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.)

13 of 21 photo by Christopher Saunders/SHOWTIME

78 #13: Escape at Dannemora

A change of pace for Ben Stiller, who serves as director and producer, this eight-hour Showtime miniseries is based on a somewhat bizarre real-life event: the daring 2015 escape by two convicted murderers from an upstate New York prison with the assistance of a prison employee who was having affairs with both convicts. Their escape led to a massive manhunt that lasted three weeks and attracted national attention. Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette, and Paul Dano head a cast that also includes Bonnie Hunt and David Morse. The script comes from Ray Donovan vets Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson.

“Escape at Dannemora is a master work of true-crime dramatization, remarkable in that it feels true in a way that even transcends the record of what happened.” —Hank Stuever, The Washington Post

Where To Buy