WE ARE still in the second Golden Age of television, and in much the same way this age of fantastically executed television shows coincided with the rise of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” I prophesy that the era will begin to wane with the culmination of the final season of “Game of Thrones” in 2019. In the meantime, however, there are still lots to watch and enjoy so long as the season of television (and online streaming services, such as Netflix) continues to last.

This year, I was introduced to quite a few good shows, and even though not all of them emerged in 2018, the list below is still a good compilation of the shows I actually got a chance to watch this year. So, in no particular order and knowing that there are many other good shows I did not see, here are the best shows I watched in 2018.

1) “The Haunting of Hill House” – Tense, atmospheric, and very scary, this TV show is a welcome addition to the horror genre. It focuses on a family who struggles to survive a summer in the titular Hill House, where statues move on their own, freakish storms come out of nowhere, and sinister things live in the hidden basement. With a sumptuous and strong Carla Gugino leading the cast, “The Haunting of Hill House” makes an impression with the stellar acting, the technical achievements and the artistry of the show, as much as the screams it wrangles from us.

2) “Queer Eye” – The premise involves five queer men – each focusing on a specific area (food and wine, fashion, culture and lifestyle, design, grooming) who enter the world of people who are in desperate need of pulling their lives together, whether it’s through needing a boost of confidence, understanding how to use fashion in an individualistic manner in the 21st Century, or even if it’s learning to impress a loved one. The Queer Eye guys swoop in, like gay Mary Poppinses, and help people to become their best selves. What could have been an easily vanity-centric affair was made into one of the most entertaining, weepiest shows on Netflix.

3) “The Terror” – This show has flown under the radar for most people in Guyana, which is unfortunate because it is one of the coolest, creepiest shows I saw this year. It sinks its hooks deep into your mind and you are unable to do anything but keep watching, episode after episode after episode. Set in the early 1800s, it features a journey of two ships into the unexplored Arctic. Eventually, the ships become trapped in the ice and the sailors are forced to do whatever it takes to survive. To compound all of this, a terrible and, perhaps, supernatural beast is present on the ice and it begins to hunt the men. Like I said: very cool and very creepy.

4) “Pose” – There has never been a show with this many trans actors before and for that reason alone, “Pose” deserves all of the applause. It presents a period in LGBTQIA+ history that has not been explored in much depth for a very long time, which is ironic considering how much of an impact the world of the underground ball culture and its components, such as voguing, has had on pop culture – particularly in the 21st Century. “Pose” unearths the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community and offers narratives that speak to the community’s struggles, while also highlighting their dreams and hopes. Also, the fashions and costuming in this show are DIVINE!

5) “The Good Place” – Kristen Bell plays a terrible human being who, upon death, is mistakenly transferred to the part of the afterlife known as “The Good Place” instead of “The Bad Place” where she really belongs. The concept is one that a lot of people can relate to, since, for whatever reason, our bad deeds tend to remain magnified in our minds when compared to the good ones, and the show forces us to confront our own fears about the afterlife: what would we do if we were in the lead character’s shoes? “The Good Place” is a hilarious riff on some possible answers to that question.

6) “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” – I have already discussed at length the many merits of this show in an article for this column. I mean, what’s not to love – there are witches (the good kind and the bad kind), familiars, the undead, a pansexual warlock, the witch’s autonomy as a parallel for modern day feminism, loads and loads of camp, and many callbacks and allusions to familiar books and movies. If there was a show from 2018 that best encapsulated the spirit of what it means to be a millennial, it would be this one. Do not miss!

7) “RuPaul’s Drag Race” & “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” – “Drag Race” is now a pop culture phenomenon and this year we already had two whole seasons of the reality show (with a new season of “All Stars” to come before the year is out!). We were truly blessed with all the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent we were exposed to this year. There were killer lip-syncs, beautiful costumes, shocking eliminations (I’m looking at you, BenDeLaCreme) and enough tea to fuel memes for another year or so! It was wonderful to be introduced to the newest winner on “Drag Race,” the talented Aquaria. As for “All Stars,” Trixie is okay, but Shangela was robbed!

8) “Westworld” – This show continued on with a new season, expanding on the number of characters, the other parks, and the denseness of a narrative that is justifiably complicated based on how many storylines and characters it caters to. “Westworld” is not only a technological marvel or a piece that showcases stellar acting (talking to you especially, Thandie Newton), but it is also a masterclass in storytelling. The concept of a themed (the Wild West, Shogun, etc.) amusement park filled with human-like robots (called hosts) is a ripe idea for a TV show and the potential continues to be fully utilised by the cast and crew of this one.

9) “The Sinner” – This show stars Jessica Biel as a woman, a happy wife and mother, who commits a heinous crime in the very first episode. What follows is a twisty, drug, religion, and sex-fueled narrative that leads us down a rabbit-hole of the character’s past where we hope to uncover the driving force behind the character’s actions. “The Sinner” is unsettling. There is an underlying feeling of disgust and creepiness that one experiences when watching this show that cannot really be put into words. It might be something that can only be experienced, so go watch it now!

10) “The Innocents” – A love story with a twist, “The Innocents” starts off well enough somewhere in the English countryside with two teenagers, Harry and June, running away from home so they can be together and escape the pressure of their parents. However, while on the run, they encounter a strange man who tries to kidnap June, and during this encounter June’s sentient and supernatural abilities announce themselves, complicating the couple’s lives as they struggle to understand June’s abilities while remaining hidden from their parents and the man who tried to abduct her. “The Innocents” has action, myth (Norse), science, and many other elements within it, but the thing that makes it pure and worth it is definitely the love (and wonderful chemistry) between the two lead characters.