Happy Valley, Boiling Point, Beckham, The Bear: Looking back at 2023's best TV

Happy Valley fans had to wait a long time for a new fix of the BBC One crime drama after series two ended in 2016, but 2023 was the year that saw police sergeant Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire, back on screen in Sally Wainwright’s show.

Picking up seven years after the events of series two, we saw Catherine, who’s now close to retirement age, called to investigate human remains found near a reservoir. She came to realise that the murder suspects share a history with the incarcerated rapist and murderer Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton, who raped Catherine’s daughter and who she holds responsible for her suicide.

As Catherine unravelled the mystery, viewers and critics were enthralled. It might have been the final series of the crime drama, but fans won’t be forgetting Happy Valley in a hurry.

The Last of Us

Video game fans have long been arguing that the medium be taken seriously as a mode of storytelling, and with HBO’s The Last of Us – based on the Naughty Dog game of the same name – breaking the hearts of viewers across the world, they may have just achieved their wish.

The post-apocalyptic drama, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, is set 20 years into a pandemic caused by a fungal infection – Cordyceps – which has caused the collapse of society.

The series was nominated for a string of awards, including 24 Primetime Emmys, and received acclaim from critics praising the writing, performances and production design. A second season is expected in 2025.

The Bear

The second season of comedy-drama The Bear, streaming on Disney+, saw Carmy and Sydney, played by Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, take on the monumental challenge of ripping the guts out of The Original Beef of Chicagoland and transform it into a fine dining establishment. Of course, this wasn’t your typical kitchen drama – the impeccably written episodes contained intricate character studies, intimate portraits of family and friendship, and an omelette recipe that had everyone digging out their frying pans to have a go for themselves.

Colin from Accounts

While Australian comedy series Colin from Accounts delighted viewers Down Under in late 2022, it wasn’t until 2023 that it made its way onto BBC iPlayer in the UK – but it soon won Brits over, too.

The romantic comedy follows Ashley and Gordon, played by the series’ writers Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, who are brought together when Gordon runs over a stray dog after being distracted by Ashley on the street. They are then faced with a choice: put the dog down, or fork out thousands of dollars in medical bills and take care of the high-needs dog – who needs wheels to get around – themselves.

Needless to say, with the series being named after little Colin the terrier, Ashley and Gordon find themselves no longer strangers, but forever bound by their new fluffy friend.

Succession

The satirical comedy-drama from British screenwriter Jesse Armstrong followed the Roy family – owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo – for four seasons, the final of which began airing in March, as the members of the family vied for control of the company as patriarch Logan, played by Brian Cox, experienced a decline in health.

HBO’s Succession was consistently popular and well-received, earning an incredible 75 Primetime Emmy Award nominations throughout its tenure, and wrapped up this year with an explosive finale.

Top Boy

2023 also saw the end of British gang crime drama Top Boy, which follows drug dealers on the fictional Hackney estate of Summerhouse, culminating in a fifth season on Netflix.

Dushane and Sully, played by Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson respectively, returned for another season of criminal activity that was as raw, gritty and authentic as ever.

Boiling Point

Philip Barantini’s 2021 film Boiling Point brought a new level of kitchen drama to screens with its one-shot technique which brought a hectic restaurant to life. This year, stars Stephen Graham, Bradford-born Vinette Robinson, Hannah Walters and more returned to their roles for a four-part miniseries on BBC One, which picked up six months after the film left off and followed Robinson’s Carly running her own restaurant.

Beckham

The world watched as footballer David Beckham charted a meteoric rise to global sporting stardom throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In Netflix docuseries Beckham, we relived the moments that made him through never-before-seen footage and interviews with his nearest and dearest including his wife, Spice Girl and fashion designer Victoria Beckham – a roller coaster journey from working-class beginnings to status as a living legend.