My Favorite Watches of 2023

We are well into 2025 I still wanted to finish up and clear my drafts by posting my annual favorite watches post from 2023. Got to keep the tradition going and I like to document my favorite watches so I can look back on it. Sooooo let's get this going!

*Spoilers ahead as usual*

The Last of Us (Season 1) (Max)

I wasn't sure if I was going to watch the Last of Us because I wasn't in the mood for a sad apocalyptic drama. However, after hearing EVERYBODY rave about episode 3, saying that it was probably the best piece of television of the year, I had to see what all of the hype was all about. Season one of The Last of Us reminded me why I love the television medium so much. It was masterful story-telling, character growth, and emotionally gut wrenching. I absolutely loved season one and I am SO excited for season 2. I knew it is going to be a few years before the series is complete so I went ahead and watched video summaries of what happened in part 2 of the game so I already know the ending HAHA... It'll still hurt but I'm excited to see how they translate the game storyline in season 2 and 3.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 5) (Prime Video)

The very last season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel -cries- I absolutely loved this series so it was very bittersweet watching its last season. I really took my sweet time finishing this season just because I wanted to savor the last moments of it. I loved how it went back and fourth from the past to the future, I just love it in general when the storytelling isn't linear, and seeing Midge's rise to fame through her own grit and talent. It was such an inspiration while all having witty, smart, hilarious writing and beautiful

Beef (Season 1) (Netflix)

Beef was such a fun watch. I really had no idea where this show was going to go but it just kept on escalating and we were taken for a ride. I think this show was pretty autobiographical to Ali as it seemed like the parts of the story seemingly matched the story of her divorce. Ali, Steven, and the whole cast did a great job in their roles. I think it is so important to show more diverse stories with Asians as the main characters so we're not constantly stereotyped into stories only involving martial arts and being submissive side characters. We're all complex humans with our own backstories, struggles, and traumas. We should always challenge ourselves to think in nuance and to challenge our preconceptions.

Ted Lasso (Season 3) (Apple TV)

Another season finale for another beloved show -cries- I heard that people had mixed feelings about this season but personally I really liked it and thought the writing quality stayed consistent. I thought they did a great job of balancing humor and the more serious topics of mental health. I liked how the series ended cause it felt to the characters. I will give the series a rewatch when I need a light hearted and optimistic pick-me-up.

Queen Charlotte (Netflix)

I had no idea if I was going to like Queen Charlotte or not but I ended up loving it! I probably liked it even more than the original Bridgerton series. Charlotte is just so cool and I found the love story between her and George really compelling. I was so sad when I finished the show, I was in tears in the last scene.

Joyride

Joyride is such a FUN watch. I saw it in theaters and was laughing so much. It was raunchy and would not recommend watching it with your family, but similar to my commentary about Beef (above) it's important to tell these R rated stories with Asian faces so we normalize seeing Asians in regular people roles and not just fulfilling a stereotype.

Dungeons and Dragons (Prime Video)

My family and I watched this movie for a family movie night and we were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked the movie! I do not play Dungeons and Dragons at all so I had no idea what to expect. It's funny, adventurous, and has a pretty great production value. Would recommend!

Blue Beetle (Max)

Blue Beetle was probably my favorite superhero movie of 2023 (it may have also been the only superhero movie I saw). But I thought it brought a breath of fresh air to the superhero genre and it had a lot of heart. Luckily I was able to watch this movie on the WB lot for an employee screening and even got to witness a Q&A with the director. I really liked the movie but it's too bad it didn't do well in the box offices due to the actors not being able to promote the movie due to the strike and the movie coming out during a hurricane warning weekend.

Never Have I Ever (Season 4) (Netflix)

My cousin and I were avid watchers of Never Have I Ever and was sad that the show was also on it's last season. Although Devi is a hot mess, she's a hot mess in a relatable way if you were a confused, insecure teenager. I was still rooting for her, throughout her many mistakes and questionable choices. This show still manages to bring me to tears since the topic of grief is a pretty big topic in the show. If you want something funny, relatable, enjoy coming to age stories, and character growth, you should maybe give Never Have I Ever a watch!

Little Women (Greta Gerwig) (Hulu)

I heard great things about Greta Gerwig's Little Women for years but I finally got around to watching it and LOVED IT. For a story that was written in the last 1800s, there are some evergreen themes and really progressive messages. Along with being empowering, it is a beautiful movie and I had to watch all of the behind the scenes of it. I think it'll become one of my comfort movies.

Eras Tour Movie (Disney+)

I saw the Eras Tour movie twice in theaters, several times on Disney+, and once live. I loved being able to relive one of the most epic concerts that I've been to. Taylor is such an impressive performer to be able to sing for over 3 hours over and over again. I don't know how her stamina got so impressive. It's hard to not respect her as a performer and artist. Even if you're not a Taylor fan, I still think that there's something for everybody to enjoy. I've really liked the Tiktoks of people being skeptical about watching the tour movie but would get sucked in and eventually watch the whole show.

Barbie (Max)

And of course, I had to save the movie of the year for last. I absolutely loveeeed Barbie and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Loved everything about this movie and it's definitely a comfort movie for me now as well. I just think it's so smart, funny, pretty, meaningful, and thought provoking. I know that many feminists thought it wasn't nuanced enough but I think it's important that this mainstream movie at least introduces the foundations of feminism to the general audience since that education is not common knowledge. I've heard stories about Barbie inspiring women to want better for themselves and I think that's so beautiful. My favorite watch of the year.

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Looking back, 2023 was a pretty great year for film and TV. Okay now time to catch up on what I watched in 2024 hahahaha