The Best Miniseries, TV Movies, and Specials of 2017

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 26, 2017

Above are the highest-scoring special TV programs—including "limited" series, made-for-TV-movies, and one-off specials—debuting in the United States between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Titles 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 regular TV series will be ranked in a separate list coming later this week.)

8 of 16 photo by Byron Cohen/FX

81 FEUD: Bette and Joan (FX)

(#8) Ryan Murphy's latest anthology series didn't quite kick off with as strong a start as American Crime Story, but it's still an impressive debut that collected 18 Emmy nominations. FEUD, as the title would suggest, aims to examine some of recent history's most infamous feuds, and this first season focuses on the rivalry between Hollywood stars Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during and after the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.

Murphy has yet another loaded cast that also includes Stanley Tucci, Judy Davis, Alfred Molina, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, and Kiernan Shipka. Look for a second installment, focusing on Charles and Diana, in 2018.

“Feud gives you the glamour and grit of old Hollywood and the joy of watching Sarandon and Lange duke it out in their best roles in years.” —Robert Rorke, New York Post

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