5 Best And 5 Worst TV Moments Of 2018

There probably hasn't been a bigger or more dynamic year in recent television history than 2018. We're fortunate enough to be living in the era of "peak TV," and the past 12 months have made for a competitive battlefield of televised entertainment demanding viewers' time and attention. New shows including 9-1-1, Black Lightning, Killing Eve, Manifest, and Who is America? made waves with audiences and critics, while millions tuned in to reboots of old chestnuts like Roseanne and Charmed. Long-running series including Scandal, The Americans, and Portlandia wrapped up, while awards shows and sporting events delivered plenty of viral live TV moments... and let's not forget all the milestone deaths.

Among all that great TV across major networks, cable channels, and streaming services, certain moments proved unforgettable. These are events that, for better or for worse, fans will be discussing for years. Here are the ten biggest television moments of 2018, the good ones and the bad ones.

Speaking of beloved pop culture figures, prolific comic book writer and Marvel chief Stan Lee passed away in November 2018. Accolades, praise, and tributes dominated the internet for the better part of the week. And then Real Time host Bill Maher weighed in on his show blog. Maher wrote a piece called "Adulting," a disrespectful dismissal of comics and, by extension, Lee.

"The guy who created Spider-Man and the Hulk has died, and America is in mourning. Deep, deep mourning for a man who inspired millions to, I don't know, watch a movie, I guess," Maher wrote. "Now, I have nothing against comic books — I read them now and then when I was a kid," he added. "But the assumption everyone had back then, both the adults and the kids, was that comics were for kids, and when you grew up you moved on to big-boy books without the pictures."

Maher dealt with the fallout of his remarks on Hulu's Larry King Now. He didn't apologize, claiming that he wasn't even aware he'd caused a hubbub, as he "doesn't follow every stupid thing people lose their s*** about." Maher clarified that he'd meant that "a culture that thinks that comic books and comic book movies are profound meditations on the human condition is a dumb f****** culture. And for people to get mad at that just proves my point."

Titans is the flagship show of DC Universe, the comic conglomerate's new video streaming service. Unlike the sensitive characterizations and dramatic action of Teen Titans or the wacky comic stylings of Teen Titans Go!, this latest televised iteration of the Justice League-adjacent team up of young superheroes aims to be as dark, unsettling, and nihilistic as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. 

One notable difference between that DC-based property and this one: the complete and total lack of Batman. It does, however, feature Robin as a main character, portrayed by Brenton Thwaites. He sets the tone for the series in a moment so significant that it made its way into the series' trailer. As the Caped Crusader's famous charge and sidekick Robin beats up a bunch of street toughs, the subject of the Boy Wonder's presumed boss is broached. Robin responds, "F*** Batman." Holy eye-rolling at a show trying way too hard to prove how edgy it is, Batman!

A musician performing at the Super Bowl halftime show is going to get criticized and scrutinized simply because of the magnitude of the gig. More than 100 million people tune in to watch the game, and those singers better bring their A-material. In 2018, Justin Timberlake headlined the mid-game spectacular for the first time since 2004, when he notoriously tore off a piece of Janet Jackson's costume, exposing part of her breast to the massive TV audience.

While dressed in a camouflage outfit that made him hard to see and a red bandana that made him look like a golden retriever, Timberlake pushed his way through a medley of hits like "Rock Your Body" and "SexyBack." He had reportedly planned to employ a Prince hologram in his set (the Super Bowl was to be played in the Purple One's hometown of Minneapolis), but canceled it after objections from, among others, Prince collaborator Sheila E. and even Prince himself, who once remarked that a technological re-creation of a dead musician would be "the most demonic thing imaginable."

But Timberlake didn't back off the Prince issue entirely. He covered the musician's hit "I Would Die 4 U" alongside an image of Minnesota's finest projected onto a sheet. It only served as a reminder of the controversy, not to mention that time Prince gave a far superior performance at the halftime show of the 2007 Super Bowl.

Once a ratings blockbuster, The Walking Dead gradually shed millions of viewers who were tired of being manipulated by narrative stunts. In 2015, the show killed off Glenn Rhee (Steven Yuen) when he fell off a garbage bin into a horde of Walkers. Yuen's name was even removed from the credits, but then, surprise! Glenn didn't die — against all logic, he hid under that trash receptacle and survived. A few months later, the show ended its sixth season on a cliffhanger. Despite advertising that ultimate villain Negan would definitely kill a main character, the episode cut to black before the victim's fate was revealed.

In late 2018, The Walking Dead once again messed with fans. Earlier in the year, star Andrew Lincoln announced that he'd leave the show in a few months time. AMC heavily promoted the last episodes featuring Rick Grimes. Most viewers assumed he'd die, and it looked like he would, too — he blows up a bridge to kill some zombies, and gets impaled on metal. That's when he's airlifted to safety. Nope, Rick didn't actually die, and right after this episode aired, AMC announced that Lincoln would go on to star in three Rick Grimes movies. It wasn't a sendoff at all... just a set-up for a spin-off.

Reboots were huge in 2018, including the return to TV (or to Netflix, rather) of the 2000s pop culture sensation Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Both then and now, the show sends five gay-identifying lifestyle experts to help slovenly hetero dudes clean up their acts and their lives. The 2018 version turned down the camp and turned up the emotion, as a brand new "Fab Five" helped individuals get their lives on track, making connections across race, religion, and economic status, demonstrating that healing was possible in a divided culture.

But one moment rang totally flat, reminding viewers that this particular reality show is very real. On the third episode of the Queer Eye reboot, the gang piles into a car to go help out a Georgia police officer named Cory. Before they get there, a cop pulls them over. Cast member Karamo Brown, an African-American man, is behind the wheel, and viewers can see his face fall flat as he faces a situation with the potential to get tense at best. The officer sternly approaches the vehicle and asks Brown to get out, which Brown's co-stars firmly protest. But hey, don't worry, it's all a joke! This cop is just Henry, the one who nominated his friend, and someone who really doesn't understand that making marginalized people feel threatened isn't all that funny.