2023 felt more like a sequel to the previous year than a fresh start. A continuation rather than an evolution. And that’s been reflected a bit in my personal entertainment highlights of the year.

As we all increasingly rely on the personalised recommendations tailored by algorithms, it requires more effort to actually find things outside our comfort zone. And if you’re worn down by challenging times, it’s a lot easier to just accept what you’re being spoonfed, or to rely on the comfort of binging on familiar music and TV.

There’s nothing wrong with returning to the familiar, but the era of individualism means you can’t rely on a late night radio show or TV appearance causing everyone to suddenly discover a band and insist you listen to them immediately the next day.

Dan’s Disposable 2023: Watching

When it came to TV, the year started with Season 3 of Jack Ryan on Amazon, followed by Season 4 in the summer, as Jim from The Office continued his watchable new spy career. Along with the entire run of Justified and this year’s Justified: City Primeval. And from the Elmore Leonard adaptation, I moved onto Season 2 of Reacher, based on the Lee Child books, and featuring the sizeable presence of Alan Ritchson as the title character.

But the standout spy thriller and adaptation of the year has to be Season 3 of Slow Horses. As Gary Oldman once again manages to make Jackson Lamb somehow endearingly uncomfortable to watch, it also provides a remarkably calm yet tension-filled showdown away from the gunfire.

If the third season of Ted Lasso was the end, then it went out with some brilliant moments despite the typical internet naysayers. And Colin From Accounts is a great new Australian comedy to fill some of the void, along with the second series of Good Omens.

Both Gen V and I’m a Virgo are queued up on my watchlist now that I’ve finally caught up with Picard, various Star Wars series, and the Marvel franchises.

But the TV pick of the year has to be Season 2 of The Bear. After being one of my highlights of 2022 when it debuted, having established characters and settings allowed it to go deeper, harder and in a few different directions. Most notably during the incredible Christmas episode, but also in fleshing out more of the cast, particularly focusing on the previously pretty unlikeable Richie Jerimovich, and the slightly anonymous Marcus.

When it comes to films, Qaz and I both agree on the brilliance of Everything Everywhere All At Once. If you haven’t seen it yet for any reason, you really should.

I also enjoyed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with Nicolas Cage more than his work in Willy’s Wonderland. Finally catching up with the endless stream of Marvel products confirmed Thor: Ragnarok is probably the best at balancing drama and comedy (although Guardian of the Galaxy 3 is there with it). And a lot of time was spent clearing out recordings, or introducing my son to classic Jackie Chan films with classics including The Young Master, Armour of God and more currently available on Amazon Prime.

Dan’s Disposable 2023: Reading

I faltered a bit with reading enough away from a screen this year, and have a big pile of books to get through in 2024.

Having picked up an enormous stack of classic sci-fi in a charity shop haul, I finally read The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin, and can agree with the recognition and awards it’s received since being originally published in 1974. It’s one of the best books I’ve read where little actually happens to the protagonists, but sparks plenty of thoughts in the reader.

Away from science fiction, Burma ’44 gave me an insight into the experiences of my late grandfather during World War 2, and made me wish I’d made more effort to speak to him about it. And for a gentle encouragment to get out and walk more, there’s Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman.

Dan’s Disposable 2023: Listening

Age and the availability of music through streaming platforms has made it much harder to identify recent releases from the fresh discoveries of songs and artists that everyone else knew about decades ago. Or diving into back catalogues that I hadn’t investigated.

But along with finally going through everything released by the likes of Mary Timony and Martha Wainwright, some recent releases I’ve been returning to on a regular basis include:

• boygenius “the record”
• Deerhoof “Miracle Level”
• The Mountain Goats “Jenny from Thebes”
• Lankum “False Lankum”
• Greta Van Fleet “Starcatcher”
• Anohni “My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross”
• Metallica “72 Seasons”
• Cherry Glazer “I Don’t Want You Anymore”
• Dengue Fever “Ting Mong”
• Dream Wife “Social Lubrication”
• Anti-Flag “Lies They Tell Our Children”
• Death Pill “Death Pill”
• Rancid “Tomorrow Never Comes”
• Dropkick Murphys “Okemah Rising”
• Muireann Bradley “I Kept These Old Blues”

And I’m slowly coming to terms with the recent announcement that The Screaming Females are calling it a day after 18 years.

Dan’s Disposable 2023: Playing

Given that I wrote about my strange obsession with Football Manager, it’s no surprise that the final iteration of the current game engine has been a part of my life for a while.

The new Forza Motorsport prompted me to finally spend some reward points on the Games Pass for PC, and once I’d recovered from realising that it’s easier to let the game play itself to level up cars, I did enjoy discovering Sea of Thieves 2023 Edition at the insistance of my son. And having him coach me through the trials and tribulations of piracy on the high seas.

Sim racing continues to be a big part of my gaming, with iRacing, Automobilista 2 and Assetto Corsa all letting me enjoy my biggest purchase of the year (some Thrustmaster T-LCM pedals ahead of a wheel upgrade in 2024). And the constant flood of free mods for Assetto Corsa mean I can drive anything from a 1920s Delage at Autodrome de Miramas, to driving through traffic on the Gunsai Touge route in a Nissan Skyline GTR34.

But I have enjoyed some less serious racing games, including Super Woden GP 2 and Karting Superstars. And while I’ve invested too much time in Apex Legends to quit entirely, The Finals has provided an alternative for quick FPS games.

Honourable mentions also go to the Papa’s Quiz for some lightweight triva games over Christmas using our mobile phones as controllers, Stardew Valley for time with my partner as I endlessly water plants while she goes off exploring, and the annual winter special event prompting me to relax with some Euro Truck Simulator 2, delivering Christmas gifts and using the in-game streaming radio to enjoy a Swedish rock station as I trundle down the motorways of Europe.

Plans for 2024:

After spending 2023 in what felt like a holding pattern, I’m already keen to get started on my reading list for next year. Including distributing various books around the house so I can dip into them more regularly.

I’m slowly deleting things I’ll never get around to watching from various lists and recording devices, although I’m still eagerly awaiting Masters of the Air finally appearing on Apple TV.

And I’m planning to add at least one new album each week into my regular work playlist to ensure a longer list of discoveries in 2024, along with potentially writing about some of my deep dives into the back catalogue of notable artists.