20 best superhero TV shows of 2018, ranked

THE GIFTED: L-R: Guest star Jermaine Rivers, Sean Teale, Natalie Alyn Lind, Amy Acker and Stephen Moyer in the second part of the ÒeXtraction/X-roadsÓ two-hour season finale of THE GIFTED airing Monday, Jan. 15 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2017 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Eliza Morse/FOX

17. The Gifted

After a very brief run in 2018 that saw its first season conclude, The Gifted only recently returned to screens for its second season. The show is linked to the X-Men movie franchise and is set in an alternate timeline where the X-Men themselves have seemingly vanished. As a result, mutants aren’t as accepted as they once were and this ultimately makes them a target for enemies, particularly the government.

The first season focused on district attorney Reed Strucker and his wife, Caitlin, who discover that their own children possess mutant abilities. With the pressure from the anti-mutant government all around them, they decide to go on the run in order to protect them. What was incredibly engaging about the story was that, in a show surrounded by super-powered mutants, we were completely invested in these two human parents – who would stop at absolutely nothing to keep their kids safe.

However, Season 2 tackles a different type of story, highlighting all of the different approaches in the fight for mutant rights. As a result, conflict arises between contrasting groups, the Mutant Underground and the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club.

As good as the first season was, the second outing is shaping up to be superior. With all of the warring factions, there is a thrilling sense of urgency this year that really adds a much bigger feel to it. The stakes are heightened and the threats feel bigger. With so much juicy conflict, The Gifted continues improve as it approaches the end of its second season. Let’s just hope it gets the chance to continue to do that into a third.