5 Underrated Tv-shows That You Must Watch

The creativity behind sitcoms is getting newer with each passing day. There’s a plethora of content outside of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, How I met Your Mother, or The Office and yet we find ourselves complaining about the lack of good shows out there. While you can watch a few of them on the major OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, etc with your subscriptions, others can be streamed on channels such as YouTube, Voot, Eros Now – for free. With so much to choose from, it seems impossible to weed out the good ones.

After all, your time is precious and there are so many titles and you don’t want to invest in a show you might not like. So how will you EVER find the right one? Well, forget the outdoors! Sit back and relax because we did the work for you, in case you need a break from re-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. for the 100th time.

Here is the list of TV shows from the past few years that deserve your attention despite the fact that they were brushed under the carpet for one reason or another. How many of them have you seen?

1. Gilmore Girls

The show originally runs for seven seasons on Netflix starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, a fiercely independent single mom Lorelai raises a gifted, Ivy-League bound daughter Rory amid a continual stream of quick-witted repartee. This is how Netflix describes it but it's so much more than that. This is a story of the fast-talking single mom who left home at 16 to raise her Ivy League-bound daughter in one of the quirkiest towns. Lorelai and Rory are more like best friends. Gilmore Girls is a lifestyle — a religion to fall in love with the pop culture-obsessed.

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the writer and director, pitches GG as the story of a mother and daughter, but it isn't until the show introduced Lorelai’s parents that she saw the show’s full potential. It all started in the pilot when Lorelai and Rory attend their first Friday-night dinner with Richard and Emily. There is a constant conflict around that table, which to me is a great family dynamic.

Lorelai is made because of her experience with her family, and Emily is Emily because Lorelai left. That added a layer of conflict that allows you to do the comedy, but at the base of it, it’s almost a tragedy.  However, the strong, empowered women and the optimistic messages the show offers outweigh the iffy episode-to-episode content. 

There is a central love story: the dynamic between Luke, the diner owner, and Lorelai, the caffeine addict. They just have this funny, weird chemistry that we had in terms of being complete opposites and also this built-in conflict of he has the thing she wants — which is coffee. Lorelai and Luke are there for each other even if they’re not in a relationship, and they weren’t in a relationship for years. He always pined for her. Who wouldn’t? Who wore jeans like Lorelai Gilmore? No one.

The Gilmores come back! With Netflix’s Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the cast and creators reflect on the original series. So, hey, Happy Netflixing!!

2. Parks and Recreations

This is an American political satire sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series runs across 125 episodes, over seven seasons on Amazon Prime.

For years Leslie Knope has labored as a small-town, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation department of Pawnee, Ind. It’s a lowly station for one who once held hopes of becoming the country’s first female president. But does that dampen her enthusiasm? Hardly. She’s as buoyant as a Ping-Pong ball, as dedicated as the plaque in City Hall.

At a time when most of us have come to believe politicians aren’t any better than the slob on the street—and in many cases are so much worse—Leslie’s a preternaturally peppy politician who really seems to believe this whole “public service” shtick, and she attacks her work with the sort of gleeful zeal most folks reserve for bacon and Girl Scout cookie.

The show manages to capture a vibe that’s all too absent in most of its peers: niceness. Perhaps it says something about our cynical culture that such a character—a politically innocent ideologue—is also the show’s primary punch line.” We still laugh at Leslie. But we’re encouraged to root for her too. Sure, she reminds us of those kids in algebra class who always sat in the front row and were perpetually raising their hands.

But while Michael, the boss from The Office, drives his underlings nuts because he wants to be liked so very, very badly, Leslie just wants to make Pawnee a better place to live. Her focus on others, rather than Michael’s focus on self, makes all the difference here: Leslie means well, however that manifests itself. And we can’t help but like her for it.

And come to think of it, most of her workmates have good qualities as well. Ron, a red-state caricature in some ways, also can be the show’s voice of reason. Andy is as single-minded and kind-hearted a fellow as you’re likely to meet.

The sentiments [Parks and Rec] ultimately evokes—kindness, fairness, and the pursuit of happiness even in the face of frustration. It consistently pokes fun at our culture and foibles in ways that are clever and sometimes sharp but never mean.”

So Parks and Recreation, in the end, as it ends, is much like its characters. It means well, but it can’t seem to stop undercutting its own good intentions. A must watch. 

3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

As the name suggests, the show is absolutely marvelous. Indeed a real comedy series- fresh, original, and appealing. The series stars Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel, a housewife in late 1950s and early 1960s New York City who discovers she has a knack for stand-up comedy and pursues a career in it. She is super energetic and her comic timing is on point.

The show follows the commencement of Midge's career as well as her turbulent personal life with quirky dialogues. There are lots of characters on this show, which is both endearing and hilarious. There's spoilt but witty Midge, her grumpy manager Susie, her eccentric parents, and in-laws. It's light and fluffy, but with brains and heart. You will alternate between tears and laughter.

Its historical setting is a big plus as it makes both fun of the time period and criticizes it, especially the gender roles and sexism of the time. After watching the show, all you will be able to think of is, 'would it be weird to wear 1950s style clothes in 2020?' If you adore vintage-inspired dresses more than anything, Midge is right up your alley. Her fashion sense is quintessential and distinguished. What would you not give to have Midge Maisel's closet? 

If you haven't watched this, you're totally missing something out! She is a spitfire and it's fabulous. 

4. Peaky Blinders

If you’re into gangsters and historical British crime dramas then pick up the remote and add this show to your list. The setting of Peaky Blinders takes place in Birmingham, England right after World War I.

The series focuses on the scandals of the Shelby gangster family, led by the bold and violent Tommy Shelby. Based on the real story of the Peaky Blinders, a gang that existed in the 1890s, follow the Shelby family through turmoil, loss, and brawls, and find out exactly why they kept razor blades sewn into their case.

The members’ families moved away from central Birmingham and its streets, choosing instead to live in the countryside, favorably distant from the main source of violence. In time, the Peaky Blinders were usurped by another gang with strong affiliations affirming their political and cultural control in the Midlands. The Birmingham Boys led by Billy Kimber would take their place and dominate the crime scene until they too were defeated by another rivalry, the Sabini gang who took control in the 1930s.

The notoriety and style of the gang earned them great levels of attention; their ability to exercise control, flout the law, and exhibit their winnings remains a cultural and historical phenomenon still garnering attention today. Their namesake lived on in the popular culture. Jessica Brain is a freelance writer specializing in history. Based in Kent and a lover of all things historical.

It's streaming on Netflix.

After watching, just try to resist talking in a British accent after you finish. 

5. Crashing

Dubbed a "binge-worthy delight" by Mashable, Crashing is a standalone series created by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Originally developed as two plays, the show follows the lives and loves of six twenty-somethings, who live together peacefully as property guardians in a massive disused hospital.

Crashing also mines the When Harry Met Sally conundrum for its narrative drive. Can straight men and women be friends without jumping into bed with each other? Lulu (played with goofy charm by the show’s creator, Phoebe Waller-Bridge) has stumbled back into the life of childhood best friend Anthony (Damien Molony), a chef in a pretentious no-cutlery restaurant – a “contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional North African hand-to-mouth dining etiquette” called We Don’t Give a Fork.

He’s engaged to Kate (Louise Ford), a woman so uptight she spends that “relaxing” bath trying to blow out as many candles as she can (stick to the rules).

Crashing will probably never get another season or mainstream success, especially with Waller-Bridge having moved on and grown more prolific for Fleabag and recently Killing Eve. But that's okay because this brief, beautiful gem of a show will live forever on streaming and still has so much insight to offer about how bizarre circumstances are not only valid but formative.

Crashing is streaming on Netflix.

Spend the afternoon adding these underrated titles to your binge-watching queue. You can thank us later.

Happy Binge-watching, Amigos!