10 Best New TV Shows Of 2017

2. The Handmaid's Tale

Another adaptation of a great work of fiction from a beloved author, this take on Margaret Atwood's dystopian story also served as Hulu's first major breakthrough - and deservedly so.

As with the novel, which it hues closely to in most areas, this is a difficult piece of art: the horrors on display are self-evident, and sometimes manifest into truly shocking or devasting results. Every episode is simmering with a quiet intensity, leaving you on edge for what Bad Thing will happen next, and it's gut-wrenching when it all boils over.

And despite that, it's impossible to look away. The show has a ferocity that grabs hold and refuses to let go, but it also offers moments of hope and levity at crucial times as well. It wisely never makes the people in charge outright bad people, but instead makes everyone a nuanced figure, helped by some terrific performances from Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, Ann Dowd, Samira Wiley, and Alexis Bledel.

It's a stirring, haunting TV show that will leave you scared, sad, angry, and optimistic by turn, and features some gorgeous direction and an evocative colour palette, but the core of the show is Elisabeth Moss. Through Mad Men and Top of the Lake, her talent has long been clear, but this is career-best work. Moss conveys every emotion with just a subtle change of expression, and does an astonishing job of commanding the screen in a performance that's very quiet and still, and utterly heart-breaking.