The Best TV Shows You Missed in 2023—and Where to Watch Them
Even if you believe, as some do, that the world has moved from Peak TV to Trough TV, there are still more shows released in any given year than any one person could consume (trust us, we tried). Between major networks, cable television channels, and streaming services, there’s just too much to watch. You’re bound to miss your new favorite binge-watch. We’re here to help. Below are our picks for the best TV shows you might have missed in 2023.
A Spy Among Friends
In the midst of the Cold War, MI6 intelligence officer Nicholas Elliott (Damian Lewis) is shocked to learn that his longtime friend and colleague Kim Philby (Guy Pearce) has been secretly working for the KGB for the past 30 years. When Philby defects to the Soviet Union, suspicion falls on Elliott and how much he might have known. Ultimately, it’s left to Elliott to solicit a confession from Philby about what he has done, and shared, with his Russian cohorts. Lewis and Pearce make for formidable foes and friends in this smart spy thriller, based on Ben Macintyre’s 2014 book about two very real men.
The Big Door Prize
It’s one thing to know what you want to do with your life; it’s another thing to be told where your destiny lies. A tiny town is sent into an upheaval when a mysterious “Morpho” box suddenly materializes in the Deerfield general store and promises to reveal residents’ true destiny. While everyone around him begins rearranging their lives—including quitting their jobs and leaving their spouses—to suit their Morpho predictions, local school teacher Dusty Hubbard (Chris O’Dowd) feels like the last sane man to not buy into the machine’s predictions. O’Dowd shines, as usual, in this charming series, which can have you laughing out loud one minute and thinking deeply about your own potential the next. Apple TV+ has ordered a second season, and it’s expected to arrive in mid-2024.
Class of ’07
After being publicly humiliated on a TV dating show, Zoe Miller (Emily Browning) decides to disconnect from the world for several months. When a bizarre weather event has her seeking higher ground, she heads to her old high school, where she discovers her 10-year reunion is in full swing. When a catastrophic weather event further isolates Zoe and her classmates from the rest of the world, they’re forced to find a way to survive—all while being reimmersed in the insecurities and (often petty) squabbles they thought they had left in the past. The Australia-set Class of ’07 (which should not be confused with Class of ’09) is a deeply layered apocalyptic comedy perfect for those moments when you’re feeling nostalgic.
Dead Ringers
Just because David Cronenberg’s creepy body-horror classic didn’t need an update doesn’t mean this gender-swapped miniseries wasn’t appreciated. Rachel Weisz is a force of nature while doing the dual role thing to play Beverly and Elliot Mantle, twin gynecologists who will stop at nothing to reinvent the way people do childbirth—medical ethics be damned! Weisz offers a master class in being totally unhinged, and clearly relishes every second of it. Her talent is equally matched behind the camera, with indie auteurs like Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body) stepping in to direct.
Deadloch
It’s winter “feastival” time in the sleepy town of Deadloch, on Australia’s Tasmanian coast, when a man’s dead body is discovered on the beach. In order to work quickly to find the killer, two detectives with totally different approaches to the job—by-the-book senior sergeant Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) and unpredictable senior investigator Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami)—must find a way to work together to solve the case. Making police matters even more confusing (and funny) are the assists Dulcie and Eddie get from junior constable Abby (Nina Oyama) and noted slacker Sven (Tom Ballard).
Drops of God
Camille Léger (Fleur Geffrier) hasn’t seen her father, a noted wine expert and creator of the Léger Wine Guide, since she was just a child. But when she learns of his passing, she suddenly finds herself being flown to Tokyo for the reading of his will. While their relationship was strained, she’s still shocked to learn that in addition to leaving behind a more than $100 million wine collection, she must compete with Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita), her father’s protege, to claim the collection to inherit it. It’s a visually striking series that balances moments of humor with genuine sadness and anger, all leading up to a satisfying meal of a series.
The Gold
It’s been called the “crime of the century.” On November 26, 1983, a half-dozen men broke into the Brink’s-Mat warehouse near Heathrow Airport, where they inadvertently stumbled upon £26 million worth of gold bullion, which would be the equivalent of more than…
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