2023 might have been the year when streaming video platforms seem to become the dominant force in many viewers TV habits. Thanks to ongoing contractions in linear television and a nearly six-month disruption due to two Hollywood strikes, if you were looking for compelling new TV, you likely had to turn to one or more streaming services.
And that's really what we've come to in the streaming industry. The question isn't whether most viewers are going to rely on streaming services for their entertainment needs. It's how many services they'll feel the need to subscribe to before burn-out sets in.
Every person has their own set of requirements for a "best" streaming service. But here is a look at the streaming services I most appreciated in 2023.
BEST LARGE STREAMING SERVICE: Apple TV+
I could have easily chosen Netflix, because once again the service delivered a wide range of scripted and unscripted shows that I couldn't stop bingeing. But I decided not to go with the company because content discovery remains a frustrating experience.
As a journalist, getting information about shows that have a lesser internal priority at Netflix continues to be a maddening challenge. And of all the services, Netflix is the one I most get complaints about from readers. Shows are prioritized on the home screen in a way that seems to match Netflix's marketing desires over the interests of subscribers. And while that's a problem on nearly all of the major platforms, Netflix's own unique issues seem to grate on a surprising number of viewers.
Apple TV+'s interface can be annoying - especially if you aren't part of the larger Apple product ecosystem. But because of its smaller catalog, it's easy to find what you're looking for.
But user experience complaints not withstanding, Apple TV+ is this year's choice for best large streaming service because the service delivered a string of compelling and provocative new shows: High Desert, Shrinking, Lessons In Chemistry, Dark Matter, The Changeling, Still Up, The Last Thing He Told Me, Dear Edward, The Buccaneers, Hijack, Silo, Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters, along with new seasons of shows like Foundation, Slow Horses and For All Mankind.
I didn't love every show and there were a couple I really disliked. But they were generally big creative swings and as someone who watches entirely too much television, I appreciated the creativity and ambition of the Apple TV+ schedule in 2023.
BEST MEDIUM STREAMING SERVICE: MGM+
I have no idea how many people subscribe to MGM+, but if there is one streaming service that is punching about its weight, MGM+ easily qualifies for the title.
For a smaller streamer, the lineup of originals is impressive: From, Beacon 23, The Winter King, Billy The Kid and Godfather Of Harlem are all well worth watching. Add to that schedule a number of great films from the MGM catalog and this now-owned by Amazon streamer has quietly become the best value in mid-sized streamers.
There's even a small selection of MGM Classic TV shows, including both versions of The Outer Limits, In The Heat Of The Night, The Addams Family, Cagney & Lacey, The Young Riders, The Magnificent Seven, The Rat Patrol, Poltergeist: The Legacy and more.
BEST SMALL/MEDIUM SIZED STREAMING SERVICE ITS OWNER KEEPS TRYING TO KILL: Discovery+
I've subscribed to the ad-free version of Discovery+ since it launched and that is because there are times when I want to just lean back and watch something that I wasn't going to review. And my wife keeps HGTV and Food Network shows running in the background while she's reading or doing something else. We're happy with Discovery+ and even though we could watch some of the same programming on Max, it's just easier to do it on Discovery+.
However, since Discover merged with Warner Media, CEO David Zaslav has been trying to kill Discovery+. He first planned to shut down the service entirely and move subscribers over to the main streaming service Max. But when it became clear that many of the current Discovery+ subscribers were just fine not having access to episodes of Succession along with Guy's Grocery Games, he relented and kept Discovery+ alive. Instead, the company has apparently decided to just slowly strangle Discovery+ until subscribers just give up and embrace the Borg-ness of Max.
Much of the most popular content on Discovery+ is now available on Max and Max is the only streamer that receives any promotional mentions on the various Discovery linear channels. Discovery+ has essentially stopped producing original programming and a growing number of current seasons of hit shows now aren't available on Discovery+ until the end of the season.
But I don't plan to give up my Discovery+ subscription until I am forced to do so. Screw corporate synergy. I just want someplace where I can binge Gold Rush: White Water without ads and without having to dig through endless menus in order to find the show.
BEST GENRE STREAMING SERVICE: Shudder
I am at best a lukewarm horror fan. But because of my job, I have the opportunity to watch and review a fair number of Shudder titles. And it's pretty clear that if I have enjoyed the experience, then diehard horror fans must feel as if they've hit the content jackpot.
Shudder focuses on horror, thrillers and the supernatural. And by licensing a wide variety of titles along with producing some original content, I suspect you could watch the streamer every day and not run out of interesting things to discover. The service doesn't have the budget (or the licensing windows) to nab the hottest new horror titles. But it makes up for that with a cleverly curated mix of smaller new titles, classic favorites like The Thing and Prom Night as well as some originals like the upcoming Destroy All Monsters.
Shudder also has some new original series, including an ongoing relationship with horror icon Joe Bob Briggs, The Boulet Brothers' Dragula and Creepshow.
Horror is having a bit of moment in 2023 with theatrical releases and that success has raised the visibility of the horror and thriller genre. If you find yourself leaving the theater and wanting to see more of the same, Shudder is the best option you could ask for.
BEST INTERNATIONAL STREAMING SERVICE: MHz Choice
There are a number of solid choices for Americans looking for a streaming service that highlights programming from outside of North America. But most of them focus primarily on English-language shows originally produced in the U.K. and Australia, with a scattering of popular Nordic and European titles.
Which is great, but if your tastes are a bit more eclectic, then you'll be dazzled at the range of shows available on the international streamer MHz Choice. The service currently includes TV shows produced in 33 different countries, ranging from familiar places such as Australia and Norway to little-seen programming from Estonia, Lebanon, Chile and Serbia.
The production quality can range quite a bit, depending on the expertise of the local industry. But the stories are almost always first-rate and MHz Choice offers a range of international programming that even Netflix would have trouble matching. Because MHz Choice licenses some of the best local programming available, while Netflix produces local shows meant to be seen globally, a process which leads to some of the local cultural nuances being lost in the globalization process.
A strong contender in this category was the Nordic streamer Viaplay, but given that it's set to leave the American market at any time (and has cut back on the premieres as a result), I decided not to go in that direction.
