The Best TV Moments of 2023
Photos Courtesy of HBO, Peacock, Netflix, Paramount, and Showtime TV Lists best of 2023
In the past, this would be the time that we would put together our list of the Best TV Episodes of the year. But as those years have gone by, streaming has eroded the episodic format, making it harder and harder to remember each individual episode in the midst of seasons-long binges and odd multi-episode release schedules. And beyond just how these shows have been released, the “eight-hour movie” format that streaming has adopted has allowed each entry of a show to feel more akin to just a slice of a larger story than a true TV episode. So, to rectify that, we are rounding up our favorite TV moments of the year: a category that allows us to highlight our favorite performances, scenes, sequences, and even some very special episodes from the past year in TV.
Below, we’ve rounded up those TV moments that stuck with us, ordered roughly by when they each aired throughout the year. And while it was a little difficult to ensure that this list didn’t just turn into “Our Favorite Moments from Succession,” various Paste editors and writers put our heads together to round up the best TV had to offer in 2023. From stand-out performances to unforgettable sequences, here are our favorite snippets to hit the airwaves this year.
The Last of Us, “Long, Long Time” (Season 1 Episode 3)
The way the artists at Pixar have done with toys and cars, Nick Offerman has made a career out of seeking to answer the question, “What if libertarians had feelings?” In “Long, Long Time,” the third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, Offerman gives us a LOT of feelings as Bill, a survivalist conspiracy theorist who’s well prepared to survive the zombie apocalypse, but not prepared to fall in love. The romance between Bill and Frank (Murray Bartlett) was implied in the original video game, but here, their story has been rewritten and fleshed out into one of the year’s most beautiful episodes of television. Yes, it ends sadly, like basically every story in The Last of Us does. Yet, in contrast with the brutal violence and horror of the series’ other tragedies, “Long, Long Time” offers a welcome sense of relief, allowing two middle-aged gay men the chance at a life well lived together, even as the world ends. —Reuben Baron
Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades in Shrinking
If you’re lucky enough to have a career like Harrison Ford’s, for most, turning 80 would signal the time to tap out. Or, at least, a downshifting to taking it easier. He’s certainly earned either option. For almost six decades, he’s brought to life a litany of iconic characters from Han Solo to Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard to Jack Trainer, and myriad more.
However, the man is stubborn and has also seemed to publicly enjoy the last five years of his career in refreshing ways. He’s translated that happiness into two terrific television roles in 1923 and Shrinking. Especially playing Dr. Paul Rhoades in Shrinking, Ford has distilled his decades of charm, comedic chops, and the gravitas of his earned wisdom into a Top 5 role for him.
As the crotchety but empathetic senior partner in the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center practice, Ford’s Rhoades reluctantly serves as the sounding board for his needy younger partners, Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) and Gaby (Jessica Williams), and as an unexpected trusted confidante to Jimmy’s teen daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell). Just watching these two generationally separated actors sit on a bench and talk is some of the best scenes you’ll see all year. And the role not only allows Ford to gleefully land perfectly-lobbed zinger after zinger, but he equally breaks our hearts with his vulnerable (but never mawkish) portrayal of Rhoades’ Parkinson’s diagnosis. Ford is truly a revelation (and a scene stealer) in every episode of Season 1, making this late-career role the perfect distillation of the precision and scope of his incredible talent. —Tara Bennett
Poker Face, “The Orpheus Syndrome” (Season 1, Episode 8)
Peacock’s Poker Face is a true gem. Genuinely one of the best shows of the year (and one of the few to utilize the episodic format even in its status as a streaming original), Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale and her weekly misadventures across the country were a delight every week. But even though the season as a whole was admirably consistent and each episode held its own, one stands out from its 10-episode run: Episode 8, “The Orpheus Syndrome.” When Charlie gets a job working for guilt-ridden special effects artist Arthur (Nick Nolte), she learns that he is in the middle of investigating a fatal on-set accident that has haunted him for decades. But when Arthur dies under mysterious circumstances, it’s up to Charlie to catch his killer and the person responsible for the foul play on set that fateful day.
With incredible guest performances from Nolte, Cherry Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Tim Russ, this damning and beautiful examination of guilt and greed is hypnotic and beautifully shot. Arthur’s monsters are gorgeous and practical, and the final sequence where the villain-of-the-week falls victim to a “Tell-Tale Heart”-esque manifestation of guilt and an outsized sense of paranoia is masterful in its cinematography and suspense. Lyonne directed the episode and co-wrote it with series creator Rian Johnson and producer Alice Ju. “The Orpheus Syndrome” is one of the best TV episodes of the year, executed to near-perfection by everyone involved. —Anna Govert
Accurate Abortion Scene in Grey’s Anatomy, “All Star” (Season 19, Episode 8)
You don’t need me to tell you, it is a horrifically scary time for women’s health care. Look no further than what is currently happening in Texas. Since it premiered on March 27, 2005 (a day that should be a national holiday, in my opinion), Grey’s Anatomy has consistently been ground-breaking and pushed against the boundaries of conventional television. In addition to its consistently-diverse characters and its jaw-dropping plot twists, Grey’s has never met a social issue it’s not willing to explore. While always entertaining, the drama series often uses its platform to spurn important discussions while broadening the viewer’s perspective. In the eighth episode of its 19th (!!) season, Jo (Camilla Luddington) performs an abortion on Sierra (guest star Briza Covarrubias), a patient who has come to the hospital’s clinic. It’s not the first time the series has featured an abortion storyline. Especially since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the show has consistently shown the doctors struggling to provide adequate health care in the current political climate. Earlier in the season, Addison (Kate Walsh) lost a patient who had an ectopic pregnancy and lived in a state that wouldn’t allow her to terminate her pregnancy. Later in the season, a protester hits Addison with their car.
What sets Sierra’s storyline apart is how straightforward it is. A mom of two, who is pregnant as a result of the condom breaking, Sierra decides she wants an abortion because she suffered from severe postpartum depression with both her previous pregnancies. Almost in real time, Jo performs the abortion, explaining to the patient (and to the audience) what is happening every step of the way using appropriate terminology. “Now we are going to insert the speculum,” Jo says as she begins. Sierra’s husband stays on the phone with her during the entire procedure. “That’s it,” Sierra says when it’s over. “That’s it,” Jo responds. The matter of fact approach, which strips away the political rhetoric and the histrionics, shows abortion for the medical procedure that it is. And proves that Grey’s Anatomy, which will enter its 20th season next March, remains as groundbreaking and as quietly revolutionary as ever. —Amy Amatangelo
“One Week” Montage in Class of ‘07, “Utopia” (Season 1, Episode 6)
“It’s been…”
Possibly overshadowed this year by that other show about young women forced to work together to survive the elements, Prime Video’s Class of ‘07 is a brutal and unflinching look at female friendships and survival, all wrapped in a half-hour comedy. The series catalogs the disastrous 10-year reunion of an Australian girls’ school, where, in the middle of the obligatory line-dance, the world around them drowns, leaving their high-altitude school untouched but surrounded by Noah’s Ark-style flooding on all sides.
By the sixth episode of the season, the girls have already put each other through the ringer, and things are finally starting to lighten amongst these frenemies and former classmates. When the group settle down to tackle all the things on their bucket list together (including a cathartic picture-burning of an abusive teacher and a shower for a baby one of the survivors never got to have), Amelia (Megan Smart) has just one goal: learn all the words to Barenaked Ladies’ song “One Week.” What follows is a hilarious, heartfelt, and unapologetically corny montage as these women try to turn this bad situation into a bonding experience, all while (trying to) sing all the words to the infamously-complex song. It’s a delightful sequence featuring one of the best needle drops of the year. —Anna Govert
The Yellowjackets Eat Jackie in Yellowjackets, “Edible Complex” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Ken and Stewy Hug in Succession, “Honeymoon States” (Season 4, Episode 4)
When a glimpse of this scene first appeared in the trailer for Season 4 of HBO’s Succession, KenStewy fans were worried that it would ultimately be cut from the show, or perhaps it was even a trick of the light. When Episode 4 finally aired, it was revealed that we hadn’t been duped, and the two childhood friends had finally, at last, showed some kind of tenderness towards each other. It is of course nowhere near a kiss or an admission of love that some viewers had been hoping for in the 5 years Succession has been airing, but it’s the best Jesse Armstrong was going to give us. As Kendall (Jeremy Strong) leans into Stewy’s (Arian Moayed) chest, the latter wraps his arms around him like it’s second nature–almost as if they’ve done this a hundred times in the past.
It’s a rare sight in a show where physical contact doesn’t often manifest as more than a fist bump or a slap, and it’s a testament to the relationship between the two characters. Though Stewy always has his best interests in mind, Kendall is still someone he cares about, and it’s here that their bond is truly cemented for casual viewers. The end of the episode signals a turn in Kendall’s place in the show—and within his family—but here, in Stewy’s arms, he’s perhaps the most vulnerable he’s been since Season 2. With this scene, every viewer (KenStewy shipper or not) is forced to reckon with the fact that, while Stewy hasn’t been a main player since Season 1, he is still essential to understanding Kendall’s place in the show, and the dysfunctional family he was born into. —Kaiya Shunyata
Sally’s Home Invasion in Barry, “the wizard” (Season 4, Episode 6)
Through four seasons, Barry slowly left the comedic reality it established with the concept “hitman takes an acting class” and devolved into a surreal and darkly funny expression of guilt and trauma. Season 4 took Barry’s abstract goals to new heights that are best embodied in the home invasion scene during “the wizard.” Sally’s half-asleep wandering through her isolated house while being stalked by an anonymous figure is one of the most terrifying and expertly directed moments on TV all year. Barry’s use of sound design is impeccable in the scene, from the whistling of desert wind to the utter silence of the masked man before the sharp slam of the door. The voices heard blur the past and present as the sound of the man Sally killed mixes with the reviving of the truck engine. What remains is a house in disarray and a woman who has become a shell of her former self.
Just this scene alone is up to boundless interpretations. Was there actually an invader or was it a manifestation of Sally’s feeling of always being followed? Did her house get attacked by the diner employee or did she destroy her facade of a normal life in a violent episode? Or was the damage even there at all, instead being a visual depiction of Sally’s mental breaking point in the prison she built that she calls a home? “the wizard” goes beyond dream sequence and allows this episode of Barry to be dissected and analyzed as a skilled depiction of character turmoil. Bill Hader’s abilities as a director to dig into the horror of Sally’s vacant life and Sarah Goldberg’s mastery of the character make the scene a high point for both Season 4 and for Barry’s entire run. —Leila Jordan
Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy in Succession
It’s impossible to single out any one moment of Kieran Culkin’s performance in the fourth season of Succession as being the best. Across the HBO series’ final 10 episodes, Culkin put on a masterclass as Roman, so often the show’s comedy engine (sometimes intentionally so, sometimes not), grieved the loss of a father whose approval he desperately sought but never received. No one moment or scene fully captures Culkin’s range as an actor—not Roman’s mountaintop confrontation with Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard) in “Kill List” mere days after Logan’s (Brian Cox) death; not his nihilism and callousness as he helps elect a neo-fascist as president in “America Decides;” not his breakdown at Logan’s funeral in “Church and State,” when he can no longer deny the emotions he has suppressed all season; and not when he licks Peter’s special cheese in the series finale.
Each moment is different, showcasing various sides of Roman. But when viewed as a whole, it’s clear how each builds expertly upon the one that came before it like a perfectly linked chain of action and reaction, just as everything Culkin accomplished this season is possible because of the work he put in during the first three seasons to make us care about a man who hides his insecurity with pointed remarks, who makes jokes at the darkest of times, who lashes out before he can be attacked. No one in Succession is a good or inherently likable person, but in 2023, Kieran Culkin made us feel every ounce of Roman Roy’s pain, whether he acknowledged its existence or not. Few performances came close to touching this one. —Kaitlin Thomas
NoHo Hank’s Rocket Fail in Barry, “A Nice Meal” (Season 4, Episode 7)
Even as Barry edged into darker territory as it aged, and the titular hitman-turned-actor (Bill Hader) reckoned with his actions, I never understood the argument the HBO series had become a drama along the way. But I especially don’t understand how anyone could reach that conclusion after watching the scene in “a nice meal,” in which NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) tries (and fails) to kill Fuches (Stephen Root) with a rocket. The revelation that there was only one rocket because of budget is funny, sure, but the genius lies in the scene’s execution. Hader’s skillful direction captures the ensuing shootout from a single vantage point, high atop the hill. Less confident shows would have followed Hank and his driver as they fled, but by allowing viewers to have a birds’ eye view of the action and merely hear Hank’s frantic attempt to escape Fuches’ men—and subsequent fall down a hillside—via phone call, we end up with an exquisite, and hilarious, piece of art. Few scenes were better, funnier, or more rewatchable this year. —Kaitlin Thomas
Thorfinn Withstands 100 Blows in Vinland Saga Season 2
While many were pulled into Vinland Saga for its rip-roaring depictions of 11th-century Viking carnage, under the surface, this story has always been about the heroism of standing against bloodletting in an era when this was next to unfathomable. Thorfinn’s journey from a vengeful perpetrator of violence to a humanistic pacifist comes to a head in “The King of Rebellion,” after he makes a gambit that embodies his newfound ideology. Challenged to a battle by a Viking warrior so he can speak with the King and avert a massacre, Thorfinn instead wagers that he can take 100 punches from this hulked-up berserker—and live. Utilizing lessons from a lifetime spent on the battlefield, he endures this beating. The previously jeering Jomsvikings eventually settle into a stunned silence at his conviction, each consecutive blow hammering home that there is courage in choosing not to fight. The anti-war messaging of the scene is further emphasized through its stomach-turning, visceral portrayal of this violence, its needlessness abundantly clear in each thumping hit. While might-makes-right is the common parlance of action anime, Vinland Saga turns this maxim on its head as Thorfinn stakes his life on the belief he can change this society by refusing to participate in its brutality. —Elijah Gonzalez
The Bear, “Fishes” (Season 2, Episode 6)
The holidays can be an especially challenging time. For Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), they are all about survival. In the cameo-packed flashback episode “Fishes,” Carmy’s dysfunctional family comes together for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. If the complicated preparation of getting seven different fish ready for the meal wasn’t enough, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Donna Berzatto is the family matriarch who is quickly slipping into madness. The whole night is a rough affair, but everything comes to a head at the dinner table. Mikey (Jon Bernthal) engages in a conflict with his “Uncle” Lee (Bob Odenkirk) that eventually devolves into fork throwing. Donna continues to unravel, and when the dinner couldn’t get any worse, she drives a car through the wall and into the living room. “Fishes” captures the essence of a difficult family gathering around the holidays, it’s a rapid fire assault on our emotions—failed marriages, lost dreams, and deteriorating mental status fuel the tension. Too many shows glam up the holiday, but The Bear painfully showcases how difficult it can be and provides one of most exhausting hours of TV in 2023. —Max Covill
Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “Under the Cloak of War” (Season 2, Episode 8)
Among its many strengths, the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds excelled at introducing additional nuance to its extended cast, such as in Episode 8, “Under the Cloak of War,” where we learn more about Dr. M’Benga’s (Babs Olusanmokun) weighty past. In a series of flashbacks, it’s revealed he was a combat medic during the Federation-Klingon War on a moon brutally besieged by a war criminal named Dak’Rah. Unfortunately for M’Benga and the other veterans on the Enterprise, this very same Klingon defected to the Federation and is now an ambassador being hosted on their ship. After Dak’Rah attempts to win forgiveness from his victim, Olusanmokun deftly portrays M’Benga’s multifaceted struggle with grief, remorse, and rage, these many bottled feelings suddenly uncorked by the presence of his mortal enemy. By conveying the weight of the people he’s lost and the lives he’s taken, we see a new dimension of a character previously defined by his Hippocratic Oath. Olusanmokun’s depiction of this inner turmoil builds towards a stunning conclusion that blurs the line between justice and revenge, weaponizing Star Trek’s general optimism to deliver a gut punch. —Elijah Gonzalez
Aziraphale and Crowley Kiss in Good Omens Season 2
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens has always been a love story, but the Prime Video adaptation has gleefully made the subtext very literal in the series’ second season, unabashedly centering the story around Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant), and what the life they’re slowly building together looks like. (They share a car and a bookshop now, after all.) More importantly, the show completely does away with the idea that the two are anything other than soulmates in every sense of the word, allowing the pair to share a desperate, heartbreaking kiss before they’re seemingly wrenched apart forever.
While it’s true that most fans probably still haven’t recovered from the emotional devastation of that angst-filled finale cliffhanger, it’s hard to overstate the importance of that moment, which confirmed what many fans of the original novel have been shouting from the rafters for decades now. For those of us who’ve been rooting for Crowley and Aziraphale to get their shit together since the 1990s, the mere existence of that kiss has altered our brain chemistry in all the best ways. If only because it hints that—Ineffable Plan and a third season renewal willing—we’ll get to see the pair share a much more romantic version when they inevitably patch things up. —Lacy Baugher Milas
Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead’s Quad Relationship Reveal in Riverdale Season 7
Riverdale has been, and always will be, a camp triumph. The series, which finished its 7-season run on The CW earlier this year, will someday be reclaimed by the masses as the brilliantly self-aware teen drama send-up that it was—mark my words. But until then, I will keep singing the praises of this zany show. In the final episode, it was revealed that, rather than actually choose which ships out of the Archie/Betty, Betty/Jughead, Veronica/Archie, and even Veronica/Jughead couplings would be “endgame,” none of them actually ended up together, but they all did, in fact, date each other during their final year of high school. They were in what Kevin called a “quad,” where they were all romantically involved—even Veronica and Betty.
Despite the series chickening out of any Archie/Jughead action, this moment still encapsulates exactly what made Riverdale such a joy to watch, and why it remains one of the campiest teen dramas to ever air. It’s so uniquely Riverdalien to spend a majority of the series focused on who would end up together, only for none of them to, and to solve its years-long ship wars by simply resorting to polyamory before each character moves onto bigger and better things. Riverdale has always had a pulsing sincerity beneath its more ridiculous plots, and showcasing the very realistic notion of growing apart from your high school friends after graduation through this ultimately hilarious in-joke about Archie Comics and endgames is just what we needed from the series finale of TV’s most bonkers show. —Anna Govert
Rodrick Usher’s Lemons Speech in The Fall of the House of Usher, “Murder in the Rue Morgue” (Season 1, Episode 3)
One of the defining features of Mike Flanagan’s unique brand of lyrical, deeply human horror is his love of monologues. If you’ve ever watched a Flanagan series, you’ve heard them—Erin’s speech about what happens after you die in Midnight Mass, Jamie’s moonflower monologue in The Haunting of Bly Manor. In terms of sheer quantity, The Fall of the House of Usher features fewer patented Flanagan bangers, but its best is an absolute all-timer.
Delivered midway through the series’ third episode, Roderick Usher’s speech about how to approach the idea that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade is an ode to ruthless competence, our first real hint at how this seemingly mild-mannered posh guy built an empire. His detailed plan to get the world hooked on citrus is disturbing primarily because it’s absolutely plausible, from the celebrity endorsement campaign to the proprietary genetic code that allows its owner to sue strangers for plants that cross-pollinate without pre-written approval. And Bruce Greenwood’s performance throughout is truly next level: cruel, focused, determined, and so good you’ll never believe he was an emergency recast who stepped in to replace Frank Langella and had to reshoot all the character’s material. (A true Roderick Usher move, tbh.) —Lacy Baugher Milas
A Little Alien Lives a Lifetime in a Moment in Scavengers Reign, “The Wall” (Season 1, Episode 3)
Scavengers Reign is a show full of memorable encounters with strange lifeforms, but few are as dazzling as when Ursula (Sunita Mani) experiences a seemingly unexplainable phenomenon. She and Sam (Bob Stephenson) are headed toward their distant downed ship and working through a tangled knot of foliage when Ursula finds herself drawn to a glowing flower. She approaches, and petals unfurl to reveal a tiny alien who conducts a mystifying ritual. As the creature is seemingly born, the ethereal glow of the flower combines with a choral arrangement that drips with religious overtones. The small being carries out its tasks as Ursula watches with rapt attention, its enigmatic actions offering more questions than answers. Then it lays down and dies, the flower’s tendrils burying the creature while the surrounding vines pulse as if rejuvenated. After Sam chews out Ursula for wandering off, much like us, she’s unable to fully express the profundity of what she’s witnessed. This two-minute scene perfectly captures the appeal of this series, communicating the wonder and inscrutable mysteries of this far-flung world that exists beyond the limits of human understanding. It’s a beautiful and bizarre sight in a story full of them. —Elijah Gonzalez
Nathan Fielder as Asher Siegel in The Curse
Nathan Fielder is undoubtedly the king of cringe, but his dramatic acting chops in the first episode of Showtime’s The Curse were shocking, to say the least. The whole episode is stellar, but it’s the now viral argument Fielder’s character Asher gets in with a journalist that takes the cake. As the journalist begins to berate Asher’s wife Whitney (Emma Stone) about her soul-sucking landlord parents, he swoops in as he begins to scold her right back. It’s like two dogs (albeit small… think chihuahuas) fighting in a cage, wrestling with one another until one ultimately backs down with its tail between its legs. Asher emerges as the victor, proving himself to his wife as a husband that will not only care for her, but fight for her honor as well. Fielder wants to make his audience squirm, and a show like The Curse makes this inevitable. His performance is akin to many of his previous ones, forcing us to ponder over whether Asher is being serious or joking whenever he’s on screen. The character feels like an extension of Fielder’s most elevated persona, and it’s in this particular scene where every bit he’s done in Nathan For You and The Rehearsal collides, creating one of the most unnerving performances of the year. —Kaiya Shunyata
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