seth's best of 2023

everything i enjoyed in a wild year

2023 was a wild year in that I kind of feel like… nothing happened? I mean, I did go from living in an L.A. studio to owning a home in Philadelphia, so obviously some stuff must have happened, but for the most part, this year felt like a bit of a dud to me. More to unpack with my therapist! Anyway, here’s all the content (and experiences) that made this year so uniquely the year that it was.

Best TV show: The best new show I watched in 2023 was a Korean reality show I became obsessed with called The Devil’s Plan. Every contest had so many rules, and everything was just so satisfyingly executed! The best non-2023 show I watched was Avatar: The Last Airbender, which really surprised me with its powerful storytelling and clear characterization. Honorable mentions go to Succession, The Traitors, just that one really satisfying blindside on Survivor 45, and this season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

Best book: I tore through Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead in just a few days and loved it. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder and Bunny by Mona Awad also made me laugh out loud and howl in disgust, often at the same time. As always, the best place I read was in bed, and the most confusing place I read was on the toilet.

Best movie (2023): It’s a tie between May December and Anatomy of a Fall, both of which blew me away with their depictions of very specific familial dynamics. (In particular, Charles Melton’s performance in the former has stuck with me since finishing the movie weeks ago.) Honorable mentions also go to Bottoms, Asteroid City, and Thanksgiving. I am so grateful there were not fifteen movies about WWI this year!

Best movie (non-2023): In 2023, I did a deep dive into the old Nightmare on Elm Street movies, most of which fucking rock; Phantom of the Paradise stole my heart with its insane rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities; and a closer look at some Paul Schrader flicks rewarded me with Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. I also watched a ton of Cronenberg films for some reason and they really fed my soul, in kind of a disgusting way.

Best thing I drank: I drank a ton of hard seltzers this year and determined that Topo Chico has the best ones. They taste more like water than like you’re licking the bottom of a skateboard, which is nice. I pounded like 4 of them while listening to Counting Crows at Ravinia. Honorable mention: my stable lover, Diet Coke.

Best thing I ate: Although they’re now 3,000 miles away, I still dream about the crab curry and pad ka prao from my favorite Thai spot in LA, Luv2eat Thai, along with the Melrose sandwich from Ghost Sando Shop. On this coast, I couldn’t get enough of the Antonio breakfast sandwich from Gilda.

Best thing I baked: Smitten Kitchen’s cranberry pie made a tart and welcome addition to our Thanksgiving dessert spread. I’m thinking about making it again soon just because I miss it!

Best near-death experience: When we first dropped down during the Guardians of the Galaxy ride in Disneyland, I realized I was going to die! Then I didn’t die. All in all, a super relaxing way to spend a few days off work. Honorable mention: any time I went rollerblading in my beautiful rollerblades that don’t have brakes.

Best video: The TikTok of Sofia Coppola’s daughter making a vodka sauce, in which she does not actually make anything even closely resembling a vodka sauce, rearranged my brain chemistry in the best way possible. “Oh I like fiasca because it’s feminine” - give this video the best original screenplay Oscar for 2023.

Worst movie (2023): Maestro is a flat, artificial, incurious look at a fascinating person, and Saltburn is just dreck. I had food poisoning right after I watched Saltburn, which made me angry because I was staying up all night just puking and thinking about how much I hated Saltburn. Let’s leave that memory in 2023. On to 2024!