There’s too much TV. There, I said it. In 2018, streaming services and traditional networks are throwing around billion-dollar budgets to compete with each other while plotting the demise of your social life.

The good news is that this new golden age means there’s a lot of fantastic telly being made (duh). The bad news is that trying to watch it all will turn you into a hermit and force your friends to register you as a ‘missing person’ with the authorities. So to prevent you from drowning in choice, we’ve put together a list of the best new TV shows of 2018 so far — complete with where to watch them and whether each series has a future or not. Dig in.

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The End of the F***ing World

Guy (Alex Lawther) meets girl (Jessica Barden). Girl likes guy. Guy plans to murder girl.

Meet-cute-murder is now a thing after The End of the F***ing World, but don’t let the bleak premise put you off. Yes, it’s an extremely dark show, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Charles Forsman. But it’s also a burst of originality that accurately portrays the gloom and doom of being a teenager — this is the zero fucks teen show of 2018.

Lawther and Barden make an incredible duo and their chemistry pushes through the bleakest moments of this series to allow a little sweetness in.

Is there more? No announcement has been made yet, but since the first season covers the plot of the comics it seems unlikely. There is hope, though — in an interview with Collider, co-creator Jonthan Entwistle said that “Netflix is very, very interested in the way people have been talking about Season 2.”

Can you watch it now? The End of the F***ing World is available on Netflix.

Killing Eve

Go into Killing Eve as cold as possible and try to duck under the hype, because this is one of the most raved-about TV shows of the year.

Eve (Sandra Oh) is an MI5 agent who is tasked with tracking down an assassin, Villannelle (Jodie Comer). But instead of running, Villannelle begins to taunt Eve. The two become obsessed with each other and their paths cross with deadly consequences.

Under the guidance of writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Killing Eve becomes a witty, melodramatic thriller. It looks that a stock standard BBC crime drama, but the dialogue is clever, the characters are wild and there are so many great twists. Comer is unforgettable playing a quirky psychopath and Oh is fantastic as an agent coming into her own, while remaining slightly out of her depth when facing off with an assassin.

Is there more? Yes, Killing Eve will return for a second season.

Can you watch now? The first season of Killing Eve is available on ABC iView.

Queer Eye

Yes, this is a revival of noughties relic Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but its genius lies in how it reinvents the series. The show has been retooled so much that it feels brand new — the new Fab Five focus less on their chosen field of expertise and more on empathising with the men they’re making over in pockets of America not used to getting a little TLC.

In the dumpster fire that is 2018, Queer Eye succeeds by offering a little old fashioned kindness.

Is there more? Yep! The second season drops on June 15.

Can you watch now? Season one of Queer Eye is available on Netflix.

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace

The death of Gianni Versace was tragic. In 1997, the fashion designer was shot outside his home in Miami by Andrew Cunanan — and while news outlets reported on Versace’s passing, they rarely mentioned the killing spree Cunanan went on before arriving in Miami.

ACS: Versace works backwards from the fateful day to show the equally tragic stories of people whose lives were taken away by Cunanan, but weren’t famous enough to make the news. Versace’s life works in parallel to each character to emphasise how it’s all equally tragic. Within the context of its late-1980s and early-1990s setting, the show covers the plight of Asian-Americans, class tensions, gun violence and sexuality.

ACS: Versace is far from a trashy true-crime story. The series lays its trap with a dramatic retelling with a cast that includes Penélope Cruz (as Donatella Versace) and Ricky Martin — who can actually act — but then surprises with a stunning examination of American life. Like OJ Simpson, Cunanan is a monster made in America.

Is there more? American Crime Story is an anthology series with each season focusing on a different case. No date has been announced yet but season three will centre on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, based on the book Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink.

Can you watch now? American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace is available on Foxtel Now.

Barry

A depressed hitman (Bill Hader) gets bored of killing people and decides to move to Hollywood to become an actor. There is no way in hell this TV show should work as well as it does, but thanks to the genius of Hader and directors like Hiro Murai (who also did the Childish Gambino video for ‘This is America’) it’s one of the truly great surprises of the year.

Barry messes around with the concept of a TV anti-hero while allowing Hader to show off serious dramatic acting skills; adding to the hilarity is Henry Winkler as an egotistical acting teacher who pushes Barry to extremes. Barry is Entourage meets Breaking Bad. A show so crazy it works.

Is there more? There will be. Shortly after its premiere, HBO announced a second season of Barry was in its sights.

Can you watch now? Season one of Barry is available to stream on Foxtel Now.

Ugly Delicious

There’s a flood of cooking shows on Netflix. The gold standard is Chef’s Table, but restaurateur and founder of Momofuku, David Chang, wants to stick his finger up at the pretentious world of fine dining. Do not — under any circumstance — watch this show on an empty stomach.

Each episode of Ugly Delicious examines a different type of food. David goes in search of the best pizza and it takes him from New York to Japan; he even makes the argument for why Domino’s pizza is the best. David and his travel companions’ ability to treat a food truck with the same respect as a Michelin-star restaurant creates a level playing field where honest discussions play out about the role of food in our society besides basic nourishment. The fried chicken episode looks at the politics of soul food in America, and the home cooking episode looks at how memory shapes our experience at the dinner table.

Like any good dinner party, Ugly Delicious is about much more than just the food, it’s a series of captivating conversations about the history of what we eat and why.

Is there more? Netflix are yet to announce a second helping of Ugly Delicious.

Can you watch now? Season one of Ugly Delicious is available on Netflix.

Lost in Space

Netflix’s reboot of Lost in Space is better known for the robot that made viewers thirsty, but this show has more to offer than sexy androids. The Robinson family have been retooled and shot into space, where they get marooned on a mysterious planet after their mission to colonise a new planet goes bad.

Lost in Space is a slick sci-fi adventure with a pioneering spirit that taps into the dynamics of a modern family. Despite all the technological advances, the Robinson family can’t escape their woes and they’re nothing like the shiny, happy family of the original 1960s version. While the Robinsons try to make it work, a diabolical Dr. Smith (the great Parker Posey in fine form and with giant hair) plots to tear them apart with self-preservation in mind.

And it looks incredible — Lost in Space is blockbuster TV that leans hard into its action-survival premise.

Is there more? After the cliff-hanger of season one, thankfully, Lost in Space will return for a second season.

Can you watch now? Season one of Lost in Space is available on Netflix.

Homecoming Queens

Watching Homecoming Queens, I couldn’t stop thinking about the terrible American remake it might inspire, which is a credit to this funny and moving show about friendship and lost youth.

Created and co-written by Michelle Law and her real-life BFF Chloë Reeson, it tells the story of two twenty-something friends living with chronic illnesses in Brisbane. Homecoming Queens is at its best when it indulges in the strange millennial world its leads navigate, but it’s not afraid to pause and reflect on the sadness of missing out on what’s supposed to be the ‘best years of your life’.

Homecoming Queens calls bullshit on all that noise and finds strength in friendship.

Is there more? Sadly, there has been no announcement about the future of Homecoming Queens, but feel free to @ SBS for a second season.

Can you watch now? Homecoming Queens is available to stream on SBS On Demand.

And Then There Were None

We’ve done a great disservice to the legacy of Agatha Christie with lacklustre TV adaptations that help fill ABC programming on Saturday nights. One of the most influential authors of all time has rarely had an adaption match the might of her work … until now. And Then There Were None is a miniseries based on the novel of the same name that took forever to get to Australia — it was made in 2015 — but it’s worth the wait.

The thriller takes place on an island where eight strangers gather after receiving a mysterious invitation. Don’t read anything else about the plot of this series because three chilling episodes await. A lot of prestige TV is depressing, but for once, it works to the benefit of this Christie adaptation by embracing the darkness of her work. And Then There Were None is part mystery, part slasher.

The killer cast includes Charles Dance, Sam Neil, Miranda Richardson, Burn Gorman, Toby Stephens, Aidan Turner and Noah Taylor. The absolute standout is Australian actress Maeve Dermody, who gives a performance that will make you wonder why she hasn’t been cast in everything.

Is there more? And Then There Were None is a one and done because it covers the plot of the book — but the BBC is in the process of giving other Christie novels the prestige TV treatment.

Can you watch now? And Then There Were None is available on Foxtel Now.

Star Trek: Discovery

We’re used to seeing the Star Trek universe in a diplomatic state of peace, but in Star Trek Discovery we get to witness Starfleet at war. The prequel series, set 10 years before the events of Star Trek (the 1966 TV series with Captain Kirk and Spock), shows the dirty history of going where no man has been gone before.

At times Star Trek Discovery is complicated and weird, but it’s an important departure from the snoozy Star Trek of the past (hello: Enterprise). The show forges ahead with examining how Starfleet becomes a peacekeeping force while offering plenty of twists or moral quandaries.

It’s the perfect jumping on point if you’re a Star Trek rookie but it offers hardcore fan service for those familiar with the history of this mega sci-fi franchise.

Is there more? Yes, the second season will beam up in 2019.

Can you watch now? Season one of Star Trek: Discovery is available on Netflix.

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Cameron Williams is a writer and film critic based in Melbourne who occasionally blabs about movies on ABC radio. Co-founder of Graffiti With Punctuation and The Popcorn Junkee. He has a slight Twitter addiction: @MrCamW.