There’s no denying that since it made the move into producing original television series of its own in 2012, Netflix has changed the way we watch, consume, and experience television. Most Smart TVs now come with a button that instantly gives us access to it through our televisions, and its binge model has become an era-defining one that other streaming services, and even conventional television networks and broadcasters, have used to keep up with audiences consuming more and more television shows.
Having said that, going into 2023, the streaming giant has faced mounting and legitimate competition from the likes of Disney, Apple, Paramount, and Prime Video, while its eagerness to cancel series before they have even found an audience has also seen it come in for widespread criticism from television analysts and subscribers.
As the streamer goes into 2023 with a large amount of series premiering every week, Ready Steady Cut will keep track of Netflix’s best and highest-rated series that are either debuting for or releasing new episodes in 2023 and which manage to make something of a critical and commercial impact. Using Netflix’s Global Top Ten to see what it is that is drawing in the largest audiences to its platform and beginning with the five shows mentioned below, this list will no doubt grow in size as the year continues.
Best and Highest Rated Shows in Netflix 2023
That ’90s Show
With nostalgia being a prime factor in so much pop culture and media, there’s a snake-eating-its-own-tail component to That ’70s Show, a 1990s television series that reveled in 70s nostalgia, returning in 2023 as sequel series That ’90s Show looking back at the decade that the original series premiered in. A rare studio-set sitcom in an era of single-camera shows, That ’90s Show retains the overt comedic stylings of the original, is dotted with some audience-pleasing cameos from old faces, makes excellent use of its new generation of cast members, and reminds one that the real stars of the series were always Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: “Hello, Wisconsin! It’s 1995 and Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna, is visiting her grandparents for the summer, where she bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids under the watchful eye of Kitty and the stern glare of Red. Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll never dies, it just changes clothes.”
CAST: Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Sam Morelos, Mace Coronel, Reyn Doi
Kaleidoscope
While its tricksy ‘watch-in-any-order’ format, in the end, doesn’t quite add anything substantial to its plethora of heist tropes, Eric Garcia’s thriller is nevertheless a very compulsive watch. A great cast that includes Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, and Tati Gabrielle, not to mention an entertaining scumbag performance from Jai Courtney, ground the twists and turns on display here in a very engaging manner and being a heist thriller means that it revels in some very entertaining set-pieces. Premiering on New Year’s Day, it was a memorable start to Netflix’s branch of programming for the year, and being a limited series means one doesn’t have to worry about it falling onto the service’s busy and now notorious chopping block.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: “Spanning 25 years, Kaleidoscope (previously titled Jigsaw) is an all-new anthology series following a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Guarded by the world’s most powerful corporate security team, and with law enforcement on the case, every episode reveals a piece of an elaborate puzzle of corruption, greed, vengeance, scheming, loyalties and betrayals. How did the crew of thieves plan it? Who gets away with it? Who can be trusted?”
CAST: Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell, Paz Vega, Tati Gabrielle, Rosaline Elby, Jai Courtney, Peter Mark Kendall.
Full Swing
The latest addition to Netflix’s sports documentary strand, Full Swing, follows a similar trajectory as their Formula One and tennis documentaries Drive to Survive and Break Point in following recent sporting events, in this case within the world of high-profile golf, and formatting it into a binge-able series. Like those series, Full Swing appears to have struck a chord with viewers, gaining a large number of hours viewed within its first week and turning coverage of the U.S Open and the Masters into a compulsive watch for fans and non-fans alike.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: This immersive documentary series follows a diverse group of professional golfers on and off the course across a relentless season of competition — enduring a high-stakes schedule week in and week out on the PGA Tour. The cameras will follow golf’s biggest events for the first time ever including The Players, the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs. The documentary will give fans a chance to get to know the players through their wins and losses and witness what it takes to compete – and succeed – at the highest level in men’s professional golf throughout the PGA Tour season.
CAST: Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sahith Theegala, Joel Dahmen, Mito Pereira and Cameron Young
The Law According to Lidia Poët
There are many ways to pitch Netflix’s stylish Italian concoction of period drama, heightened history lesson, and procedural; Jane Austen’s Ally McBeal and R-rated Enola Holmes come to mind. It’s rare to see Netflix dabble with a series that has a case-by-episode format, but The Law According to Lidia Poët makes it work and then some to dazzling effect. The central mysteries of each episode are frequently engaging, and the casting of The Undoing’s Matilda De Angelis in the central role helps ground the series with a central character that is enchantingly complex and charming; we root for her to win the day, but the series makes it clear that the patriarchal obstacles in her way will not be easily vanquished. The combination of mystery and romance in a period drama will no doubt help draw in a large international audience, not to mention the brilliant use of a modern soundtrack that includes Florence in the Machine, Thom Yorke and FKA Twigs.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: “Turin, late 1800s. A ruling by the Turin Court of Appeals declares Lidia Poët’s admission to the bar association unlawful, thus preventing her from practicing law simply because she is a woman. Penniless but full of pride, Lidia secures a job at her brother Enrico’s law firm while she prepares an appeal to overturn the court ruling. In an approach that’s ahead of its time, Lidia assists criminal suspects by searching for the truth behind outward appearances and preconceptions. Lidia’s brother-in-law, Jacopo, a mysterious journalist, passes her information and introduces her to the hidden worlds that lurk beneath a flamboyant Turin. The series is a light procedural drama, reinterpreting the true story of Lidia Poët, Italy’s first female lawyer.”
CAST: Matilda De Angelis, Eduardo Scarpetta, Pier Luigi Pasino, Sinéad Thornhill, Sara Lazzaro, Dario Aita
The Snow Girl
Netflix’s batch of Spanish originals have been quietly impressive over the last few years, with its long-running teen mystery series Elite, not to mention other compulsive mysteries such as The Mess You Leave Behind, proving very effective thrillers. The Snow Girl, adapted from the novel of Javier Castillo, provides a dark journey into what is unflinchingly, at times, very grim subject matter, but it’s also one of those shows many won’t be able to turn away from. Well-chosen cliffhangers, shocking plot twists, and magnificent central performances from its cast, especially Milena Smit, ensure that audiences won’t be able to resist the next episode option when the end credits roll.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: “Malaga, 2010, Three Wise Men parade. The most magical moment of the year turns into a nightmare for the Martín family when their daughter Amaya disappears in the crowd. Miren, a trainee journalist, begins an investigation parallel to that of Inspector Millán that will awaken aspects of her past that she would have liked to forget. With the help of her journalist colleague Eduardo, Miren will not stop until she finds the girl. Where is Amaya Martín?”
CAST: Milena Smit, José Coronado, Aixa Villagrán, Tristán Ulloa, Loreto Mauleón, Raúl Prieto
Lockwood and Co.
Based upon the novels by Jonathan Stroud and adapted for the screen by Joe Cornish, Lockwood and Co, at first glance, looks as if it could easily fall into the remit of so many Netflix YA fantasy and horror-flavored series. However, the involvement of Cornish means this has a considerable amount of charm and dramatic heft, and it’s no surprise that it was top of Netflix’s top ten a few days after it premiered. It might look one of a piece with the likes of now-canceled series such as Warrior Nun and Fate: The Winx Saga, but like Wednesday, this is coming from a director who knows how to tackle fantasy horror led by teen protagonists with storytelling smarts. While on a visual level, the cliches and tropes are all present and correct, it’s so charmingly well done that one hopes that it doesn’t get struck down by Netflix’s increasingly busy axe.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: “In a world plagued by ghosts, where giant corporations employ psychic teens to battle the supernatural, only one company operates without adult supervision, and its name is Lockwood & Co. Run by Anthony Lockwood, a rebellious young entrepreneur haunted by his mysterious past, his brilliant but eccentric sidekick George and a newly arrived, supremely gifted girl called Lucy, this renegade trio are about to unravel a terrifying mystery that will change the course of history.”
CAST: Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman, Ali Hadji-Heshmati, Ivanno Jeremiah, Jack Bandeira, Morven Christie, Rhianna Dorris, Paddy Holland
You – Season 4
A slight tweak of format to the fourth season of Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti’s adaptation of Caroline Kepnes’ book series sees Penn Badgley’s Joe and his famous hat (this time with accompanying beard and longer hair) making a home for himself in London as university lecturer Jonathan. Still, Joe being Joe, it’s not long before the body count rises, and he’s finding himself in the middle of an ‘Eat the Rich’ murder mystery while being stalked himself. It’s proven once again to be a massive draw for audiences, with its London setting and newly arrived cast that includes Ghost’s Charlotte Ritchie and Downton Abbey’s Ed Speleers, not to mention the portrayal of a group of supporting characters that feel like they’ve walked out of a deranged Made in Chelsea episode, giving the season another different vibe compared to previous years even if at times it feels like the wheels have buckled a little in terms of the series’ longevity.
OFFICIAL PREMISE: Now living in London, Joe tries to lay low and resist the old habits…until he’s forced to tie up loose ends and bond with a circle of wealthy socialites.
CAST: Penn Badgley, Tati Gabrielle, Charlotte Ritchie, Tilly Keeper, Amy-Leigh Hickman, Ed Speleers, Lukas Gage
And that completes our Best and Highest Rated Shows in Netflix 2023 list. What’s your favorite series on Netflix so far in 2023? Comment below.
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