70 Fun Facts About 2023 TV

Which character ends up as CEO of Waystar RoyCo when Succession's series finale airs in May 2023?

Shiv sides against her brother Kendall in the final board vote, handing the job to her estranged husband. Matthew Macfadyen won an Emmy for playing him.

In which season 4 episode of Succession does Logan Roy die?

Logan dies off-screen aboard his private jet while his children are on a boat celebrating the wedding. Every option is a real season 4 episode title.

Which mutated fungus turns people into infected in HBO's The Last of Us, which premiered in January 2023?

The real fungus does infect ants and commandeer their behaviour, which is why the show's talk-show cold open, set decades before the outbreak, felt so plausible.

Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett play survivalists Bill and Frank in which episode of The Last of Us?

The episode is a near-standalone love story spanning 20 years, and Offerman won a Primetime Emmy for it. All four options are real season 1 titles.

Who plays Joel and Ellie in HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us?

Both actors had appeared in Game of Thrones, Pascal as Oberyn Martell and Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont, though they never shared a scene there.

Which comedy stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto and won Outstanding Comedy Series at the 75th Emmys?

It took ten Emmys across the main and Creative Arts ceremonies for that season, and the show's second season had already arrived on FX on Hulu in June 2023.

Steven Yeun and Ali Wong feud after a road-rage incident in which 2023 Netflix series?

Both leads won Emmys and the show swept its three Golden Globe categories. Creator Lee Sung Jin based it on a real road-rage encounter of his own.

Ronald Gladden unknowingly sat through a fake trial full of actors in which 2023 Amazon Freevee series?

James Marsden played a heightened, entitled version of himself as Juror #14, and the show picked up three Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

Ted Lasso coaches which fictional football club, whose story ended with the season 3 finale in May 2023?

The club's home ground scenes were shot at Selhurst Park, the real home of Crystal Palace, with a fictional badge dropped in.

Jason Sudeikis first played Ted Lasso in 2013 promos for which US network's Premier League coverage?

The promos ran for two seasons before the character was expanded into the Apple TV+ series that debuted in 2020.

Which musician completed an EGOT at the 75th Emmys with a farewell concert special from Dodger Stadium?

The Disney+ special of his November 2022 Los Angeles show gave him the last letter of the four; he already had an Oscar, Grammys and a Tony.

Because of the Hollywood strikes, the 75th Emmys were pushed from September to which month?

Anthony Anderson hosted the delayed ceremony on Fox on 15 January, a week after the Golden Globes and only two months before the Oscars.

Lars Mikkelsen played which villain in live action for the first time in Ahsoka (2023)?

Mikkelsen had voiced the character in the animated Star Wars Rebels, making him one of the few actors to carry a Star Wars role from animation into live action.

Ahsoka's first episode was dedicated to which actor, who played Baylan Skoll and died in May 2023?

He was known for Rome and the Thor films. Rory McCann, Game of Thrones' Hound, was cast to take over the role for season two.

Netflix's live-action One Piece, released in August 2023, was filmed mainly in which city?

A full-size replica of the Going Merry was built for the shoot, and the show became Netflix's most-watched series of the second half of 2023.

How much was the single cash prize in Netflix's 2023 reality show Squid Game: The Challenge?

The figure echoes the 456 players who entered, and Netflix billed it as the largest single cash prize in reality TV history. Player 287, Mai Whelan, won it.

How old was Gerry Turner when ABC announced him as the first lead of The Golden Bachelor in 2023?

The Indiana widower proposed to Theresa Nist in the finale and married her in a live TV wedding the following winter; they filed for divorce three months later.

Kelsey Grammer's 2023 Frasier revival moved the character to which city?

He becomes a lecturer at Harvard, back in the city where Cheers introduced him. David Hyde Pierce declined to return as Niles.

Which Oscar winner joined Loki's second season in 2023 as Ouroboros, the TVA repairs technician O.B.?

He arrived fresh from his Everything Everywhere All at Once win. The season ended with Loki holding the timelines together himself.

In which Rian Johnson series does Natasha Lyonne play Charlie Cale, who can tell when anyone is lying?

Johnson built it as a Columbo-style howcatchem, and Charlie drives a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda from case to case.

Which veteran film star plays therapist Paul Rhoades in Apple TV+'s Shrinking?

It was his first regular sitcom role. The show was co-created by Ted Lasso's Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein with Jason Segel.

In which 2023 Apple TV+ drama, based on Hugh Howey's Wool, does Rebecca Ferguson play an engineer in a 144-level bunker?

Ten thousand people live inside without knowing why, and the outside is shown to them only on a single screen. Howey originally self-published Wool as a short story.

In Netflix's The Diplomat, Keri Russell's Kate Wyler is the new US ambassador to which country?

Rufus Sewell plays her husband Hal, himself a former ambassador. Creator Debora Cahn wrote for The West Wing and Homeland.

Gabriel Basso mans an emergency phone in the White House basement in which 2023 Netflix thriller?

Between its release and June 2023 it racked up 812.1m hours watched, more than any other Netflix original in that span, and it is based on a Matthew Quirk novel.

What is the name of the fictional band's album in Daisy Jones & the Six, which Atlantic Records actually released on the show's premiere day in March 2023?

Riley Keough and Sam Claflin sang the vocals themselves. Author Taylor Jenkins Reid was partly inspired by watching Fleetwood Mac perform on television.

Which 2023 Prime Video spin-off of The Boys is set at Godolkin University?

Jaz Sinclair leads it as Marie Moreau, whose power is manipulating her own blood. After Chance Perdomo died in 2024 his role was written out rather than recast.

In Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher, Carla Gugino's Verna has a name that is an anagram of what?

The Ushers' company is Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, another Poe nod, and Mark Hamill plays their fixer, nicknamed The Pym Reaper.

Who plays corrupt North Dakota sheriff Roy Tillman in Fargo's fifth season?

Sam Spruell's hired killer Ole Munch is revealed to be a 500-year-old Welsh sin-eater, one of the season's stranger swings.

Lance Reddick's final role, in Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, was which Greek god?

Reddick died in March 2023, before the series aired. Courtney B. Vance took over the part for the second season.

Which Bill Hader HBO series about a hitman in an acting class ended in May 2023 with 'wow'?

Its final season jumped eight years forward, and it shared its finale night with another HBO drama's series ender about a media dynasty.

The Crown's sixth and final season, released in two parts in late 2023, ends with which royal wedding?

The season opens with Diana's death in 1997 and closes in 2005. Imelda Staunton was the third actress to play the Queen, after Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.

Which legal drama that ended in 2019 was 2023's most-streamed show, with 57.7 billion Netflix minutes?

It topped Nielsen's streaming chart for a record 12 weeks after arriving on Netflix and Peacock, helped by curiosity about Meghan Markle's Rachel Zane.

Who was named Pat Sajak's successor as Wheel of Fortune host after his June 2023 announcement?

Sajak had hosted since 1981 and holds the Guinness record for the longest career as a game show host on the same show. His final episode aired in June 2024.

What was the title of Matthew Perry's bestselling 2022 memoir?

He was 54. The book was frank about the addiction he battled throughout Friends, and his foundation for addiction recovery was set up after his death.

How old was All in the Family creator Norman Lear when he died in December 2023?

He was still developing shows in his late nineties, and in 2017, at 95, he became the oldest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors.

Bob Barker ended every episode of The Price Is Right from 1982 with a reminder to do what?

Drew Carey kept the sign-off when he took over the show in 2007. Barker was a lifelong animal-rights campaigner and funded a ship for the Sea Shepherd society.

Andre Braugher, who died in December 2023, played the deadpan Captain Raymond Holt on which sitcom?

Before comedy he was Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street, and he won two Emmys for dramatic roles.

How long did the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike last, from May 2 to September 27?

That made it the second-longest WGA strike ever, five days short of the 1988 record. Late-night hosts filled the gap with a joint podcast, Strike Force Five.

SAG-AFTRA's July 2023 strike was the first time actors and writers had struck simultaneously since which year?

That earlier double strike featured a Screen Actors Guild president named Ronald Reagan. The 2023 actors' strike ran 118 days, the longest against the studios in the union's history.

Quinta Brunson's mockumentary Abbott Elementary is set in a public school in which city?

Brunson grew up there and named the school after her own sixth-grade teacher. At the delayed 75th Emmys she became the first Black woman to win lead actress in a comedy since 1981.

For how much did Fox News settle Dominion Voting Systems' defamation suit in April 2023?

It is the largest known media defamation settlement in US history, and Dominion had originally sued for $1.6 billion.

Which host's exit did Fox News announce on April 24, 2023, days after the Dominion settlement?

CNN parted with Don Lemon the same day. Carlson relaunched his show on X (formerly Twitter) six weeks later.

Who headlined the halftime show of Super Bowl LVII in February 2023?

It was her first live performance in more than five years, and she used it to reveal her second pregnancy. Fox's telecast averaged 115.1m viewers as the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35.

The soccer team whose 1996 plane crash drives Yellowjackets comes from which US state?

They were flying from fictional Wiskayok to a national tournament in Seattle when the plane went down over Canada. Elijah Wood joined the present-day cast as citizen detective Walter.

Reservation Dogs, which ended in September 2023, follows four Indigenous teenagers in which state?

Co-created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, it was the first American series with all-Native American writers and directors.

Leia Forman of Netflix's That '90s Show is the daughter of which That '70s Show couple?

She spends the summer of 1995 with grandparents Red and Kitty in Point Place, Wisconsin; Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp returned as series regulars.

Who plays Bo-Katan Kryze, the Mandalorian leader central to season 3 of The Mandalorian in spring 2023?

She had voiced the character in The Clone Wars and Rebels for a decade before appearing in the flesh. The season centres on retaking the Mandalorians' home planet.

In Lessons in Chemistry, what is the TV cooking show Elizabeth Zott ends up hosting called?

Her dog, named Six-Thirty, narrates parts of the story, as he does in Bonnie Garmus's bestselling novel.

Which rock star co-wrote and sings the theme for Gary Oldman's spy series Slow Horses?

The song, Strange Game, was written with composer Daniel Pemberton. Oldman plays Jackson Lamb, the flatulent boss of MI5's rejects at Slough House.

In which era of Japanese history is Netflix's 2023 animated series Blue Eye Samurai set?

Maya Erskine voices Mizu and Kenneth Branagh voices the villain Abijah Fowler. The show was created by married couple Amber Noizumi and Michael Green.

In Star Trek: Picard's 2023 final season, Jack is revealed as Picard's son with which character?

Amanda Plummer played the villain Vadic. The ten-episode season ran on Paramount+ from February to April.

Who won the first Jeopardy! Masters tournament, which aired on ABC in May 2023 with Ken Jennings hosting?

He took home $500,000 and the Trebek Trophy from a six-player field that also included Andrew He and Sam Buttrey.

Which two film stars joined season three of Only Murders in the Building in 2023?

Rudd's Ben Glenroy drops dead on opening night of Oliver's play Death Rattle, and Streep's Loretta Durkin becomes Oliver's love interest.

The Curse (2023) has Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder making an HGTV-style show. In which state is it set?

The town is Española. The finale sends Fielder's Asher floating up into the sky after gravity reverses for him alone.

What happens to Scott in the first episode of Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off?

The story then follows Ramona investigating his vanishing. The 2010 film's cast, including Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, returned as the voices.

Marvel's Secret Invasion (2023) drew backlash over its opening titles because they were made using what?

The timing stung because AI protections were a central issue in the writers' strike then under way. Method Studios said its artists had not been replaced.

In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, what is the name of Midge's manager, played by Alex Borstein?

Borstein won two Emmys for the role. The final season used flash-forwards to show Midge and Susie decades later.

Dominique Fishback plays Dre, murderously obsessed with pop star Ni'Jah, in which 2023 series?

Donald Glover and Janine Nabers created it, and Billie Eilish made her acting debut as a cult leader named Eva.

Which Australian cartoon overtook Cocomelon in 2023 as the most popular children's program in the US?

The Blue Heeler puppy's dad Bandit is an archaeologist and mum Chilli works in airport security. The show is made by Ludo Studio in Queensland.

In the 2023 revival of which 1984-92 sitcom does Melissa Rauch play Abby Stone, taking over her late father's bench?

John Larroquette returned as Dan Fielding, now a public defender rather than the prosecutor he was in the original.

Who hosted the 80th Golden Globes in January 2023, the ceremony's return to TV after a year off air?

Abbott Elementary tied for the most awards of the night with three; House of the Dragon took Best Drama Series.

Idris Elba plays a negotiator on a hijacked Dubai-London flight in which 2023 Apple TV+ thriller?

Each of the seven episodes covers roughly an hour of the flight, Kingdom Airlines 29, in near real time.

Which two actors star as memory-wiped spies Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh in Prime Video's Citadel?

With a $300 million budget for six episodes, the first season is one of the most expensive TV series ever made.

In Prime Video's 2023 Dead Ringers, Rachel Weisz plays twin doctors of what speciality?

The Mantle twins are gender-flipped versions of the characters Jeremy Irons played in David Cronenberg's 1988 film.

FUBAR (2023) gave which film star his first leading role in a scripted live-action TV series?

He plays Luke Brunner, a CIA operative who discovers his daughter Emma is also secretly a CIA agent.

In Black Mirror's 'Joan Is Awful', which actress plays Joan in the TV show made of Joan's life?

The episode's fictional streamer, Streamberry, parodies Netflix, which Charlie Brooker said had no objection to the portrayal.

Love & Death, starring Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery, is set in which Texas town?

Max announced in June 2023 that it had become the service's most-watched original limited series globally.

Betty Gilpin plays a nun battling an artificial intelligence in which 2023 Peacock series?

Co-created by Lost's Damon Lindelof, it premiered at SXSW before its Peacock debut in April 2023.

Who plays Purdue Pharma's Richard Sackler in Netflix's 2023 opioid drama Painkiller?

Uzo Aduba leads as investigator Edie Flowers, and Peter Berg directed the whole miniseries.

Which Alicia Keys song, reworked for Queen Charlotte, earned an MTV VMA nomination?

Kris Bowers's score reinterprets pop songs in a classical style; the series hit number one in 91 countries in its first week.