18 Best TV Dramas of the Year So Far

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the television series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

With so much TV to choose from, you might have missed some of the best TV dramas of the year (so far). The summer months are the perfect time to catch up.

This season has been incredible for TV dramas with big shows like Succession coming to an end and shows like Grey’s Anatomy giving its cast an update and bringing back memories from the first few seasons. From unexpected deaths to the departure of beloved characters, these shows have a bit of everything.

With the Emmy Awards (or the Super Bowl of TV fanatics) right around the corner, this is the perfect time to rewatch or take a first look at some of the shows that have made TV so great this year. 

Note that while we typically separate sci-fi/fantasy/horror and limited series from dramas in our best-of lists at the end of the year and for our annual Tell-Tale TV Awards, these categories are all combined for this particular list.

In no particular order, here are our picks for the 18 best TV dramas of 2023 so far:

1. Succession

Succession Season 4 is definitely a bittersweet season for fans of the show. Not long before the season premiered, it was announced this would be the last one. Therefore, fans wanted to enjoy every episode as much as possible to guarantee they could get the most out of their favorite problematic family.

Within its first three episodes, the show sets the tone of the season killing off the patriarch of the family and sending the Roy siblings down an emotional spiral that results in the three of them losing control of the family business.

This season undoubtedly stands to the quality of its previous three seasons, bringing drama, tragedy, chaos, and a lot of business gibberish that keep the fans on the edge through its 10 episodes. Even though it is the final season, the finale wraps up every loose end.

Succession is available for streaming on MAX.

2. The Crowded Room

If there is one thing Amanda Seyfried has been doing lately is delivering amazing and memorable characters. That is exactly what she does as Rya Goodwin on The Crowded Room. However, it is Tom Holland who shocks the audience with his incredible performance.

For most people, Holland will always be Spider-Man, but luckily this role proves he has the range to expand from superhero movies and take on any kind of role given to him. Including playing Danny Sullivan, a young man who finds himself involved in a crime.

Seyfriend and Holland’s scenes make for some of the best on the show and remind the audience why clues and evidence are so important when it comes to true crime.

The Crowded Room is available for streaming on Apple TV.

3. Love & Death

While the story of Betty Gore’s murder has been told on multiple occasions, MAX takes its turn by bringing Love & Death to the screen with a cast that includes Elizabeth Olsen, Patrick Fugit, Lily Rabe, and Jesse Plemons.

For this fictionalized version of the story, it is Olsen who takes on the role of Candy, who was having an affair with Betty’s husband and later on, is responsible for her murder. Compared to other series on the same story, Love & Death gives a deeper look into who Candy is and the type of affair she was having with Allan Gore.

The show does a great job of presenting every character, explaining the situations they found themselves in, and diving into the investigation of Betty’s murder. Every character that shows up on screen is there for a reason and that reason leads to revealing who the murderer was.

Love & Death is available for streaming on MAX.

4. The Last Thing He Told Me

When a story is taken from a book to the screen, it can be tricky to stay true to the source material and keep fans happy on every spectrum. For some fans, The Last Thing He Told Me had its issues bringing the book to life, but still made for a great drama.

Analyzing it solely as a series and leaving behind the idea that it came from a book, the TV show is strong and delivers a great storyline. However, comparing the two may be complicated as there are a few key components missing.

Jennifer Garner takes the role of Hannah Hall as a woman who must work on a relationship with her stepdaughter when her father disappears. The show does a great show at depicting how much the husband loves his daughter as that becomes relevant throughout the series when he asks Hannah to protect Bailey.

The Last Thing He Told Me is available for streaming on Apple TV.

5. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Bridgerton became extremely popular among TV fans, so it was no surprise when Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story premiered with an already huge fanbase. This time around, the series takes fans back in time to tell the story of Queen Charlotte.

With India Ria Amarteifio playing Queen Charlotte and Corey Mylchreest as King George, the fans immediately became intrigued by this pairing and everything the relationship meant for the time and era.

The show follows the story of Charlotte on her way to becoming Queen, a love story that many would label as epic, and the way in which she transformed high society.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available for streaming on Netflix.

6. The Diplomat

Political shows can be a hit or miss, depending on the cast, the storyline, and the plot twists. Most of them tend to focus on the same events and fans may get tired. However, The Diplomat brings something different to the screen with Keri Russell as the lead.

While Kate Wyler has to find her ground in her new position as ambassador to the United Kingdom, she also has to navigate the rocky waters of being married to a political star played by Rufus Sewell.

The show has done so well that Netflix has renewed it for a Season 2.

The Diplomat is available for streaming on Netflix.

7. The Power

If you are looking for a cast with an incredible group of female actors, The Power is definitely it. The cast includes Toni Collette, Ria Zmitrowicz, Zrinka Cvitešić, Auliʻi Cravalho, and Halle Bush.

With nine episodes, it tells the story of how the world changes when teenage girls have the power to electrocute people at their own will. This superpower is inherited and cannot be taken away. However, the power becomes dormant when the women get older…until they discover a way around this.

Naomi Alderman wrote the novel of the same title in 2016 and then became one of the series developers.

The Power is available for streaming on Prime Video.

8. Dead Ringers

When the name Rachel Weisz is mentioned in a project, you know it will undoubtedly be a good one, especially if she is doing drama, which is exactly what happens on Dead Ringers.

This time around Weisz surprises the audience by playing two characters: The Mantle Twins. The premise of the show is that said twins, Elliot and Beverly, perform questionable procedures on infertile women.

This is yet another drama of the year that had an outstanding female cast, including Britne Oldford, Poppy Liu, Jennifer Ehle, and Emily Meade.

Dead Ringers is available for streaming on Prime Video.

9. Great Expectations

If the name Great Expectations rings a bell, that is because Hulu’s series is a retelling of Dickens’s novel that was a critique of the class system.

The great expectations are those placed on Pip once he comes under the guardianship or protection of Miss Havisham. It is under these circumstances and new life that Pip, an orphan, learns how dark the possibilities of life can be.

If the idea of watching this famous story brought to life isn’t enough to motivate you to stream it, knowing that it is Olivia Colman who plays Miss Havisham should be enough. The Academy Award winner delivers an incredible performance.

Great Expectations is available for streaming on Hulu.

10. The Night Agent

The Night Agent brings a twist to your typical FBI story in which there is a case introduced and then the agents work to solve it and catch the bad guy. This time around, an FBI agent stumbles upon a case when answering a very specific phone call within the White House.

Even though, the agent is introduced to the mission as he is told that the phone rarely rings, he ends up receiving a call that seems to reveal a conspiracy theory in which there is a mole inside the White House.

With the first season becoming one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, The Night Agent will definitely have a Season 2. The release date is yet to be confirmed.

The Night Agent is available for streaming on Netflix.

11. White House Plumbers

If TV shows about historical events and about the White House are your kind of thing, White House Plumbers is definitely the show for you as it dives into the Watergate scandal. The show focuses mostly on E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux).

The show starts the moment Hunt and Liddy were hired in 1971 to work at the White House and goes all the way up to the moment when they decided to bug the Democratic National Committee in Watergate.

Alongside Harrelson and Theroux, the audience can find the likes of Lena Headey, Kathleen Turner, and Domhnall Gleeson.

White House Plumbers is available for streaming on MAX.

12. The Last of Us

People are used to books being transformed into TV shows or movies, but it is rare that video games will have the same treatment. The Last of Us is one of those popular games that got turned into a TV show and became just as successful (if not more) than the source material.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey lead the cast with many one-on-one scenes that will make you cry, laugh, and wish the ending would be a happy one for both characters. These two become very close as they navigate the outside world twenty years after the terrible outbreak.

The action scenes on the show are incredible and Ramsey’s performance must be highlighted as they shocked viewers with their talent.

The Last of Us is available for streaming on MAX.

13. Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is the kind of show that has been around for almost two decades yet still manages to surprise its audience. Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 proved that no matter how long a show has been on the air, it is still capable of renewing itself.

This season brings a long list of new faces that remind us why the show has lasted so long. With new interns, old feelings come back to the surface as we navigate the parallels between them and the group that started it all, M.A.G.I.C.

Even though the main character is gone, the show hasn’t lost its essence and those characters who remain still make it worth the watch.

Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC and is available for streaming on Hulu.

14. Chicago P.D.

Chicago P.D. Season 10 is a great reminder as to why the show has been on for a decade and why the fans continue to tune in. This season gives a better look at every one of the characters, dedicating different episodes to each of them.

If you watch the show for the cases, this season delivers some of the most memorable cases, proving why the Intelligence Unit is one of the best in the city. If you are watching because of their personal lives, you will be happy to know this is the season in which one of the fan-favorite ships finally gets back together.

Whatever your reason may be for tuning in, Chicago P.D. is a solid police show that tackles controversial topics and crimes of all kinds while displaying a very tight unit.

Chicago P.D. airs on NBC and is available for streaming on Peacock.

15. Accused

Accused Season 1 keeps audiences entertained by bringing a new case to the screen every week, introducing new characters, and presenting different resolutions. No case is like the other and no character repeats itself.

With new stories every week, the show is able to provide a wide range of cases that go from murder to breaking and entering. Every episode starts with the accused in court or in jail as it goes back in time to tell the story of how they got there.

If you like legal and crime dramas, this is definitely the show for you. The show is based on the British drama from 2010 of the same name.

Accused airs on FOX and is available for streaming on Hulu.

16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been a fan-favorite drama for over two decades and the same can be said this year. This season brings quite a few episodes that are extremely memorable and remind the OG fans of the first few seasons of the show.

Olivia Benson continues to lead a squad room that doesn’t give up and continues to fight until every victim and survivor gets the justice they deserve. Even though Law & Order: SVU Season 24 is a bit of a revolving door for characters coming and going, it is still solid and reminds fans why they trust this squad so much.

The only downside to the season is the exit of Amanda Rollins who is still missed. Fans remain hopeful that after she appeared during the season finale, she might come back for Law & Order: SVU Season 25.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs on NBC and is available for streaming on Peacock.

17. You

You had gotten us used to the idea that it was Joe who became obsessed with women, stalked them, and sadly most of them ended up dead. However, You Season 4 changes the game and Joe becomes the stalked one, the one to receive cryptic text messages.

As he begins to live his life in London, after hopelessly following another woman to Europe, he promises he won’t fall back into his old tricks. But it is one night at a party that turns the tables and Joe finds himself being stalked by a mysterious person.

The season explores this as he begins to suspect everyone he comes in contact with until he finally finds out who was sending him the messages and now he must find a way to put an end to it.

You is available for streaming on Netflix.

18. Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets Season 2 brings back everyone’s favorite group of cannibal, queer, and enigmatic ladies. Whether you prefer the jumps back in time to understand the group of teenagers better or the life of the grown-up ladies, the season has a bit of everything for everyone.

Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose, Christina Ricci, and Simone Kessell do an amazing job of exploring the complexity of these women and their own relationships. Each of them is different but brings something to the group that completes it.

And the jumps back in time to when the teenagers were stuck in the cabin make for the perfect storytelling. You definitely never know what to expect from an episode and will always be surprised.

Yellowjackets airs on Showtime and is available for streaming on Paramount+.

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Did your favorite drama make the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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