I continue to do an excellent job of posting nothing here except for my year-end round-ups. A+, Mala! Way to go. So what did 2023 afford me? Fifty-two TV/streaming shows (with 11 DNFs), around 25 feature films, and 187 books read. Yes, I have ADHD and am on the autism spectrum. How’d you guess? Anyway, despite all of this diligent note-taking, I still forgot half of what I consumed. So I’ll probably keep tweaking this list well into 2024.

Favorite Books
The Art of Scandal by Regina Black
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston
The Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Favorite Shows
The Artful Dodger
The Bear
The Equalizer
The Muppets Mayhem
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Superman & Lois
Will Trent

Memorable Movies
Barbie
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Jawan
The Marvels
M3gan
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
Polite Society
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Sanctuary
Slotherhouse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Ensemble: The Bear, Barbie, The Equalizer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Favorite Lead Actresses: Keri Russell, The Diplomat; Bitsie Tulloch, Superman & Lois; Ayo Edebiri, The Bear; Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face; Maia Mitchell, The Artful Dodger; Shanola Hampton, Found.

Favorite Lead Actors: Ranveer Singh, Rocky Aur Rani; Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Artful Dodger; Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us; Giancarlo Esposito, Kaleidoscope; Bruce Greenwood, The Fall of the House of Usher.

Favorite Supporting Actors: Michael Bishop, Superman & Lois; Dan Feuerriegel, Days of Our Lives, Dominic Zamprogna, General Hospital; Olly Sholotan, Bel-Air.

Favorite Supporting Actresses: Lorraine Toussaint, The Equalizer; Annika Noelle, The Bold and the Beautiful; Cynthia Watros, General Hospital.

Favorite Scene Stealers: Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie; Carla Gugino as Verna in The Fall of the House of Usher; Iman Vellani as Kamala in The Marvels.

Best Villains: Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Sir on Found; Linden Ashby as Cameron Kirsten, The Young and the Restless.

Favorite ‘Ships: Dante & Sam, General Hospital; Jack & Belle, The Artful Dodger; Archer & Asher, Chicago Med; La’An & Kirk, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Will & Angie, Will Trent; Jazz & Hilary, Bel-Air; Thomas & Hope, The Bold and the Beautiful; Kaz & Inej, Shadow & Bone.

Favorite Throwback Show: Scarecrow & Mrs. King. I got through two and a half seasons and I’m still going. I’m shocked at how well it aged, considering it came out in the early 1980s.

Best Pop Culture Surprises: Just how damn delightful The Muppets Mayhem was; the whole gang getting back together on ST: Picard; the flerkens in The Marvels.

Biggest Pop Culture Disappointments: Justified: City Primeval (aside from a certain cameo); Secret Invasion; that the Marvels tanked at the box office.

Canceled Shows I’m Already Missing: Gossip Girl, The Muppets Mayhem, Superman & Lois, Willow, and the Six of Crows show that’s never going to happen.

2023’s Pop Culture Crushes: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Days of Our Lives‘ Xander Kiriakis as played by one Paul Telfer,