The UK’s Top 10 Most Popular TV Shows of the Year (2023)

Updated on

It was inevitable that 2023 would be an outstanding year for TV with the return of Emmy-award winning shows such as Succession and Ted Lasso. This year gave us plenty of series to binge for big laughs, lots of tears, or an escape into a fictional world. As 2023 comes to a close, JustWatch has crunched the numbers to find the most popular TV series on streaming services throughout the year.

2023 started strong with HBO’s adaptation of the acclaimed video game, The Last of Us, which topped this year’s streaming charts. With a huge audience of new and pre-existing fans, this gripping dystopian horror became the most popular TV series of the year and already has a second season on the horizon.

Netflix debuted Tim Burton’s Addams Family spin-off Wednesday in late 2022, opening to worldwide success that led to a viral TikTok dance, and even broke the streamer’s records to become the most viewed series (in English) on the platform. The Netflix original series landed at #5 on the streaming charts. Netflix also released the fourth and final season of its award-winning drama, Top Boy, as well as the mind-boggling mystery series, Manifest.

Many of us also handled the heat of the kitchen in the second season of The Bear, bringing back Chicago’s favourite sandwich shop. Another favourite from Disney+ is Tom Hiddleston’s return as the God of Mischief in the second season on Loki, which debuted back in October. Other family favourite franchises also found success on the streamer, including Star Wars with the third instalment of The Mandalorian.

Several contemporary cult classic TV shows also came to a close this year, as the final season of HBO’s family business drama Succession aired with some shocking surprises. Apple TV+ also said farewell (for now it seems) to its greatest asset, Ted Lasso, as AFC Richmond returned for its third and final season of the Emmy-award winning comedy. In between the bittersweet goodbyes, viewers indulged in copious amounts of animated sitcom South Park for some light relief.

We found the top 10 titles using the JustWatch popularity score, which considers a host of activities such as clicking on a streaming offer, which titles were added to watchlists, and which titles were marked as ‘seen’. You can find the top 10 below, including streaming offers so you can catch up with the most popular series of the year.

Netflix
Disney Plus
Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV Plus
Apple TV
Rakuten TV
Crunchyroll
Amazon Video
Paramount Plus
Channel 4
Sky Go
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
BBC iPlayer
MUBI
Google Play Movies
BFI Player
Sky Store
Microsoft Store
Freevee
Curzon Home Cinema
ITVX
YouTube
Shudder
ARROW
Arrow Video Amazon Channel
Talk Talk TV
UKTV Play
GuideDoc
Movietickets
Netflix Kids
YouTube Premium
BFI Player Amazon Channel
Hayu
Hayu Amazon Channel
My5
BritBox Amazon Channel
MUBI Amazon Channel
STUDIOCANAL PRESENTS Apple TV Channel
STV Player
Curiosity Stream
Flix Premiere
Hotstar
Revry
DOCSVILLE
Now TV
Spamflix
JustWatchTV
Plex
WOW Presents Plus
Magellan TV
BroadwayHD
Filmzie
MovieSaints
Acorn TV
AcornTV Amazon Channel
Dekkoo
True Story
DocAlliance Films
Hoichoi
Now TV Cinema
CuriosityStream Amazon Channel
DocuBay Amazon Channel
Discovery+ Amazon Channel
Fandor Amazon Channel
Full Moon Amazon Channel
ITV Amazon Channel
Pokémon Amazon Channel
Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
Shudder Amazon Channel
Eros Now Amazon Channel
FilmBox Live Amazon Channel
W4free
Pluto TV
Eventive
ShortsTV Amazon Channel
Cultpix
FilmBox+
Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Discovery+
Icon Film Amazon Channel
Curzon Amazon Channel
Hallmark TV Amazon Channel
Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel
Sundance Now Amazon Channel
Sooner Amazon Channel
Takflix
Klassiki
Sun Nxt
Viaplay
Netflix basic with Ads
Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Runtime
OUTtv Amazon Channel
HistoryPlay Amazon Channel
Crime+ Investigation Play Amazon Channel
Shahid VIP
Univer Video
Acorn TV Apple TV
Tastemade Apple TV Channel
CuriosityStream Apple TV Channel
BFI Player Apple TV Channel
Kocowa
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
ODEON Cinemas
Cineworld
Vue
Arte
Showcase Cinemas
MGM Plus Amazon Channel
Tubi TV
Plex Live TV
Everyman Cinema
Motorvision TV Amazon Channel
Okidoki Amazon Channel
Sat.1 emotions Amazon Channel
Stingray Classica Amazon Channel
Stingray Djazz Amazon Channel
Stingray Karaoke Amazon Channel
TV1000 Russian Kino Amazon Channel
ITVX Premium
H & C TV Amazon Channel
Seven Entertainment Amazon Channel
The Great Courses Amazon Channel
ZDFtivi Amazon channel
Filters
  1. The Last of Us

    The Last of Us

    2023

    #1

    Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.

  2. Top Boy

    Top Boy

    2019

    #2

    Two seasoned drug dealers return to the gritty street of London, but their pursuit of money and power is threatened by a young and ruthless hustler.

  3. South Park

    South Park

    1997

    #3

    Follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.

  4. Succession

    Succession

    2018

    #4

    Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.

  5. Wednesday

    Wednesday

    2022

    #5

    Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy, a bizarre boarding school where she attempts to master her psychic powers, stop a monstrous killing spree of the town citizens, and solve the supernatural mystery that affected her family 25 years ago — all while navigating her new relationships.

  6. Ted Lasso

    Ted Lasso

    2020

    #6

    American college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team.

  7. The Mandalorian

    The Mandalorian

    2019

    #7

    After the fall of the Galactic Empire, lawlessness has spread throughout the galaxy. A lone gunfighter makes his way through the outer reaches, earning his keep as a bounty hunter.

  8. Manifest

    Manifest

    2018

    #8

    When a commercial airliner suddenly reappears after being missing for five years, those aboard must reintegrate into society.

  9. The Bear

    The Bear

    2022

    #9

    A young chef from the fine dining world returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop.

  10. Loki

    Loki

    2021

    #10

    The mercurial villain Loki resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”