Entertainment

The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018  

Ranker TV
28.8k votes 2.8k voters 53.8k views 160 items

List Rules Only brand new TV shows and online series that premiered Season 1 between January 1 and December 31, 2018.

If you're getting bored with ongoing storylines in longstanding television programs, you may be on the hunt for some good new 2018 TV shows. Luckily, plenty of great shows made their debut this year. From new Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video original series to premium cable miniseries, plenty of 2018 TV shows will have you hooked fast.

Given the current popularity of the dystopian narrative, it's no surprise many shows that premiered in 2018 take place in a dismal futuristic setting. Altered Carbon, for example, is a sci-fi drama that takes place 250 years in the future. Reality series continue to be a staple of the airwaves, with shows like Love & Hip Hop: Miami, The Four: Battle for Stardom, and The Bachelor Winter Games taking off. Other 2018 TV premieres include Black Lightning, The Chi, and The Alienist. 

What are the best new shows of 2018? Vote up the highest quality programs below, and add your favorite 2018 series if they are missing from the list. Then check out the best new shows of 2019.

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26
Siren is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Eline Powell, Alex Roe, Ian Verdun
Siren (Freeform, 2018) is an American television drama series created by Eric Wald and Dean White. When a mysterious girl (Eline Powell) arrives in the coastal town of Bristol Cove, she proves ...more
27
Cloak & Dagger is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Olivia Holt, Aubrey Joseph, Andrea Roth
Cloak & Dagger (Freeform, 2018) is an American cable television series created by Joe Pokaski, based on the Marvel Comics characters. Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey ...more
28
The Terror is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Raziel Sarafin Reaver added Derek Mio, George Takei, Jared Harris
The Terror (AMC, 2018) is an anthology television series created by David Kajganich and Soo Hugh, based on the novel by Dan Simmons. The first season follows a crew of a Royal Naval expedition ...more
29
The Purge is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Gabriel Chavarria, Lili Simmons, Lee Tergesen
The Purge (Syfy, 2018) is an American horror television series based on the film franchise. Set in an altered United States, several unrelated people discover how far they will go to survive a ...more
30
Good Girls is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, Retta
Good Girls (NBC, 2017) is an American crime comedy-drama series created by Jenna Bans. Struggling to make ends meet, three suburban housewives (Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman) ...more
31
Station 19 is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Jaina Lee Ortiz, Jason George, Grey Damon
Station 19 (ABC, 2018) is an American action-drama television series created by Stacy McKee, and the second spinoff of Grey's Anatomy. The professional and personal lives of a group of heroic ...more
32
Deception is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Jack Cutmore-Scott, Ilfenesh Hadera, Amaury Nolasco
Deception (ABC, 2018) is an American crime procedural drama created by Chris Fedak. After his career as a magician is ruined by scandal, Las Vegas illusionist Cameron Black (Jack Cutmore-Scott) ...more
33
Krypton is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Cameron Cuffe, Georgina Campbell, Ian McElhinney
Krypton (SyFy, 2018) is an American television series developed by David S. Goyer and Damian Kindler. Set 200 years before Superman's birth on the planet Krypton, the show centers on Kal-El's ...more
34
The Crossing is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Steve Zahn, Sandrine Holt, Natalie Martinez
The Crossing (ABC, 2017) is an American science fiction thriller series created by Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie. Refugees from a war-torn America 250 years in the future start showing up to seek ...more
35
For the People is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Britt Robertson, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Ben Rappaport
For the People (ABC, 2018) is an American legal drama created by Paul William Davies. In the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Federal Court,” brand new lawyers working for both the defense ...more
36
Mayans MC is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
J. D. Pardo, Edward James Olmos, Jacqueline Obradors
Mayans MC (FX, 2018) is an American drama television series created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, and a spinoff of Sons of Anarchy. EZ Reyes (J. D. Pardo), a former golden boy now fresh out of ...more
37
Everything Sucks is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Peyton Kennedy, Jahi Winston, Patch Darragh
Everything Sucks (Netflix, 2018) is an American television comedy series created by Ben York Jones and Michael Mohan. In 1990s Oregon, members of a high school A/V club clash with the drama
38
Single Parents is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, Brad Garrett
Single Parents (ABC, 2018) is an American sitcom television series created by Elizabeth Meriwether and J.J. Philbin. A group of single parents form their own support system as they raise their ...more
39
Homecoming is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale
Homecoming (Amazon Video, 2018) is a psychological thriller web television series created by Sam Esmail, based on the podcast. Years later after she left her job as a caseworker at a facility ...more
40
A.P. Bio is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt, Lyric Lewis
A.P. Bio (NBC, 2018) is an American comedy television series created by Seth Meyers, Mike O'Brien and Lorne Michaels. A former philosophy professor (Glenn Howerton) takes a job teaching AP ...more
41
Splitting Up Together is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Jenna Fischer, Oliver Hudson, Bobby Lee
Splitting Up Together (ABC, 2018) is an American sitcom developed by Emily Kapnek, based on the Danish sitcom. In the midst of their divorce, Lena (Jenna Fischer) and Martin (Oliver Hudson) are ...more
42
The Kominsky Method is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Michael Douglas, Alan Arkin, Nancy Travis
The Kominsky Method (Netflix, 2018) is an American comedy web television series created by Chuck Lorre. An aging actor (Michael Douglas), who long ago enjoyed a brush with fame, makes his living ...more
43
Paradise PD is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Dana Snyder, Cedric Yarbrough, David Herman
Paradise PD (Netflix, 2018) is an American adult animation comedy web television series created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black. A small-town police department of underperforming cops try to ...more
44
Black Lightning is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams
Black Lightning (The CW, 2018) is an American superhero drama based on the DC comics character of the same name. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), who retired from his superhero persona Black ...more
45
The Little Drummer Girl is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgård, Florence Pugh
The Little Drummer Girl (AMC, 2018) is a British-American television series directed by Park Chan-wook, based on the novel by John le Carré. When an elusive terrorist starts bombing ...more
46
Counterpart is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Mikeylito added J. K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd
Counterpart is an American sci-fi thriller television series created by Justin Marks. When lowly UN employee Howard Silk (J. K. Simmons) discovers his agency is guarding a gateway to a parallel ...more
47
LA to Vegas is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Dylan McDermott, Ed Weeks, Peter Stormare
L.A. to Vegas (Fox, 2017) is an American sitcom created by Lon Zimmet. Set on the Friday night flight from LAX to Vegas and the returning flight on Sunday, it follows a group of underdogs trying ...more
48
Grown-ish is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Yara Shahidi, Trevor Jackson, Chris Parnell
Grown-ish (Freeform, 2018) is an American sitcom series and a spin-off of Black-ish created by Kenya Barris. When Johnsons' eldest daughter Zoey (Yara Shahidi) heads off to college to begins her ...more
49
Kidding is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Jim Carrey, Catherine Keener, Frank Langella
Kidding (Showtime, 2018) is an American comedy-drama television series created by Dave Holstein. A children's television icon (Jim Carrey), who also anchors a multimillion-dollar branding ...more
50
Instinct is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best New Shows That Premiered in 2018
Alan Cumming, Bojana Novakovic, Daniel Ings
Instinct (CBS, 2018) is an American police procedural and drama television series created by Michael Rauch, based on James Patterson's Murder Games. A former CIA agent (Alan Cumming) who has ...more