The Best Miniseries, TV Movies, and Specials of 2018

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 29, 2018

Above are the 20 highest-scoring special TV programs—including "limited" series, made-for-TV-movies, and one-off specials—debuting in the United States between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. 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. (Looking for the best regular TV series of 2018? Those are ranked in a separate list.)

Note that Netflix original films (such as Roma and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) generally open in at least a few theaters prior to (or in conjunction with) their streaming debuts, and are excluded here. (They will be eligible for our Best Movies of 2018 list instead.)

11 of 21 photo by Steve Dietl/Netflix

79 #11: The Haunting of Hill House

Horror director Mike Flanagan adds to his already impressive filmography (which includes Gerald's Game and Ouija: Origin of Evil) with this Netflix limited series, which is a very loose, modern-day adaptation of Shirley Jackson's 1959 haunted house novel The Haunting of Hill House (previously adapted twice to the big screen under the name The Haunting, first in 1963 and again in 1999). Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Reaser, and Henry Thomas star in the 10-episode series, which changes the story quite a bit to focus on a group of siblings who grew up in a famed haunted house, splitting time between their childhood and the present day, when the now-grown siblings reunite at the house after a tragedy. It is possible that Hill House could turn into an anthology, with a second season telling a new story, but for now it is a one-time event.

“Via writing, visuals and its cast performances, this new incarnation of 'The Haunting of Hill House' is more than merely superb. It could prove to be the defining horror series of this moment.” —Melanie McFarland, Salon

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