+ series based on Isaac Asimov’s eponymous novel, centres round exiles scattered throughout a waning future Galactic Empire.
Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) – an exiled mathematician – predicts an impending Dark Age throughout the Milk Way – which is set to last 30,000 – by using his grey matter.
Even though the Empire’s fall is impending, the exile creates a plan that could see the ominous Dark Age only last a millennium.
The second season, which returned in July, continues the story a 100 years after the first.
Religion has established itself as a key player in the Foundation, with a fierce queen wanting to bring the entire Empire to its knees.
But in a strange turn of events the identity of the Galactic Empire is soon unveiled, leaving many shocked.
The first season of Foundation only got 72 per cent from Rotten Tomatoes critics, however the second season really did come back with a bang – landing a 100 per cent rating from a whopping 26 reviews.
5. Colin From Accounts
Landing slap bang in the middle of the list is the funny and heartwarming show, Colin From Accounts (pictured left to right: Patrick Brammal as Gordan, Colin The Dog and Harriet Dyer as Ashley)
An unfortunate accident involving an injured dog named Colin, sees singles Ashley and Gordon brought together, striking up a romance
Landing slap bang in the middle of the list, Colin From Accounts was handed a near perfect critics and audience score of 100 and 94 per cent, respectively.
Despite airing on Australian TV service, Foxtel, in December 2022, Colin From Accounts still made the list according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Premiering on Paramount + and BBC iPlayer in November of this year, Colin From Accounts is set all the way across the globe in Sydney.
Produced by Easy Tiger Productions and CBS Studios, the hilarious sitcom follows Ashley (Harriet Dyer) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall).
The two loners wind up meeting in a twist of luck – or misfortune – when a car accident injures a dog called Colin.
Ashley and Gordon are not perfect however the heart-warming rom-com sees them bond and become brave enough to be transparent with one another.
Describing the show, the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus said: ‘Tonally elastic and blessed with Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer’s sparky chemistry, Colin from Accounts makes the alchemy of a satisfying rom-com feel effortless.’
The Australian comedy was also renewed for a subsequent season in August 2023.
4. A Small Light
A Small Light tells the story of Miep Gies, a real-life figure who helped house Anne Frank and her family during the Holocaust (pictured: Bell Powley as Miep Giles)
While the Anne Frank story is one that has been told before, A Small Light did it with a unique perspective and did it well enough that it received a 95 score from audiences
The story of Anne Frank is widely known across the globe, but the story of those who hid her and her family is not.
Created by Grey’s Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, A Small Light centres around Miep Gies (Bell Powley) and Jan Giles, who helped the family during the Holocaust.
Miep is instructed to smuggle Anne’s older sister, Margot (Ashley Brooke) past a Nazi checkpoint.
The woman must also manage to get the young girl into the secret annex tucked away in the office where her father, Otto (Liev Schreiber) and Miep work.
In her first of many acts of defiance against the evil Nazi regime, the woman manages to get Margot safely past German soldiers.
Telling Anne’s story from an entirely new perspective, A Small Light spotlights how far Miep is willing to put her own life on the line so save others.
Sitting at fourth place on Rotten Tomatoes Best Shows of 2023 list, the wartime drama also received full marks from critics.
Audiences raved about the show too, scoring it an impressive 95 per cent on average via the critic site.
3. Happy Valley
Happy Valley initially premiered on BBC One in 2014 and ran for two seasons. While the series was seemingly over for good, it was revived for season three in 2023 (pictured from top to bottom: Sarah Lancashire as Catherine, James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce and Rhys Connah as Ryan Cawood)
Season three was seemingly worth the wait for viewers as bagged bronze position on the list with a 100 per cent critic score and 42 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
The third season of Happy Valley premiered in 2023, despite the show seemingly ending after its second season in 2016.
But troubled police officer, Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), was back in Calder Valley – also known as the drug ridden Happy Valley once again this year.
The first season saw the policewoman attempt to seek vengeance for the death of her daughter when on Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) – the man who raped her – is let out of prison for his drug charges.
Catherine struggles as she is forced to care for her late daughter’s son, Ryan, who is a product of the sexual assault.
Over the course of the season , she unearths that menace Tommy, is involved in gang related crime and manages to prevent him from kidnapping Anne Gallagher.
Taking place seven years later, season three sees Catherine planning to go into retirement, as well as a teenage Ryan (Rhys Connah).
But when the policewoman is on the brink of handing in her badge, she is called to service once more – to investigate a crime that could potentially be linked to Royce.
But in the ultimate act of betrayal, her grandson has been secretly reaching out to his father, Royce, in an act that is bound to turn sour.
Happy Valley managed to back the bronze in Rotten Tomatoes list of best new 2023 TV shows, boasting a 100 per cent critic score on the review site.
If you haven’t given the BBC drama a watch already – then it may be worth it, as fans hailed the finale a ‘masterpiece’.
2. Reservation Dogs
Reservation Dogs season three aired in August and has since earned a 100 per cent critics rating with 33 reviews and an 88 per cent audience score
Reservation Dogs follows four Indigenous teenagers as they steal in order to save enough money to travel from Oklahoma to California (pictured from left: Lane Factor as “Cheese”, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear, Elva Guerra as Jackie, Paulina Alexia as Willie Jack)
The FX series has proven that it has earned spot number three on this list with consistently good ratings. It earned 98 per cent in its first season and 100 per cent for its second (pictured: Graham Greene as Maximus)
Nabbing the silver medal, is the FX Productions series Reservation Dogs, which has achieved an immense critic and audience score of 100 and 88 per cent respectively.
The teen drama follows four Indigenous teenages, living in the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma.
Referring to themselves as The Rez Dogs – Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Chester (Lane Factor) and Wilhelmina (Paulina Alexis), pass their days by ‘committing crime and fighting it’.
The first season sees the foursome struggle with the death of their friend, Daniel, who always hoped to visit California.
The group ponder if they should make the trip in their honour, facing off their unhealed issues within their own lives.
The third season takes a more introspective look at their Indigenous community, as the youngsters take a look its history, which resulted in their present reality.
Throughout the series, comparisons are constantly made between The Rez Dogs and their relatives when they were young.
Reviewing the third season for Variety, Alison Herman wrote: ‘Reservation Dogs is rooted in its specific setting of Indigenous Oklahoma, but the show also gives itself license to experiment with focus, tone and, eventually, geography.
‘It’s a story with the confidence to go new places, and trusts the audience will follow.’
1. Invincible
The cartoon from Prime Video landed the number one spot this year on Rotten Tomatoes Top Shows list (pictured: Mark Grayson)
Invincible follows a young teenage boy – but his journey into adulthood is far from normal, as he struggles to balance his life and his superhero duties (Pictured from left: Robot, Rex Splode, Atom Eve, Mark Grayson and Dupli-Kate)
Topping this years best TV show list, is the adult cartoon series – Invincible.
The Amazon Prime superhero series was inspired by a series of comics with the same name.
The show revolves around Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), 17 has he ventures into adulthood – but this is no ordinary story of teenagehood.
Guided by his father, Nolan Grayson (J.K. Simmons), who is also the most powerful powerful superhero in the world – Omni-man, Mark is torn between his superhero responsibilities and his personal life.
The second season sees a whole new host of problems for the young superhero, after his father betrayed not only his family – but the whole planet.
Fearing becoming Omni-man, Mark struggles to carve out an identity of his own.
But after Mark’s identity is revealed to the galaxy, more aliens and villains make their way to Earth in order to lay their claim on the planet.
The young superhero must protect the world, save planets, whilst also finding time to graduate high school.
To no one’s surprise the second ‘super’ season of Invincible landed a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 100 per cent, whilst also taking away an amazing audience score of 90.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
