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.)

8 of 21 photo by HBO

Thom Zimny (a director of several Bruce Springsteen documentaries and editor on The Wire) directs this two-part HBO documentary film that examines the life and career of the famed music artist, beginning with his childhood and extending to his final recording sessions in 1976. Archival footage and never-before-seen photos are combined with 20 new interviews into a film praised by critics as "probing and thoughtful.".

“Elvis Presley: The Searcher, is a fine demonstration of how the passage of time can help place even the biggest and most overloved superstars into a blessed relief. The film is a calm and deeply empathetic recounting of Presley’s life, split in two. ... A careful mélange of archival film and sonic clarity, The Searcher is a fine reassessment of Presley’s origins and impact.” —Hank Stuever, The Washington Post

Where To Buy
Previous
Next