The 39 Most Underrated TV Shows Ever

Together, they chase an apparent serial killer, making an uneasy alliance to catch the murderer. Unfortunately, the series wasn’t renewed for a third season, though that might make it more appetizing for audiences looking for something to binge. For all but the most hardened sociopaths, cheating on a spouse is painful enough in itself to send a person spiraling into an abyss of guilt and confusion. But what if you went to bed with a dude who was not your husband and woke up the next morning to find you’d been transported into an alternate reality where you were married to this new guy who was supposed to be a one-night stand? And then when you slept with someone else in an attempt to reset your life, you ended up married to them instead?

Apple TV+ has a treasure trove of TV shows that many people don’t even know about.

The series unfurls a dizzying examination of memory, loyalty, and gender roles, rendering it a must-watch. Whether they were confusingly marketed, dwarfed by competitors, broadcast by a smaller network, or just fell out of the spotlight long before they should have, some must-watch TV shows deserved better. Many are readily available to stream now, meaning there are plenty of shows—from romance to innovative sci-fi to overlooked comedies—you may have missed that you can finally get around to. Thanks to John Hughes, when you think about the 1980s there’s a very good chance you think of classic high school dramas. Freaks and Geeks falls in line with that theme perfectly and follows a group of outcast pals trying to survive the daily challenges of teenage life. We took into account scores from Metacritic, IMDb, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as online chatter from social media sites like Twitter and Reddit, combining all of that with what we feel was truly underrated in 2023.

She isn’t afraid to tackle topics like sexism, racism, fertility, and single-parenthood with humor and tact. And the show’s full of a quirky bunch of charismatic and lovable supporting characters who come to feel more like family members by the time the series ends. It may lack huge stars, but “Black Cake” is as good as any series with a top-billed A-lister. Its cast is comprised of actors that many audiences won’t be familiar with, but with a little bit of luck, some of them might become big stars thanks to the series, which began seeing rave reviews even before it concluded. One of the best shows of the year, it’s downright shameful that it isn’t among the most-watched — and we’re here to help change that. Good British crime dramas are a dime a dozen these days — you can toss a bowler hat and hit one by mistake — but while the new “Luther” telefilm grabbed most of the mainstream press, it was shows like “Payback” and “Steeltown Murders” that dazzled beneath the fold.

If you enjoyed “24” and “Designated Survivor,” and enjoy a quality caper with plenty of twists and turns, “Rabbit Hole” is the hidden gem you’ve been looking for. Criminally underrated, “Pickett” barely made headlines when it debuted in 2021. Its second season is even better, adding new cast member Keean Johnson as Pickett’s protege Luke Brueggeman.

Airing on Apple TV+, “The Changeling” didn’t get the kind of massive promotion that shows like “Stranger Things” get on Netflix. Combined with some mediocre early reviews, the series was overlooked by many. But with a poignant story of love, loss, and betrayal — and universal themes of parenthood — it’s a series that will resonate with just about everyone, and its impressive cast delivers some of the best performances of the year. Throw in a gripping, edge-of-your-seat story that unfolds in unexpected ways, and there’s plenty to keep you hooked — though its cliffhanger ending may prove frustrating for some (especially considering a Season 2 has yet to be announced). Perhaps it was the somewhat overdone premise — a secret agent who learns of a powerful cabal that controls the world — that led audiences to turn away from “Rabbit Hole,” but the series isn’t as rote as its description might seem.

After receiving a mysterious email from a former fraternity brother, Chuck is exposed to a series of encoded images that implant the secrets of the U.S. government into his brain. CIA agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) is assigned to manage Chuck and use him in missions in which he may be an asset, and the two ultimately develop a complicated romance amidst a whirlwind of top-secret adventures. An ancient relic from the days before high-speed internet was practically a utility, MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) is a show whose existence may seem perplexing at first. An Americanized re-dubbing of the Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle, MXC takes footage from the series and re-contextualizes it into a non-stop parade of jokes and quips laced over some incredibly creative obstacle course challenges. While “Rutherford Falls” may not have achieved the success it deserved, it remains a sitcom anime quiz that’s well worth watching, offering rich rewards for viewers on multiple levels.

Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy

Nikita ran for four seasons on The CW, earning an 85% fresh tomatoes rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite relatively low viewership. With a live-action reboot of the series still supposedly in development, you’d be hard-pressed to miss out on this brilliantly surreal animated series. It’s something that’ll stick with you long after you finish watching it, not just because of its off-color visuals, but for the themes and ideas addressed throughout as well. Eureka was one of multiple shows that originally debuted on SyFy in the mid-2000s, alongside Warehouse 13 and Fringe.

This is offered by young comedy writer Ava Daniels, Hannah Einbinder, who works to make Vance relevant again. Yes, there have been Emmy awards and the like for this one, but in the UK it’s been slow to arrive – it’s here now, though, and needs to be devoured. Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle.

The series shines with its combination of sharp comedy, pitch-perfect performances, and the same kinds of off-the-wall ridiculousness as Rogen’s best movies. Though it remains to be seen if viewing figures were enough to secure a second season, critics and audiences who saw it heaped it with praise as an unconventional buddy comedy that succeeds where it should and delights where least expected. Some people don’t like to watch shows that have already, prematurely been canceled. And so I must sadly note that The Watchful Eye got canned, this past summer, after just one season. But if the idea of a thriller set in one of Manhattan’s most exclusive apartment buildings that’s just as much a soap as it is a mystery appeals, then you owe it to yourself to give this exuberantly over-the-top serial a try.

Their motivations are vastly different, as Ludovica struggles financially at home, while Chiara is motivated by her growing disenchantment with a privileged lifestyle. Baby is an Italian-language Netflix original, with English and other language voice-over options available. The series feels a bit like an Italian Euphoria, and is sure to satisfy fans of teen and foreign-language dramas alike. A visual powerhouse from MTV of all things, Aeon Flux is easily the most visually-stimulating remnant of the Liquid Television era. Created by Peter Chung, this series takes place in a visually-distinct dystopian future, borrowing heavily from German Expressionism and formerly-taboo cultural topics. Denise Poirier stars as our title character, a secret agent entrusted to eliminate targets controlled by her former lover-turned-villain, Trevor Goodchild.

Love Life

This series was a Marvel spinoff after the first several installments into the cinematic MCU. It was quite compelling—especially when it was revealed that the agency S.H.I.E.L.D. was (spoiler alert!) infiltrated by bad guys, including some of our main characters. This sitcom was popular while it was on, but has since gotten second place compared to other contemporaries (Friends, Seinfeld, and so on). It was a highly over-the-top show, with aliens coming down to Earth to live in human bodies and—most unsuccessfully—trying to blend in. We’ve also highlighted a returning musical comedy that is still in need of more eyeballs, because while it may get critical recognition, we can’t help but feel like not enough people know that one of TV’s best shows is currently streaming on Peacock.

As the people being interviewed point out, understanding the relevance of 1994 in Mexican politics will help you understand the country’s political and economic landscape today. This German show is about a town with a long and dark history, which is brought to the forefront of the collective conscious when a child goes missing. The plot twists and turns through decades of history – and that’s as much as I will share without ruining the show for you. This is a cause for concern for a lot of people, but for one group of teenage girls life continues as usual.

“It was so beautiful and heartbreaking. The whole show was so perfectly done to every last detail. I could rave about this show forever. It was absolutely stunning.” These sci-fi shows were ahead of their time and would be better appreciated in today’s climate. This HBO Max original Made For Love boasts Cristin Milioti, Ray Romano, and Billy Magnussen as the leading dysfunctional trio. Having lost her mother and suffering a strained relationship with her father, Hazel (Milioti) is easily wooed by megalomaniacal billionaire Byron Gogol. He lures her into his meticulous virtual reality complex known as the Hub, where she endures a ten-year-long marriage wherein she is completely separated from the outside world along with the entire Hub community.