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.)

19 of 21 photo by Screengrab/AMC

76 #19: The Terror

This 10-episode AMC adaptation of the novel by Dan Simmons is loosely inspired by true events—specifically, the Royal Navy's 19th century search for the Northwest Passage—though it adds a bit of a supernatural/psychological horror element to the wintry proceedings. (There's a reason it's titled The Terror.) Produced by Ridley Scott, the series stars Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, and Ciarán Hinds.

AMC will turn the Terror brand into an ongoing horror anthology series. The second season (likely arriving next fall) will tell an unrelated story, set in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II.

“This grueling but rewarding 10-part series from Ridley Scott's company is like a Masterpiece version of a classic horror movie: literate and philosophical, yet shocking but terrifically scary.” —Matt Roush, TV Guide Magazine

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