Bam Smack Pow
Fansided

The 7 best (and 3 worst) TV shows of 2023

By Michael Patterson

The Flash -- "So Long and Goodnight" -- Image Number: FLA616a_0906b.jpg -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as The Flash -- Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW -- © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved
The Flash -- "So Long and Goodnight" -- Image Number: FLA616a_0906b.jpg -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as The Flash -- Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW -- © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 10
Next
The Last of Us, TV
Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in The Last of Us Episode 9. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO /

The Last of Us

There was so much anticipation going into The Last of Us that it felt like it was doomed to fail. How could any project live up to these levels of hype, much less a live-action adaptation of a video game when that is a genre of programming that almost always fails. Thankfully, The Last of Us exceeded all of those expectations, and more.

Led by the exquisite duo of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the series focuses on Joel and Ellie, who are forced to trek across the country in the hopes of finding the key to ending a two-decade-long zombie apocalypse. Ellie has the key, it seems, and delivering her to the Fireflies could save humanity.

The 9-episode season is an incredible tale of survival, as these two reluctant companions experience some of the harshest realities they’ve ever faced together. Pascal and Ramsey are exceptional, bringing us into Joel and Ellie’s world with ease, making us root for them even with such an impossible task, and producing two of the best performances from TV all year.

Almost a full year on, and we’re still in awe of this masterpiece. That’s how successful The Last of Us was! Of course, it was one of the best TV shows of the year.

Verdict: BEST

Home/TV