Experts name Succession best drama of 2023 with Netflix and BBC dominating list

18 December 2023 , 00:00

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Succession came top of the list beating the BBC's Happy Valley

The final series of Succession has been named the most successful drama of this year by experts.

Jesse Armstrong’s NOW TV programme about the highly dysfunctional Roy media dynasty, was top as the Radio Times picked their best dramas of 2023.

Compiled by their TV writers, the list named the best dramas on broadcast television, on-demand and streaming services from the last 12 months.

Starring Sarah Lancashire, the long-anticipated final series of Sally Wainright’s Happy Valley came second.

It was followed by BBC One’s word-of-mouth hit Northern Irish crime drama, Blue Lights, in third.

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

Happy Valley missed out on the top spot (BBC/Red Productions/Ben Blackall)

The second series of the critically acclaimed, The Bear, in which a young, award-winning chef returns to his hometown to manage the kitchen at his dead brother’s sandwich shop, was fourth,

BBC true crime series, The Sixth Commandment, focusing on the tragic deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in 2015, completed the top five.

Netflix period favourite Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, ITV’s show, Nolly, starring Helena Bonham Carter as Crossroad’s Noele “Nolly” Gordon and Apple TV’s Hijack with Idris Elba also appeared.

The Bear had its second season this year (Copyright 2023, FX Networks. All Rights Reserved.)

The BBC with seven shows and Netflix with six dominated the countdown.

Shem Law, Radio Times Co-Editor, said: “Succession’s exploration of the corrosive impact of wealth gripped viewers, establishing it a classic of the streaming age. The heralded golden age of television continues.”

How many have you watched on the list?

1. Succession, Now
2. Happy Valley, iPlayer
3. Blue Lights, iPlayer
4. The Bear Disney+
5. The Sixth Commandment, iPlayer
6. The Last of Us, Now
7. Poker Face, Now
8. 8. Best Interests, iPlayer
9. 9. Queen Charlotte: a Bridgerton Story, Netflix
10. Heartstopper, Netflix
11. 11. The Diplomat, Netflix
12. 12. A Small Light, Disney+
13. Nolly, ITVX
14. Boiling Point, iPlayer
15. Only Murders in the Building, Disney+
16. 16. Top Boy, Netflix
17. Hijack, Apple TV+
18. Lessons in Chemistry, Apple TV+
19. The Gold, iPlayer
20. Bodies, Netflix
21. The Gallows Pole, iPlayer
22. The Long Shadow, ITVX
23. The Night Agent, Netflix

Mark Jefferies