The 22 Must-Watch TV Shows from 2018

We’ve been living in the era of Peak TV long enough to know there’s no such thing as “staying up to date” anymore. The best you can hope for is to stay up-to-date on a very small, but carefully curated selection of everything that’s out there on the small screen. So don’t panic—we’re here to narrow it down for you. Here’s your cheat sheet for the best shows of the year so far.

The less you know about Hannah Gadsby’s revelatory Netflix special before you see it, the better. The power of Gadsby’s set—which is bracingly funny in its exploration of gender, sexuality, and violence—lies not just in razor-sharp observational humor, but in the way it acknowledges the established structure of a standup set, and upends it to devastating effect. This is as essential as 2018 viewing gets. Watch Now

Adapted from the addictive and atmospheric podcast of the same name, this singular Amazon original is part 1970s paranoid thriller, part modern military horror story. Sam Esmail, creator of Mr. Robot, directs all ten episodes of the show, which stars Julia Roberts as a case worker at a mysterious government facility that promises to help soldiers reintegrate into society. Building dread slowly across its dual timelines, Homecoming is a meticulously told story about memory and trauma. Watch Now

Netflix’s fetal position-inducing take on puberty managed to be even funnier—and yes, more uncomfortable—the second time around. The half-hour animated comedy from Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett continued to subject its teen victims to a house of hormone-induced horrors, but it’s the addition of David Thewlis’s Shame Wizard and a brilliant episode revolving around Planned Parenthood that elevates the season to an irrational masterpiece. —Julie Kosin Watch Now

Following its awards-sweeping first run, Amy Sherman-Palladino’s vibrant and sharp-tongued period comedy returned for a second season that doubled down on all of its most charming elements. Rachel Brosnahan’s effervescent performance as Midge, a relentlessly energetic 1950s housewife who finds her true voice as a standup comedian, remains the anchor of the show. But Season 2 gave more breathing room to the entire ensemble—Alex Borstein and Marin Hinkle shine as Midge’s manager and mother respectively—while chronicling Midge’s rocky road towards a real career as a comic. Watch Now

While HBO’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels certainly doesn’t supersede its source material, the series is a faithful, nuanced take on the exquisite, largely-interior books, and worth a watch for performances from newcomers Gaia Girace and Margherita Mazzucco alone. Watch Now

Following her historic Emmy win for her work on Master of None last year, Lena Waithe’s new coming-of-age drama cements her place as one of the most striking and important creative voices of her generation. Set on the South Side of Chicago, The Chi follows a group of teenagers whose lives are all connected by an event that rocks their community, and tells their interwoven story with an infectious warmth and affection for its characters. Watch now

While anybody tuning in for a story about the iconic designer will likely be disappointed—Edgar Ramirez’s Versace is very much a supporting character here—the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s true crime anthology series is a stylish and evocative portrait of a killer and his victims. Darren Criss’s mesmerizing, Emmy-winning performance as the narcissistic, needy sociopath Andrew Cunanan—who murdered five people including Versace in 1997—is one of the most compelling you’ll see all year. Catch up on BAZAAR.com’s comprehensive coverage of the show here. Watch now

Who knew how badly we needed a remake of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy? The decision to trade in the original show’s urban setting for Georgia is key to what makes Netflix’s reboot feel so essential: At a time of unprecedented division in this country, five gay men delivering lifestyle makeovers to people in conservative communities feels deeply powerful. Anchored by the warmth and chemistry between the Fab Five, Queer Eye is binge-able and inspiring, highlighting the power of compassion and connection alongside the power of a French tuck and a thoughtfully redesigned home. By the end of Season 2, you might even forgive Antoni for that greek yogurt/guacamole massacre. Watch Now

The acclaimed first season of Hulu’s devastating, cinematic adaptation was a tough act to follow, particularly because Season 2 required the story to continue beyond the ending of Margaret Atwood’s novel. While not without bumps—the finale in particular left a number of fans frustrated—this sophomore run mostly rose to the challenge, expanding the nightmarish world of Gilead without compromising on claustrophobic, character-driven storytelling. Elisabeth Moss’s ferociously committed performance as June went from strength to strength, but the expanded scope also allowed several supporting characters time in the spotlight. Most significantly, Yvonne Strahovski’s Serena went from one-note villain to nuanced MVP. Catch up on all of BAZAAR.com’s coverage. Watch now

FX’s critically beloved spy thriller came to a haunting and powerful conclusion in its sixth season, which found the Jennings newly divided: Philip (Matthew Rhys) takes a back seat from spy work and attempts to live a normal life, while Elizabeth (Keri Russell) takes on even more work from her KGB handler, racking up a hefty body count in the process. Watch now

Two seasons in, Netflix’s reimagining of Norman Lear’s 1975 family sitcom classic is essential viewing. Hilarious and heartwarming, the show focuses on a close-knit Cuban-American family in LA, led by Justina Machado’s resourceful Penelope, a single mom and veteran. There isn’t a weak link anywhere in the cast, from Machado to Rita Moreno’s glorious performance as Penelope’s fiery mother, and the show touches on issues from racism and immigration to PTSD with skill and subtlety. Watch now

If you watch only one documentary series this year, make it the truly wild story of the controversial guru/cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, builder of a so-called “utopian city” in the Oregon desert, and the dramatic events sparked by the rise of his Rajneeshpuram community. Compelling though every figure in this saga is, it’s Rajneesh’s personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela who emerges as the show’s most fascinating figure. Watch now

Two years after her Fleabag came out of nowhere to win us all over, Phoebe Waller-Bridge returns with one of the year’s most purely entertaining shows: a sly, stylish spy thriller chronicling a cat-and-mouse game between two formidable women. Sandra Oh’s Eve is an unfulfilled MI5 agent whose life is jolted when she comes across Villanelle (Jodie Comer), a sociopathic assassin who seems to take true joy in her work. As their mutual obsession builds, the show balances dry deadpan humor and high drama in a way that feels completely unique. Watch now

Marti Noxon’s bold, provocative drama about a literal war on the patriarchy felt unspeakably timely when it debuted earlier this year, and the sting of its cancellation has only been made worse by recent real-life events. Joy Nash gives a charismatic performance as Plum, a meek ghostwriter for a women’s magazine whose lifelong struggle with her weight unexpectedly steers her toward a group of female vigilantes targeting abusive men. Imperfect and tonally muddled though the first ten episodes were, Dietland felt like a show with seasons worth of potential. This one hurts. Watch now

Ryan Murphy’s latest miniseries for FX made television history this year, assembling the largest cast of transgender actors ever to appear as series regulars on a scripted show. Set in 1980s New York amid the AIDS epidemic, Pose follows its ensemble cast through numerous social circles and scenes, but focuses primarily on ball culture and the members of the fictional House of Evangelista. Taking some inspiration from the landmark 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, Pose is a deeply rewarding show that represents an all-too-rare example of a story told predominantly by trans artists. Watch now

After its strong debut run in 2016, Donald Glover’s boundary-pushing comedy returned with an even more confident, cohesive, and daring second season. While Atlanta: Robbin’ Season still follows the day-to-day life of college dropout Earn (Glover) as he struggles to launch his cousin Paper Boi’s (Brian Tyree Henry) rap career, the second season is so wildly unpredictable that trying to boil it down to a synopsis is impossible. Blending social commentary with surreal tonal leaps, Atlanta breaks just about every rule of traditional TV storytelling, and has infectious fun doing so. Watch now

Bill Hader stars as a downtrodden hit man who discovers his true calling as an actor. Enough said. This new show from Silicon Valley creator Alec Berg lives up to its intriguing premise, walking a razor-thin line between black comedy and bleak drama. Barry works like a kind of Breaking Bad in reverse—a bad guy tries to figure out whether he can be good—and has picked up a handful Emmys to show for it, including wins for Hader and for Henry Winkler’s delightful performance as his acting coach. Watch now

A half-hour drama with TV’s first ever all-Latinx writing staff, Starz’s vibrant and heartfelt Vida is groundbreaking on a lot of levels, exploring themes of sexual identity, heritage and gentrification with poignancy. This gem of a show focuses on Emma (Mishel Prada) and Lyn (Melissa Barrera), two estranged Mexican-American sisters with next to nothing in common who are forced by circumstance to reunite—and examine some startling truths about their family. Watch now

You’re not alone if you saw the trailer for Succession and thought, “I’m good.” But after a glacial start, this HBO dramatic comedy transforms itself into a subversively hilarious dive into the chronic stupidity of the really, really rich. The show follows four siblings brawling over their ailing father’s media empire (you can draw your own conclusions on whom the show is based), with the finale offering one of the richest, most satisfying hours of television this year. —Julie Kosin Watch now

HBO’s psychologically rich adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s debut novel is a gripping and immensely disturbing slow burn, combining an oppressive atmosphere of dread with a striking visual style and soundtrack courtesy of director Jean-Marc Vallée. Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), an unstable journalist with unspoken horrors in her past, reluctantly returns to her hometown to report on a series of murders. But the toxicity of the town—and specifically her own family, led by matriarch Adora (Patricia Clarkson)—threaten to consume her. Watch now

When Michael Schur’s sitcom about a group of mismatched strangers in who find themselves in heaven first debuted in September of 2016, nobody could have predicted how vital it would become. At a time where we increasingly seem to be living in the real-life Bad Place, The Good Place has emerged as a very funny, very comforting story about ethics, the meaning of actions, and the earnest struggle to be a decent person. Following the game-changing twist that defined Season 2, season three picks up with Eleanor and the gang back on earth, proving once again the show’s ability to continually and thrillingly reinvent itself. Watch now

You don’t need me to tell you everything is Really Bad right now. But chef and food writer Samin Nosrat’s extremely binge-able Netflix docuseries, based on her James Beard Award-winning book of the same name, will help you forget that for a few hours. Nosrat tours the world exploring the four elements she believes comprise the perfect meal, offering a compelling argument for taking the time to share a home-cooked meal with the ones you love. (She promises it’s not as hard as it looks.) —Julie Kosin Watch Now

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