2018 offered a glimpse at what I can only assume the future will bring. It felt like a new “must-watch” TV show emerged every week, hot takes and conspiracy theories dominated social media, and friendships were forged based on whose streaming services you could snag a password to.
Keeping up with TV is a full-time job, and that’s OK because so much wonderful TV emerged from the glut of content. As Netflix steps closer to total content domination, Hulu and Amazon Prime begin to carve out their places in the streaming landscape, and cable offers a few must-watch treasures that’ll keep you from cutting the cord, there was no time for mediocre, let alone bad, programming. So without further adieu, let’s celebrate all the good out there.
Blind spots: Again, there is a lot of TV out there. It is very, very, very hard to keep up. So, let’s begin with a disclaimer that, obviously, this is not a definitive list of the ten best shows on TV right now — just my favorites.
And as much as I try, I can’t watch it all. So, if it helps better contextualize my list, you should know that I never managed to catch-up on The Americans. By the time it got on my radar, it was just too late into the series for me to catch-up — devoting time to a multii-season series in the Golden Age of TV is just too time consuming.
Similarly, I have not started The Good Place or Schitt’s Creek yet — both shows are Internet favorites, and right up my alley, so I’m planning on starting them in 2019. And, perhaps my biggest shame, is that I’ve yet to start Atlanta. There’s no good excuse, and I plan on remedying it immediately in 2019.
Also, a quick note about a different kind of blindspot: I loved the first season of Ozark, which stood as my fourth favorite show of 2017. But I have not built up an interest in watching a bleak show about terrible people — this year was just too mentally draining, and for some reason I couldn’t get around to it. Sorry, I’m human.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
One Day at a Time: Season 2 (Netflix) | Jane the Virgin: Season 4 (The CW) | Big Mouth: Season 2 (Netflix) | Killing Eve: Season 1 (Hulu)
10. Everything Sucks! (Netflix)
There were many great shows that could have taken this slot, but I’ll use it to highlight a series that just didn’t get enough love in 2018. Everything Sucks! is a wholesome drama that offers something for viewers of all ages, a type of series that the networks have avoided for years. It is also aware that nostalgia is more than just soulless call backs to pop culture fads — this series is incredibly perceptive of how art forges a meaningful connection to its fans, one that might not fully relate to their situation but can somehow be associated with the emotion a moment produces. At only ten episodes, and with a storyline that more or less wrapped up before its untimely season, this bingeable series about a group of nerdy teens trying to find themselves is a must-watch.
Best episode: “Sometimes I Hear My Voice,” in which a Tori Amos concert becomes a life-changing event for closeted teen Kate and the boy who has a crush on her, Luke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf_YjzEvYeQ&t=73s
9. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 3B/4A (The CW)
The mere fact that Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna are being given the chance to end their story on their own terms is a minor miracle. We’ve followed Rebecca’s wild, at times painfully uncomfortable quest to find love, culminating in a devastating suicide attempt and an eventual diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. In 2018, Bloom and McKenna gave viewers a much needed relief: this wonderful series’ final act is about recovery and self acceptance. It’s no less realistic, and can still be quite upsetting, but it’s also inspirational and affirming. No show is better at exploring dating in the 21st century, and no show has ever been as empathetic and educational about mental health. The fact that it’s a musical — and a damned good one at that — is just icing on the cake.
Best episode: “I’m Making Up For Lost Time,” in which the catchy musical numbers and infectious charm of the cast are perfectly woven with a genuinely devastating glimpse of how childhood scars lead to adult problems — all while showing the growth Rebecca has made in four years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNbZN7Kttzg
8. The Haunting of Hill House: Season 1 (Netflix)
Exploring real-world trauma through a horror lens is not exactly the most original story — the book and film that inspired this series did the same exact thing in the 1960s. But Mike Flanagan’s exploration of grief and ghosts feels like a perfect combination of pop culture crazes: the timeline jumps and familial saga of This Is Us meets the genuinely shocking scares of the current horror renaissance.
This is a series that, through its whole run, works as both a family drama and a scary story, never compromising on either genre. It also helps that the uniformly perfect cast of both child and adult actors turn in faultless works. This is also the best possible defense for Netflix’s all-seeing algorithm and distribution model: there is a reason this show became a pop culture phenomenon, and it directly relates to how perfectly calibrated it is to entertain.
Best episode: “The Bent-Neck Lady,” in which the Crane children’s tragic childhoods tie into the main narrative in the most devastating, brilliantly acted way possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9OzG53VwIk&t=10s
7. Dear White People: Season 2 (Netflix)
Once again, Justin Simien transplants the characters from his ambitious directorial debut into a more fully realized world. This is some of the most focused storytelling in comedic television, furthering the narrative from season one while jumping between the perspectives of various characters and further connecting it to the real world through pop culture references and reinterpretations of real-world figures. This ensemble is uniformly phenomenal, but two performances announce major new talents: DeRon Horton as gay journalist Lionel who’s trying to figure out his place in the world as an activist, and Logan Browning as the host of the titular radio show.
Best episode: “Volume 2, Chapter IV,” in which the hot-button topic of abortion is explored with more nuance and sensitivity than any other show this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbCQsA1g3K0
6. Succession: Season 1 (HBO)
Part King Lear, part slapstick, all engrossing. Succession is one of the most confident freshmen seasons to premiere in what feels like an eternity, and one that doesn’t care in the slightest about making you root for its characters. Everyone here is either despicable, painfully stupid, or fast on their way towards becoming one of the two. Freed from the burden of making the audience sympathize with its cast, the writers let loose with shocking plot developments, constantly having the characters hit new lows and taking the drama in genuinely sick directions. It’s a modern Greek tragedy, and an incredibly quotable one at that.
Best episode: “Prague,” in which an ongoing joke about a disgusting sex act is perfectly married to startling character development.
5. Glow: Season 2 (Netflix)
After its stellar first season, Glow didn’t necessarily have to improve. But I’m happy they did. With this season, the series went from “great” to “exemplary,” using its ensemble cast to weave a tapestry filled with fully developed characters set in a world that feels incredibly realistic. Betty Gilpin remains one of the very best performers on TV as the driven Liberty Belle, but Alison Brie, Marc Maron, and Chris Lowell brought new dimensions to their characters this time around. Moreover, it’s just a thoroughly satisfying, entertaining series that brings the energy from 1980s/1990s, character driven cinema and channels it into a more progressive story. This is what blockbuster television is all about.
Best episode: “The Good Twin,” in which we finally get to see what an episode of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling looks like, complete with musical numbers, Cold War comedy, and a killer cliffhanger.
4. Pose: Season 1 (FX)
Put simply: this is the liveliest show on television. This is a gorgeous looking series that blends reference-point costume design with meticulously detailed sets to recreate 1980s NY and plunge viewers into the heart of the AIDS crisis. I say “heart” because this is not a series about pain, but one of resilience and passion. With its ensemble of gifted performers, including the stunning Billy Porter and magnetic instant-star Mj Rodriguez, you will fall in love with these terrific characters. From the first Whitney Houston number to the perfect final dance, this is necessary viewing and perhaps the best depiction of the LGBTQ+ community ever on fictional television.
Best episode: “Mother of the Year,” in which the final showdown between houses stands out as one of the most entertaining sequences of the year.
3. American Vandal: Season 2 (Netflix)
Discovering the joys of American Vandal is almost a religious experience. As with its first season, this is a finely tuned masterwork that functions both as a hilarious spoof of true-crime documentaries, and a genuinely compelling mystery. But in its sophomore season, the show worked on an even deeper level: it provided a genuinely emotional look at what it’s like to grow up in the age of social media, poking fun at its subjects but never passing judgement. There won’t be a show like American Vandal for quite some time — if ever again.
Best episode: “The Dump,” in which all of the elements are finally tied together in a satisfying conclusion that also serves as an emotional catharsis for anyone who cares about their social media presence.
2. Sharp Objects (HBO)
While understandably sold as a Southern-fried mystery, Gillian Flynn’s latest adaptation operates better as a Shakesperean tragedy. This is the story of a troubled woman investigating the murder of young girls, yes. But it’s also the story of three women processing familial trauma — and how their fates are almost inescapable due to the ripple effects of the misogyny embedded deep within American culture and history. The brilliant Amy Adams is a perfect fit for talented storytellers like Marti Noxon and Jean-Marc Vallée, while Patricia Clarkson gives a career-best performance and Eliza Scanlen emerges as a star to watch.
Best episode: “Closer,” in which the town’s “Southern Pride” festival opens a darkly funny window into the twisted, frighteningly realistic world these characters inhabit.
1. Barry: Season 1 (HBO)
The “brooding male antihero” subgenre that defined the first part of the Golden Age of Television gets a major update with Barry, whose stunningly confident first season re-introduces us to Bill Hader as one of the era’s best storytellers. With its high concept premise (a hitman with a midlife crisis decides to take an acting class), the show’s evolution from hilarious comedy to genuinely crushing character study is gradual but no less effective. Its early episodes are fun and quotable; its final installments reach Breaking Bad levels of suspense, without skimping on laughs. There is nothing else quite like it.
Best episode: “Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice,” in which Sarah Goldberg gifts us with one of the best acted moments of 2018 across any medium as her hopeful actress has an audition from hell.
And that’s all, folks! Stay tuned for next week, when the rest of The Pop Break’s staff weighs in on the best shows of 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b09aJdWqVp4
