The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2018

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 28, 2018

Above are the highest-scoring first-year TV series debuting in the United States between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. Shows are ranked by Metascore (an average of grades from top professional critics on a 0-100 scale) prior to rounding, and any programs with fewer than 7 reviews are excluded. (Note that limited series, as well as TV movies and specials, will be ranked in a separate list arriving this weekend.)

15 of 22 photo by FX

75 #15: Pose

Ryan Murphy's latest FX series is not an anthology, but something much rarer on television: a "dance musical." The groundbreaking period drama explores various aspects of New York life in the late 1980s, centering on ball culture (somewhat like a fictionalized take on Paris Is Burning) but also touching upon other aspects of the decade, including a storyline involving employees of Donald Trump's business empire. While Evan Peters, Kate Mara, and James Van Der Beek may be the most recognizable names attached to the project, the series features the largest LGBTQ cast ever assembled for a scripted TV show—with multiple transgender actors among the series regulars. And, as with Murphy's other shows, the performances are universally terrific. A second season will air in 2019.

“For all of its ballroom flash and diva fierceness, Pose is a sweet, touching drama about finding your family, your purpose, yourself. The number of transgender actors in the cast may have made history, but it’s the humanity of the stories they tell that is truly revolutionary.” —Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly

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