The 10 Best TV Episodes Of 2023, Ranked
"Comparison is the thief of joy," I read once on a cross-stitch, and it's probably true, but when it comes to our favorite TV shows, comparison is also very fun. Which of the year's biggest shows were worth the hype? What hidden gems slipped between the streaming cracks? And – crucially for a medium that's defined by its ability to tell bite-sized, serialized stories – which show aired the best episode of 2023?
There is, of course, no objective answer to this question, but it's worth exploring. In 2023, TV worked overtime to get our attention, packing episodes with A-list guest stars, yanking forcefully on viewers' heartstrings, and pushing past its own established boundaries with sharp and captivating filmmaking choices. Not everything TV tried this year worked, but a surprising amount of it did.
A trio of incredible episodes top this year's list, hours that stand out among their contemporaries and embolden their respective genres. This list was assembled by taking a close look at every show I watched over the past year, breaking down the highlights, and making judgment calls based on my experience as a television critic. The final top 10 makes a hell of watchlist, as do some fantastic episodes that just missed the cut here, like "Deer Lady" ("Reservation Dogs"), "The Masque of the Red Death" ("The Fall of the House of Usher"), "Stormy Weather" ("The Changeling"), and a number of standouts from "Barry," "The Great," "The Afterparty, and more. A lot of TV was great this year, but only ten episodes made our list. Feel free to read this with one hand on your TV remote.
10. Charades, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" captures the spirit of Gene Roddenberry's original series in pretty much every way. In some cases, that means the show is big-hearted and socially conscious, focused on heroes who wouldn't think twice about bending the rules to do what's right. But sometimes maintaining the spirit of the original means being goofy as hell. That's the case with "Charades," the season 2 episode that sees Spock (Ethan Peck) transformed into a human on the eve of an important meeting with his strictly Vulcan future in-laws.
The episode is "Star Trek" meets "The Birdcage," and it's even funnier than it sounds. Spock's quick stint as a full-blooded human has all the melodrama and hilarity of a speedrun through puberty, complete with attempts to regulate his emotions and curb his inappropriate appetites. Peck's always played Spock with a subtle sense of humor, but he's better than ever here as he infuses the famously aloof character with an adorable new sense of manic energy. Fans who love the character for all his complexities need not worry: "Charades" concludes with a lovely, authentic discussion about dual identities, deepening Spock's own sense of self as the quirky half-Vulcan, half-human legend we've known and loved for decades.
9. Sunflowers, Ted Lasso
Former TV phenomenon "Ted Lasso" fell from grace a bit this year with a third season full of overlong, not-that-funny episodes, but the show's third season still featured an undeniable high point with "Sunflowers." The season's midpoint saw AFC Richmond take a much-needed break from football with a trip to Amsterdam, where each character (with a few absent exceptions) experienced something surprising and formative. Intimate meet-cutes, coming outs, accidental drug trips, and trauma bonding punctuate the hour, which takes a delicate but impactful approach to its characterization thanks to Brendan Hunt's script.
"Sunflowers" plants the seeds for the show's (assumed) ending, giving each character just a little bit of what they didn't know they needed. The episode makes good use of its setting without ever feeling gimmicky, and the show, which often felt bogged down by the weight of viewer expectations in season 3, is looser and lighter than it's been in a long time. Understated performances from Jason Sudeikis, Phil Dunster, Hannah Waddingham, and other fan favorites make small character moments feel vital, and "Sunflowers" radiates with a rare warmth that makes it one of the most rewatchable hours of the year.
8. The Verdict, Jury Duty
"Jury Duty" is an incredible feat of comedy and filmmaking, but it only works because of its ending. Had the hybrid reality-comedy series about a real guy being bamboozled by a fake, wacky jury experience gone another way, the entire endeavor would've felt gross. But the final episode is a triumph; the ensemble cast of actors confess the show's gimmick to Ron Gladden, and he's okay. What's more, they confess they've become real friends with the endearing series "hero," and let him peek behind the curtain of the whole production.
"The Verdict" pulls double duty, dissolving all of our lingering worries about the outcome of this risky experiment while also functioning as an extensive making-of featurette the likes of which is rarely available these days. Viewers get to learn about the manpower and attention to detail that went into making the show, highlighting the impressive work of improvising actors, quick-witted writers, and problem-solving crew members. "Jury Duty" isn't just a pure-hearted, ultra-funny antidote to mean-spirited reality TV, we learn: it's also a testament to the spontaneous magic of filmmaking.
7. Escape From Sh*t Mountain, Poker Face
Nearly every episode of Rian Johnson's case-of-the-week amateur detective series deserves a spot on this list, but only one episode features a snowed-in murder mystery, Stephanie Hsu playing a squirrely little weirdo, and a plot that sees human lie detector Charlie Cale trying to solve her own attempted murder. "Poker Face" spends its first eight episodes falling into a comfortable rhythm, so when "Escape From Sh*t Mountain" disrupts that rhythm early on, it's impossible not to sit up and pay attention.
The episode rewards that attention with a surprisingly brutal hour that sees Charlie and drifter Morty (Hsu) face off against a rich man on house arrest (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his former friend (David Castañeda). Every theme the show has ever been driving towards, from the moral rot of the wealthy to the casual violence of men to the kinship forged among outcasts, comes to a head here in an episode that's breathtakingly intense, surreally dark, and still funny despite all that. Other "Poker Face" episodes are just as good ("The Orpheus Syndrome, in particular, gets heaps of praise), but "Escape From Sh*t Mountain" also expands the "Poker Face" mythology, revealing Natasha Lyonne's phenomenal protagonist as a sort of near-mythic unkillable storyteller — one who we can only hope has been cursed to wander the lands for as many seasons as Peacock will let her.
6. KSGY-95 Prizewinner's Luau, Party Down
"Party Down" came back from the dead this year with a third season set over a decade after its original run, and time did nothing to dull the comedic sensibilities of this wildly funny show. In the new season, "Party Down" seamlessly picks up where it left off, revealing that its pathetic crew of Hollywood cater-waiters — all of them, at one point or another, aspiring actors or similar — reunited out of necessity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that specific plotline, the best episodes of "Party Down" feel like they could've been made at any point in the past two decades.
Case in point: "KSGY-95 Prizewinners' Luau," a half-hour that sees the Party Down crew attempting not to overdose on shrooms while serving a group of alleged concert ticket winners who are actually assembled for a completely different reason. This series has perhaps the best ensemble comedic cast on TV, and the show's writers allow them to have a field day by unleashing these characters on the world in the throes of a hallucinogenic experience. Whether it's Adam Scott's Henry saying he's "got a shirt going" while staring at a stranger's patterned shirt like a screensaver, Martin Starr's paranoid Roman stumbling upon a real conspiracy, or Zoe Chao's chef Lucy creating an hors-d'œuvre out of spiced paper, every second of the episode is built for maximum laughter. New cast mates Chao, Jennifer Garner, and Tyler Jackson Williams all shine here, as do guest stars Bobby Moynihan and Judy Reyes.
5. The Question, Justified
"The Question" that gives the finale of "Justified: City Primeval" its title is a tough one: what could make Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) give up on being who we've always known him to be? It's a question the entire noir-tinged revival season of "Justified" tilts towards, though viewers don't know it until the show's dark-hearted climax. "Justified: City Primeval" is concerned about dirty cops and broken systems, as it should be, and the show deftly weaves together several plot points that maintain the spirit of Elmore Leonard's cool crime classics while exploring the limits of Raylan's tolerance for corruption.
"Justified: City Primeval" would've been a great revival even if it had wrapped up 20 minutes early, concluding a story that's always been about what power can and cannot justify with a soul-rattling mistake from a typically cool-headed hero. Instead, though, "Justified: City Primeval" managed to defy our expectations and deliver a rollicking, crowd-pleasing ending, reintroducing Raylan's devilish other half Boyd (Walton Goggins) and opening the door for explosive future seasons. "City Primeval" is firing on all cylinders in its finale; its cameras capture Raylan and Boyd alike with a sense of awe, aware of the pair's larger-than-life dynamic and the near-Pavlovian jolt of joy their presence brings viewers by now. In the end, we're left with a question hanging in the air, and a call back to arms distracting our begrudging hero yet again. "The Question" has more style, self-awareness, and delicious irony in its masterful last ten minutes than most shows do in their entire run.
4. Forks, The Bear
The one-two punch of "Fishes" and "Forks," two stellar episodes of FX's relentless restaurant drama "The Bear," should be remembered as one of the best TV twofers of the decade. Since the show's second season debut, fans have generally declared themselves "Team Forks" or "Team Fishes," but I'd like to posit a secret third option. They're both incredible, but "Forks," the episode in which hotheaded cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) takes an extended field trip to an upscale restaurant, hits so perfectly because it trails in the wake of "Fishes," which revealed the specifics of Richie and Carmy's (Jeremy Allen White) deeply dysfunctional family dynamic.
The previously callous character's journey towards care and attention is so rewarding because we've seen what he believes is his alternative — emotional violence that hits like a car through a dining room wall. "Forks" also slows down enough to remind viewers (and Richie) about the beautiful parts of the restaurant business, the ways in which an amazing meal can become a memory, a connection point, and a way of life. Olivia Colman is perfectly employed here in a quietly transformative scene, but like the meals she makes, every single facet of "Forks" is tuned for maximum emotional and sensory impact. By the time Richie drives home, screaming Taylor Swift's "Love Story" on the way, he's far from the only person who's been changed by the whole experience.
3. Freedom Day, Silo
It feels like a crime that a show as ambitious as "Silo" is hidden away on Apple+, but viewers who do find the adaptation of Hugh Howey's book series are in for something special. Your mileage may vary when it comes to the bulk of the dystopian saga's first season, but the show's pilot is an undeniable feat of small-screen storytelling. The surprisingly self-contained story begins with Rashida Jones' Allison, an IT worker in a underground silo community some indeterminate time in the future. The silo, she's told, is where civilization begins and ends, but when Allison and her husband, Sheriff Holston (David Oyelowo), fail to conceive a baby during the government-approved timeline, she becomes convinced something's wrong with the Silo.
"Freedom Day" is an exceptionally tight and compelling pilot episode, one that doesn't just establish the creative world of its series, but shows us the best of it. Jones gives a stunning performance here as a gaslit woman with a deep hunger to know the outside world, and the show's visuals and sharp edit rise to meet her. The episode works as a particularly jarring thought exercise, and as a viewer, it's tough not to feel like you've caught some of Allison's existential dread just by bearing witness to it. "Freedom Day" ends on a shocking, definite note, one that functions as both a lump-in-your-throat ending and a deeply intriguing beginning. They really don't make sci-fi like this anymore.
2. Long, Long Time, The Last Of Us
If I could guess at which day this year saw TV fans shed the most collective tears, I'd put my money on January 29. That's the day prestige video game adaptation "The Last Of Us" aired its third episode, an in-depth detour into the lives of antisocial apocalypse survivor Bill (Nick Offerman) and his partner Frank (Murray Bartlett) that reimagined the pair's story for the better. To call "Long, Long Time" an effective love story would be a massive understatement: the episode transcends the sci-fi trappings of its series to tell a wholly contained story about the power of queer survival and healing, complete with an incredible sobfest of an ending.
Like the episode in the top spot on this list, "Long, Long Time" also features some of the best filmmaking in recent TV history. While Offerman and Bartlett tell the story of Bill and Frank in beautifully acted exchanges, bringing Craig Mazin's sweet script to life, director Peter Hoar and cinematographer Eben Bolter tell their own story with images, etching Frank and Bill into the world of "The Last Of Us" via strawberries and rays of sunlight and a gentle breeze through an open window. Video game fans are notoriously picky about major adaptation changes, but "Long, Long Time" is perfectly in line with the game's idea of love and trust as something worth building together, even when death is inevitable.
1. Connor's Wedding, Succession
"Connor's Wedding" starts like any other episode of "Succession." The wealthy Roy family — depressed heir apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong), savage and savvy Shiv (Sarah Snook), jokester edgelord Roman (Kieran Culkin), and endearingly delusional Connor (Alan Ruck) — reunite for a posh event. In this case, it's the aforementioned sea-set wedding, but before the boat they've boarded can push off, a nagging phone call cracks open their world (and the world of the show) forever.
The death of Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is an all-time great TV shocker. The twist astounds not just in its narrative boldness — the entire series hinged on Logan's choice of successor, a choice he never actually made — but in its emotional and formal ambition as well. Director Mark Mylod and creator-writer Jesse Armstrong work to keep the episode trapped solely within the purview of the Roy kids, who spend much of the episode stuck on the phone with Logan's colleagues, unsure whether Logan's alive or dead.
There's a devastating, realistic sense of grief that comes from not knowing, and "Succession" asks viewers to live in that tenuous grief alongside a tremendous ensemble of actors for far longer than anyone would expect. This has always been a dramatically heightened show, but its most powerful hour strips away the artifice to lay bare the undercurrent of raw emotion that's always coursed through the series. Unflinching filmmaking, ripped-open performances, and a script that takes no prisoners make "Connor's Wedding" the best TV episode of the year.
How this list was made
This ranking was created through a combination of independent research and expert opinion. We compiled all relevant data, studied/watched all relevant material, and used our best professional judgment to determine the order of the list. The final order was determined by examining the larger cultural ramifications of each entry, as well as our take on the material, as determined by the past year of our work and analysis at /Film.