My Streaming Service Rankings 2023
What follows is my “2023 wrapped” ranking of the big subscription streaming services based solely on my personal tastes. Last week I wrote up my top 10 list of 2023 TV shows which heavily influences this list.
8. Peacock (2022 rank: 8)
My wife and I remain regular watchers of SNL which is the main reason I kept my Peacock subscription active this year, and the service had its first (in my opinion) great series with Poker Face. Also I appreciate the catalog of Universal movies which kept me from churning out while SNL was dark for the WGA strike (well that and the fact that it only costs me about $6/month).
7. Paramount+ (2022 rank: 7)
I remain a Star Trek fan (I have models of the Enterprise-A and Enterprise-E on my work desk) which is the main draw for Paramount+ for me. I’m aware of all of the Taylor Sheridan shows (1923, Tulsa King, Bass Reeves, etc) but I’m not sure that they align with my tastes. Paramount+ also has a strong catalog of movies and it now includes all of Showtime’s content.
6. Prime Video (2022 rank: 5)
The final season of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel was terrific and I’m looking forward to season 2 of Reacher. I do like The Boys and Gen V, but not as much as others do.
5. Netflix (2022 rank: 4)
If this were a ranking of streamers based on market success, Netflix would be number 1 and frankly no one else comes close, but for me personally, their “gourmet cheeseburger” content strategy doesn’t connect as well as it does with others. I did really enjoy Beef and am currently finishing The Crown, plus there are several Netflix shows in my queue (Bodies, The Lincoln Lawyer, Ozark) but they aren’t at the top.
Given Netflix’s high cost I’d be tempted to churn out occasionally, however it is still the most popular with the other five people in my household, so I don’t dare.
4. Disney+ (2022 rank: 2)
As a Marvel and Star Wars fan, of course I love Disney+, but in 2023 there were fewer of those shows and Secret Invasion was a new low in terms of quality. Ahsoka and season 3 of The Mandalorian were both good entries for Star Wars, though the latter did not quite live up to the first two seasons.
3. Hulu (2022 rank: 6)
Hulu was the biggest mover for me going up three spots, and I even debating putting it at number two. The Bear was my number two show for the year and I’m loving the new season of Fargo. I don’t think that I gave Hulu a fair shake last year, and next year I intend to catch up on Only Murders In the Building, What We Do In the Shadows, A Murder at the End of the World and Justified.
2. Apple TV+ (2022 rank: 3)
The content on TV+ resonates far more strongly than the service’s overall viewership numbers suggest it does in the broader market. This is because Apple leans heavily into the sci-fi (Silo, Foundation, For All Mankind) and prestige (Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, Hyjack) genres. None of these series made it into my top five (though Severance was my number one in 2022), but their overall hit rate is incredibly good given their small library.
1. Max (2022 rank: 1)
No surprise here as (HBO) Max had three shows in my top five. Actually Max maintained a solid streak of amazing content from August 2022 to May 2023 (House of the Dragon, White Lotus, The Last of Us, Succession and Barry). Sadly Max’s streak ended there and hasn’t released anything notable since, in part because of the strikes, but its strong film catalog ensures I’m never tempted to turn it off (that and it’s one of the few services that offers a good annual discount).
A look to 2024…
The first half of next year looks to be especially weakened as a consequence of Hollywood’s six-month-long shutdown, though I still have plenty of older shows to catch up on in my queue.
Disney has announced plans to fully integrate Hulu into the Disney+ app in March (it’s currently in beta), so I may rank them as a consolidated streamer next year. This combination of new franchise (Andor) and prestige (The Bear) entries will be a major contender for number one in my heart even with Max having new seasons of House of the Dragon and True Detective on deck.
