Sammy's Top-10 TV Shows For 2023-24
Streaming has widened the field of award candidates, yet also narrowed the shared culture of TV lovers.
Each September I share with friends my Top 10 favorite TV shows, timed to coincide with the annual Emmy Awards and launch of the new fall season. Finding common ground with people about TV has become more difficult these days with the explosion of streaming programs. I don’t get every platform, so miss out on some shows everyone seems to be talking about. At the same time, many have “cut the cord,” often missing the best shows I watch over my full slate of cable and broadcast TV channels.
With that caveat, the following were my 10 favorite TV programs viewed since last fall’s premieres. I’d love to hear more about your favorites as well. Please share your choices in the Comments section of this blog, or in private emails to me at samfriedman29@outlook.com.
Sammy’s 2023-24 TV Top 10:
#1. Julia (HBO Max): I ate up with a spoon this delightful dramatization of America’s first celebrity chef! Sarah Lancashire brilliantly brings to life Julia Child, star of “The French Chef.” Each of the 16 episodes was a delicious meal in itself, whether taking us backstage at her public TV station, into her home, following her travels to France and the White House, or touching on feminism and civil rights.
But it was the chemistry among the brilliant characters that stood out, especially Broadway babies and “Frasier” alums David Hyde Pierce (as Julia’s devoted husband) and Bebe Neuwirth (as her best friend, Avis DeVoto, a force in her own right), as well as Isabella Rossellini (as her jealous French collaborator), Fiona Glascott (as Judith Jones, her legendary editor, famous for saving “The Diary of Anne Frank” from the rejection file), and Brittany Bradford (as her Black producer, struggling to rise above the era’s racism and sexism, and the show’s only fictional character).
I also highly recommend the HBO documentary, “Julia,” which indicates where HBO’s show might’ve gone had it been renewed for a third season—including her support for the gay community during the AIDS crisis, as well as her pro-choice advocacy and public backing of Planned Parenthood.
#2. A Gentleman In Moscow (Showtime): This was based on one of my favorite novels, about a highly cultured Russian count declared a “Non-Person” after the Bolshevik Revolution, spared a firing squad but sentenced to life under house arrest in a luxury hotel across from the Kremlin. Living in a cramped attic and forbidden from ever stepping foot outside the hotel, Alexander Rostov manages to lead a full and exciting life, reinventing himself while finding friendship, love, and raising an adopted, adoring daughter along the way. This TV adaptation not only captured the essence and elegance of the book, but improved upon the narrative in several ways that made the story even more compelling.
#3. Fellow Travelers (Showtime): A profound, provocative miniseries about the horrific lengths to which gays had to go to hide their true feelings and be their authentic selves in the nation’s capital, starting with the vile 1950s McCarthy era (when more homosexuals than accused communists were persecuted and driven out of government—and sometimes to suicide), right up through the AIDS outbreak (when politicians shamefully ignored one of America’s greatest health crises). Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey lead a stellar cast of actors who hold nothing back in their committed performances, totally exposing themselves emotionally and physically.
#4. Genius – MLK/X (NatGeo): A gripping drama juxtaposing the parallel lives of two of our greatest civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The pair may have differed dramatically in their back stories, philosophy, and methods of protesting racism and institutional discrimination, yet made the same ultimate sacrifice in their tireless and courageous pursuit of equality and justice.
#5. Elsbeth (CBS): Even though I never liked this quirky character during her guest stints as an annoying defense attorney on “The Good Fight,” she won me over in this spinoff as she used her “spidey sense” and oddball way of ingratiating herself with suspects to help the New York Police Department solve whacky murder cases while investigating corruption in its ranks. I also liked the premise of showing a murder and then watching Elsbeth and friends dive in and figure it out. The show featured a parade of Broadway actors as guest stars.
#6. Dancing With The Stars (ABC): Despite starting with a nondescript field of contestants, this season was one for the ages! The five finalists were all worthy and very talented in their own way. But my favorite was the champion, Xochitl Gomez, a 17-year-old Marvel phenom who was mature well beyond her years, while humble and grounded besides. She formed a delightful partnership with one of the show’s best dancers and most demanding choreographers in Val Chmerkovskiy (of Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, by way of Ukraine). I also enjoyed special nights dedicated to the music of Motown, Taylor Swift, and Whitney Houston, as well as one featuring guest judge Billy Porter of “Kinky Boots.”
The only thing missing was head judge Len Goodman, who passed last summer. Len could be prickly, and picky, when it came to his critiques, but he was always honest and a softy at heart. The Mirror Ball Trophy is now appropriately named in his honor.
#7: Ted Lasso (Apple): This classic fish out of water tale about an American football coach taking over a UK soccer franchise in distress on and off the field neatly wrapped up all its story lines in what was supposed to be its third and final season. Yet now we hear there may indeed be a fourth go-around for Coach Lasso and his overachieving squad. I can’t wait to see more inspiring stories about this kind, decent, empathetic gentleman healing himself and everyone he meets with his folksy wisdom and huge heart. Everyone should be blessed with a Ted Lasso in their life. BELIEVE!!!
#8. Only Murders In The Building (Hulu): I’ve always relished seeing Steve Martin and Martin Short do their magic playing off one another with hilarious insults, but Season 3 was extra special. Short chewed the scenery playing the director of a ridiculous Broadway murder mystery musical, “Death Rattle Dazzle,” in which the dynamic due once again join forces with Gen Z’s Selena Gomez, this time to solve the murder of the stage show’s star, an obnoxious Paul Rudd.
This season added some romance to the mix, with Short’s character wooing the one and only Meryl Streep playing an unknown actress (!) with a mysterious past, and Steve Martin falling for namesake Andrea Martin, playing a dangerously possessive makeup artist. Matthew Broderick has a memorable bit part as a warped version of himself—an actor who drives directors insane with his constant questions and endless attempts to get his character and lines just right.
#9. The Gilded Age (HBO Max): I avoided this guilty pleasure when it first aired because I couldn’t imagine being interested in a show about a bunch of “old money” snobs fighting with obnoxious, social climbing, “nouveau riche” neighbors in 1880s New York. Boy was I wrong! Watching the first season during the dog days of summer was an invigorating delight. What intrigue! What personality clashes!! What scandals!! What chutzpah!!! And what an amazingly lavish production—taking place in palaces that reminded me of the palatial “summer cottages” of Newport, Rhode Island.
#10. Glamorous (Netflix): Campy but breezy gender-bending dramady, featuring Kim Cattrall as a former supermodel fighting to save her failing cosmetics company. But the star is Miss Benny, a super-talented trans actor with a passion for life and authenticity whose complicated work and love life forms the show’s core. It reminded me of “Ugly Betty,” another former favorite show of mine with its Candyland color scheme and live-out-loud characters.
Honorable Mentions:
The Diplomat (Netflix): Keri Russell is as intense as Jack Bauer of “24” playing the new U.S. ambassador to the U.K., parachuted into her new post during a Mideast crisis prompted by a possible friendly fire conspiracy that could trigger a world (and perhaps nuclear) war! At the same time, while flirting with the U.K. foreign secretary, she insists she is divorcing (while still having sex with) her scheming husband—a fellow diplomat maneuvering to save their marriage while positioning his reluctant wife to become the next President!
Wild Cards (CW): A silly but fun Canadian series about a super serious homicide detective exiled to harbor patrol because of his obsession with his brother’s murder, teaming up with a hot master thief and con woman who agrees to help his inept precinct solve crimes to avoid prison time. Their charged banter and flirtations alone are worth the price of admission, but it’s the crazy cases that kept me engaged.
Frasier (Paramount+): TV’s longest running character is back and remains his hilariously supercilious self, this time returning to Boston to teach at Harvard just as stuffy and pompous as ever, and therefore ripe for ridicule. Although Frasier’s new supporting players are not quite the equal of his former castmates in Seattle and even earlier drinking buddies at “Cheers,” the writing remains intelligent and clever, while the comical situations are still a riot.
The Neighborhood (CBS): This old school, broadcast network sitcom about a geeky, white, midwestern family moving into a Black, middle-class neighborhood in Southern California is a throwback to the days when TV comedies weren’t always so serious and mean-spirited. Without whitewashing racial differences, the show gently makes fun of human foibles while celebrating the support and love of family and friends regardless of color. Cedric The Entertainer leads a stellar cast with great chemistry, injecting new life into old storylines that still make me laugh out loud.
Tulsa King (CBS/Paramount+): Sylvester Stallone may be 78 but remains as tough as they come playing a mobster sprung from prison after 25 years, only to be exiled by his former gang to godforsaken Oklahoma, stirring up trouble from the moment he arrives. Assembling a motley crew among the locals deemed by one of his former New York associates as “The Village People,” Sly takes Tulsa by storm, still excelling as the underdog against overwhelming odds.
Jeopardy (Syndicated): While a bit put off this season by all the gimmicky “second chance” tournaments and word game categories, I still crave my nightly dose of intelligent TV to keep my mind sharp. The game’s GOAT, Ken Jennings, has settled in as an excellent host and would have made Alex Trebek proud.
Fond Farewells (to former favorites in their final seasons):
Magnum P.I. (CBS): I never watched the original version with Tom Selleck, but this reboot captured my fancy with a sexy yet deadly female Higgins, formerly of MI6, joining her charismatic ex-Navy Seal partner to solve crimes and beat up bad guys while cruising around beautiful Honolulu in their mysterious benefactor’s Ferrari. Mahalo for five fun-filled seasons!!!
Bob (Hearts) Abishola (CBS): Who knew a culture clash comedy about the compression sock king of Detroit having a heart attack and falling in love with his battle axe of a Nigerian nurse could be so funny? The difference maker is their superb supporting cast—including Abishola’s achievement obsessed family, the workaholic Nigerians in their respective places of business, and Bob’s own dysfunctional mother and siblings.
Doogie Kamealoha (Disney+): A sweet, charming reboot of NPH’s classic sitcom about a 16-year-old prodigy balancing life and death decisions as a doctor with teenage angst and growing pains. The show always left me feeling good, and not just because of the gorgeous Hawaiian locale.
Young Sheldon (CBS): While the younger version lost much of his appeal as he aged into his teens, a strong supporting cast trying to cope with an obnoxious genius in their midst along with the more common travails facing those in lower-middle-class America—whether in struggling to pay bills, maintaining your faith in a troubled world, skirting the law, or facing a judgmental community—ended up carrying the show, to the point that it’s spinning off a second prequel this coming season without the title character. Getting sneak peeks now and then at Sheldon’s future beyond “Big Bang” was an extra, if all too rare treat.
Quantum Leap (NBC): I was sad to see this engaging reboot cancelled after just two seasons. I loved the original as well. The storyline benefited from a broader canvas, with Ben Song leaping before his own lifetime, as well as into the future at one point. Falling in love with a woman he kept meeting at different stages of her life was another welcome plot twist. Had the show gone on longer, I wanted to see Ben come face to face with Scott Bakula’s original lead character, Sam Beckett, and get them both home to their own time and place at last!
Ted Lasso is one of my all-time favorites! I'd suggest "Trying" and "Bad Monkey" (AppleTV+). I am also fan of Elsbeth (just noticed them filming on Park Ave a couple of weeks ago) and Gilded Age from your list.
I've only seen two of the shows mentioned. Jeopardy, which I haven't watch in perhaps 40 years, and McGyver, twice, which I thought was horrible.