20 New TV Shows To Look Forward To In 2018

16. Waco (Paramount Network) – January 24 

Spike TV might have been known for its many incarnations of Ink Master, but the recent rebranding will kick off a whole new line of scripted shows. The one that stands out the most is Waco, the retelling of the tragic real-life stand off between the FBI and the Branch Davidians.

Based on two different accounts: David Thibodeau, a real-life survivor from Waco, and Gary Noesner, the man who was tasked with negotiating with cult leader David Koresh. The tense negotiation ultimately led to tragedy but the events leading up to that is what the Paramount Network is interested in looking at.

The Paramount Network scored a big-time cast for their first big venture into scripted television. Taylor Kitsch takes on the infamous cult leader and Waco promises to explore his ascent into leadership throughout different periods of his life.

Since the series will be presenting the unfortunate events through the eyes of multiple witnesses, Noesner will be brought to life by Michael Shannon. Thibedeau is played by Rory Culkin, younger sibling to former child-star Macauley Culkin and impressive indie leading man. Rounding out the cast is John Leguizamo as Robert Rodriguez, the undercover ATF who infiltrated the cult, and Melissa Benoist, as Koresh’s first wife Rachel.

While no one will ever be truly able to break down the real events of Waco because so many people died or were silenced, the series looks like a promising start. 2017 focused a lot on serial killers and true crime docu-series, but 2018 could be the beginning to looking at the mindset of a cult.