10 best shows you slept on in 2018

Siren

On paper, Siren is one of those sorts of shows that probably shouldn’t work at all. A Freeform drama about a mermaid who shows up in a small seaside town? What is this, The Little Mermaid 2? Will she be finding a modern day Prince Charming?

Nope. Definitely not. In fact, Siren is about as far from that idea of gorgeous sea ladies looking for love as you can get.

A truly eerie and flat-out weird show about murderous predator ladies who come ashore in a tourist-trap seaside town, Siren will surprise you by how thoroughly it’s willing to upend every idea and expectation you have about it. The mermaids aren’t beautiful or sexy. Instead, they’re feral and otherworldly, frequently covered in dirt and gore. Their transformations are grotesque, violent, and painful to watch. (See above if you don’t believe me.) They communicate via hisses and growls; their song is addictive to humans. And their story owes much more to Jaws than Splash.

Here, the mermaids haven’t come to land seeking husbands. They’ve been driven there as a result of overfishing and climate change. Some of them can adapt, some of them can’t, and some of them simply don’t want to. As a result, there are conspiracy theories, murders, and kind of a lot of blood. Half the time this show looks like a slasher movie, complete with jump scares and constantly escalating tension.

In short: This show is beyond bizarre, but it’s definitely worth your time.