Christmas is here and it’s time to indulge in a little relaxation. And what better way to relax than to binge-watch some of the best TV shows of 2023. From nail-biting to hilarious, this year delivered some truly excellent television you won’t want to miss.
Here are 9 of the best TV shows of 2023 and where you can watch them:
- The Bear
- Beef
- The Last of Us
- Cunk on Earth
- Only Murders in the Building
- The Other Two
- Hijack
- Ted Lasso
- Succession
The Bear – Two Seasons
Family dysfunction and food are at the centre of this chaotic and clever award-winning series. Set in Chicago, US, the show centres around fine-dining chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) who inherits his brother’s failing sandwich shop after a family tragedy and makes it his mission to turn the business into a success. First though, he has to gain the respect of the obstinate kitchen crew, who are less than thrilled with Carmy’s arrival and his changes to the menu, and grapple with the reality of running a small business with the odds stacked against him. The series features an outstanding cast of supporting characters and will have you clicking Next Episode faster than you say ‘yes, chef!’.
- Watch The Bear on Disney+
Beef – Limited Series
Amy and Danny world’s collide in a road rage incident that brings mayhem to their lives. Amy (Ali Wong) is a wealthy married mother-of-one who’s about to sell her plant business to a billionaire investor, while Danny (Steven Yeun) is barely scraping by working as a handyman. While they seem world’s apart, their shared vindictiveness and all-consuming rage causes them to destroy their own lives in their attempts to take down each other. It’s the kind of dark comedy that will have you laughing and gasping at the lengths Amy and Danny take to one-up each other and applauding an ending so twisted and satisfying you can’t help but wish for more.
- Watch Beef on Netflix
The Last of Us – One Season
As one of the most highly anticipated shows of 2023, The Last of Us had serious expectations to meet and boy did it deliver. Based on a video game of the same name, The Last of Us follows
Joel (Pedro Pascal), who is living in a post-apocalyptic world where a pandemic caused by a fungus has turned billions of people into zombie-like creatures that overrun the planet. Early in the story, Joel meets Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a stubborn teenager, who is thought to be the cure for the zombie-causing disease. The pair travel across America to find the Fireflies, a group of revolutionaries who hope to create a vaccine using Ellie’s blood.
While their relationship is prickly at first, Joel and Ellie soon become a formidable pair with a father-daughter-type relationship that heals old wounds for each and might just save mankind.
- Watch The Last of Us on Binge
Sign up to BINGE!
Are you looking for something binge-worthy? Why not check out BINGE? With multiple subscription plans available, you can choose a plan that suits you (or your family) and settle in for a night on the couch with a wide range of movies and shows!
| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $10 over one month |
1 | $10 |
Go To Site |
|
min. cost $16 over one month |
2 | $16 |
Go To Site |
|
min. cost $18 over one month |
4 | $18 |
Go To Site |
 |
^^View important information | |||
Cunk on Earth – One Season
If you’re looking for a laugh this Christmas, look no further than BBC’s Cunk on Earth. This brilliant mockumentary follows fictional amateur historian Philomena Cunk, played by Diane Morgan, as she charts civilisation’s journey from the prehistoric era to the present.
Along the way, Cunk interviews various historians, asking questions like, “Which was more culturally significant: The Renaissance or ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce?” and offers insightful commentary like, “I’m walking into a cave. Not because I’m lost or I’m a wolf but because the producers have asked me to”.
It’s a laugh-out-loud comedy that strives to achieve maximum awkwardness and cringe-inducing moments for its audience while also teaching us a thing or two about where mankind went wrong along the way.
- Watch Cunk on Earth on Netflix
Only Murders in the Building – Three Seasons
Starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building follows the story of three crime-obsessed strangers, who come together to create a podcast after a man was murdered in their building.
Martin plays Charles, a washed-up actor grappling with the end of his glory days as a TV detective. Short plays Oliver, a Broadway producer whose musical Splash! was such a critical flop it resulted in him declaring bankruptcy three times. Gomez rounds out the trio as sarcastic Millennial Mabel, who doesn’t have a job and can therefore dedicate herself to solving murder mysteries with her semi-retired neighbours.
With clever comedy and a gripping whodunnit mystery, the show hooks the audience from the opening bloody scene and navigates twists and turns with the kind of jokes that made Martin and Short famous.
Those who make it to season three will be rewarded with a stellar cast of supporting characters, including Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd.
- Watch Only Murders in the Building on Disney+
Sign up to Disney+ Australia
There are two plan options to choose from – a monthly subscription, or prepay for a year. Both plans include the same features, with unlimited downloads and the ability to stream on up to four screens at the same time. This table includes links to a referral partner.
| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month or year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $13.99 over one month |
4 | $13.99 |
Get DealCanstar Blue receives a commission for sign-ups through Disney+ * |
|
min. cost $139.99 over one year |
4 | $139.99 |
Get DealCanstar Blue receives a commission for sign-ups through Disney+ * |
|
^^View important information | |||
The Other Two – Three Seasons
Your teenage brother is the world’s biggest pop star and you’re a 30-something facing the crushing reality that life has not turned out the way you planned. This is the conundrum facing Brooke and Cary Dubek, whose 13-year-old brother Chace becomes an overnight sensation with his teeny-bopper song ‘Marry You At Recess’.
Cary (Drew Tarver) is an aspiring actor whose career has faltered to the point where he’s auditioning for roles like ‘man at party who smells fart’ hoping it will be his big break. Brooke (Heléne Yorke) is a former professional dancer now working as a real estate agent and sleeping in the Manhattan apartments she’s supposed to be renting out.
This under-the-radar comedy produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels is one of the best laugh-out-loud shows released in recent years. Molly Shannon also stars, playing the siblings’ mum
Pat, who piggybacks off Chace’s fame to launch her own talk show and becomes more famous, and wealthy, than her son.
Brooke and Cary’s narcissistic and self-destructive behaviour steers the series through a clever analysis on the entertainment industry, poking fun at the absurdity of celebrity and making us laugh at the lengths they go to to achieve fame and success.
The series came to an epic conclusion in 2023, that’ll leave you wanting to go back to the beginning and watch the Dubeks’ journey all over again.
- Watch The Other Two on Binge
Hijack – Limited Series
Idris Elba stars in this gripping series about a plane that is hijacked during its seven-hour journey from Dubai to London. Each of the seven episodes covers an hour of the nerve-wracking flight and sees Elba’s Sam Nelson use his skills as a corporate negotiator to try to slow the hijackers and gain back control of the plane.
The show switches between the action in the air, the air traffic control team trying to land the plane safely and the joint effort by police and the British government, who are trying to identify the hijackers and figure out their endgame.
It’s the kind of edge-of-your-seat TV that makes binge watching so enjoyable. The cast of supporting characters bring some of the most nail-biting moments in the show and it all comes to a thrilling end with an action-packed confrontation between Sam and the lead hijacker.
It’s the perfect show for anyone who loves old-fashioned action with a side of heartthrob.
- Watch Hijack on Apple TV+
Ted Lasso – Four Seasons
If you’re putting off watching Ted Lasso because you’re not interested in soccer (or football, as we’ll refer to it from now on), don’t. This loveable comedy is feel-good TV done right.
Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is an affable American football coach who lands a job managing AFC Richmond, a fictional football club from real-life Richmond-Upon-Themes, London.
If Ted’s lack of qualifications make him seem like a strange choice for a football coach that’s because club owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) recently won the team in her divorce battle with her cheating millionaire ex-husband. The club was her ex’s pride and joy and Rebecca is intent on driving it into the ground to spite him.
Ted and Rebecca’s refreshingly platonic friendship blooms though, as do heartfelt relationships between the other excellent cast members who, you can’t help but cheer for throughout the series.
It’s that rare kind of comedy that can make you both laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time, and leaves you wishing there were a few more Teds in the world.
- Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+
Succession – Four Seasons
Succession follows the Shakespearian story of the Roy family, owners of media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo and one of the most influential families in America.
The HBO series revolves around the adult Roy children who are preparing for their father, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), to step down as CEO and are vying for positions of power within the enterprise.
Driven by its dark humour, biting scripts and all-too-real portrayal of the news media, Succession has been hailed as one of the best TV shows of all time and has a slew of awards to show for it.
Pitch-perfect performances by the Roy children, played by Jeremy Strong, Keiran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Alan Ruck, and their unwavering ambition and greed, will have you watching until the shocking finale.
- Watch Succession on Binge
Share this article