With every new year comes new goals, new resolutions, and perhaps most importantly, new TV. For some shows, 2018 will represent a fresh start - such as with the replacement of Hoda Kotb for Matt Lauer on听Today听or the revival of classics like听Roseanne - while many more beloved shows will be coming to an end, including perennial favorites like听Scandal. And all the while specials, annual sporting events, and awards ceremonies punctuate the TV landscape 鈥� little reminders that some things really never do change.
Americans are living in what has been called the "Golden Age of Television," which shows no sign of slowing down. Read on to explore 40 major television events that are worth tuning in for in 2018.
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January 2
On January 2,听听as co-anchor of NBC鈥檚听Today, following Lauer鈥檚 firing after allegations of sexual misconduct. Kotb joins longtime anchor Savannah Guthrie, thereby making history as the first all-women Today Show anchors.
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January 3
Debuting on Freeform this January is听of the Emmy-nominated sitcom听Black-ish. The show follows Zoey Johnson, played by charming wunderkind Yara Shahidi, in her first year of college. It has already garnered early positive reviews for its diversity and exploration of cultural issues.
January 3
The delightful conspiracy-theory classic was revived in 2016 for Season 10, and finally returns after a long hiatus for Season 11. Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson return in a Season that critics are hailing as a听
January 7
As usual,听this year's听听were met with a mixture of excitement and听disappointment. Why, for example, was听Insecure听snubbed for a nod?听As usual, the awards ceremony will provide an exciting preamble to its more popular sister, the Oscars.
January 7
, airing on Showtime, is already being praised by critics.听The Chi听is a coming-of-age story set in Waithe's hometown of Chicago, exploring the complexities of life in the听South Side.
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January 8
Airing on HBO, the documentary special follows the last five years of one of the world鈥檚 most beloved, creative, and ingenious musical artists, David Bowie. Directed by Francis Whately, the film meditates on the icon鈥檚 life when he was largely absent from the public.
January 9
For Season 23, Rita Ora took over hosting duties on听America鈥檚 Next Top Model, the popular competition series that started in 2003. In听听to claim her throne. The model turned juggernaut will be back to teach a whole new crop of aspiring models what it means to be on top.
January 16
Black Lightning听is the latest superhero show to join the CW, joining popular superhero series like听Arrow,听The Flash, and听Supergirl. The show stars Cress Williams as a superhero with unique electrical talents who is forced to come out of retirement to protect his community.
January 17
Following the huge success of听American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, Ryan Murphy is taking on the earth-shaking murder of one of fashion鈥檚 most iconic figures.听听tells the story of Versace鈥檚 murder, set in the lurid heat of 1997 Miami.
January 18 -- return from midseason break for final episodes
The final season of Shonda Rhimes' arguably most popular show,听听and early 2018 brings the series finale.听While many will be sad to say a final farewell to the Gladiators lead by Olivia Pope,听听potential crossover concept paired with听How to Get Away with Murder.
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Early 2018 (TBD)
The announcement that Chip and Joanna Gaines, the star鈥檚 of HGTV鈥檚 popular series听Fixer Upper, would be leaving the show after the fifth season was met with heartbreak from fans across the country. The final season is sure to be emotional听and features some prestigious celebrity guests including听.
January 25
The cult classic reality competition, RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race听for its third season on January 25. RuPaul promised that the series would bring back the show鈥檚 most legendary Queens, meaning that the series should be nothing short of spectacular. 听
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January 28
This year鈥檚 awards will honor the best in music from the past year, with nominees including JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Lorde. Surprisingly, Ed Sheeran was not nominated for anything this time around.
February 2018
The world of听The Bachelor听is constantly changing and growing with new spinoffs and revisitation of old favorites. In 2018, the series will introduce听听which will air in February at around the same time as the Olympic Games. The show will feature contestants from all over the world and include an athletic component.
February 2018
The original听Queer Eye for the Straight Guy听ran for five seasons between 2003 and 2007, starring five gay men with expertise in food and wine, interior design, culture, grooming, and fashion respectively, charged with transforming the lives of hapless straight men. The reboot, which airs on Netflix, will take on more social justice and mental issues as well as general lifestyle changes.
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February 2
Following the success of their hilarious podcast,听2 Dope Queens, Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson will star in their own comedy special on HBO. Directed by Tig Notaro, the four-part special was taped in front of a live audience at Brooklyn鈥檚 King鈥檚 Theater, and will cover the important topics of 鈥淣ew York,鈥� 鈥淗air,鈥� 鈥淗ot Peen,鈥� and 鈥淏lack Nerds.鈥�
February 4
The 52nd Super Bowl will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With over 111 million viewers for last year鈥檚 championship, the event is generally the biggest television event in the U.S. every year. Justin Timberlake is scheduled to headline this year鈥檚 halftime show, marking his return from the famed 鈥渨ardrobe malfunction鈥� of 2004.
February 9-25
The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea, where the world鈥檚 greatest athletes will gather to compete.听听from competing as punishment when it was found that the country was systematically doping its athletes to gain advantage.
February 11
HBO is adding another drama series to its roster of prestigious television shows. From Alan Ball, creator of听Six Feet Under听and听True Blood,听听is a darkly comical drama about a progressive multi-ethnic family. It stars Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter as the parents of their three adopted and one biological children.
February 27
Airing on the USA Network, this true crime drama takes a deep dive into the murders of two of hip hop's most beloved and iconic rappers 鈥� deaths that remain a mystery to this day. The series was directed by Anthony Hemingway, who also directed听The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, and features a full line-up of big-name stars including Josh Duhamel and Jimmie Simpson.听听that surrounded the mid-90s events.
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February 28
Based on the听听tells the story of the events that lead up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With a cast including Tahar Rahim, Jeff Daniels, Peter Sarsgaard, and Alec Baldwin, the Hulu show will explore the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda in the 90s, as well as the intense rivalry between the FBI and the CIA.
March 2018
The 22nd season of听The Bachelor听premiered on the first day of the new year, but the most exciting part of the show is always the finale. Likely in March, the show will finally reveal who Arie Luyendyk Jr. chose. Around this time the show will likely also announce the next season鈥檚听Bachelorette.
March 2018 (expected)
FX鈥檚听The Americans听will air its final season in 2018, with estimates听. Taking place three years after the Season 5 finale, the action in听听as the Cold War finally draws to a close.
March 4
After a year filled with fantastic movies across every category, this year鈥檚 Oscar season is shaping up to be incredibly competitive. Early predictions suggest that听Dunkirk,听The Shape of Water,听Get Out, and听Call Me by Your Name听will be major winners.
March 11
American Idol听was supposed to leave the airways for good following its 2016 season. But after a hiatus of just one year, the singing competition is back, and it's certainly shaking things up this time around. The听2018 judges are Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie听which should, making for a diverse and exciting group.
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March 13
A new听听in the form of听Rise. The show follows the true story of a high school English teacher struggling to revive the school鈥檚 fledgling theater program. It stars听How I Met Your Mother鈥檚 Josh Radnor as the teacher, as well as breakout听Moana听star Auli鈥檌 Cravalho.
March 26
In March,听, directed by Ridley Scott and based on a novel by Dan Stevens. Starring Jared Harris and Tobias Menzies, the series is set in the 19th-century and follows the Royal Navy on a dangerous journey to discover the Northern Passage.
March 27
Two decades after it went off the air,听听The show is bringing back almost all of its original stars, including Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, and Michael Fishman for a nine-episode revival. In a TV landscape filled with affluence,听Roseanne听is a welcome return to working-class America.
Spring 2018
More than a year after听听wrapped up, the hit show is returning to HBO in the spring of 2018. Fans are already hard at work predicting what will come next for the adventure park dominated by sentient robots. The trailer promises that all the show鈥檚 favorite characters will be back.
April 2018 (expected)
Unlike many prestigious shows, the Emmy award-winning听Veep听regularly airs at the same time every April. However, due to star Julia Louis-Dreyfus's treatment schedule for breast cancer, the听听which could lead to a later air date. Nonetheless, everyone involved is still hard at work on the beloved and award-winning comedy series' final season.
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April 2018
The first season of听The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale, based on the classic book of the same name by Margaret Atwood, was a groundbreaking success, leading Hulu to renew the series for a second run. This time around, the show鈥檚 action takes place after the book's story had finished, leaving many fans wondering what will come next. The show鈥檚 creators have said that Atwood had a hand in driving the story, and that the听听
April 1
Since NBC aired their live telecast of听The Sound of Music听in 2013, networks have been airing their own versions of beloved musicals in real-time.听Jesus Christ Superstar Live!听will join the ranks on April 1, just in time for Easter. The event will听听and听Alice Cooper as King Herod.
May 2018
No announcements have been made regarding 2018鈥檚听Bachelorette听as most fans look to the current female contestants of听The Bachelor听for an inkling of who might emerge as the new leading lady. Though the official air date has not been announced, the show usually airs in May following the conclusion of听The Bachelor.
May 13
Masterpiece Theater is airing its own version of听. The story follows four sisters against the backdrop of the American Civil War. The series will star Angela Lansbury as Aunt March, with relative newcomers playing the four girls.
May 19
听as May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It's still unclear whether the Prince will have a grand televised event for his wedding like his brother did but considering the state of excitement the engagement has already garnered, it looks likely that at least some sort of fanfare will be in order.
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June 10
This summer, the 72nd Tony Awards will honor the best in live theater for the previous year. 鈥淒ear Evan Hansen鈥� was the major winner for 2017, while 鈥淗arry Potter and the Cursed Child鈥澨齛nd the much-buzzed-about听鈥淢ean Girls鈥� are anticipated to be major U.S. performances in 2018.
June 14
The FIFA World Cup will take place in Russia this June, bringing together 32 soccer teams from around the world in an event听. The United States team failed to qualify for the tournament the first time since 1986.
Late August (expected)
MTV鈥檚 Video Music Awards may not be the most prestigious musical honor granted to artists, but it is certainly one of the most fun. The show is responsible for some of the most iconic musical performances in recent history including the Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna kiss, Miley Cyrus鈥� giant teddy bears, and Beyonc茅鈥檚 iconic听Lemonade听medley.
TBD
Following shocking allegations of sexual misconduct, Netflix fired star Kevin Spacey from听House of Cards听and severed all ties with the actor. However, the show will continue for one final season,听听in her new role as President of the United States. The final season is expected to hit Netflix sometime in 2018.
September 17
What better way to cap off a year of a fantastic television programming than with its annual awards show? The Handmaid's Tale,听Veep, and听Big Little Lies听all took home multiple awards in 2017, we look forward to seeing who the big winners will be in 2018.
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