The 10 best new shows of 2018 (so far)

NoHo Hank wants you to watch 'Barry.' Don't let him down!

IMAGE: JOHN P. JOHNSON/HBO

BY ALEXIS NEDD1 DAY AGO

The time so far elapsed in 2018 felt like roughly eighty-seven years, but humanity has made it to *checks notes* halfway through the year. 

Time-stretching aside, the first six months of 2018 has given the world some great TV shows, so here's Mashable's list of the 10 best new TV shows of the year so far, in no particular order. 

1. Pose

Pose is a visually stunning and emotionally wrenching look at the lives of queer people of color in New York's '80s ballroom scene. 

While the show tackles difficult realities like the HIV/AIDS crisis and the systematic oppression faced by gay and trans individuals, it refuses to give in to tragedy and instead uplifts, giving equal times to the joys of dance, first loves, ballroom victories, and the love shared by found families. The amazing costumes and lovable (and love-to-hatable) characters are just a few of the reasons to tune into Pose on FX, and it's a decision no one can possibly regret. 

2. Barry

SNL alum Bill Hader wrote and stars in Barry, the story of an ex-military assassin who finds his purpose in an amateur-level acting class while chasing a hit in Los Angeles. 

Its blend of comedy, drama, and action defies the traditional format of a "dramedy" and it features fantastic performances from a cast that includes Henry Winkler and Stephen Root. The show's secret weapon, however, is Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank, a doe-eyed Chechen mobster who is literally the nicest freaking guy on the planet. 

3. Killing Eve

Killing Eve stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer as, respectively, an M15 agent and the assassin she's after, but the show is not your average cat-and-mouse chase. What could be a typical police drama unfolds as a dramatic tale of obsession, psychopathy, and some truly fantastic outfits via Comer's Villanelle. Everything from the dialogue to the cinematography to the ramped-up sexual tension in Killing Eve is pitch perfect, so it's a must-see show for anyone who loves crime dramas with a sideways tilt. 

4. Collateral

The British have pretty much perfected the art of the miniseries, so no one should be surprised that Collateral manages to pack a lot of excellence into four episodes. To say too much about Collateral is to spoil some of the twists and connections that come as delightful surprises while watching, but suffice it to say that it's a police drama for people who are kind of over police dramas. 

5. On My Block

Netflix's On My Block earns its rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating in every single episode, which is high praise for a show that rests entirely on its outstanding cast of child and teen actors. On My Block was less made and more crafted, with every element calibrated to pull the audience into the lives of the LA-based teens who try to keep their friendships together as their world changes around them. It's a coming-of-age story, but also a pure, human look at how people react to growing up in environments that aren't safe, in situations that are far from ideal. 

6. Dietland

Dietland takes the story of a woman trying to lose weight so she can get lap band surgery and twists it so far around it's honestly incredible. Somewhere between tossing sexual predators off of bridges and an extended hallucinatory sequence that involves tiger sex the show reveals its true form: a spooky, trippy look at how a beauty-obsessed culture turns women into weapons...and what happens when those weapons go off. 

7. The Terror

Period horror time! The Terror genuinely lives up to its name over the course of ten episodes, with all kinds of horrors in store for the crews of two ice-bound ships on a doomed expedition to the Northwest Passage. There's hidden monsters, the threat of cannibalism, polar bears, seal hunting, freezing ice death, and so many more scary things, but like in so many Victorian horrors the real threat is...mankind. Come for the spooky stuff, stay for the awesome-looking icy vistas and the sight of a bunch of old-timey dudes deciding which of their buddies looks tastiest.

8. The Chi

Master of None star Lena Waithe broke out on her own to create The Chi, a love letter to her hometown on the south side of Chicago. Waithe's characters feel real and lived-in, and their stories are prescient and well told. Its focus on the effects of police brutality on the younger generation of Chicagoans feels especially important in 2018, and the show doesn't shy away from exploring the negativity that comes with that — still, it's a worthy watch for those who love a dope, deep drama.

9. American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Ok, so American Crime Story technically started before 2018, but since it's an anthology it's probably OK to put this one down as a "new" show. Versace had the hard task of following the lauded People vs. OJ Simpson season and moved with that momentum, with standout performances from Darren Criss as murderer Andrew Cunanan and Penelope Cruz as the iconic Donatella Versace. While the crime itself is literally given in the title, the show's peek behind Cunanan's psyche and the drama that followed the murder make for some peak Ryan Murphy excellence. 

10. Queer Eye

Way more than a reboot of the 00s-era series, Netflix's Queer Eye premiered in February 2018 with a new Fab Five and a new lease on life — Tan, Jonathan, Karamo, Bobby, and Antoni give life-changing advice to an array of people who deserve a second chance at love, life, or happiness, and the tearjerking results are always gratifying to watch. 

Sure, Antoni leans a little hard on avocados when it comes to his cooking lessons and poor Bobby's magnificent renovations don't always get the screen time they deserve, but the idea that there's always hope hiding underneath the bleakest of situations is hard to argue with. When the darkness of the world feels like too much to handle, Queer Eye is a light.