*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
How Pop Culture is Riding the Nostalgia Pendulum
Patrick Metzger, Writer and Technologist, joins Cheddar Reveals to break down how nostalgia has influenced pop culture, why it remains in a trend loop for every generation, and why that trend is likely never going to end.
The Psychology of Nostalgia
Clay Routledge, Professor of Business and author of "Nostalgia: A Psychological Resource", joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the psychology of nostalgia: why we have it, and why it may be good for our mental health.
Magnolia Network President on Bringing Chip and Joanna Gaines' Vision to Life
After a tough start amid the pandemic, lifestyle brand Magnolia Network, a collaboration between Chip and Joanna Gaines and Discovery, is pressing forward. Allison Page, the network's president, joined Cheddar to discuss the challenges and rewards of putting together the latest cable television content offerings from the Gaines team. "Really, behind the scenes, this is their vision, and we saw bits of it in Magnolia Journal, their fantastic magazine," Page said. "And just getting to bring that to life in a broader cable landscape has been such a joy and such a great opportunity." The accomplished television executive who moved over from HGTV also had encouraging words for women in the workplace as Women's History Month continues.
Alyssa Milano on Highlighting Plight of Sex Trafficking Survivors in New Documentary
"Surviving Sex Trafficking" is a new documentary examining the dark world of human trafficking and aiming to lift the voices of survivors. Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, a Jain monk and filmmaker, and actor/activist Alyssa Milano, executive producer, joined Cheddar News to the new documentary releasing later this week. "We can't turn away, we need to have these uncomfortable conversations to change the static, this status quo," Milano said about the film. Shree, a sexual abuse survivor, also noted that the filmmaking process of telling these stories helped her heal. "When you carry a lot of pain, when you have the PTSD, when you carry that kind of trauma, you're always trying to find ways to heal yourself," she said.
Student Will Larkins Says New Florida Bill 'Is Made to Kill Queer Kids'
Will Larkins, president and co-founder of Winter Park High School's Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of its 'Say Gay Anyway' walkout, joined Cheddar News to discuss their recent opinion piece for The New York Times titled "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Will Hurt Teens Like Me."
Load More