Best Returning Shows of 2023

An incredible year for series finales and comeback seasons

BY ZACH  DECEMBER 28, 2023

While this year's lineup of new tv series was somewhat underwhelming, 2023 was one of the most competitive years for returning series of all time. A total of 34 shows were considered for this list, which means 11 did not make the cut, including Apple's final season of Ted Lasso.

It was also a year of bitter-sweet endings. Three of the biggest streaming services aired the final season of their flagship dramas: Netflix's The Crown, Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and HBO's Succession. In the comedy/drama hybrid category, Barry on HBO and The Great on Hulu also aired their final episodes. 

The year also saw a few resurrections of shows that have been away for multiple years. The Coen-inspired anthology, Fargo, returned for a 5th season after a somewhat forgettable 4th installment in 2020. Neil Gaiman's Good Omens also debuted its second season, which was a particularly pleasant surprise because most of us thought it was a limited series when it aired a lifetime ago in 2019. We even got more Black Mirror out of Charlie Brooker for the first time since 2019, although some might argue that some of this latest 6th season is not Black Mirror at all, but rather "Red Mirror."

Without further ado, here are my picks for the best 23 seasons of a returning television series in 2023...

23. Sex Education (Season 4)

Netflix |  Laurie Nunn

A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.

Genre:  Comedy / Drama

First aired:  2019

Total episodes from start:  32

Length per episode:  46-83 min

Continuation:  Completed

22. Foundation (Season 2)

Apple TV+ |  David S. Goyer & Josh Friedman

A complex saga of humans scattered on planets throughout the galaxy all living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.

Genre:  Sci-fi Drama

First aired:  2021

Total episodes from start:  20

Length per episode:  45-69 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 3rd season

21. Minx (Season 2)

Starz |  Ellen Rapoport

In 1970s Los Angeles, an earnest young feminist joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women.

Genre:  Comedy

First aired:  2022 (#19 on my best new shows of 2022)

Total episodes from start:  18

Length per episode:  24-35 min

Continuation:  Cancelled (again)

20. Black Mirror (Season 5)

Netflix |  Charlie Brooker

An anthology series exploring a twisted, high-tech multiverse where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.

Genre:  Sci-fi / Dystopian anthology

First aired:  2011

Total episodes from start:  27

Length per episode:  40-89 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 7th season

19. The Dragon Prince (Season 5)

Netflix |  Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond

Two human princes forge an unlikely bond with the elfin assassin sent to kill them, embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands.

Genre:  Fantasy / Adventure

First aired:  2018 (#15 on my best new shows of 2018)

Total episodes from start:  45

Length per episode:  25-33 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 6th and 7th season, which will be its last

18. Schmigadoon! (Season 2)

Apple TV+ |  Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio

A couple on a backpacking trip discovers a magical town in which everyone acts like they're in a classic musical.

Genre:  Musical / Comedy

First aired:  2021

Total episodes from start:  12

Length per episode:  25-35 min

Continuation:  Not yet renewed

17. The Crown (Season 6)

Netflix |  Peter Morgan

Follows the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped Britain for the second half of the 20th century.

Genre:  Historical Drama

First aired:  2016

Total episodes from start:  60

Length per episode:  39-72 min

Continuation:  Completed

16. Dark Winds (Season 2)

AMC |  Graham Roland

Follows Leaphorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case.

Genre:  Drama

First aired:  2022

Total episodes from start:  12

Length per episode:  39-53 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 3rd season

15. Perry Mason (Season 2)

HBO |  Rolin Jones & Ron Fitzgerald

In booming 1932 Los Angeles, a down-and-out defense attorney takes on the case of a lifetime.

Genre:  Detective Noir, Legal Drama

First aired:  2020 (#11 on my best new shows of 2020)

Total episodes from start:  16

Length per episode:  56-64 min

Continuation:  Cancelled

14. The Righteous Gemstones (Season 3)

HBO |  Danny McBride

Follows a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work.

Genre:  Satire comedy

First aired:  2019 (#11 on my best new shows of 2019)

Total episodes from start:  27

Length per episode:  26-60 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 4th season.

13. Only Murders in the Building (Season 3)

Hulu |  Steve Martin & John Hoffman

Three strangers who live in the same New York City apartment building and share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves embroiled in a murder.

Genre:  Comedy / Murder Mystery

First aired:  2021 (#9 on my best new shows of 2021)

Total episodes from start:  30

Length per episode:  26-38 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 4th season.

12. Heels (Season 2)

Starz |  Michael Waldron

Two brothers and rivals - one a villain, or "heel," in the ring; the other a hero, or "face," war over their late father's wrestling promotion, vying for national attention in small-town Georgia.

Genre:  Drama

First aired:  2021 (#3 on my best new shows of 2021)

Total episodes from start:  16

Length per episode:  57-62 min

Continuation:  Cancelled unceremoniously after a cliffhanger

11. What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5)

FX on Hulu |  Jemaine Clement

A look into the nightly lives of four vampires who have lived together on Staten Island for over a century.

Genre:  Comedy Mockumentary

First aired:  2019 (#14 on my best new shows of 2019)

Total episodes from start:  50

Length per episode:  22-30 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 6th and final season

10. Slow Horses (Season 3)

Apple TV+ |  William Smith

Follows the British intelligence agents of "Slough House" which serves as a dumping ground department for MI5 agents who made career-ending mistakes.

Genre:  Drama, Spy Thriller

First aired:  2022 (#5 on my best new shows of 2022)

Total episodes from start:  18

Length per episode:  41-53 min

Continuation:  Season 4 already filmed and coming soon

9. For All Mankind (Season 4)

Apple TV+ |  Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi

In an alternative version of 1969, the Soviet Union beats the United States to the Moon, and the space race continues on for decades with still grander challenges and goals.

Genre:  Sci-Fi Drama, Alternate History

First aired:  2019

Total episodes from start:  40

Length per episode:  42-82 min

Continuation:  Not officially renewed, but writers have said are planning 7 seasons.

8. Good Omens (Season 2)

Amazon Prime Video |  Neil Gaiman

A naked archangel turns up at the door to renegade angel Aziraphale's bookshop, with no memory of who he is or how he got there, and Aziraphale and retired demon Crowley's lives become extremely complicated.

Genre:  Fantasy comedy

First aired:  2019 (#18 on my best new shows of 2019)

Total episodes from start:  12

Length per episode:  45-58 min

Continuation:  Renewed for a 3rd and final season

7. Fargo (Season 5)

FX on Hulu |  Noah Hawley

Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.

Genre:  Dark Comedy / Crime Drama Anthology

First aired:  2014

Total episodes from start:  51

Length per episode:  39-68 min

Continuation:  Anthology (each season is a complete story)

6. Our Flag Means Death (Season 2)

HBO Max |  David Jenkins

The year is 1717. Wealthy land-owner Stede Bonnet has a midlife crisis and decides to blow up his cushy life to become a pirate. It does not go well. Based on a true story.

Genre:  Romantic Comedy, Pirates

First aired:  2022 (#15 on my best new shows of 2022)

Total episodes from start:  18

Length per episode:  26-36 min

Continuation:  Not yet renewed

5. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 5)

Amazon Prime Video |  Amy Sherman-Palladino

After her husband leaves her, young mother of two Miriam "Midge" Maisel discovers that she has a talent for stand-up comedy.

Genre:  Comedy, Period Drama

First aired:  2017

Total episodes from start:  43

Length per episode:  43-76 min

Continuation:  Completed

4. Barry (Season 4)

HBO |  Alec Berg & Bill Hader

A hitman from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

Genre:  Dark Comedy

First aired:  2018 (#7 on my best new shows of 2018)

Total episodes from start:  32

Length per episode:  26-34 minutes

Continuation:  Completed

3. The Great (Season 3)

Hulu |  Tony McNamara

The Great is a satirical, comedic drama about the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia's history.

Genre:  Historical Farce, Dark Comedy

First aired:  2020 (#4 on my best new shows of 2020) 

Total episodes from start:  30

Length per episode:  26-34 minutes

Continuation:  Cancelled, but honestly Completed in my opinion

2. Succession (Season 4)

HBO |  Jesse Armstrong

The series centers on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch, Logan Roy

Genre:  Drama, Comedy, Tragedy

First aired:  2018 (#13 on my best new shows of 2018) 

Total episodes from start:  39

Length per episode:  56-88 minutes

Continuation:  Completed

1. The Bear (Season 2)

FX on Hulu |  Christopher Storer

A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family.

Genre:  Drama

First aired:  2012 (#2 on my Best New Shows list)

Total episodes from start:  18

Length per episode:  20-66 minutes (avg ~30)

Continuation:  Renewed for a 3rd season.