The Best TV Shows You Absolutely Can Not Miss
More than 500 scripted television series will air in 2018 alone. With so much to see and see in the coming months, we had to share the best of the best these networks have to offer. Some shows are returning to the screen after a hiatus, while some are brand-spanking' new. Either way, you can't afford to miss any of them. Whether your jam is romance, suspense, thrill, or drama — here are the shows to add to your queue this year!
Sherlock
Finally, after waiting three years to see Benedict Cumberbatch's face as Sherlock again, the time came in January 2017. Season 4 of Sherlock was rumored to be the best yet with shocking romances, hidden secrets and guess what? It totally delivered.
The season started off on a shocking note, killing off Mary in the first episode. This, along with the other episode's drama left fans wanting more. Luckily, it looks like we may get a new series of Sherlock (or at least a special) in December 2018. This has last fans everywhere speculating what we can expect this time around. While some believe there will be a time jump, others have suggested season 5 will focus on Rose Watson and her detective skills.
The Young Pope
As the Vatican's biggest nightmare, Jude Law functions as the world's youngest and first ever American Pope in HBO's new series The Young Pope. Controversy is sparked by both his background and his hungry, unholy personality that lurks underneath his seemingly untainted papal regalia, Law as Pope Pius XIII is said to be the perfect person for the role.
Gliding his way through his holy duties unseen and unheard, Law projects a secret onto the screen that he is only willing to share with Sister Mary, played by Diane Keaton. The 10-episode series began airing in late 2016 and is definitely not one to miss! If you've already seen the series and loved it, don't worry — season 2 starts filming in Fall 2018.
Scandal
If you have yet to treat yourself to the real background of American politics through the eyes of Kerry Washington's warriors, do yourself a favor and watch this show.
Devious scandals, drugs, and lies are just some of the happier moments found on the ABC show. The real story of Olivia Pope's messy past keeps her involvement with the (married) President of the United States eventful, to say the least. Season 7 of Scandal began ended on April 19, 2018. If you've never tuned into the series, it definitely requires a binge session of Seasons 1-6 but it's more than worth your time.
Riverdale
CW, famously known for taking on comic book series, is at again but this time with an Archie-related spin-off called Riverdale, that was even written by Archie Comic chief creative Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
In a darker more grim version of the comics, Riverdale is that typical town that looks perfect on the outside but has evil lurking in its shadows that reveals murder, scandal and more. Once a local friend of Archie's is killed and he is asked to keep quiet about it by a romantic link, he begins to second guess every piece of the town he thought he could safely call home. Riverdale premiered January 26, 2017, on the CW and season 2 followed in October. Fans will be happy to hear that the beloved series in returning for season 3 in October 2018.
24: Legacy
As a spin-off series on Fox's legendary 24, Legacy will follow the story of war hero Eric Carter three years after the events of 24 Live Another Day have taken place.
After leading the mission to take down terrorist Sheik Ibrahim Bin-Khalid, the ex-Army ranger becomes aware that his squad mates and himself are targets of an assassination attack. Desperate for help, Carter seeks the help of CTU to stop one of the largest terrorist attacks in U.S. history. The program aired following the Super Bowl on February 5, 2017. Unfortunately, it was renewed for a second season but is still worthy of your queue.
Legion
One of most highly anticipated shows on our list is the long-awaited prequel series Legion to Marvel's X-Men film empire. David Haller, the mutant son of Charles Xavier, believed all of his life that he suffered from schizophrenia until he made contact with another patient by the name of Sydney Barrett.
Once making contact with Barrett, Haller believed that the two traded places physically and that's when things start to get weird. His doctors start to realize that David's power may be more than they can handle as one of the most powerful mutants they had encountered so far and it's up to David to make the next move. The 8-episode series aired February 8th, 2017 on FX and season 2 began in April 2018. If you're a fan, you're in luck as the series was picked up for another season set to release in 2019.
Girls
As the final chapter of HBO's series Girls, Hannah's ego is yet again out of control, but this time she seems to be channeling it in the right direction: her career. With Marney sleeping with both Desi and Ray, Jessa is still happy with Hannah's true love Adam. Meanwhile, Shoshanna is still on the search to find her well-paid destiny- the final chapter could in fact, be the best.
Finally, in the trailer, we see Hannah accepting her anal, self-absorbed overweight personality as a tool to reach others with her gift of writing and we're excited to see the obstacles that the ladies must overcome towards their end together onscreen. The final season of Girls aired on HBO on February 12th.
Planet Earth II
For years now BBC's Planet Earth has granted us access to the wild and exotic parts of the planet, home to some of the most majestic and even endangered animals.
So imagine our excitement when we hear that Planet Earth II is set to give us even more vulnerable footage of the beautiful beasts in their natural habits, unharmed and left alone from man. And what could make this life-changing show any better? How about the world famous, bone-chilling Hanz Zimmer orchestra behind all of the captivating moments of the wild? Yep, that will do it. Planet Earth II began airing on October 9, 2016.
Game of Thrones: Reign
Duh, of course, Game of Thrones made the cut for Season 7: Reign. Unfortunately, we already had to wait until late Spring 2017 to see it. With the new queen in place, we got the answers to most of our looming questions.
Was Sansa plotting against Snow with Littlefinger? Now that we knew that Jon Snow is Daenerys's nephew, was his title as King of the North in jeopardy? Now that most of us have finished Reign, we wait patiently for the next season, which is set to appear in early 2019. Stay tuned for yet another season of betrayal, bloodshed, and romance.
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery premiered in late 2017 and Bryan Fuller was no longer in charge. Discovery functions as a prequel to the Star Trek series, exploring a "previously mentioned event from the history of Star Trek as they discover new worlds and civilizations."
With a diverse cast set in place for the epic series and big names such as Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, and Anthony Rapp, the program is excellent. We are definitely looking forward to the release of season 2 in the coming year and cannot wait to see which other "tiny details" we overlooked in the enterprise.
Feud
Playing off of the completely obvious rivalry between 1920's and '30s actresses Joan Crawford and Better Davis, Ryan Murphy's Feud has Sarandon and Lange in a whole new light.
The women who once played a role in the iconic and classic thriller, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (that only Davis received an Oscar nomination for) are back. Feud displays the two actresses fighting for the titles of Hollywood while trying to maintain their individual personal lives. This star-studded cast equipped with Lange, Sarandon, Sara Paulson, Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci and Judy Davis has everyone talking about Crawford and Davis again. Season 1 aired on March 5, 2017, and season 2 will premiere later this year.
The Mick
As the most dysfunctional aunt ever, and perfect for the role, Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson is Aunt McKenzie, aka Mickey, in Fox's new The Mick. After her sister and brother-in-law are indicted and flee the country, Mickey stays around to make sure her two nephews and niece are "well taken care of," but runs into some trouble along the way.
With her alcoholic, hot mess personality, Mick gets herself into all kinds of mischief in this hilarious sitcom that began airing in January 2017 on Fox. Sadly, Fox canceled Mick after two seasons in 2018 much to the dismay of fans everywhere. Still, if you haven't added this sleeper hit to your queue, get on it.
Taboo
Much can be said for the onscreen heartthrob Tom Hardy, most famously known for his iconic action role in Mad Max: Fury Road. But, what is to be said about Hardy's newest role as long-lost and now-found 18th-century shipping empire heir James Delaney?
Playing the typical prodigal son that returns "from the dead," Hardy must trudge his way through his late father's skeletons, enemy paths, and bloodshed, all to compete with the East India Trading Company while claiming vengeance over the criminals who stole his father from him. FX with the help of Hardy, Ridley Scott, and Steven Knight, bring you Taboo.
Six
The History Channel has brought us the story of left-behind former Seal Team Six troop chief official Richard Taggert and the lengths men of his stature are willing to go to retrieve him.
After being captured in a girls' school in Nigeria, the men of his former troop, in the most elite special operations team in the world, attempt to rescue the great man- no matter the cost. Although it is hard to depict the day-to-day struggles that the toughest, most elite fleet in the United States Military must go through, there is no channel better than the History Channel to attempt its greatness.
Snowfall
Although we had to wait awhile to see FX's Snowfall, it was worth the wait. Set in the ever-growing crack-cocaine era of the 1980s, the 10-episode drama depicts the horrors of the drug industry and its effect on the world, specifically Los Angeles.
After running a second pilot back in 2016 on Showtime that was less than pleasing to the network, director and producer John Singleton rewrote, recast, and reshot the drama series. Snowfall features a Crash-like scenario with a troubled entrepreneur, and a Mexican wrestler caught up with drug lord drama. Combine that with an obsessed CIA agent determined to right the wrongs of the city and a daughter of a crime lord with questionable motives, Snowfall is well-loved for a reason.
The Deuce
Ever since its beginning, the adult film industry has been an unstoppable force. So who better to harness its raw power than HBO? In The Deuce, we see the industry near its starting point, set in the 1970s. The drama unfolds as the characters played by James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Anwan Glover experience the downward effects of the industry.
Drugs, violence and the rise of HIV are just a few of the hurdles these characters face. Based on the true story of the Martino brothers, we have truly been enjoying The Deuce since it aired in September 2017.
Big Little Lies
HBO has taken the rich lives of Bravo's Real Housewives to the next level in the new series, Big Little Lies, which aired February 18, 2017.Based on the hit novel, three mothers of first-graders seem to have happy marriages, big homes, and nice cars. But behind the curtain, there are always underlying problems that bring the drama.
This action-packed comedy-drama is full of stars like Witherspoon, Dunn, Woodley, Kravitz, and Kidman and has become one of the most thrilling drama series of the year. The cliff-hanger trailer really had us all wondering what crazy situations these women will get into, but even more about what they are willing to do to get out of them. If you've yet to indulge in this hit, get on it as season 2 premiered in March of this year.
Shots Fired
Movements surrounding issues of race, such as Black Lives Matter have been circulating our country and are beyond controversial. In Shots Fired, Fox took the drama and emotion that the public has felt for this movement and turned it into a series.
In Fox's new Shots Fired, a Caucasian male is shot by an African-American deputy, which sends the city, located in North Carolina, into an uproar. Two government investigators played by Sanaa Lathan and Stephan James seek justice until the truth behind the corrupt fleet is revealed, no matter how deep they have to dig or how dark the secrets get. Shots Fired premiered on March 22, 2017 and ran through May. Although it's not clear if the show will be picked up for a second season, this is definitely one to add to your list if you haven't already.
Crashing
The brilliantly named new HBO series, Crashing, first aired on February 19, 2017, and plays into all different avenues of humanity amongst New Yorkers.
Crashing as a husband when his wife cheated on him, crashing on stage as a struggling comic, and crashing on his friend's couches, the comedy series plays on the tough times in life that seem to kick you when you're already down. As main character Pete, played by Pete Holmes, attempts to pull his life back together using the art of comedy, he is thrust into the unforgiving reality of the industry struggling to make his way, surrounded by fellow hilarious comics trying to do the same. Season 2 premiered in January 2018 and the show has been picked up for a third season.
Room 104
From the brilliant minds of comic and acting brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, HBO's Room 104 aired on July 28, 2017. It was so well-received it was picked up for a second season the following month.
Featuring individuals staying in average American hotel rooms, (each episode featuring different people) the comedy series is meant to tease and poke fun at our experiences while traveling, and, as Mark puts it, they are attempting to "find magic in the mundane." This out-of-the-box concept was birthed after the brothers' Togetherness two-season series was canceled. After the success of season 1 and what we have seen these two accomplish on The Mindy Project, we are excited to see how hilarious season 2 will be.
