Year-End Lists

Matthew Gilbert: The 10 Best TV Shows of 2023, as published by The Boston Globe

[see also 2021]

1. Succession
2. The Bear
3. The Last of Us
4. Beef
5. Poker Face
6. The Other Two
7. A Small Light
8. A Murder at the End of the World
9. Shrinking
10. Fellow Travelers

Honorable Mentions

• Colin from Accounts
• Fargo
• Full Circle
• Rain Dogs
• Lessons in Chemistry
• Somebody Somewhere
• The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

The Economist: The Best Books of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2012]

Current affairs and politics

• Deadly Quiet City

  True Stories from Wuhan
  Murong Xuecun
• Fear Is Just a Word

  A Missing Daughter, a Violent Cartel, and a Mother's Quest for Vengeance
  Azam Ahmed
• Flowers of Fire

  The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide
  Hawon Jung
• The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

  American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
  Tim Alberta
• Some People Need Killing

  A Memoir of Murder in My Country
  Patricia Evangelista
• Sparks

  China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future
  Ian Johnson

Business and economics

• Anansi's Gold

  The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World
  Yepoka Yeebo
• Best Things First
  Bjørn Lomborg
• The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level
  John Cochrane
• The Geek Way

  The Radical Mindset Transforming the Future of Business
  Andrew McAfee
• How Big Things Get Done

  The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between
  Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
• Material World

  The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization
  Ed Conway
• The Missing Billionaires

  A Guide to Better Financial Decisions
  Victor Haghani and James White
• Scaling People

  Tactics for Management and Company Building
  Claire Hughes Johnson
• Unscripted

  The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy
  James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams

Biography and memoir

• Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad

  A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival
  Daniel Finkelstein
• Ian Fleming

  The Complete Man
  Nicholas Shakespeare
• Into the Amazon

  The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist
  Larry Rohter
• J.L. Austin

  Philosopher and D-Day Intelligence Officer
  M.W. Rowe
• King

  A Life
  Jonathan Eig
• Milton Friedman

  The Last Conservative
  Jennifer Burns
• Monet The Restless Vision
  Jackie Wullschlager
• Still Pictures

  On Photography and Memory
  Janet Malcolm
• Waiting to Be Arrested at Night

  A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide
  Tahir Hamut Izgil
• Wifedom

  Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life
  Anna Funder

History

• A Day in the Life of Abed Salama

  Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
  Nathan Thrall
• The Blazing World

  A New History of Revolutionary England, 1603-1689
  Jonathan Healey
• Emperor of Rome

  Ruling the Ancient Roman World
  Mary Beard
• In Her Nature: How Women Break Boundaries in the Great Outdoors: A Past, Present and Personal Story
  Rachel Hewitt
• Judgment at Tokyo

  World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia
  Gary J. Bass
• The Lumumba Plot

  The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination
  Stuart A. Reid
• Revolutionary Spring

  Europe Aflame and the Fight for a New World, 1848-1849
  Christopher Clark
• On Savage Shores

  How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
  Caroline Dodds Pennock
• The Wager

  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
  David Grann

Fiction

• The Bee Sting
  Paul Murray
• The Fraud
  Zadie Smith
• Kairos
  Jenny Erpenbeck
• North Woods
  Daniel Mason
• Prophet Song
  Paul Lynch
• Soldier Sailor
  Claire Kilroy
• Western Lane
  Chetna Maroo

Culture and ideas

• Eight Bears

  Mythic Past and Imperiled Future
  Gloria Dickie
• Gradual

  The Case for Incremental Change in a Radical Age
  Greg Berman & Aubrey Fox
• High Caucasus

  A Mountain Quest in Russia’s Haunted Hinterland
  Tom Parfitt
• The Identity Trap

  A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time
  Yascha Mounk
• Magisteria

  The Entangled Histories of Science & Religion
  Nicholas Spencer
• Pandora's Box

  How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV
  Peter Biskind
• Sailing Alone

  A History
  Richard J. King
• A Thread of Violence

  A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder
  Mark O'Connell

Science and technology

• The Coming Wave

  Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma
  Mustafa Suleyman
• The Heat Will Kill You First

  Life and Death on a Scorched Planet
  Jeff Goodell
• Outlive

  The Science and Art of Longevity
  Peter Attia
• Time to Think

  The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock's Gender Service for Children
  Hannah Barnes
• Ultra-Processed People

  The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food
  Chris van Tulleken
• What an Owl Knows

  The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds
  Jennifer Ackerman

Richard Lawson: The Best Movies of 2023, as published by Vanity Fair

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. May December
   Todd Haynes
2. Past Lives
   Celine Song
3. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
4. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
5. Passages
   Ira Sachs
6. Earth Mama
   Savanah Leaf
7. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
8. You Hurt My Feelings
   Nicole Holofcener
9. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
10. Asteroid City
    Wes Anderson
11. Tótem
    Lila Avilés
12. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
    Radu Jude
13. Poor Things
    Yorgos Lanthimos
14. Four Daughters
    Kaouther Ben Hania
15. Perfect Days
    Wim Wenders
16. Monster
    Hirokazu Kore-eda
17. Memory
    Michel Franco
18. Sharper
    Benjamin Caron
19. Pretty Red Dress
    Dionne Edwards
20. Blue Beetle
    Ángel Manuel Soto
21. Reality
    Tina Satter

Alissa Wilkinson: Best Movies of 2023, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. Past Lives
   Celine Song
3. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
4. Reality
   Tina Satter
5. A Still Small Voice
   Luke Lorentzen
6. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
7. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
   Anna Hints
8. Godland
   Hlynur Pálmason
9. The Eternal Memory
   Maite Alberdi
10. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
    Frederick Wiseman

And don’t miss

• Afire
  Christian Petzold
• American Fiction
  Cord Jefferson
• American Symphony
  Matthew Heineman
• Anatomy of a Fall
  Justine Triet
• Anselm
  Wim Wenders
• Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• Barbie
  Greta Gerwig
• BlackBerry
  Matt Johnson
• Eileen
  William Oldroyd
• Fallen Leaves
  Aki Kaurismäki
• Four Daughters
  Kaouther Ben Hania
• The Holdovers
  Alexander Payne
• May December
  Todd Haynes
• Poor Things
  Yorgos Lanthimos
• Priscilla
  Sofia Coppola
• The Royal Hotel
  Kitty Green
• Showing Up
  Kelly Reichardt
• The Starling Girl
  Laurel Parmet
• The Taste of Things
  Trần Anh Hùng
• You Hurt My Feelings
  Nicole Holofcener

Manohla Dargis: Best Movies of 2023, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
3. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
   Frederick Wiseman
4. Occupied City
   Steve McQueen
5. A Thousand and One
   A.V. Rockwell
6. Asteroid City
   Wes Anderson
7. May December
   Todd Haynes
8. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
9. Orlando, My Political Biography
   Paul B. Preciado
10. Stonewalling
    Huang Ji and Otsuka Ryuji

Ten more

• All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
  Raven Jackson
• Earth Mama
  Savanah Leaf
• Fallen Leaves
  Aki Kaurismäki
• Ferrari
  Michael Mann
• John Wick: Chapter 4
  Chad Stahelski
• Past Lives
  Celine Song
• R.M.N.
  Cristian Mungiu
• Scarlet
  Pietro Marcello
• Will-o'-the-Wisp
  João Pedro Rodrigues
• Youth (Spring)
  Wang Bing

Richard Brody: The Best Movies of 2023, as published by The New Yorker

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. Asteroid City
   Wes Anderson
3. Barbie
   Greta Gerwig
4. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
   Raven Jackson
5. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Passages
   Ira Sachs
7. Civic
   Dwayne LeBlanc
8. A Thousand and One
   A.V. Rockwell
9. Earth Mama
   Savanah Leaf
10. Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
    Austin Bragg and Meredith Bragg
11. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
    Wes Anderson
11. The Swan
    Wes Anderson
11. The Rat Catcher
    Wes Anderson
11. Poison
    Wes Anderson
12. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
    Frederick Wiseman
13. Petite Solange
    Axelle Ropert
14. Ferrari
    Michael Mann
15. Orlando, My Political Biography
    Paul B. Preciado
16. Walk Up
    Hong Sang-soo
17. Origin
    Ava DuVernay
18. Priscilla
    Sofia Coppola
19. The Color Purple
    Blitz Bazawule
20. Our Body
    Claire Simon

Electric Lit: Best Poetry Collections of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021]

The Top 4 Poetry Collections of The Year

• Judas Goat
  Gabrielle Bates
• Pig
  Sam Sax
• The Kingdom of Surfaces
  Sally Wen Mao
• Fixer
  Edgar Kunz

The Best Poetry Collections of the Year

• I Do Everything I'm Told
  Megan Fernandes
• I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times
  Taylor Byas
• Above Ground
  Clint Smith
• Promises of Gold
  José Olivarez
• Trace Evidence
  Charif Shanahan
• The Diaspora Sonnets
  Oliver de la Paz
• Chrome Valley
  Mahogany L. Browne
• a "Working Life"
  Eileen Myles
• Couplets

  A Love Story
  Maggie Millner
• All Souls
  Saskia Hamilton
• So to Speak
  Terrance Hayes
• The Iliad
  Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
• The Lights
  Ben Lerner
• To 2040
  Jorie Graham
• Ursula K. Le Guin

  Collected Poems
  Ursula K. Le Guin
• From From
  Monica Youn

Judy Berman: Best TV Shows of 2023, as published by Time Magazine

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2018]

1. Succession
1. Reservation Dogs
3. I'm a Virgo
4. Rain Dogs
5. Beef
6. The Curse
7. Telemarketers
8. Dead Ringers
9. The Other Two
10. Poker Face

Honorable mentions

• A Small Light
• Barry
• The Bear
• Extraordinary
• Fellow Travelers
• Party Down
• Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
• This Fool
• Wrestlers
• Yellowjackets

Gorilla vs. Bear: Albums of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Erotic Probiotic 2
   Nourished By Time
2. Suntub
   ML Buch
3. Maps
   Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
4. Radio Red
   Laura Groves
5. Goodnight Summerland
   Helena Deland
6. New Blue Sun
   André 3000
7. Gut Punch
   Meagre Martin
8. Jam City Presents EFM
   Jam City
9. Madres
   Sofia Kourtesis
10. When Horses Would Run
    Being Dead
11. Scaring the Hoes
    JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
12. Guts
    Olivia Rodrigo
13. trip9love...???
    Tirzah
14. Love Hallucination
    Jessy Lanza
15. Get Up
    NewJeans
16. Exit Simulation
    Niecy Blues
17. Tracey Denim
    Bar Italia
18. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
    Lana Del Rey
19. & the Charm
    Avalon Emerson
20. Crépuscule I & II
    Tujiko Noriko
21. Life And Death: The Five Chandeliers Of The Funereal Exorcisms
    Marina Zispin
22. A Grisaille Wedding
    Rainy Miller x Space Afrika
23. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
    Armand Hammer
24. Atlas
    Laurel Halo
25. homeless n***a pop music
    Jim Legxacy
26. For Emotional Use Only
    Mandaworld
27. Fake Sleep
    Voice Actor
28. The Greater Wings
    Julie Byrne
29. Space Heavy
    King Krule
30. Time Ain't Accidental
    Jess Williamson
31. Looking Out My Window
    Carlene
32. Aftersun (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
    Oliver Coates
33. Suddenly My Mind is Blank
    Jouska
34. Again
    Oneohtrix Point Never
35. Maritz
    Jonnine
36. Patterns For Auto-Tuned Voices And Delay
    Lisel
37. Mirage FM
    patten
38. Blue Car
    Joanne Robertson
39. Radical Romantics
    Fever Ray
40. Lp1
    Isola
41. Bad Dream Jaguar
    Sun June
42. JGSG
    John Glacier & SURF GANG
43. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
    Caroline Polachek
44. Internal Affairs
    Buzzy Lee
45. Due in Color
    Andrea
46. a.s.o.
    a.s.o
47. ❤️ /Lamb
    Soccer Committee
48. Robed in Rareness
    Shabazz Palaces
49. Mondo Tempo
    Freak Heat Waves
50. I've Got Me
    Joanna Sternberg
51. Gisela
    NOIA
52. My Maze
    Abbey Blackwell
53. Javelin
    Sufjan Stevens
54. DJ E
    Chuquimamani-Condori
55. SPF INFINI 3
    TDJ

Paste Magazine: The 25 Best TV Shows of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. The Bear
2. Succession
3. The Last of Us
4. Abbott Elementary
5. Poker Face
6. Barry
7. Only Murders in the Building
8. What We Do in the Shadows
9. Yellowjackets
10. The Fall of the House of Usher
11. Reservation Dogs
12. Beef
13. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
14. Ted Lasso
15. The Other Two
16. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
17. Shrinking
18. Gen V
19. Good Omens
20. Our Flag Means Death
21. Party Down
22. Schmigadoon!
23. The Great
24. Cunk on Earth
25. Somebody Somewhere