![]() ![]() In abandoning its original premise, the show-now a dramatic thriller punctuated by scenes of droll absurdism-became far truer to its characters and their inescapable existential dread. “Barry” renounced its comedic roots halfway through its four-season run, after Bill Hader’s titular assassin turned actor is found out as a killer by his beloved mentor and can no longer indulge in fantasies about a show-biz career. But 2023’s best offerings are strong enough that the following Top Ten list, arranged in alphabetical order, could rival any other year’s. Given the studio stoppages, there were fewer contenders than usual. (I hope not!) But before we look ahead to TV’s next chapter, it’s worth celebrating the highlights of the previous twelve months. Certain factions have already adopted a doomer mind-set in the past few weeks, multiple people have asked me whether the business will revert to risk aversion. The cloud of that uncertainty hangs over the end of this year in television. Both unions have convincingly declared victory, but, after years of reliance on boom-time profligacy, the industry is bracing for a downturn in the quantity-and perhaps the quality-of its output. Late-night shows went dark, the broadcast networks’ fall season fell through, and the Peak TV era came to an unceremonious end. Arriving in the wake of the pandemic-which made television more central to daily life even as it impeded its production-the strikes had an instantaneous and sustained impact. Hollywood came to a standstill for much of 2023, when its writers and actors hit the picket line simultaneously for the first time in more than sixty years.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |