20 Best TV Shows Of 2018

3. Sharp Objects

Arriving in the midst of summer, Sharp Objects was a sweltering, suffocating series designed to make you as uncomfortable as the heatwave it coincided with.

Created by Marti Noxon, co-written by Gillian Flynn (and based on her own book), directed by Jean-Marc Valleé, and starring Amy Adams, Sharp Objects brought all of its powerhouse talent together for a slow-burn, Southern Gothic mystery that made sure your eyes were glued to the screen even as all of your senses told you to look away.

From the labyrinth plotting to the enthralling visual language imbued by Valleé, the stunning performances from Adams, Patricia Clarkson, and Eliza Scanlen to the stifling atmosphere, the series sweeps you up in both its murder mystery and the small-town family drama, only letting go just enough to make sure you scream.

It's an uncompromising, at times difficult watch, with Valleé fracturing time and Adams' Camille being fractured by it herself; it's as intoxicating as the countless whiskies Camille downs. At the same time, there's a worthy commentary on trauma at play here, and trauma is what you're left with after a finale that will leave you shaken to the core.