This topic was suggested by my Uncle Dan some time ago. I spend so much of my time on this blog discussing the most relevant and talked-about movies and television shows, that it feels like a thoroughly nice change to devote a post to those TV gems that have been largely forgotten by history after they aired, or overlooked by the mainstream during their airing.
The range of today's list is wide: there are some shows that you very likely haven't heard of, whereas some have quite a lot of name recognition but they belong on the list because they feel like shows that either a) everyone has heard of but hardly anyone has actually watched, or b) people used to watch when they first aired, but no one talks about them anymore. Some of these recommendations are meant to cause a "Oh, this sounds like a good series, I should check it out" reaction, and with others, I'm going for more of a "Oh yeah, I forgot all about this one, I should watch it again!" one. I hope you enjoy!
Here are my honorable mentions: the original Doctor Who (1963-1989), Fairly Legal (2011-2012), One Day at a Time (2017-2020), Ramy (2019-Present), Vinyl (2016).
10. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1994-1999)
Even the more popular Star Trek TV shows, namely the original Star Trek (1966-1969) and The Next Generation (1987-1994), seem to be a weirdly small deal here in Finland, as I never seem to find fellow fans to discuss Star Trek with. And this sense of obscurity applies even more to the less popular iterations of the franchise, including my personal favorite Deep Space Nine. The series never really made it big with mainstream audiences, even if Trek fans have always been happy to watch it; perhaps the timing was off, as many viewers were experiencing sci-fi fatigue in the 1990's.
But while Deep Space Nine is overlooked by many, I see it as the franchise's finest offering, with all the makings of a legendary TV series, had it broken in with larger audiences. It is simultaneously the darkest and least dark Star Trek series, as it deals with heavy themes, difficult politics and moral grey areas, yet the space station setting makes for off-the-charts coziness as the DS9 station truly starts to feel like home to the viewer.
9. Les Miserables (2000)
We all know the original Victor Hugo novel, the Broadway musical based on it, and the 2012 film adaptation. But how many of you know the French miniseries from 2000, starring Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovic as Jean Valjean and Javert?
We watched this 4-part series entirely through in small segments throughout our French class in junior high school, and my God, it was good. The catchy and dramatic instrumental soundtrack still rings in my head every now and then even though eight or nine years have passed from my viewing experience, and the story is adapted from the book with surgical precision. I would also like to applaud Steffen Wink's supporting performance as Enjorlas; it is without a doubt one of the most underrated acting performances I've seen, really capturing the sense of revolution and inspiration from Hugo's source material with aplomb.
8. That Damn Michael Che (2021-Present)
This very new series has dropped two seasons of quality content so far, and for some reason, no one seems to be talking about it. Whether the issue is with marketing, sketch comedy fatigue, HBO Max or Michael Che's humor being an acquired taste, it's a shame that the series hasn't taken off in a bigger fashion. What I can say is that I personally enjoy the series a lot (I've watched it through with my Dad, and many episodes have had us rolling with laughter), and I thoroughly recommend it to fans of dark humor.
Essentially, the series was born out of Saturday Night Live's (1975-Present) Michael Che wanting an outlet for those jokes and skits he's come up with that were deemed too dark/edgy/controversial for SNL. The structure of the episodes is a delightful mixture of vignettes, thematic narratives and stand-up comedy, and Che's network of comedy pals allows for fantastic guest stars like Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson and Colin Jost to make appearances. With the episodes dealing with themes like cancel culture, the Covid vaccine, religion and police brutality, That Damn Michael Che truly manages to find laughter in the weirdest places.
7. Miranda (2009-2015)
One of the two wonderfully obscure British sitcoms on today's list, Miranda is quite the gem. Created by, written by and starring comedy maestro Miranda Hart, the series follows the awkward and lovable main character (named Miranda, implying that the series is somewhat autobiographical) as she deals with her difficult mother Penny (Patricia Hodge), her ditsy colleague and best friend Stevie (Sarah Hadland), and her long-term love interest Gary (Tom Ellis). All of the major supporting characters are well-cast and memorable, but the star of the show is undoubtedly the title character herself.
6. Episodes (2011-2017)
Had they profited from better marketing, I'm convinced that Episodes could've become one of the most acclaimed sitcoms of the 2010's - sadly, this didn't happen, as no one anywhere ever has heard of this utterly brilliant series, to my great dismay. I mean, the premise of Episodes alone is so amazing; as a means of satirizing the Hollywood show business, we follow two British TV writers who move to L.A. to work on an American adaptation of their acclaimed series.
This makes for a comedic yet very real look at why such adaptations often fail, as the writers keep getting their ideas bogged down by shallow and jaded producers wanting to make the series less nuanced and more media-sexy. It also makes for a fascinating setting for TV enthusiasts such as myself, as following the behind-the-scenes making of a fictional TV series is compelling as hell. Furthermore, a key plot point is the Hollywood producers casting Friends (1994-2004) alumnus Matt LeBlanc as the star of their show, hence one of the major Episodes characters being (a slightly over-the-top version of) LeBlanc himself, and he really has a blast playing this version of himself.
So, yeah, Episodes is pretty great. It even has one of my favorite comedy series finales, ending the show's five-season-run in the most genius and perfect way imaginable.
5. Futurama (1999-2013)
Sure, we've all heard of Futurama, know of its existence, and have maybe even watched and episode or two on a Sunday night or an airplane. But who can honestly say that they've watched the series, episode by episode, knowing the characters and stories well? By my experience, the answer is upsettingly little.
That's a heck of a shame, because Futurama is amazing. Created by The Simpsons (1989-Present) creator Matt Groening, this show is often seen as The Simpsons' dorky little brother, with the same animation style and similar humor but in a sci-fi setting and with less hype. However, I view Futurama to be (and I know this is quite the hot take) every bit as good as The Simpsons, if not even better. No, I'm not kidding.
The humor is just as funny as in the more well-known Groening series, and the characters are even better. Furthermore, Futurama isn't just laughs and satire - its storytelling vastly outdoes The Simpsons, serving as a precursor to Rick and Morty (2013-) in how silliness can be combined with remarkably creative and engaging sci-fi storytelling. In-between the many hilarious and inventive episodes, there are many surprisingly emotional ones as well - I have yet to watch season 3's The Luck of the Fryish or the series finale Meanwhile without shedding a tear or two.
Trust me, just watch the pilot episode to get a sense of how funny and exciting Futurama really is. The first 20 seconds of the pilot are easily the funniest opening moment to a television series I've ever seen.
4. Rome (2005-2007)
Fellow history buffs, this one is for you. Picture the intrigue, power dynamics, plot-stirring schemes and brutal twists of the early seasons of Game of Thrones, but based on real events. That's basically HBO's two-season wonder Rome. Based on the power struggles of the Caesar and post-Caesar eras, the series uses its ambitious HBO budget to really capture the intrigue of one of the most fascinating historical eras out there, which is why it's a real shame that the series never really got a spot among the modern classics, drowned out by more mainstream shows in an increasingly competitive field.
For the most part, Rome is very historically accurate. And the parts where it does deviate from real events are well-reasoned; mostly, they are cases of the semi-fictional soldier protagonists Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) having big roles in major events. The existence of these two officers as main characters is the show's way of showing what life was like for more 'ordinary' Romans, and their exaggerated role in major historical events are a narrative way of tying together interesting events from the time, that might otherwise feel a bit disconnected in the TV format of storytelling.
3. The Vicar of Dibley (1994-2007)
The even better out of the two obscure British sitcoms on today's list, The Vicar of Dibley is a gem if I ever saw one. Brought to my attention by my favorite ex-girlfriend, this quirky series follows a small village, where Geraldine Granger arrives to work as their church's first female vicar, which leads to all sorts of shenanigans.
The main cast is an absolute delight, with the town council consisting of brilliantly unique characters such as the ditsy Alice Tinker (Emma Chambers), hilariously questionable animal lover Owen Newitt (Roger Lloyd Pack), and my personal favorite: Jim Trott (Trevor Peacock), whose entire shtick is saying the word "no" several times before he says "yes", thus making his replies to various questions suspenseful and funny. Such a dumb concept for a character, yet somehow it never gets old and makes you laugh every damn episode. All in all, The Vicar of Dibley is a sweet and wholesome series with a lovable cast of characters and a cozy setting.
2. Community (2009-2015 and a movie)
Sure, my all-time favorite sitcom always had an insanely loyal cult following, and it has gained a newfound popularity many years after its ending after it returned to Netflix, thus making the series more popular and well-known than most of today's list. But it still belongs on this list, because Dan Harmon's masterpiece isn't one tenth as popular and acclaimed as it deserves to be.
Very few of the people I know have watched the series (and of the ones who have, about 83 per cent have done so due to my constant pestering). And hardly anyone I know has re-watched the series multiple times, as it should be viewed, because only then you really start to get into the hidden jokes and unique humor of Harmon's writing, as well as the layered character archs of characters such as Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) and Abed (Danny Pudi). Community combines pop culture satire, meta humor, cozy themes of friendship and community (heh), barrier-breaking storytelling and much more to create a wildly creative, absolutely genius and ultimately heartfelt series that will always be my #1 comfort series and a show that has honestly taught me a lot and made me a better person, in addition to being the most fun-to-watch series out there.
1. Person of Interest (2011-2016)
It's no mystery why this overlooked, underrated sci-fi / crime series never broke through with mainstream audiences. Really, it's all there in the genre combination. For viewers who want a conventional case-of-the-week crime drama, Person of Interest was too experimental and sci-fi. But for the experimental sci-fi crowd, it was a bit too 'conventional case-of-the-week crime drama'. For me personally, the combo is perfect; it's an intriguing take on the crime drama format, with each episode having its own unique case with its twists, yet the slowly built overarching narratives and experimental twists in the narrative make the series work on a whole other level.
The main characters are a masterfully written bunch, as each one's gripping backstory is slowly revealed across multiple seasons, which makes the viewer care for them a great deal. Jonathan Nolan's writing is endlessly creative, making for insanely memorable concept episodes, massive payoffs, and addictive storylines that just keep on giving. The series gets better with each season, culminating in the fifth and final season that I consider to be the greatest individual TV season ever made. I can't imagine anyone watching the whole series through and not crying their eyes out at the absolute emotional powerhouse that is Person of Interest's series finale.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a post reflecting on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as I list my top 5 positive (and top 5 negative) takeaways from the tournament.
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