The 17 best TV episodes of 2023 (so far)

2023-06-06 17:58

Looking for some TV episodes that will stop you right in your tracks? That will

Looking for some TV episodes that will stop you right in your tracks? That will have you rewatching over and over again? Then you've come to the right place.

2023 has gifted us a lot of outstanding TV shows, and with those have come episodes that became more than just weekly installments of a series. They were events that dominated the cultural conversation. We've picked some of our favorites of these "events," as well as some underrated gems that everyone should check out.

From apocalyptic love stories to cannibal banquets, musical numbers to Muppet backstories, here, in order of U.S. release date, are the 17 best TV episodes of 2023 (so far).

1. The Last of Us, Season 1, episode 3, "Long, Long Time"

Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Television episodes don't come much more perfect than this. Acting as its own contained story, The Last of Us' third episode introduces Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), a couple hunkering down in an abandoned town while the post-Cordyceps world spirals into deeper chaos around them. Spanning 20 years from the couple's first meeting to them dying together by suicide in Bill's bedroom, the story is a mixture of hopeful and heart-wrenching, proving love is still possible in a ruined world before forcing us to watch as it's eventually snuffed out. The little details, from the clever jumps forward in time to the poignant use of Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time" — a song which bookends the couple's story — make this an episode to remember. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

How to watch: The Last of Us is now streaming on Max.

2. The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 2, episode 10, "The Killbox"

Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

The Legend of Vox Machina knows the power of a good fight, and it brings that knowledge to the forefront in the absolute barn-burner of an episode that is "The Killbox." The episode centers on a fight to the death between Grog (Travis Willingham) and his Uncle Kevdak (Ralph Ineson), which inevitably escalates to a full-on brawl between Vox Machina and the Herd of Storms. Vox Machina doesn't hold back on its heroes' epic fighting prowess, nor does it pull punches on the gore. But it's the way in which this fight ties up season-long plotlines that really makes the episode pop. Not only do we get a majorly satisfying resolution to Grog's character arc; we also get to see the adventurers of Vox Machina reunited for the first time in several episodes. The only thing better than winning a battle? Winning a battle with your very best friends! — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: The Legend of Vox Machina is now streaming on Prime Video.

3. Abbott Elementary, Season 2, episode 16, "Teacher Conference"

Credit: ABC / Gilles Mingasson

"Teacher Conference" teaches us that you can take the teachers out of Abbott Elementary, but you can't take the many delights of Abbott Elementary out of the teachers. This episode removes the Abbott crew from school as they attend a Pennsylvania teaching conference for the weekend. With no kids to teach, chaos ensues — with instantly memorable results.

Every plotline this episode is firing on full cylinders, from Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Barbara's (Sheryl Lee Ralph) attempts to party hard to Jacob's (Chris Perfetti) cringe-worthy run-ins with other overly eager, privileged, and yes, corny young teachers. But the storyline of the episode — and the reason it's so iconic — goes to Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams). The two connect even more at the conference, where they share their first kiss in a classroom full of flowers. While the two try to brush it off, that kiss is the moment Abbott Elementary viewers have been waiting for since the beginning. The slow burn is heating up, people! — B.E.

How to watch: Abbott Elementary is now streaming on Hulu.

4. Poker Face, Season 1, episode 9, "Escape from Shit Mountain"

Credit: Phillip Caruso / Peacock

Honestly, you could make a case for any of Poker Face's episodes being one of the best of 2023 — each presents an intricate, satisfying puzzle box with its own rules and a new cast of guest stars. However, I have to give the title to Season 1's penultimate episode, "Escape from Shit Mountain."

After eight episodes of human lie detector Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) solving other people's murders, she becomes a murder victim in her own right — well, almost. Our intrepid outsider survives a hit and run and being buried alive, only to find shelter at a snowed-in motel with a group of shady characters played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Castañeda, and Stephanie Hsu. There, she'll endeavor to solve her own attempted murder as well as a decades-old cold case. With its isolated environment and truly despicable villain, "Escape from Shit Mountain" puts a fun twist on Poker Face's already-twisty formula that dials its suspense up to new heights. — B.E.

How to watch: Poker Face is now streaming on Peacock.

5. Swarm, Season 1, episode 6, "Fallin' Through the Cracks"

Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Every episode of Swarm beckoned a "WTF is going on," but episode 6 was arguably the one that had you Google searching for answers the most. Janine Nabers and Donald Glover's hit show takes a jab at stan culture by parodying a specific fandom, following the unruly heights one fan, Dre (Dominique Fishback), takes to get close to her favorite pop star and deal with her haters. While every episode of Swarm follows Dre's journey, episode 6 shifts gears by cutting to a true crime mockumentary of Dre hosted by a detective who's untangling her case. The episode is made to feel real, with new actors playing Dre's role (among others), including a red carpet cameo of Glover talking about making a show about Dre's case.

While Swarm is loosely inspired by real-life events — the Beyoncé satire of it all is very lucid — the show is a work of fiction. But episode 6 makes it feel like its plot is entirely plausible in real life, which is terrifying. The mockumentary twist was an excellent experiment in storytelling, and helped land the show's point on stan culture triumphantly. We can now totally imagine someone like Dre making headlines in our world, and episode 6 even gave us more insight into why Dre is the way she is and what really happens in the show's ambiguous ending. After watching episode 6, I googled whether or not Dre was actually a real person — that's how good the show's shift is. — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Contributing Entertainment Writer

How to watch: Swarm is now streaming on Prime Video.

6. Yellowjackets, Season 2, episode 2, "Edible Complex"

Credit: Kailey Schwerman / Showtime

We finally watched the Yellowjackets do the thing. THE thing. The moment we've all been waiting for since the show's very first episode — the moment their special wilderness menu finally included humans. While a lot went down at camp Yellowjackets this season, episode 2 was a massive turning point for the show as a whole. With Jackie (Ella Purnell) dead, and Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) clinging onto her corpse, the team decide to finally intervene and let Jackie's body rest by cremating it on a pyre. But the wilderness had other ideas (naturally), and sends a gust of snow that blankets Jackie's body, and yes, slow-roasts her instead. What ensues is a Grecian-inspired fest with the entire team, save for Coach Ben (Steven Krueger), hounding around Jackie's corpse and munching it right up, bones and all.

Like the ringing chorus in Yellowjackets' theme song, episode 2 was the point of no return for the team. From first acknowledging that this might be a thing they need to keep doing to sustain themselves to the more jarring realization that they actually enjoyed it, eating Jackie was the moment the Yellowjackets' time in the wilderness officially switched gears and became the haunting experience we know they're still grappling with as adults. There's no going back for them anymore, and it's all thanks to "Edible Complex." — Y.H.

How to watch: Yellowjackets is now streaming on Showtime.

7. Succession, Season 4, episode 3, "Connor's Wedding"

Credit: Courtesy of HBO

If you're going to kill off a character as central to a show as Logan Roy (Brian Cox) was to Succession, you need to deliver. Thankfully, Succession did so, producing a show-stopping, show-defining episode that changed the entire course of Succession's final season.

"Connor's Wedding" is a brilliant Trojan horse of an episode: It lures us in with promises of Connor (Alan Ruck) and Willa's (Justine Lupe) nuptial drama, only to sucker punch us with Logan's death. While his body lies on a plane floor thousands of miles from New York, all the Roy siblings can do is huddle around their phones and try to process a torrent of complex emotions. Thanks to excellent performances and restraint about what parts of Logan's death we actually get to see, "Connor's Wedding" is an instant classic, and a remarkable episode for the history books. — B.E.

How to watch: Succession is now streaming on Max.

8. Am I Being Unreasonable?, Season 1, episode 6, "Episode 6"

Credit: Alistair Heap / BBC Studios / Boffola Pictures

Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli's comedy/drama is fantastic throughout, but the reveals in the final episode really take things up a notch. Taking place at the memorial of Alex (David Fynn), her husband's brother and the man Nic (Cooper) has been having an affair with, we cut between Nic's stumbling attempts to give a speech in the present day and her repressed memories of Alex's death, which finally show us what really happened between the two of them when he died. Like the series as a whole, episode 6 deftly mixes comedy, drama, mystery and psychological thriller. A brilliant, twisty conclusion to a twisted and brilliant series. — S.H.

How to watch: Am I Being Unreasonable? is now streaming on Hulu.

9. Schmigadoon!, Season 2, episode 3, "Bells and Whistles"

Credit: Apple TV+

Season 2 of Schmigadoon! sees harried lovers Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) return to the fantastical village, where musical numbers and whimsy flourish. But it's not as they remember. Inspired by darker musicals like Sweeney Todd, Chicago, and Jesus Christ Superstar, this season sees Josh framed for murder and Melissa on a quest to clear his name.

In "Bells and Whistles," Josh makes friends with a bunch of dippy hippies, led by a swaggering and spiritual Aaron Tveit, who lives for love, facepaint, and nudity. (Cue "Everybody's Got to Get Naked!") Meanwhile, Melissa finds Kristin Chenoweth, who's been recast this season as a combination of Mrs. Lovett and Miss Hannigan, making for a salty comedy number "Worst Brats in Town." Next comes Alan Cumming in full-on Sweeney mode, a pale butcher covered in blood as he belts in "Worst Brats in Town." (Brats like the sausage, get it?) And that's not all! This crowd pleaser of an episode climaxes with Jane Krakowski doing her best Billy Flynn in a Fosse-inspired courtroom song-and-dance. "Bells and Whistles" is a "Razzle Dazzle" spoof with jazzy staging and a verse that's ruthlessly speedy and wordy in a way that feels strictly Sondheim. Simply put, this episode deserves a standing ovation. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: Schmigadoon! is streaming on Apple TV+.

10. Dead Ringers, Season 1, episode 5, "Five"

Credit: Niko Tavernise / Prime Video

Dead Ringers trades New York for Alabama in "Five," where it quickly delivers one of 2023's most disturbing episodes. There, twin obstetricians Beverly and Elliot Mantle (both played by Rachel Weisz) encounter gynecologist Marion (Michael McKean), the head of an all-twin family who lectures the Mantles on the beginnings of the field of women's health. He discusses the "father of gynecology" J. Marion Sims, whose experiments on enslaved Black women root the field in a disturbing, racist history.

That history lurks beneath the surface of "Five" until Beverly has a ghostly vision of Anarcha, one of the young Black women Sims tortured. Played by Brittany Bradford, Anarcha delivers a hauntingly circular monologue that digs deep into the parts of Sims's story that McKean's Marion so casually brushes aside. Thanks to Bradford and director Karyn Kusama, this deeply captivating, relentless sequence proves the perfect climax to "Five" and elevates it to one of the year's best episodes. — B.E.

How to watch: Dead Ringers is now streaming on Prime Video.

11. Barry, Season 4, episode 4, "It Takes a Psycho"

Credit: Merrick Morton / HBO

One of Barry's best episodes ever, "It Takes a Psycho" barely features the show's title character — but that's the point. Barry's (Bill Hader) escape from jail sends his L.A. connections like Sally (Sarah Goldberg) and Gene (Henry Winkler) into a tailspin of paranoia. Since no one — including the audience — knows where he is, Barry lets our worry simmer all the way to the episode's final, horror-tinged scene.

But it's the narrative risks "It Takes a Psycho" makes that allow it to stand out. Take Hank's (Anthony Carrigan) brutal move to eliminate his competition. (I will never look at sand the same way again.) And what about the massive time jump at the episode's end? These are some of Barry's wildest swings to date, and the show executes them flawlessly to set up Barry's brutal endgame. — B.E.

How to watch: Barry is now streaming on Max.

12. Bupkis, Season 1, episode 2, "Do as I Say, Not as I Do"

Credit: Peacock

The first episode of Pete Davidson's semi-autobiographical series, Bupkis, is crass to the point of unbearability, so much so that if you didn't want to watch more after that, I wouldn't blame you. Luckily, the show's second episode, "Do as I Say, Not as I Do," steps in to provide a thoughtful examination of Davidson's youth, all without sacrificing an ounce of humor.

The episode takes place at Pete Davidson's (played by himself) Uncle Tommy's (Bobby Cannavale) wedding, not long after Pete's father died in the 9/11 attacks. Pete and his family's grief allows for far more introspection than we got in the first episode, including a poignant look at how he uses humor as a kind of coping mechanism, as well as his relationship with Tommy in both the past and present. "Do as I Say, Not as I Do" also offers some wildly funny moments, like a misguided speech about mortality from a priest (Steve Buscemi). These moments, combined with the episode's thoughtfulness, help provide a better roadmap for what Bupkis will be, all while delivering a genuinely great episode of television. — B.E.

How to watch: Bupkis is now streaming on Peacock.

13. Muppets Mayhem, Season 1, episode 3, "Track 3: Exile on Main Street"

Credit: Disney / Mitch Haaseth

Rocking together since 1974 when they debuted on The Muppet Show, The Electric Mayhem has long been beloved. Now, they've stepped out of the orchestra pit and into the spotlight with Muppet Mayhem. While the show itself is wobbly — leaning too hard into tedious human storylines — there's plenty of Muppet fun to be had. But the best ep of this first batch is hands down its third.

The episode begins with a celebrity cameo from German DJ Zedd, who is assisting the Electric Mayhem in recording their first album ever. But a misunderstanding leads to Animal bolting from the session and seeking a new job elsewhere. His job hunt not only leads to lots of silly Animal-centric slapstick, but also a welcomed cameo from comedy crush Ben Schwartz, who is clearly having a blast. Yet the very best bit of the episode comes after the band has welcomed Animal back in their loving, fuzzy arms. That's when a flashback unrolls revealing Animal's odd but adorable origin story. Amid all the silliness, this show finds its heart here, with its wild but sensitive drummer and the father figure who took him in and sings him "Bridge Over Troubled Water" — or as Animal calls it, "baby song." — K.P.

How to watch: The Muppets Mayhem is now streaming on Disney+.

14. The Great, Season 3, episode 6, "Ice"

Credit: Christopher Raphael / Hulu

The Great finally did the inevitable in Season 3, episode 6, "Ice," and killed Peter (Nicholas Hoult). However, the former Russian Emperor didn't go out by Catherine's (Elle Fanning) hand the way you might have assumed from the start of the show. Instead, he dies in a sudden, gut-wrenching accident, falling through ice after one last argument with Catherine.

Without a doubt, it's The Great's biggest, most shocking plot twist yet — but the show doesn't treat it like an end-of-episode cliffhanger. Instead, it marks the end of "Ice"s first act, leaving us to stew with Catherine as she processes the death of her great love. From simply pretending it did not happen to playing a rousing game of badminton with herself, Catherine's spiral is one of the most compelling portrayals of grief on TV this year — and Fanning has never been better. — B.E.

How to watch: The Great is now streaming on Hulu.

15. Platonic, Season 1, episode 3, "Partner's Retreat"

Credit: Apple TV+

Reteaming Neighbors' Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, this new comedy series is one of the funniest of the year. Each episode focuses on a fresh misadventure between recently reunited besties Will (Rogen) and Sylvia (Byrne). But the best of the bunch is the one where the pair rebel against feeling ignored.

Will's partners at his brew pub don't want to hear his dissent about a "collab" with big, garish Americana-themed restaurant franchise Johnny 66. Meanwhile, Sylvia's husband Charlie has brought her along to his law firm's partners' retreat, unintentionally flaunting all the career accomplishments she gave up to be a stay-at-home mom. So the two friends play hooky, getting day-drunk at Johnny 66's, a scene complete with a makeover of race-car themed merch that is superbly silly. But the best bit of this epic ep comes when they gatecrash the lawyer convention's big speech, and a pina colada-fueled Sylvia lashes out at the smug boss who refuses to remember her name. What happens next is fireworks of awkward and awesome. You'll live vicariously through this splendid spectacle of Sylvia's petty vengence and love every bit of it. Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear crop tops and baseball caps. — K.P.

How to watch: Platonic is now streaming on Apple TV+.

16. The Other Two, Season 3, episode 5, "Cary & Brooke Go to an AIDS Play"

Credit: Courtesy of Max

This jam-packed episode of The Other Two has everything: a Romeo + Juliet parody, a days-long play (titled 8 Gay Men With AIDs: A Poem in Many Hours), Kiernan Shipka, Twitter blackmail, and Lukas Gage. With all its characters crammed into a theater for days at a time, "Cary & Brooke Go to an AIDS Play" allows The Other Two to create a wide-ranging satirical farce that skewers everything from the play The Inheritance to celebrity PR relationships. It's The Other Two at its hilarious best, culminating in an ultra-serious, heartbreaking argument between Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Lance (Josh Segarra). Leave it to The Other Two to have you cracking up in one moment only to devastate you the next. — B.E.

How to watch: The Other Two is now streaming on Max.

17. Happy Valley, Season 3, episode 3, "Episode 3"

Credit: AMC

Although Happy Valley is a turbulent ride for most of its characters, one relationship that's been mostly solid is that of sisters Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) and Clare (Siobhan Finnerman) — or at least it was, up until Season three. The third episode begins with Catherine confronting Clare about secretly taking her grandson to visit his horrible father, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) in prison. The scene takes place in a cafe in Sheffield, and it's every bit as brutal as it is tense, with Catherine's anger bubbling away below the surface while both struggle to hold back tears. Moments like this are why Sally Wainright's bleak drama is so fantastic: As much as it's about the crime, it's also mostly about the character relationships. In episode three, the acting, writing, and directing are all at their best, and the result is some seriously gripping television. — S.H.

How to watch: Happy Valley is now streaming on Acorn TV, AMC+, and BBC America.