13 TV Stars Who Wow’d Us in 2018

Credit: Courtesy of Diyah Pera/Netflix; Courtesy of Jeff Daly/FX

13 TV Stars Who Wow’d Us in 2018

Overall, 2018 was a great year of television. With so many new shows and huge stars, it's hard to choose a handful of the most talented. However, Us Weekly did just that, gathering 13 stars -- both new and returning -- that stood out this year.

Credit: Courtesy of Diyah Pera/Netflix; Courtesy of Jeff Daly/FX

13 TV Stars Who Wow’d Us in 2018

Overall, 2018 was a great year of television. With so many new shows and huge stars, it's hard to choose a handful of the most talented. However, Us Weekly did just that, gathering 13 stars -- both new and returning -- that stood out this year.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Kiernan Shipka

Shipka won Mad Men fans over years ago. However, the 19-year-old stepped into the leading role in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and crushed any thoughts you previously had about who Sabrina Spellman was. 

Credit: Courtesy of Eddy Chen/The CW

Daniel Ezra

In The CW’s football drama All American, the UK actor portrays real-life football player Spencer Paysinger, who lives in South Central L.A. and gets drafted to play football in Beverly Hills. Ezra not only covers his accent perfectly, but he takes on a leading role seamlessly, creating a character that you can’t help but root for.

Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Eliza Scanlen

It’s not easy to stand out among a cast that includes Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. However, newcomer Eliza Scanlen did just that in Sharp Objects, taking on the twisted role of Amma Crellin. Not only did the character have multiple personalities depending who was in the room, she also had secrets that went deep – something Scanlen flawlessly pulled off.

Credit: Courtesy of Steve Dietl/Netflix

Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Let’s be honest: the cast of The Haunting of Hill House could have filled this entire gallery. Jackson-Cohen is not new to the industry, but when he transformed into Luke Crain, he turned into something different: an addict with a huge heart. 

Credit: Courtesy of YouTube Originals

Maddie Hasson

Starring in one of the most underrated dramas this year, Impulse, Hasson took on the lead role of Henry. In the first episode of the series, Henry has a seizure – the first of many throughout the series – and learns she can teleport. The family drama tackles intense topics and Hasson adjusts.

Credit: Courtesy of Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Bill Skarsgard

OK, Skarsgård could technically be placed in this gallery every year. While there’s no easy follow-up to portraying Pennywise, yet, Skarsgård managed to take on a seriously challenging part in Hulu’s Castle Rock. Showing his ability to act without words – portraying dozens of emotions with just his body for multiple episodes – the actor blew us away.

Credit: Courtesy of Lifetime

Penn Badgley

While Badgley made Us fall in love during Gossip Girl, he shed that entire skin during You. The actor managed to play the horrifying Joe Goldberg in a way that was both sexy and scary: you didn’t know whether to root for him or run from him.

Credit: Courtesy of Ray Mickshaw/FX

Darren Criss

The Emmy speaks for itself. Criss took on killer Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story without missing a beat. If you still looked at him as Glee’s Blaine Anderson before watching, you all but forgot the Warbler outfit after finishing this installment.

Credit: Courtesy of Kurt Iswarienko/FX

Cody Fern

Speaking of Ryan Murphy’s keen eye for talent, Fern had quite the year. After playing David Madson in four episodes of Versace, he took on a leading role in American Crime Story: Apocalypse, playing Michael Langdon, the son of the anti-Christ. In the same way that Evan Peters has completely transformed through the years under the keen eye of Murphy, Fern went from handsome blond to horrifying and talented villain.

Credit: Courtesy of BBC America

Sandra Oh

Oh is definitely back! The Grey’s Anatomy alum crushed it on the ABC medical drama but took on an entirely new challenge when stepping into the role of Eve Polastri on Killing Eve, allowing her to show off her humor, timing and complexity.

Credit: Courtesy of Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Milo Ventimiglia

The cast of This Is Us is one of the strongest on network television but if any year is the year for Ventimiglia to be noticed, its 2018. Yes, the Super Bowl episode – and those tough ones that followed – aired during 2018, but more impressive than that are the season 3 episodes, which are heavily focused on Jack’s time in the service. Rather than a father who couldn’t love his wife and children more, Jack is fighting for his life to protect his brother’s.

Credit: Courtesy of Robert Trachtenberg/ABC

John Goodman

After Roseanne was canceled and the ABC revival was rebooted as The Conners, it could have gone two ways. However, thanks to the powerful cast, it seamlessly transitioned. Goodman perfectly pulled off a heartbroken and angry Dan Conner, who really didn’t know how to move on without his wife.

Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

Maya Rudolph

While Rudolph is known for her comedy, Forever finally put her front and center, giving her her own (long overdue) show. Playing one half of June and Oscar, the comedian showed off her multiple layers. It’s time to have her leading more comedies.