Television has emerged as one of the greatest, most essential tools of art and culture.
I'm not exaggerating, I believe that to be true.
Nobody really thought the picture box/boob tube would take off.
Now look.
Can you imagine life without some of the stories we've experienced?
RedditorOpulentOwlwanted to know about the tv shows our lives would brighter with, they asked:
"What's a great TV show that nobody talks about?"
I love The Closer & Major Crimes.
So well done.
Take a look.
Brilliance!
"Most of Bryan Fuller's stuff (other than Hannibal, which did get some traction). Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies were both top tier." ~ nostalgicBadger
GiphyJK Forever!
"Counterpart. Great cast and acting, cool story, two solid seasons." ~ elevenghosts
"I want to go back and rewatch it - the other side had a global pandemic that killed millions. As a result they don't gather in groups in public, they wear masks, they have UV hand sanitizers everywhere. And all this predates covid by a few years. Also JK Simmons is terrific as always." ~ canuck47
CBC History!
"The Terror. (season 1 is AMAZING)." ~ MagdaCadabra
"It was really interesting watching this series because it is part of Canadian history. I watched an old CBC documentary about it and some of the oral histories from the Inuit suggest there was a group of men still walking like 8 years on from when they first abandoned ship." ~ TheMightyWoofer
Actors Galore
"I really liked The Knick." ~ ricomt21
"The Knick had such an incredible cast. One of those shows for which I actively searched out the actors once it wrapped. I’ll watch André Holland and Jeremy Bobb in anything! Chris Sullivan was sooo good with Cara Seymour. (Unfortunately, I can’t watch him in This Is Us… not my cup of tea.)" ~ CCMacReddit
Precious Metal
"The Detectorists. Extremely dry and very British, but a really heartfelt and lovely comedy about some metal detectorists in Essex." ~ BwingoLord1
“Any of you chaps see a trampoline?“
"https://youtu.be/2-iyz1UB1ogThat’s the clip that I usually use when showing people the show. Either grabs them immediately or meh." ~ thermbug
GiphyI loved Dead Like Me.
That ended way too soon.
The Knick? Meh...
Huzzah!
"The Great. It's...great! Hilarious and charming and occasionally a true story." ~ Dusk9K
GiphyMiss you Ted...
"Better off Ted was unceremoniously killed before its time, with ABC citing a lack of viewers. It pops up from time to time on reddit, but being from 2009, it's largely out of the cultural sphere these days. Which is unfortunate, because Portia de Rossi in particular is incredible in it."
"I was looking for a good clip to show the best of this show for people who haven't watched it before, and the Jabberwocky presentation, linked below by a brilliant person, is probably the single greatest example of the show I can think of. As a few have been asking, if you're wanting to give it a shot, it's on Hulu right now." ~ lifelongfreshman
On a Hill
"Mission Hill. Just too ahead of it's time." ~ MotherLoveBone27
"It could totally come back in today's culture. Well, almost; it's literally a major plot point that Andy, after losing his waterbed selling job and mucking about, nets a job in marketing thanks to his friend Jim, being seen by Jim's boss as 'youth of today' and thus valuable for marketing input."
"That spin doesn't really work in current times, so in the event the series does come back, it'd be interesting what the writers do." ~ digitaldrummer1
Sci-Fi Best
"Farscape is one of my absolute favorite shows of all time and it pops up occasionally on threads like this but I never hear it talked about in the wild." ~ sharrrper
"Farscape is probably my favorite sci fi show for so many reasons. Great writing, interesting world, and they didn't phone in the aliens with facial prosthetics and some kind of bullcrap hand waving about 'ancient ones seeding the galaxy.'" ~ emu314159
90s Genius
"Sliders is a show that was supposedly popular in the mid 90s yet is sadly forgotten. The first 3 seasons were awesome." ~ offspringphreak
Giphy"Sliders was awesome! I'll never forget the episode where he finally gets back to his timeline and left because the gate didn't squeak. Then a repairman comes out and says, 'I fixed that squeaky gate for you' to his mom. Thanks for the flashback!!" ~ PhatBallllzAtHotmail
Why, you say?
"Mr Inbetween. The first season (of three total) will be the best three hours (six half-hour episodes) that you'll ever spend in your life, culminating with the best episode (how it got there, where it goes, and how it ends) that I've ever seen—and I've seen The Wire, Deadwood, Halt and Catch Fire, and GOT."
"Scott Ryan created the character, writes every episode, and is the show's protagonist. He's a f**king genius. Why, you say? Well, ask actress Helen Mirren and her director husband, Taylor Hackford. They saw the show, loved it (of course), and told their agent at CAA to sign him right away."
"Oh, and the first episode is called 'The Pee Pee Guy.' So if all that doesn't convince you, then fuck off. But first, have a look at the trailer, please."
magicsoakedinmyspine
AMY!
"Sharp objects. Haven't heard too many people talk about it or know of it."
Gladiators10
"Tried to watch this one. Couldn't do it. Just slow and painful."
Sinjun13
"I freaking loved it. Made my mom watch and she loved it too! Thankfully, I know a lot of people who's watched it."
MisanthropeInLove
Incredible
"Party Down incredible cast and humor."
farid00
"I met Ken Marino when I was an extra on Eastbound and Down and he was the nicest guy in the world. I told him I loved him in Wet Hot American Summer and Party Down. He got a huge smile and said thank you so much. He wasn’t even working that day he was just on set to say what’s up and mess around. Good stuff."
johnnyutah30
Love the Random
"MIRACLE WORKERS all seasons of it Every person I’ve put on to this show, loves it."
Princesscrowbar
"LOVE this show. Such a delightfully random cast (put Lolly Adefope in more stuff!) and high-concept but lighthearted humor executed perfectly."
ich_habe_keine_kase
GIF by Miracle WorkersGiphyrelax and laugh
"Catastrophe. If you liked Fleabag, then you'll like this."
Rossnowlagh
"Love love love catastrophe. Have seen it more than once. I did IVF last year and after you do an embryo transfer you’re 'supposed to' relax and laugh (it helps apparently) and the show I chose to (re) watch was catastrophe. Laughed my a** off. Am sitting next to my newborn now."
-itwaswritten-
Genius
"Person of Interest."
Mingulator
"I was legit about to comment this. The first person other than myself I’ve ever heard talk about it was my first college roommate."
Beverageboi-Averin
"It's much better than any show with the premise of 'mass surveillance is actually a good thing' has a right to be, but Jonathan Nolan made it work."
SciFiXhi
Bring it Back
"HBO’s Carnival - extremely other worldly and atmospheric."
"When they cancelled it was so depressing. Great show very original. They could not let us enjoy it."
ice1972
Season 1 Episode 6 GIF by Carnival RowGiphyWatch Now!!
"Halt and catch fire."
Mjh132
"I loved this show, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone mention it. Lee Pace and Mackenzie Davis are both great in it as well. Really interesting topics as they go on in seasons as well."
equipped_metalblade
"By the last season I was asking myself 'is this the best show in television?' I had to ask myself because no one else was watching."
Ray_Band
Oh Sliders, talk about memory lane. Let's go get out binge lists ready!