The 20 Best New TV Shows of 2017

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 27, 2017

Above are the highest-scoring first-year TV series debuting in the United States between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. 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, are ranked in a separate list.)

21 of 22 photo by Van Redin

BONUS: Best Returning Shows

Of the returning series that received at least seven reviews this year (and keep in mind that only the most noteworthy of ongoing programs are reviewed in subsequent seasons), these were the highest-scoring:

1. The Leftovers S3 (HBO) 98 (pictured above)

2. Better Things S2 (FX) 96

3. Catastrophe S3 (Amazon) 96

4. The Americans S5 (FX) 94

5. Halt and Catch Fire S4 (AMC) 92

6. Master of None S2 (Netflix) 91

7. Insecure S2 (HBO) 90

8. American Crime S3 (ABC) 90

9. Fargo S3 (FX) 89

10. Veep S6 (HBO) 88

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