Best-Reviewed Returning TV Shows 2018
The widely varied top 10 — comedies, dramas, spy thrillers, even an animated show — that landed on our shortlist of top returning TV all have a history of excellence: every single season of each series has been Certified Fresh. And this year, Donald Glover and his Atlanta crew have taken the No. 1 spot. (The series was awarded Golden Tomatoes for both best new TV show and best TV comedy for season 1 in 2016.)
The order of the rank below reflects the Adjusted Score as of December 31, 2018. Scores might change over time.
Adjusted Score: 101.75%
Critics Consensus: Donald Glover continues to subvert expectations with a sophomore season of Atlanta that proves as excellent as it is eccentric.
Synopsis: In Atlanta Robbin' Season, two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives and the...
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Adjusted Score: 101.9%
Critics Consensus: Fearlessly led by its excellent ensemble, GLOW's second season adds a new layer of drama without sacrificing its self-effacing, delightfully silly humor.
Synopsis: Set in Los Angeles during the 1980s, an unemployed actress hopes to find stardom by portraying a female wrestler....
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Adjusted Score: 102.295%
Critics Consensus: Charming and curious as ever, The Good Place remains a delightfully insightful bright spot on the television landscape.
Synopsis: The first two seasons featured surprise after surprise and twist after twist, including a world-upending season one finale that threw...
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Adjusted Score: 100.682%
Critics Consensus: Well-crafted and compelling as ever, Better Call Saul's fourth season deftly balances the show it was and the one it will inevitably become.
Synopsis: In "Better Call Saul's" fourth season, Chuck's death catalyzes Jimmy McGill's (Odenkirk) transformation into Saul Goodman. In the wake of...
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Adjusted Score: 100.452%
Critics Consensus: The Americans' powerful final season pumps up the volume on an already intense show, concluding the complex series arc with epic familial conflict... and a high body count.
Synopsis: It's 1987, and the Center in USSR is split into two factions: one for supporting Gorbachev and the other for...
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Adjusted Score: 100.835%
Critics Consensus: The Deuce's excellent character-driven drama returns with even more immersive world-building and a welcome focus on its leading ladies, carried by a tour de force performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Synopsis: Disco and punk are in full swing, and police corruption and political tolerance for New York's midtown demimonde is at...
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Adjusted Score: 101.452%
Critics Consensus: Dear White People's endearing excellence returns, but with an added layer of emotional maturity that enhances the show's powerful, relevant meditations on race relations in America.
Synopsis: In the second season of this comedy series, Sam (Logan Browning) finds herself at the epicenter of social media backlash,...
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Adjusted Score: 101.375%
Critics Consensus: Poignantly repulsive, Big Mouth continues to confront the awkwardness of adolescence with foul-mouthed glee and an added layer of maturity.
Synopsis: Growth spurts, or the lack of it, add to the usual tensions faced daily by the middle schoolers of "Big...
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Adjusted Score: 101.145%
Critics Consensus: One Day at a Time continues its ascent into classic sitcom territory without losing sight of its modern identity.
Synopsis: Season 2 of the comedy series tackles issues that are at the forefront of present-day America. Alex (Marcel Ruiz) is...
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Adjusted Score: 101.222%
Critics Consensus: The Bold Type presents an aspirational yet refreshingly realistic portrait of young women's careers, friendships and love lives in a big city.
Synopsis: Ladies working at a global women's magazine navigate life, love and friendship together. Inspired by the life of Cosmopolitan editor...
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