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.)

7 of 22 photo by Courtesy of Netflix

81 #7: The End of the F***ing World

This eight-episode British series (airing in the UK on Channel 4 and streaming on Netflix elsewhere) is based on Charles Forsman's graphic novel and follows a teen couple on a road trip. The catch? The guy (Alex Lawther, The Imitation Game) is a bit of a psychopath, and he intends to kill the girl (Jessica Barden, Penny Dreadful) at the conclusion of their journey. Critics praised the dark comedy for its pacing and originality, though they weren't uniformly happy that it was renewed for a second season (since the first season ended so well).

“ A surprising tour de force, mashing up the pitch-black humor of British alternative comedies with the visual punch of an auteur-driven indie film.” —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic

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