Best-Reviewed New TV Shows 2018

The cream of the 2018’s freshman TV crop runs the gamut from dark comedies to slice-of-life docuseries, from slow-burn murder-mysteries to cat-and-mouse spy stories and on. The year’s top shows feature film superstars (Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Hugh Grant), groundbreaking casts (see: Vida‘s Latinx representation and the largest-ever group of trans actors as series regulars on Pose), and award-winning performances (Bill Hader and Henry Winkler’s Emmy-winning turns in Barry and Golden Globe–winning leading lady Sandra Oh in Killing Eve). In the end, Amazon series Homecoming, from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, topped them all.

The order of the rank below reflects the Adjusted Score as of December 31, 2018. Scores might change over time.

Homecoming: Season 1 (2018)
98%

#1

Adjusted Score: 105132%

Critics Consensus: An impressive small-screen debut for Julia Roberts, Homecoming balances its haunting mystery with a frenetic sensibility that grips and doesn't let go.

Starring: Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Sissy Spacek

Directed By: Sam Esmail, Matt Lieber, Alex Blumberg, Chris Giliberti

Barry: Season 1 (2018)
98%

#2

Adjusted Score: 103653%

Critics Consensus: PTSD and comedy make strangely endearing bedfellows in Barry, which proves more poignant than its sketch show premise.

Starring: Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg

Directed By: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Hiro Murai, Alec Berg

Killing Eve: Season 1 (2018)
96%

#3

Adjusted Score: 103457%

Critics Consensus: Seductive and surprising, Killing Eves' twist on the spy vs. spy conceit rewards viewers with an audaciously entertaining show that finally makes good use of Sandra Oh's talents.

Starring: Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw, Kim Bodnia

Directed By: Damon Thomas, Jon East, Harry Bradbeer

Cobra Kai: Season 1 (2018)
100%

#4

Adjusted Score: 102985%

Critics Consensus: Cobra Kai continues the Karate Kid franchise with a blend of pleasantly corny nostalgia and teen angst, elevated by a cast of well-written characters.

Starring: William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan

Vida: Season 1 (2018)
100%

#5

Adjusted Score: 102407%

Critics Consensus: Vida explores familiar familial ground from a fresh perspective to create an earnest and heartfelt take on identity and what it means to belong.

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Maria-Elena Laas

Directed By: Rose Troche, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Alonso Ruizpalacios, Catalina Aguilar Mastretta

Sharp Objects: Miniseries (2018)
92%

#6

Adjusted Score: 101565%

Critics Consensus: A nearly unbearable slow burn, Sharp Objects maintains its grip with an unshakably grim atmosphere and an outstanding cast led by a superb Amy Adams.

Starring: Amy Adams, Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, David Sullivan

Directed By: Jason Blum, Charles Layton, Jessica Rhoades, Amy Adams

Pose: Season 1 (2018)
96%

#7

Adjusted Score: 101750%

Critics Consensus: Charged with energy, poise, and confidence, Pose pirouettes between artistic opulence and deliciously soapy drama to create a fresh new addition to Ryan Murphy's lexicon.

Starring: Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek, Michaela Rodriguez

Directed By: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Nina Jacobson

A Very English Scandal: Miniseries (2018)
97%

#8

Adjusted Score: 101598%

Critics Consensus: Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw impress in A Very English Scandal, an equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society.

Starring: Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw, Alex Jennings, David Bamber

Directed By: Stephen Frears, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Diarmuid McKeown

Random Acts of Flyness: Season 1 (2018)
100%

#9

Adjusted Score: 101033%

Critics Consensus: Random Acts of Flyness' poignant political poetry plays in harmony with its frenetic absurdist humor to create a singular musical television experience.

Starring: Terence Nance

Directed By: Terence Nance, Tamir Muhammad, Jamund Washington, Kishori Rajan

America to Me: Season 1 (2018)
100%

#10

Adjusted Score: 101277%

Critics Consensus: America to Me confronts hard questions through candid moments in a Chicago high school, crafting an exploration of race and class relations in America that is as insightful as it is inspiring.

Starring:

Directed By: Steve James, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Steve James