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What's an underrated, cancelled, or largely forgotten show that you really love?
As always, anything goes. Curious to see what you guys and girls come up with!
As always, anything goes. Curious to see what you guys and girls come up with!
I quite liked Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, which has nothing to do with the source material. It was cancelled after two seasons and no one I talk to has ever watched it or seems to get around to watching it which is too bad.
I really enjoyed this show because it was completely unpredictable but a really fun ride all the way through. Also it was clearly thought out, not just "lolrandom" even though it felt like it was going that direction sometimes.
Yet another cancelled Netflix property but this one at least has a pretty good justification behind it given who the showrunner was.
I gotta confess, the histrionics were a bit much for me, the main guy was like Doctor Who on crack and I couldn't deal with it. But I did like that character, IDK how to describe, the nihilist random assassin?
Funny thing: the main guy is basically the Doctor. Douglas Adams turned a few rejected Doctor Who scripts during his time on the show and turned them into Dirk Gently and Hitchhiker's Guide books (Ford Prefect in that one).
My number one show that needs a reboot or continuation would be The Lost Room. Mostly because it was a fun miniseries that had a weird magic system of Magical Objects of dubious origin, and the show was so incredibly smart with how it would use these Objects and their very specific and limited abilities to great effect.
This is exactly the show I can into this thread thinking about, I loved that series!
Geez. How is it that no one has mentioned Firefly? ... and looking it up now, I can't believe it's been 20 years.
For those who don't remember, this was a Joss Whedon show, a hugely popular series that Fox sabotaged from the start (released episodes out of sequence, changed time slots (y'all remember time slots?), messed up advertising), and ultimately killed after less than one full season, despite great potential and rabid fans (like myself). To this day, it still routinely tops lists of "shows most voted for a revival". Large ensemble cast, almost every member of which went on to starring roles in one or more other series and/or movies.
I still dig it out and rewatch it a few times a year, still sad that these 16 episodes and a fan-demanded wrap-up movie are all I'm ever going to get ... and yeah, I'm still bitter about it.
"I may be on the losing side ... still not convinced it was the wrong side."
I have to wonder in the alternate universe where Firefly was renewed if it kinda looses the plot after a completed first season and either drags out it's reveals, turns soapy, or takes a hard left turn into "Joss being weird and edgy" just cause. It could have just as easily become Heroes.
I feel like he crammed another 1.5 seasons into the movie, and still a lot of questions unanswered. Almost all shows get bad/stupid before they give up, but I think alt-verse Firefly had at least 4-5 good seasons in its future.
I don’t feel productive saying this, but I’ve never seen anyone else say anything less than the highest praise of the show. I’ve seen a few episodes and don’t find it to be exceptionally good. I’m really into science fiction, Trek, and westerns. Firefly to me is just good. Good enough to have gotten more than a season, though.
I could never understand all the praise for Whedon's "Buffy" series. I really tried to like it, but it never "clicked" for me.
Nothing is great for everyone.
I saw a few episodes. I think it’s good. But not something I’m going to go and watch through.
Maybe it’s a right place right time thing? I actually really like Star Trek: Voyager but tbh I can understand why most people can’t get into it. And I might have skipped it were the conditions not right.
I guess it's not really forgotten. It's a cult classic that comes up regularly. It's like Twin Peaks or Arrested Development. Niche, but kinda big on the internet.
My programmer mind focused on the 'or'....
I'm a bit late to the party, but I wanted to talk about two shows I mentioned in passing last topic:
Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies.
Both are Bryan Fuller created comedies, reminiscent of The Good Place, with a similarly charming, heartfelt, and fantastical feel to them, while also focusing on the same overall theme; Death. It makes sense they're both so similar though, since IIRC the concept of PD was originally supposed to be a story arch of DLM, but when the show got cancelled after only two seasons he turned that idea into another full show. But sadly, PD didn't last any longer than DLM, also being cancelled after 2 seasons.
Both were truly wonderful shows, with incredibly interesting concepts. It's truly a shame that they were cancelled so early, and not allowed to explore their themes further. They both had so much potential, and the casting was exceptional. And ironically, a bit like a real death, it genuinely breaks my heart that we will never get to know what might have become of them if they had been allowed to survive for a bit longer. :(
Coincidentally, I popped in to mention these same shows! My partner is a big fan of them and was the one who introduced me to them. Of the two I think I prefer Pushing Up Daisies.
I love them both, but I think I actually prefer Dead Like Me simply because of how much I adore Mandy Patinkin, stemming from my countless re-watches of The Princess Bride. ;)
I know you don’t want to debate or discuss it, but I think it’s pretty unfair to drop such a bombshell opinion and then expect everyone to remain silent. I want to respect your wishes so I won’t draw this out or expect a reply, but I think it is worth noting one key difference between the show and real life; In the show they have conclusive evidence of the existence of at least three, potentially eternal afterlifes. And that changes the moral calculus regarding the idea of “suicide” in said afterlifes after someone has spent centuries there either being tortured in the Bad Place, unfulfilled in the Medium Place, or fulfilling their every desire in the real Good Place… especially when we have seen the consequences of that process playing out even in the better of the three, with the dulled minds of the Good Place residents before the option of allowing them to leave into the unknown was finally introduced. And, keeping that in mind, IMO the ending is much more morally justifiable and makes much more sense in that context.
It seems that a discussion is unavoidable. Therefore, I will respectfull remove the comment above, since it will most certainly lead to a lengthy discussion. Sorry :/
Likewise, sorry for being unable to hold my tongue. But in my defence, I truly loved the ending of The Good Place, and it’s since become one of my deepest desires/hopes that there is actually some truth to it because of how appealing it is to me… so it was really hard to see it cast in such a negative light. :(
I actually love The Good Place very deeply. However, the ending caused me profound distress. And not in a way which I qualify as good.
Oh and when I meant to avoid discussion I didn't actually meant a discussion with you. I'd love to debate this issue with you, and you alone.
The problem is that certain subjects are, by their very nature, an invitation to heated emotions and overall nastiness, and that is something I have been actively trying to avoid these days, both online and offline (admittedly, not always successfully). I don't cherish checking and rechecking my writing like a lawyer in front of a judge, and I simply don't have the emotional constitution to deal productively with that kind of sentiment. So I decided that I'll just retreat and have a lovely day when I feel things might get out of control. It's not easy, but extremely favorable to my mental health.
That's totally understandable! I too have tried to distance myself from such contentious online discussions for similar reasons, but also struggle holding myself to that, so I sympathize. If you would like to continue the discussion though, we can go to PMs, since I am curious about a few things regarding the ending if you would be open to sharing them with me. But if not, again that's totally understandable and I promise I won't feel insulted if you decline or need to bow out at any point.
I may or may not write you a letter about The Good Place ;)
Mostly I'm just genuinely curious now to hear how you think it (and the afterlife portrayed in it) could have ended better, is all. i.e What is your ideal version of the afterlife? So at least it's a slightly more optimistic subject if you ever do feel up to writing about it. :)
Sometimes I feel like one of the only (or only remaining) fans of the 1999-2002 series Roswell, not to be confused with the reimagined version Roswell, New Mexico, which will air its last episode next week. I feel lucky to have had Roswell play such a role in my life. It was there for me through difficult times.
Part of the appeal must be a "time and a place" sort of thing, but it's also a "person" sort of thing. Only a particular sort of person will respond positively to a show so overflowingly sentimental that it has a theme song by Dido. Only a particular sort of person could get invested in a show that hinges so much on a single and unshakable romantic pairing. Even through its ineffective "monster of the week" season, Max and Liz were what kept its viewers anchored. Roswell's fans needed to know they came out okay, which explains much of the write-in campaign that "saved" the show for another, concluding season after it was canceled. Think Dawson's Creek amped up to eleven, throw in a few glowing crystals and alien hieroglyphics, and you're almost there. Its showrunner Jason Katims went onto head Friday Night Lights, so you're also close if you swap the footballs out with UFOs and add a steadicam.
I don't know who the "particular sort of person" that responds to Roswell is, or what they're like, because I hardly know what I myself am like. But I can take a guess: it's the sort of person who grew up feeling like they had a secret that they couldn't share with anyone. Roswell, New Mexico has a number of good qualities, but there is one place where the original Roswell will always win: it is imperative that a show like this be set in a high school. Why? Because of the setup: that there are some people who may look just like everyone else, but who are in fact aliens; that these people must hide in plain sight so as not to be misunderstood; that these people are, for reasons that they can't understand, pursued by people who want to kill them. Any small town queer high schooler can relate to this, as can plenty of other people. The premise is like a gift from heaven for vulnerable adolescents, because it is almost uniquely suited to speak to adolescent vulnerability.
The signs of the show's impact on my life are all around, now that I look at them. Our apartment wifi network has long been a Roswell reference. We have two small, almost unnoticeable props that were used in the show in our living room. I've written my share of fanfiction and played a small role in the creation of an authoritative fan cut of the series, since the DVD release swapped out all the sentimental pop songs with public domain beats.
These things are all superficial. What matters is that Roswell spoke to me and encouraged me on a deep level. Perhaps it's not very good "objectively," as though that meant something. It doesn't matter. It was there for me when I needed it. It even helps me in the present, imprinted on my memory, and providing the same reassurance that it's okay to feel the way I do even though the fear and shame has perpetuated into my late twenties. I'm grateful to it for that. And, though I've never been one for getting starstruck, you can better believe that I'd lose my mind and turn into an absolute, crying wreck if I ran into one of the cast. Because with them, I felt things. They were my friends when I was too weird and alone to have friends.
Besides, it's just like Max says: "what's so great about normal?"
Being honest with myself, I think that same sentiment applies to Buffy too. In retrospect, it probably can't truly be considered "objectively" good either, but it's beloved by many (including me) for the same reasons you mentioned for loving Roswell; The high school setting, teens having to hide their true selves and dangerous secrets (an LGBT+ metaphor), etc. And likewise it also came out at just the right time in my life, spoke to me then for those reasons, and hits all the right nostalgia buttons whenever I rewatch it too.
cc: @Eric_the_Cerise since you mentioned struggling to understanding the praise for Buffy elsewhere, and I think @cardigan's comment might help with that.
I remember really enjoying Jericho. I was in an apocalypse mood when I watched it, and I also watched Survivors around the same time, which also ended after only two seasons.
Jericho premise was certainly very good and I was looking forward to seeing where they're taking it. Sadly I felt they kinda lost momentum building up the plot and focusing on too many sub mysteries without tying them together. Kinda like what Lost did.
I loved Jericho at the time, but for me, it didn't hold up in a re-viewing ... much too preachy, with forced, overwrought melodrama. The core story was so captivating, I overlooked it the first time through.
I never saw the Survivors remake, but the 1975 original series is on my occasionally re-watch list. My wife and I most recently binged the whole thing at the height of the covid pandemic which was, in hindsight, a kind of surreal decision. It starts off a lot stronger than it finishes (as is usually the case with TV shows, especially ones that go through cast changes) but even near the end I don't feel it deserves some of the hate I sometimes see it get.
Carnivàle was so good! I really wish it had gotten more seasons.
Indeed. It was really crushing that it had to end, when some of the character arcs were just starting to take off.
I can't believe I neglected to mention Rectify on my list, but I couldn't agree with you more. It was incredible from start to finish. If anyone's going to check it out based on your comment, I'd recommend that they watch every episode with some space between them.
Banshee was also so good!
Very sound advice. It's definitely not a show to 'binge', taking your time with it makes it all the more poignant.
Good to hear Taboo is coming out of production hell.
More underrated than forgotten IMO, but consider giving the Dune miniseries a watch while waiting for Villeneuve's part 2.
The internet has lots of opinions on how the new movie and old movie stack up against each other (and against the books), but the miniseries is often left out of the conversation. I personally found it quite solid and much closer to the books than the 1984 movie - dune is hard to fit into a single movie, and the miniseries ends up being ~6 hours IIRC, which gives them a lot more time to set up and delve into things.
Regardless of which adaption you like, you can find die-hard fans who disagree with you =P
I totally agree. Before the 2021 version come out, I watched both the original 1984 film (which I've seen tons of times) and the 2000 miniseries. I still love the original film for how weird it is, but it's a very bad adaptation. You can tell it was cut to the bone and if you don't know the whole plot, it's impossible to make heads or tails of the story.
On the other end of the spectrum is the miniseries, which is a great adaptation. I love the way they used the massive stage backgrounds instead of bad green screen effects. They also go a bit more in to the weirder aspects of the novel (like the guild navigators).
I still haven't watched Children of Dune yet, but I've heard it's good as well.
I really like this mostly-unknown, single-season comedy with Matt Perry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Sunshine_(2011_TV_series)
I think Black Books kind of fits your description as well. I don't think it's "largely forgotten", but it's really overshadowed by the just-as-excellent IT Crowd.
Kitchen Confidential. It only got one season, which is a real shame because it was hilarious, much better than the average sitcom in my book. Great casting too. It's based on Anthony Bourdain's books.
Another cult classic is Action!, a dark comedy about producers in Hollywood. I wonder if this one got axed because it hit much too close to home for the studios.
I'll also plug Incorporated, a dystopian scifi that is straight out of Shadowrun. It's another of SyFy's lame-brained cancellation stories. This show should have had five seasons and I'd bet it would have been popular well outside scifi circles.
Love Action!. Caught a few episodes on cable when people had cable. Does it stand the test of time though?
It's been a while since I watched it so I'm not sure if I could say I love it but I haven't seen anyone mention The Delta State. It was a Canadian-made (AFAIK) rotoscoped sci-fi about five psychic, amnesiac young adults. It only got one season, the ending was fairly satisfying but there was a cliffhanger that we'll never see resolved.
Someone introduced me to this somewhat recently. I couldn't get into it. It seemed too much like jumping into Lost a couple seasons in and trying to piece together the plot. It's already a fairly contrived and convoluted plot, but it seemed like a lot went unexplained on top of that, like you're already supposed to know what's going on. I suppose that's on theme, and I guess they had a lot of plans to gradually reveal things, but I really had a hard time getting into the first and only season.
The rotoscoping was a bit distracting at first, and well, after as well. And, I guess that's on-theme too, since the style really lends itself to dreamlike storylines (eg: Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly.) The dialog was often witty, though dripping with an edgy 90's sometimes-progressive sometimes-misogynist young adult vibe that was sometimes funny and sometimes didn't age well.
I'd say it's worth watching. It's definitely... a show that got made. It seems like it was a show that some people might have enjoyed at the time. It seems like it had ambitions, maybe? I didn't finish it, but it was a neat concept and it showed promise of trying to make sense eventually.
I watched it a long time ago and I remember I enjoyed it. I rewatched it because of your comment and it has some flaws (some unexplained stuff, fights that aren't dramatic) but it's still alright.
Also I like how it predicted the death of Paul Walker.
Does Futurama count?
Background: I loved The Simpsons, and science fiction. When I was 8 I saw this new show that looked like The Simpsons, but with spaceships and flying cars, and in the future and stuff. I watched it periodically, my parents let me (it didn't have relatably bad role models like Bart Simpson), and we all enjoyed the shit out of the show. Then it disappeared, went completely off my radar.
Then, it came back on Adult Swim! Yeah, old episodes, but I missed the shit out of the show! I was ecstatic and watched it any time I could until I realized I'd seen every episode at least twice. But I still watched it.
I feel that it may have come out ahead of its time, but also should've stayed as a time capsule for the past. The reboot never quite felt right, as it was more crass, and felt less... sophisticated. Then that ended, and there's a third series or something?
I don't have many shows that I cared so much about, but to me Futurama was the one that got away, until it came back.
Yet another re-un-cancelling of Futurama voiced by the original cast is coming in 2023.
I wouldn't say Futurama was underrated, nor that it is forgotten, but it was cancelled twice more than it should have. It is hard to overstate the excellence and importance of Futurama for the overall state of science fiction. It managed to introduce new audiences to a rich speculative tradition that might go largely unnoticed by younger generations -- at the same time it rewarded sci-fi aficionados with delightful references and twists on beloved tropes while managing to be both moving and hilarious.
Same I don’t think Futurama was ever underrated (individual episodes maybe). Disenchantment on the other hand really is!
I felt like originally people didn't know about it, at least in my age bracket at the time.
Weird, but I think I agree with you about Disenchantment being an oddly good example of the genre. It generally avoids the tropes and annoyances that push me away from the genre, and it has a constantly good sense of adventure to it. And as a result I'm much more likely to want to watch it versus Wheel of Time or LOTR remake du jour.
Edit: I think I'd even enjoy RPing in the world; I'm just imagining what would happen if it got the Discworld MUD treatment)
I'm rewatching Futurama now but in Ukrainian! It is probably one of the few shows I have seen rewatched once every two years. I enjoy the early episodes the best.
At the risk of dating myself, the one hugely underrated show I remember growing up was My So Called Life, the show that introduced Claire Danes to the world. I was about the same age as the kids on the show and the topics they brought up and discussed rang very similar to what we were going through ourselves.
More recently I found Run very adorable, if only because of the neurotic/delightful chemistry between Merritt Wever and Domhnall Gleeson.
I'm also going to add The West Wing because despite of it being fairly well-known (to the point of being a trope), I don't think it can ever be overrated.
I was a big fan of My So-Called Life ... to this day, I'm still a little bit in love with Claire Danes because of her role in it.
I was too young too appreciate My So Called Life, but I remember my older siblings watching it and feeling so bored and annoyed that we couldn't watch Ren and Stimpy or something instead :b
Haha, I remember thinking that as a kid watching my parents' TV shows and wondering if I would ever find non cartoon shows interesting 😂
Wilfred ended the year that BoJack Horseman began. They both deal with similar existential angst, and talking animals. It destroyed me when I was a teenager. Nobody talks about it though.
The League seemed like it was pretty niche from the get-go. I don’t even think Nick Kroll acknowledges it that often. It’s awesome though. It’s super funny. It’s like Always Sunny but focused around fantasy football.
Everyone knows The Office, not everyone remembers Extras Gervais and Merchant’s sophomore series. Still really funny-sad. If The Office was Gervais experience in life at a dead end job, Extras is Gervais experience getting fame (the main character gets semi-famous by doing a show making fun of his old boss).
Getting into a Gervais run. An Idiot Abroad and The Ricky Gervais Show. Really anything Gervais has done that isn’t The Office could count. But AIA and TRGS basically exist as a way to laugh at Karl Pinkerton. And it is very funny.
Everyone fell in love with Fleabag, which just to humblebrag I watched before it got big, but no one talks about Crashing. A one series show that ends on a cliffhanger. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.
Finally, with all the hype surrounding Marvel Disney+ shows, their ABC shows from the mid-2010s have largely been forgotten. The best of these is Agent Carter, a fun action-adventure spy show with a charismatic lead. Highly recommend for those of you who want something light and fluffy to watch.
I loved the first three or four seasons of The League but after a while it stopped trying to do anything interesting and just did the same thing over and over again.
Rewatching Wilfred now actually. Great show :)
Make sure you do the Aussie Wilfred, too, since they tie in. :)
If you like Extras, you might also like Life's Too Short.
Ooh, I actually have a relevant one: Spaced.
It's a brilliant sitcom with loads of heart by Edgar Wright and many of his usual suspects. The writing is clever, the characters are memorable, and the story ends up having a real emotional impact.
It was done before Wright's hit movies, and I think it's where he, Pegg, and Frost really start to hit their stride. The criminally underrated Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson) also puts in an excellent performance,
On top of it all, Peter Serafinowicz is truly the perfect asshole in this show. It's a little slice of (now admittedly dated) nerd greatness, and if you enjoy Edgar Wright's work you will probably love this show.
Falling Skies is a 2011 science fiction show starring Noah Wyle. It felt like Alien The Walking Dead at times. The show had five seasons, and one theme that I love: alien invasion. I regret not watching the last season at the time. Apparently, Falling Skies is not available anywhere, either legally or alternatively (if you know where to find it, I greatly appreciate the information, since I don't even own a DVD or Blu-ray player anymore...).
At the same time, I'm a bit scared of revisiting it. It may not be as good as I remember.
In any case, what I love about this show is the unabashed optimism and the on-the-nose but very moving direct references and parallels between the alien war and American histories, such as the American civil war and the genocide of Native Americans. If I remember correctly Noah Wyle's character is a history teacher, so that's a very important part of the show.
Also, some really cool aliens.
Awesome! ;)
I’m really sad tht truth seekers was cancelled. Funny, also weird, and grand execution on oddball characters make a found family
Da Vincis Demons is still one of my all time favorite shows, and Continuum might be my all time favorite show and yet... I don't think I've ever met someone to have confessed that they knew about them.
If we go even more unknown, then Charlie Jade (2005) which was essentially Fringe in insane dimension jumping mixed with a lot of Blade Runner inspiration.
I did finish S01 of Da Vinci's Demons. Maybe I'll finish the show now that you've reminded me.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret is one of the best shows that I've literally never heard anyone ever talk about. If David Cross plays your favorite character in Arrested Development, this show was practically made for you. It's full of fairly dark humour - the main character is an absolutely terrible human being and there's a lot of implied deaths happening all over the place.
The name of the show actually fits perfectly, because the decisions the main character makes are indeed increasingly bad, which leads to even more drastic stakes and outlandish comedy outcomes. And as a result when it gets into it's third and final series, it can get really out there.
If you're at all a fan of David Cross, you really should try to hunt this down and watch it; he apparently gave up some of his own money to finance it so it's clearly one of his passion projects, and it really shows. I will warn you, however, that it's a British production and a lot of the jokes involve British culture, so you might not be able to get the full effect if you're not familiar with it.
Wow, you’ve sold me. I’m not even a fan of David cross but yes I’m going to check this out.
I've been a fan of David Cross for a long time (Mr. Show is great, but I love his stand up albums even more) but I had no idea that there was a third season! I watched the first two when it originally aired (on IFC, I think?) and enjoyed it a lot.
IIRC the third series came out a few years after the first two did. I remember at the time it made watching it feel like even more of a fever dream.
Yeah, it looks like there was a 4 year gap between 2 and 3. I'll have to track season 3 down and watch it.
I'll plug Toast of London (now Toast of Tinseltown) as an underrated show from recent years. It's an alt-comedy starring Matt Berry, who played Douglas Reynholm in The IT Crowd. It's exceptionally dry humor, but a solid ten in terms of just how damn memetic it is - tons of recurring gags that sink deep into the brain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bYY8m1Lb2I
In a totally different vein, I'm also a massive junkie for Time Team - a British reality TV/documentary mashup archaeology series that's been going for near thirty years and has the vast majority of the back catalog on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/c/TimeTeamClassics
Heartily seconding Time Team. It's one of my all-time favorite shows, and I have watched every episode (including the specials) countless times over the years. It's one of my “comfort food” shows (along with ST:TNG & DS9), which I often just leave running in the background. I even did that back when I used to have to VPN to the UK to watch it.
p.s. RIP Tony and Mick. :(
Also seconding Toast of London/Tinseltown too despite Matt Berry only really ever playing Matt Berry in everything he's in. From IT Crowd to WWDITS it's essentially the same character... but there is also absolutely nothing wrong with that either, because he's always hilarious! ;)
The River! One season, producers of Paranormal Activity. Found footage horror/sci-fi on a river. It had a lot of intrigue, I enjoyed it/thought it could only get better.
Tron: Uprising - it was a fantastic show developed after the release of Tron Legacy, but much like that movie (and the original film in the franchise), it never really developed a solid audience.
(Jeeves and Wooster)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves_and_Wooster] is a British comedy-drama about rich idle, affable but somewhat bumbling gentleman Wooster (played by Hugh Laurie) and his very competent valet Jeeves (played by Stephen Fry) who always has a trick or several up his sleeve to rescue his employer from awkward situations.
I feel it's been largely forgotten. I made a direct and blunt reference to the show to someone and they hadn't even heard of the show. :(
I always think of Rubicon when I see questions asked like this. It was a very unique a spy show -- it had no action, was all about strategy and code breaking at a very slow pace and it was so smart and satisfying to watch. It was like watching accountants more than spies who really love to dig into the books.
Terriers was another great show that cancelled way too early. I also think it's very underrated. There was some talks about a possible revival a couple of years ago but it sadly didn't materialize.
Review. This one didn't get cancelled but I think it ended a couple of seasons earlier than it should've been. It did have a satisfying ending so that was something to be happy about. The reason why I'm adding it to my list is because I think it might be the most underrated show of all time. It was brilliant in every sense of the word and I have absolutely no fucking clue why no streaming platform has picked Andy Daly up to produce, write, and/or act in something.
Man Seeking Woman, it's a surrealist romantic comedy. You don't see shows like this these days, if ever. It's hilarious until the end and executed so well. I loved it despite the romantic genre not being my cup of tea. Miracle Workers is another Simon Rich show. I don't like this one as much as I do Man Seeking Woman but it's still pretty good. Steve Buscemi plays an incompetent god in the first season, that should be enough reason to at least try it!
Edits below
After reading @Eidolon's mention of Banshee, I remember Wayne which was a similar show to Banshee in its style. I think Wayne had more depth and humor than Banhsee but if you like one, I'm sure you'll like the other. The show was aired on YouTube Premium as an original, which I didn't even know was a thing but the show blew me away. I think I found out about it from a user here (I couldn't find their name) and I'm paying it forward in case someone watches it based on my recommendation.
Yes! I loved Rubicon, I thought the main character was really very intriguing and I was looking forward to seeing how it develops. So disappointed it was discontinued.
Terriers was also very cute. I loved the main actors and how lighthearted the show felt even when it was dealing with some pretty dark stuff.
Going to give your other suggestions a look.
Yeah, I think partly why I still think about it is because the show got us hooked and reeled us in in its season and just as we were about to find out what we got, it was cancelled. I do get it though, it really was a niche show.
You're exactly right about Terriers! I love shows like it where humor blends in with darker stuff. Not exactly macabre, but shows that are aware the world is mostly not black or white and what makes stories interesting is watching and trying to empathize with people who try to survive in the grey.
Man, I remember Review. That show was crazy, surprised it wasn’t a bigger hit on the internet.
Thanks to you and our mystery user! I will check it out.
I swear you're one of maybe a dozen people that also watched WAYNE.
For Review, make sure you get the original, Review with Myles Barlow.
I love Rubicon so much. I like to think that it ties in with Mr. Robot :)
Hah, might just be the case for Wayne. It looks like Amazon has bought its rights, so maybe more people will come across it on Prime Video.
Thanks for the heads up for the original. I am aware of it but I just haven't gotten around to seeing that one.
Never thought of it that way. I honestly don't even remember a lot of specifics about Rubicon, but I'll trust your judgment. :)
The stuff with Spangler and Price really works. Its a pretty easy tie-in, though.
Definitely do the original Review, though. Its got the same energy.
Ah, of course!
Yeah, I'll definitely give it a go, especially if it's got the same energy.
[The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Brisco_County,_Jr.) Campy steampunk-western with some sci-fi and a bit of horror. The humor really hasn't gotten old, and it's just fun. Great when you are in a crappy mood. Kinda hard to find streaming for free these days, but there are also cheap dvds floating around if you look.
Nice. I think you accidentally duplicated your comment ;)
Stella (2005) was a short lived absurdist and surrealist comedy series starring a comedy troupe of the same name, composed of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain. They're better known for being cast members on MTV's The State ('94-'95) and Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
It's a shame it got cancelled after a single season but I think it remains the best single season show comedy central ever aired.
The cancellation of Firefly was a punch to the gut—no suprise to see it mentioned here. Thinking of how much time had passed reminded me of the first time television stabbed me in the heart. Some good ol' childhood disappointment.
The Pirates of Dark Water was an animated series in the early 90s that ended abruptly in the middle of its second season. I had to wait for the internet to become a thing before learning what had happened. It maintains a cult following to this day, but still no ending in sight after 30 years. "Noy Jitat!"
[The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Brisco_County,_Jr. ).
Bruce Campbell's campy steam-punk western with some sci-fi and a bit of horror. The humor still works for me and its great to watch when I am in a crappy mood. It's just fun. (sorry, cant get the link formatting to work)