The 10 Best Reality TV Shows of 2023
Photos Courtesy of FX, CBS, and Netflix
Reality TV gets a bad rap. I’ve said it again and again.
While the reality television genre is often looked upon with disdain by elitist TV viewers, it frequently offers a wealth of captivating stories that can hit just as hard as the most well-crafted scripted series. For proof, all you have to do is look back at the best reality shows from the past 12 months.
Without a doubt, 2023 offered some of the highest quality reality TV programming anyone has seen in the last few years. The genre provides something for every type of viewer, while also stretching the definition of reality TV itself. The shows listed below aren’t just for standard guilty pleasure viewing. None of the typical cringe-worthy reality shows most people are familiar with made the cut (sorry FBoy Island), for one big reason.
The core ingredients for great reality TV are almost identical to what you would find in a quality scripted series. The best reality shows are programs that make you think, cry, laugh, and celebrate. But in some ways, what makes them even more impactful than a traditional scripted show is none of what you experience is fabricated. With all that in mind, here are the best reality TV shows that 2023 had to offer.
10. Jury Duty
Network: Amazon Freevee
Watch on Amazon Prime (with ads)
No program blurs the lines between scripted and reality more than Jury Duty. Even though this series is nominated for 4 Emmys, it is most certainly a reality show. The program looks at the court system through juror Ronald Gladden, the one person on Jury Duty who doesn’t know the trial he’s participating in is a hoax. A blend of The Office and Candid Camera, Jury Duty pokes fun at the criminal justice system and actor James Marsden, who plays a parody of himself, but also gives viewers hope for humanity as Gladden is an everyman full of kindness and decency.
9. Wrestlers
Network: Netflix
You wouldn’t think that the lives of pro wrestlers in a regional Kentucky wrestling league you’ve never heard of would make for interesting television, but you’d be surprisingly mistaken. Regional league Ohio Valley Wrestling, where legendary wrestlers John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Dave Bautista trained early in their careers, is near financial collapse. The story of its owner doing whatever it takes while his wrestlers struggle with drugs, relationship issues, and financial hardships all set in a town that’s lost half its population in the last 30 years is a riveting one. Wrestlers offers a no-holds-barred look into a world that used to be shrouded in secrecy.
8. Family Karma
Network: Bravo
While the Vanderpump Rules drama from Scandoval may have gotten a ton of publicity this year, one of the true stars of the Bravo universe was quietly going about its business offering an inside look at a much more interesting and deeply connected community. In the criminally underappreciated Family Karma, the multi-generational cast has known each other for decades, which gives their trials and tribulations with each other real stakes. Filled with fun, family, and plenty of drama, Family Karma is one of the most authentic series on TV.
7. The Golden Bachelor
Network: ABC
It’s easy to dismiss any series from The Bachelor franchise, it’s just not a show you can take seriously anymore (if you ever could to begin with). You can’t dismiss The Golden Bachelor, however, because it has a heartfelt sincerity every other series in the franchise is sorely missing. Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and his cast of women aged 60-75 are all in it for the right reasons and it shows in the most humorous, hope filled, and enjoyable series in Bachelor history.
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