15 Best Movies & Shows of 2023

2023 was a great year to be a film and TV lover, so it was especially difficult narrowing down the best watches of the year. . “Barbenheimer” was the gift that kept giving, providing box offices the long-awaited post-Covid jolt. That said, this was also the year of the Writers and Actors Strike that shed much-needed light on issues within the industry.

Though the strike delayed some projects, pushing them further into the new year and beyond, viewers can agree that we were blessed with beautiful and heart wrenching watches this year. Here are our picks for 15 of the year’s best movies and TV shows, in no particular order.

The Last of Us

The cast performances alone are reason enough to watch this series, but let’s set the scene. Set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a fungal infection causing its victims to transform into aggressive creatures. A smuggler, Joel (Pedro Pascal), is tasked with escorting a vivacious teen, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) through the wasteland formally known as America as she is humanity’s last hope.

Watch The Last of Us

Nuovo Olimpo

Is true love transcendent? This Netflix film poses this question to its viewers. Enea (Damiano Gavino) and Pietro (Andrea Di Luingi) meet by chance in the 1970s and fall deeply in love. An unexpected event separates them, leading them to live vastly different lives. For thirty years the pair continue to live separate lives in the hope of finding each other again. This film DESTROYED me. As a romance lover it wasn’t hard becoming  completely invested in Enea and Pietro’s love story.

Watch Nuovo Olimpo

The Bear

Season 2 of The Bear reminded us why the series has such a chokehold on society. If you haven’t started this series yet, shame on you. I want you to head to Hulu, search “The Bear”, hit play, and prepare to adopt the personality of a chef.

Watch The Bear

Past Lives

This is a story about a love that never began and childhood heartbreak mended with the aid of digital media. Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Tao Yoo), childhood best friends wedged apart when Nora’s family immigrated from South Korea. Decades pass and the pair reconnect and are forced to see how their lives turned out without the other.

Watch Past Lives 

Saltburn

Possibly one of the most mind-bending films of the year. Saltburn will leave you on the edge of your seat! I had no idea what I was walking into, and quite frankly I left the theater feeling uneasy after it ended. Oxford University freshman, Oliver (Barry Keoghan), finds himself thrusted into the world of Felix Catton (Jacob Elorde), his family of elites, and the Saltburn estate during his summer break.

Watch Saltburn

Talk to me

Wanna be possessed by a dead person? Neither do I. Talk to Me is the perfect movie to watch at home with a group of friends. Why?– because no one will kick you out of your private theater for yelling at the characters on the screen.

We follow a group of teens as they discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand. Everything is going well, or as well as things go when mixing the living and the dead until one friend takes things too far, unleashing horrifying supernatural entities.

Watch Talk to Me

May December

Todd Haynes’ dark comedy combines humor and bone-chilling realism. Who knew the line“I don’t think we have enough hot dogs” could make one’s spine shiver? We follow actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), as she studies the couple that broke headlines twenty years prior, Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton), learning the inner workings of their relationship, its taboo inception, and its effects on a community.

Watch May December

Succession

For four glorious seasons, we had front-row seats to the tragedy that is the Roy family. A family who displayed their trauma, flaws, and love with such complexity and depth.

The show that made us care about the Roy family’s struggle to control the media conglomerate, Waystar Royco, has ended. This season of Succession, like its predecessors, continued to subvert our expectations with its operatic-style storytelling and profane wordplay. I think we’ll all miss hearing the sound of Brain Cox’s voice as he blairs “F*ck Off.”

Watch Succession

Heartstopper

Remember the first time you fell in love? Butterflies fluttering around in your stomach, your heart skipping a beat when someone mentions their name, the world stopping for only a moment or two when when the two of you lock eyes. Well, if it seems like a distant memory, you’re in luck! The second season of the coming-of-age drama goes deeper into Charlie and Nick’s love story as they discover more about themselves and those around them. Prepare to feel all the feels.

Watch Heartstopper

Jury Duty

This series combined The Truman Show with The Office (U.S.) to produce Jury Duty. The hoax-styled sitcom is about a fake jury trial, almost everyone you see throughout the series is an actor. All but one, Ronald Gladden, a real person selected as a juror; completely unaware of the hoax.

Watch Jury Duty

Barbie

Can you even think of Barbie without thinking of the Billie Eilish song? Doubtful– the film that took over the summer became an instant classic in our hearts, or at least mine. From Barbie fashion to the music numbers, you will enjoy each second of it! And who could forget the one and only…Allen?

Watch Barbie

Gen V

From the chaotic world of The Boys comes Gen V, which expands its reach to Godolkin University, the elite higher education institution for the next generation of Supes. Godolkin challenges its students by putting their physical and moral boundaries to the test to compete for the school’s top ranking.

Watch Gen V

The Fall of the House of Usher

WARNING: This series is NOT for the squeamish. Based on the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, The Fall of The House of Usher follows two merciless siblings and how the dynasty they built quickly dissolves as they witness the mysterious deaths of their heirs. Mike Flannigan’s storytelling and sharp dialogue are addictive; the conclusion of each episode will leave you questioning “WTF did I just watch?”

Watch The Fall of The House of Usher

The Holdovers

Alexander Payne’s direction was masterful; the way he captured the look and feel of the 70s made me nostalgic for a decade I never experienced. This movie felt so warm and inviting; it was such a feel good movie. Paul Giamatti is one of the greats of our time. His character work and dedication to his craft she be a studied. The first movie I watched him in was Big Fat Liar; instantly falling in love with his dramatic flair and over the top mannerisms. This is probably one of my favorite performances by Giamatti. Let’s hope he wins the Oscar for this performance.

Watch The Holdovers

Oppenheimer

Nolan’s Oppenheimer became an instant classic. Nolan is a once-in-a-generation talent; a true visionary who takes the time to flesh out his characters, giving viewers a lot to reflect upon after viewing. Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer shed new light on the tortured architect of the atomic age.

Watch Oppenheimer

If you haven’t watched some of our favs from this year, you should get on that. And tell us if your top picks made the list on the Pop Viewers app.