





Welcome to the 2018 CarterMatt Awards! This is our seventh annual year-end series where we as a site celebrate some of the best that TV has to offer! Our staff collectively hand-picks nominees across a wide array of different fields, and then leaves it up to you to declare the winner. We’ve had a fun time over the years with these awards and creating some fun debate throughout the month of December. Hopefully, this time around is no exception!

Today we’re discussing Show of the Year, the final category of the awards this year, but also one of the most important! We don’t think that we really need to spend too much time here spelling out what the category is all about: This is solely focused on recognizing the best of what TV has to offer in 2018. We’re talking here not only about quality, but also about overall impact — when you think about 2018 years down the line, these are some of the shows that you will really remember.

Voting rules – Vote however often you’d like! If you are having issues with voting, a handy guide can be found later on in this article.

When does voting close? – On Monday, December 31 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. The results for this category will be announced shortly after. To check out more categories and nominations for the 2018 CarterMatt Awards, check out the official landing page.

The nominees

Better Call Saul (AMC) – Was season 4 the best one yet for the AMC series? When you consider the high bar set by seasons 1-3 we weren’t sure they could top that but here we are! This was truly the Saul Goodman origin story, as painful and devastating as it was to behold. Beyond that, this was also the tale of what caused Mike to take his profession in a little more of a violent direction, and also how Kim Wexler is realizing that her relationship may not have the solid foundation that it once did.

Bosch (Amazon) – This series has long been an Amazon staple — consistently captivating and led by an outstanding performance via Titus Welliver. We’re coming off the heels of season 4, one that tested Welliver’s title character in new ways and also delivered, pound for pound, one thoroughly entertaining mystery. What you hope for with any streaming series is that you could lose track of time and watch them all in one day; Bosch pulls that off easily.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) – While there are so many reboots / revivals almost continuously coming on television these days, but it definitely does feel like this one is one of the best of the pack — despite being almost a decade into its run. While Hawaii Five-0 went through a lot of change a little over a year ago, it has stabilized and found itself a place as one of television’s most consistently-enjoyable shows. It can be hilarious, action-packed, and also meaningful within just a span of a few short minutes. How many other series can pull that off?

Lucifer (Netflix) – In a lot of ways, 2018 can be defined as a year of robust fan campaigns and one where viewers have more control over their shows than almost ever before. Lucifer is a fine example of that. Thanks to some fantastic negotiators behind the scenes and also an avid group of diehard fans, the series followed up a run on Fox by switching over to Netflix. While the #SaveLucifer campaign was great, we also don’t want it to overshadow here the quality of season 3 — one that was immensely creative and also at times romantic, devastating, and deeply moving.

Mayans MC (FX) – Following up Sons of Anarchy is not an easy task, but it is nonetheless something that Kurt Sutter executed fantastically with Elgin James. While Mayans MC does have a number of familiar characters in the mix, it very much is its own show with its own soul — it’s about finding identity and redemption amidst a desperate time, one where family secrets threaten to cause ripples and where a cartel, law enforcement, and rebels are all trying to get a foothold in a complicated region. Of course, there are also motorcycles and some violent action sequences.

Outlander (Starz) – Season 4, at least from our vantage point, is one of the producers’ greatest achievements. It is no easy task to introduce a whole new region in North Carolina, especially when you are still filming the series in Scotland. Beyond just that, there are more main characters than ever before and we’ve witnessed a number of different points in history still. There’s been a lot of content packed in, with all of it beautifully-told, visually-stunning, and emotionally powerful Outlander is firing on all cylinders like it always has.

Shadowhunters (Freeform) – In continuing the theme of fan campaigns, few have resonated more than the quest to save this particular series. It’s an inspirational show about people coming together from unlikely backgrounds, and there’s a relatability here that transcends scripts and traditional stories. While it has yet to find a new home, this is overall a series that means so much to so many people and 2018 has, at least so far, been an excellent exercise in witnessing some of that passion in action as the show has told some powerful stories.

Timeless (NBC) – Timeless season 2 was a gift to the fans who saved the show after it faced cancellation over at NBC. The same can be said now about the upcoming movie. This is a series that both embraces adventure and history — it gives a window into complicated, fascinating worlds and then allows its characters to explore these sandboxes. 2018 can be remembered for all that the fans did for Timeless, but also the fabulous content that Timeless delivered to fans in between the romance of “Hollywoodland” or the devastation of the season 2 finale.

Vikings (History) – One of television’s most consistently epic shows, and one that never quite receives the recognition that it deserves. It is anchored by fantastic performances, shrewd politics, and also characters trying to find their way in a violent, devastating world where death lurks around almost every corner. Season 5 is jam-packed full of incredible stories; it also feels bigger and better than almost any that have come before it.

Wynonna Earp (Syfy) – Finally, we turn to what may be one of TV’s most-creative shows — and we say that well aware that it is an adaptation. Few take the creative risks that Wynonna Earp does, whether it be for the sake of conflict between characters or even just for a laugh. The series does contain its fair share of roll-on-the-floor moments, but underneath all of that is an emotional, personal undercurrent that serves as a reminder that this is really a series about people who fight to stay together while the world threatens to tear them apart.

Now, we turn this over to you

Happy voting! As we mentioned, be sure to head over to the link here to check out our landing page with other categories.

I can’t see the poll; what do I do? – If you are on mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page and click to view the non-AMP version. If that does not work, give the poll a moment to load! On some mobile browsers, it may take a moment to show up. If you are still having trouble, try switching to a different device.

How can I vote more than once? – If you are having trouble casting multiple votes, try switching your browser, your device, or visiting the page under private browsing or incognito mode. There should be many handy guides online explaining how to do so if you are interested.

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