Best On Netflix

Best Netflix Original Shows of 2018: ‘GLOW,’ ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ and More

By Meghan O'Keefe @megsokay

Published Nov. 29, 2018, 8:00 a.m. ET

285 Shares

Photo collage of GLOW, Big Mouth, and Haunting of Hill House — Netflix released approximately a billion new series in 2018, but these are the 20 best. Photos: NETFLIX ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

GLOW on Netflix — **1. *GLOW*:** Outrageous, uproarious, and yet, still full of heart, *GLOW* is a triumphant piece of television that entertains as nimbly as it knocks you out. The show juggles genres as easily as it handles dozens of storylines, and still manages to spend a whole episode reimagining a bonkers '80s fantasia. *GLOW* was not just the best Netflix original series of the year -- it was Decider's pick for the best show of 2018.Photo: Netflix

Queer Eye on Netflix — **2. *Queer Eye*:** The odds were stacked against *Queer Eye*'s success. It was a reboot that no one wanted, set in a place no one thought you could pull compassionate conversations out of in 2018. Still, *Queer Eye* snuck into our hearts and gave us the catharsis we needed to tackle our own demons, and the negativity in the world around us. All hail the new Fab Five!Photo: Netflix

The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell on Netflix — **3. *The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell*:** Although it was advertised as a kooky cooking show starring an Instagram influencer, *The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell* was so much more. It is a zany ode to friendship, creativity, and the joy of the old school Jim Henson puppet workshop. McConnell reigns supreme as Netflix's gothic queen bee, and Rankle, Rose, and Edgar are her subjects (whom we adore). Photo: Netflix

BoJack Horseman on Netflix — **4. *Bojack Horseman*:** One of Netflix's earliest original series is still one of its finest. *Bojack Horseman* returned this year and was just as smart, just as inventive, and just as devastating as ever before. Photo: Netflix

American Vandal on Netflix — **5. *American Vandal*:** Though it leans heavily on its poop jokes, there is true poetry to be found in *American Vandal*. If the first season of the show explored how our preconceptions of people shape the justice system, Season 2 challenged us to to see how popularity begets self-hatred. *American Vandal* is a real, raw portrait of the American teenager.Photo: Netflix

Magic for Humans on Netflix — **6. *Magic for Humans*:** Viral "disappearing act" aside, *Magic for Humans* might have been the one major Netflix hit to fly under your radar. Justin Willman uses tried and true magic skills to inject good humor into everyday life - and to reveal some really astounding truths about human behavior. Photo: Netflix

Big Mouth on Netflix — **7. *Big Mouth*:** Sweet, puerile, disgusting, and uplifting...Big Mouth is the glorious portrait of adolescence we never knew we needed. The series, featuring the voices of America's favorite funny people (Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jenny Slate, Maya Rudolph, and more), gives us a way to laugh through the trauma of growing up. Photo: Netflix

Dear White People on Netflix — **8. *Dear White People*:** *Dear White People* is sharp, funny, and absolutely devastating. The comedy series manages to capture the painful nuances of growing up in America in 2018, from the insular B.S. of college campus culture to the toll internet trolls can take on even our strongest personalities. Through it all, though, *Dear White People* knows that the show's real draw is its cast of characters, and we're hooked on their emotional growth.

The End of the F***king World on Netflix — **9. *The End of the F***ing World*:** This grimly comic mini-series hit Netflix at the start of 2018 and never let go. The series stars Alex Lawther as a teen with psychopathic tendencies who decides that he will kill his spunky girlfriend Alyssa (Jessica Barden). However, before he can do this, she entices him to runaway with her and the duo embarks on an explosive journey.

Wild Wild Country on Netflix — **10. *Wild Wild Country*:** This gripping docu-series introduces us to the characters at the center of the harrowing conflict between Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's Rajneeshpuram commune and locals living in Wasco County, Oregon. The series lets the players explain themselves in their own words, which makes the confessionals of one Ma Anand Sheela all the more horrifying.

Terrace House: Opening New Doors on Netflix — **11. *Terrace House: Opening New Doors*:** Netflix's dreamy reality show is so much more than just a Japanese spin on *The Real World*. It's an exquisite portrait of the human heart. Everyone on this show really is there to make friends, and so when they open their hearts up to one another, you find yourself hoping and wishing that love wins.

Daredevil S3 on Netflix — **12. *Marvel's Daredevil*:** One of the biggest surprises on Netflix this year was *Daredevil*'s phenomenal third season. The Netflix Marvel shows found themselves in something of a slump after the failure of *Iron Fist*, but *Daredevil* came back swinging. Photo: Netflix

Bodyguard on Netflix — **13. *Bodyguard*:** Okay, so even though *Bodyguard* kind of falls apart in its lackluster final 20 minutes, the show's first half hour is the best first 30 minutes in any Netflix show ever. *Bodyguard* is a thriller that delivers bracing action set pieces, shocking twists, and a star-making performance from leading man Richard Madden. Photo: Netflix

One Day at a Time on Netflix — **14. *One Day at a Time*:** For some reason, Netflix always drops *One Day at a Time* onto its service at the very start of the year, where it can get lost in the avalanche of programming to come. Nevertheless, this heartfelt reboot of the Norman Lear classic is a modern classic all on its own. It's hands down one of the most tremendous comedies Netflix has ever put out.Photo: Netflix

The Great British Baking Show on Netflix — **15. *The Great British Baking Show*:** *The Great British Baking Show* underwent a perilous transformation this year - dropping mainstay personalities Mary Berry, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc as it became a Channel 4/Netflix co-production -- but it didn't lose any of its sweetness. If anything, this dazzling British import only solidified itself as our favorite comfort viewing on Netflix. Photo: Netflix

Nailed It on Netflix — **16. *Nailed It!*:** When *Nailed It!* first arrived on Netflix in the Spring of 2018, it felt like a (controversial) breath of fresh air. The zany show celebrates how hard baking is by laughing along with amateur failure. While that may not be everyone's cup of tea, Team Decider is in love with this hilarious riff on cooking competitions. Photo: Netflix

The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix — **17. *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power*:** Decider's staff was utterly charmed by Netflix's fresh new take on the She-Ra saga. *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power* recasts "princesses" as complex, confident young women -- all different, all special, and all much stronger when they come together. Photo: Netflix

The Rain on Netflix — **20. *The Rain*:** Netflix put out a ton of great foreign-language content in 2018, but only one show captured our imagination (and crept into our nightmares) like *The Rain*. Unlike other dystopias, *The Rain* didn't deal with the drama of cataclysm itself, but the survivors' fight to maintain their humanity in a warped new world. Photo: Netflix

Where to Stream:

GLOW

Best On Netflix

11 Best New Movies on Netflix: April 2024's Freshest Films to Watch

11 Best New Shows on Netflix: April 2024's Top Upcoming Series to Watch

11 Best New Shows on Netflix: March 2024's Top Upcoming Series to Watch

11 Best New Movies on Netflix: March 2024's Freshest Films to Watch

Netflix put out well over a hundred original TV shows this year. Between foreign dramas, splashy tentpoles, returning favorites, kids’ animation, and gripping docu-series, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Netflix’s library is now drowning in original television programming, but which shows were worth watching all the way through? What are the 20 best Netflix original shows in 2018?

Recently Team Decider came together and submitted blind ballots listing their 10 favorite shows of the year. We tabulated this data, assigned various shows weighted points based on specific rankings, and unveiled our Top 21 TV shows of 2018 earlier this week. Why is that important? Because we also used these exact same ballots to determine the Top 20 Netflix Original shows of the year. Hey, fair’s fair. And while each of those ballots reflected the unique taste of each individual Decider employee, they also took in all of Netflix’s vast library into account.

So without further ado, here are Decider’s picks for the best Netflix original shows of 2018. Some of the titles won’t be shocking. After all, GLOW has already been named our top show of 2018, period. However, you might be surprised to see shows that popped on the service all the way back in January, quirky cooking competitions, and even series that have already been — ignobly — canceled far before their time. There are comedies, animated series, magical spectacles, and even one lovely Japanese reality show. These are the shows on Netflix worth binging.

Watch GLOW on Netflix