*By Max Godnick* With just a few days left in the year, Cheddar decided to take a look at the best and worst of what 2018 had to offer. The year was filled with headline-grabbing moments and stories that played out on the big, small, and streaming screens. [A star was born](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A), the world caught another case of royal wedding fever, [Disney got Foxy](https://cheddar.com/videos/what-the-disney-fox-deal-means-for-fans), and Megyn Kelly proved she is [definitely not a morning person](https://cheddar.com/videos/nbc-reports-megyn-kelly-exit-negotiations-underway). With more content at audiences' fingertips than ever before, Hollywood entertained and intrigued throughout what could wind up being a watershed year for the industry. Here are our favorites. **#5. Rosambien:** In March, ABC's reboot of "Roseanne" drew ratings the likes of which are rarely seen on traditional broadcast TV anymore. The premiere episode drew 18.2 million viewers ー a four-year high for any network comedy ー and convinced the industry that the secret to recapturing 1990's-sized primetime audiences was pandering to television's neglected demographic: Trump supporters. And then, [Roseanne took an Ambien](https://cheddar.com/videos/ambien-maker-responds-to-roseanne-explanation). Two months later, the show was off the air, after its star compared former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape on Twitter. Barr tried to explain the gaffe away by saying she was under the influence of sleeping pills at the time ー but Bob Iger had heard enough. On May 29th, the network officially cancelled the hit series that had briefly seemed poised to put broadcast television back on the map. Now, the reboot is back on the air, only without its titular star, and still earning strong ratings. But Roseanne's biggest legacy is the [full-on reboot revival] (https://cheddar.com/videos/hollywoods-reboot-revolution) it inspired ー Murphy Brown sends her regards. **#4. Mr. West Goes to Washington...and Beyond:** What a year it was for Kanye West, who was equal parts rapper, politico, and prolific Twitter beefer in 2018. Two years after [promising a 2020 run](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycnTPgp3DY8) for the White House, the musician turned designer realized the man he'd be running against might actually be his biggest fan. What started with [240-character endorsements](https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/989179757651574784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E989225812166696960&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billboard.com%2Farticles%2Fcolumns%2Fhip-hop%2F8379659%2Fdonald-trump-kanye-west-timeline) of the president on Twitter quickly turned into [MAGA hat photo shoots](https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1046466533973590016/photo/1), [TMZ meltdowns](https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8472926/kanye-west-apologizes-for-saying-slavery-was-a-choice), and the most talked-about [Oval Office encounter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBPbkfvJ5eM) since 1998. Along the way, West released an album to at-best tepid reviews, made the rap world choose sides between him and Drake, and welcomed the newest addition to the West-Kardashian-Jenner dynasty. Notably though, it was his wife, Kim Kardashian, who made the real political impact this year ー[successfully lobbying](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/us/politics/trump-alice-johnson-sentence-commuted-kim-kardashian-west.html) President Trump to grant clemency to a 63-year-old woman serving a life sentence for a non-violent drug conviction. **#3. The Streaming Wars Get Serious:** Netflix's spending spree continued, Amazon entered the ranks of prestige TV, and Disney set out to turn the digital world into its own Magic Kingdom. The streaming wars reached new heights in 2018, as Hollywood continued to awkwardly grapple with what counts as a "movie," even as the streamers' march to the awards podium seems more and more inevitable. This year, [Netflix broke HBO's 17-year-streak](https://cheddar.com/videos/netflix-dethrones-hbo-in-most-emmy-nominations) as the most-nominated network at the Emmys, but it was Amazon that won TV's biggest night when "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" swept the major comedy awards. But Ted Sarandos has loftier goals ー which is why he finally made the controversial decision to release original movies in theaters to better their chances at the Oscars. Now "Roma" has the look of a Best Picture frontrunner just one year after the Cannes Film Festival banned the platform from competition. But Netflix ($NFLX) won't have much time to chill. Disney unveiled its [Disney+](https://cheddar.com/videos/disney-when-brand-names-pick-bland-names) service one year ahead of its late-2019 launch, and Apple ($APPL) continues to drop [star-powered press releases](https://www.vulture.com/2018/03/every-apple-tv-show-in-development.html) announcing upcoming shows and movies by the day. But when or where we'll actually get to watch those projects ー we still have no idea. **#2. Inclusion at the Box Office:** Wakanda Forever ... and ever, and ever, and ever. "Black Panther" is now the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time ー a far cry from one year ago, when industry forecasters were skeptical about a lesser-known superhero getting his own standalone movie. But any doubt quickly dissapeared when the film became a legitimate cultural phenomenon that challenged industry preconceptions about blockbusters, franchises, and who counts as a bankable leading man or woman. Now the movie is the first surefire Oscar contender to come from the realm of capes and cowls. But "Black Panther" was only one part of a year-long renaissance of diversity on the big screen that saw "Crazy Rich Asians," the first Hollywood film with a majority-Asian cast in three decades, make $238 million on its road to reviving the romantic comedy. Now a mixed-race Spider-Man is swinging his way to the top of the box office in "Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse," with female-led superhero movies and "Black Panther" sequels ready to save the day in 2019 and beyond. **#1: #MeToo: One Year Later:** Oct. 5 marked one year since The New York Times published its [Pulitzer Prize-winning exposé](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html) into dozens of sexual harassment allegations made against Hollywood super producer Harvey Weinstein. The story launched a movement that proves to be as strong as ever heading into its second year. More powerful men in the entertainment industry saw their empires crumble following claims sexual misconduct claims ー none more notable than Les Moonves, the now-former CBS chief, who became the latest entertainment titan to be taken down by [Ronan Farrow's investigative journalism](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/06/les-moonves-and-cbs-face-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct). The year also saw some of the men accused in 2017 make clumsy attempts at comebacks. Louis C.K. returned to the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, New York to a [chorus of critics](https://cheddar.com/videos/louis-c-k-s-return-to-stage-tears-comedy-world-apart), some of whom walked out of his multiple performances. Almost one year to the day after the birth of the movement, the referendum reached its climax when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified in front of Congress against now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, putting the movement on a global stage for all the world to see.

Share:
More In Culture
Pressure to Settle $1 Billion Claim From Nassar Survivors Against FBI
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
Elevate Prize Foundation Wants to Create 'Fanbase for Good' With $10K Awards
The Elevate Prize Foundation is donating $10,000 to different grassroots organizations based on a theme every month to help scale their work, focusing on a different theme each time. Upcoming prizes will help uplift an organization supporting the LGBTQ community and one mobilizing to help end gun violence. The foundation's CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram joined Cheddar to discuss the initiative and why it's important to uplift these grassroots organizations. "We are identifying social entrepreneurs around the world to help them scale their work. but the ultimate purpose of that is to create the first-ever fanbase for good," she said. "We're trying to make good famous and by inspiring people to think about the role they can play in doing good in the world."
Stephanie Shojaee on Paving the Way for Women in Real Estate
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
Hot summer could lead to rolling blackouts
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
U.S. traffic deaths hit 16 year high
If you have been on the road this past year, you've probably seen more accidents on the road than you ever have. You're not wrong. Traffic fatalities are not only increasing they are hitting historic highs. Almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2021. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier investigates - and finds out why.
U.S. Stocks Closed at Session Highs Tuesday
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
Gymnasts Seek $1 Billion From FBI Over Larry Nassar Case
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Kat Tat on Becoming 'Elite' Black Woman Tattoo Artist in Unwelcoming Industry
Tattoo artist Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson, famous for starring in the VH1 hit series "Black Ink Crew: Chicago," is also the first Black woman to own a tattoo shop in Beverly Hills. She joined Cheddar News to discuss her trailblazing work, the stigma BIPOC tattoo artists face in the industry, and the way the space has changed for artists of color since her start. "In the beginning, I remember walking into a tattoo shop just like, hey, I wanna learn, I wanna be a tattoo artist and kind of just being laughed at, not taken seriously," she said. "Even with the tattoo conventions, a lot of African American tattoo artists were almost scared to go to conventions because it's not a welcoming environment."
Load More