With Netflix cancelling a tonne of good series, we need to start paying attention to those underrated tv shows that are mind-blowing. Most of them require one to have an acquired taste – and a lot of time to binge it – but many of these are worth saving. So, let’s save these amazing series starting with…
1. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
This series is based on a Douglas Adams book of the same name, and if you’ve read and watched Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you know this show is going to be an amazing and quirky ride. If you love dark humour, ridiculous storylines, bloodshed, mad characters and time travel (a.k.a Doctor Who), Dirk Gently if the perfect show for you.
I’d love to tell you the summary, but I honestly wouldn’t know where to even start. Also, for any of you who are already fans (such as moi), Season 2 is said to premiere in October this year!
2. Grace and Frankie
Many see Grace and Frankie on their Netflix and think “this must be a show for my mom”, but oh are you so wrong. I thought that too, but I was convinced by many to give it a shot, and now, I’m so in love with it.
The story is about Grace and Frankie who became friends after they are told by their husbands that after 40 years of marriage, their husbands have been cheating on them… with each other… for the past 20 years, and that they’re leaving their wives to be together.
Covering subjects such as dildos, post-menopausal sex to euthanasia and many more, this series has a tone and narrative that’s unique, witty, and deep. Plus, it’s one of those shows that doesn’t require you binge watch it all in one sitting. You can always watch an episode before you sleep or whilst you’re having dinner.
3. Peaky Blinders
I’ve never watched Boardwalk Empire but I heard these two shows are pretty alike. The show is about Thomas a.k.a Tommy Shelby who is smart, ruthless and the cold brain behind the Peaky Blinders – an Irish-Gypsy gang in 1920’s England. It is set in England after World War I, when the men are back and struggling with everything that war changes – and damages – which includes the underworld too. If you like action, some amount of gore and clever heists, Peaky Blinders is for you.
4. The OA
The OA follows Prairie Johnson, a small-town girl who is blind and went missing seven years ago. She resurfaced with her sight intact and calls herself The OA. Her adoptive parents and FBI urges her to open up about her disappearance but The OA only shares her story with some of the locals she trusts. In addition to her history and secrets, it is also revealed that other people may also be in jeopardy.
The show is a magical science-fiction series that will have you on the edge of your seat. You’ll also never know what will happen next as it’s really unpredictable. So hurry up and start watching it if you don’t want it to have the same fate as the TV shows Netflix is cancelling.
5. Crazyhead
If you mix Buffy the Vampire Slater and Misfits, you get this Netflix’s new comedy-horror series. The series follows the exploits of two girls; Amy and Raquel. Amy discovers that she’s a seer – someone who can identify demons hiding in plain sight – and meets Raquel, who is also a seer – but a more experienced, self-taught demon hunter. The two stumble upon the deep-seated underbelly of Hell and come together to fight evil.
6. American Crime Story: People vs. O.J. Simpson
The show is based of a trial that took 20 years ago, where everyone knew what the outcome was, but the show has nothing to do with that. The show has been nominated for over 20 Emmys, winning 8, and shows some killer performance from Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden and many more. This show recreates the events of the murder of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson and takes us through every little detail of the trial. The word riveting comes to mind when describing this show as it looks at issues of race, gender and class.
7. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
This series is something that surprised me when I first started. I put it on as sometime to casually watch as I eat, but I ended up falling in love with it instead. If you love Tina Fey, you’ll love this series. The show follows Kimmy Schmidt who has been released from a cult she was kidnapped to join as a child and how she relearns everything about life today. And just like 30 Rock, you can expect a ton of pop culture references and unexpected celebrity cameos.
8. Chewing Gum
Looking for a quirky and funny series? Look no further. As most shows from Britain, this series features a bunch of quirky characters who live in London, which includes 24-year-old shop assistant, Tracey Gordon, who is a restricted, religious virgin, and wants to have sex and learn more about the world. The first season is super short, so if you’re looking for a short-term binge, you can binge this in just one evening.
9. Lovesick
Lovesick follows handsome bachelor Dylan who has everything; a great job, cool friends and a date with a new girl – every weekend. Unfortunately… he also has chlamydia.
Dylan now has the uncomfortable task of contacting all of his past flings to inform them of this. Each episode features a flashback to his encounter with his fling as well as the shenanigans that surround him and his two besties Evie and luke.
10. 3%
3% is set in the distant future where Brazil is divided into 2 regions; the Inland and the Offshore. The Inland is where a majority of the population lives, though it is filled with devastation and poverty. The Offshore, however, is a lush and wealthy paradise where anything is possible. Every year, each 20-year-old citizen has the opportunity to relocate to the Offshore by taking a test. This dystopian series follows Michele Santana as she navigates through the test with others who are willing to go anything to make it to the other side – without knowing that Michele herself, has a secret agenda.
BONUS:
11. Sense8
This show has been getting a lot of attention from the media lately because it just got cancelled by Netflix.
Why I placed this as a bonus is because it’s something I’d suggest watching, but not get too invested – of course. Sense8 revolves around 8 people who are Sensates. Sensates are evolved humans whose minds are all connected – they share each other’s bodies, minds, and abilities. However, there’s a group that’s hunting all Sensates and they have their fingers in everything – from corporations to the police.
The series starts out a little slow, but it takes its time to develop each character beautifully – and make you fall in love with each and everyone of them – hence I was absolutely broken hearted when the series was cancelled. The show is amazing in being multicultural as you travel from Germany to India to Kenya to Iceland and more. Which is also one of the reasons why the series got cancelled – the ratings weren’t enough for the $9 million that they were spending per episode since they shoot in multiple locations… with the entire cast and crew. For perspective… Game of Thrones spends $6 million per episode.
Even though it ended on a massive cliff-hanger, I do have high hopes that it might actually have a good ending… somehow – maybe through a movie or hopefully someone else might pick it up. It has a fascinating concept with very lovable characters, so don’t lose hope so quickly! Maybe with new fans, the show might have a chance to make it through the Netflix-pocalypse. If you like beautiful shows with some sci-fi thrown into the mix, you’ll love Sense8.
So get binging till you look like this:
