23 Underrated TV Shows That People Absolutely Swear Are The Best Ever
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to share which highly underrated TV shows they LOVE. Here's what they said:
What it's about: After running into her former summer camp crush, Rebecca Bunch realizes she needs more out of life and impulsively moves across the country to his hometown of West Covina, California. Then, while she's there, she embarks on a quest for love.
Starring: Rachel Bloom, Vincent Rodriguez III, Santino Fontana, Donna Lynne Champlin, Pete Gardner, Vella Lovell, Gabrielle Ruiz, David Hull, Scott Michael Foster, Skylar Astin, and more
Number of seasons: 4
"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of those shows that sounds absolutely wild in concept but is executed perfectly. It's a musical TV show, and the songs are strong, honest, and so catchy. There really is something in it for everyone. It's just so magical how this series is able to portray its stories through music while still feeling grounded in reality. I also really admire the series' commentary on mental health because it's made me feel less alone during the darkest of times. It truly is a comfort watch for me, and I will forever recommend this to everyone I meet."
2.Sorry for Your Loss
What it's about: The series follows Leigh Shaw, who is grappling with life after the tragic and sudden death of her husband. Now, as she navigates her grief, she must reevaluate her relationships and life in the hope of finding joy again.
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Kelly Marie Tran, Jovan Adepo, Mamoudou Athie, Janet McTeer, Zack Robidas, and more
Number of seasons: 2
3.Evil
What it's about: The Catholic Church hires a forensic psychologist, a Catholic seminarian, and a skeptical technology contractor to investigate purported supernatural events. As the series goes on, the three find their personal lives increasingly intertwined with such events and the individuals behind some of the incidents.
Starring: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Kurt Fuller, Marti Matulis, Brooklyn Shuck, Skylar Gray, Maddy Crocco, Dalya Knapp, Christine Lahti, Michael Emerson, Ashley Edner, Andrea Martin, and more
Number of seasons: 3 (so far)
"It's unique, quirky, darkly comedic, and delves into religion and mythology in interesting ways. It's a brilliant paranormal, occasionally disturbing psychological thriller. The cast is great. Michael Emerson is a true treasure, and Andrea Martin is pure gold in her performance as well."
4.Pen15
What it's about: Thirteen-year-olds Maya and Anna, played by their actual 31-year-old selves, embark on the biggest challenge ever faced: middle school. Set in the early '00s, the series follows the two through the epic highs and lows of middle school.
Starring: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Mutsuko Erskine, Richard Karn, Taylor Nichols, Melora Walters, Taj Cross, Dallas Liu, and more
Number of seasons: 2
"It's so accurate for the Y2K middle school years!"
5.Psych
What it's about: When a novice sleuth convinces the police that he's a psychic, he and his best friend get recruited to work as consultants on hard-to-crack cases.
Starring: James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson, Anne Dudek, and more
Number of seasons: 8
"So funny. So sweet. I could rewatch it forever."
6.School Spirits
What it's about: The series follows Maddie, a teenager stuck in the afterlife investigating her own disappearance. As she befriends the other teens stuck in the afterlife with her and uncovers the truth about what really happened to her, she starts to realize that maybe nothing is actually what it seems.
Starring: Peyton List, Kristian Flores, Milo Manheim, Spencer MacPherson, Kiara Pichardo, Sarah Yarkin, Nick Pugliese, Rainbow Wedell, and more
Number of seasons: 1 (so far)
"I think people might not have liked how there were different suspects in each episode, but it's part of the show. I loved it, and I think it's interesting."
7.This Is Going to Hurt
What it's about: Set in 2006 in London, the series revolves around a group of junior doctors working on an obstetrics and gynecology ward at a hospital. It puts a large focus on the mental health of these workers and how the work of junior doctors often goes unpraised.
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Ambika Mod, Alex Jennings, Michele Austin, Rory Fleck Byrne, Ashley McGuire, Kadiff Kirwan, and more
Number of seasons: 1
"I watched it on Acorn recently, and it's one of those hidden gems that absolutely needs to be seen to be believed. If you enjoy hospital dramedies with plenty of black humor, this show is a must-see. The only American equivalent I can think of is St. Elsewhere, but TIGTH is much darker yet funny at the same time. And what's not to love about a show featuring Paddington the Bear (Ben Whishaw) as a stressed-out OB/GYN?"
8.Girls5Eva
What it's about: After a 1990s girl group's song gets sampled in an up-and-coming rapper's new single, they finally have their shot at making a comeback in the world of music.
Starring: Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and more
Number of seasons: 3 (so far)
9.Flight of the Conchords
What it's about: Jemaine and Bret are the Flight of the Conchords, aka New Zealand's fourth most popular parody duo. So, they decide to take a chance on themselves and move to NYC in search of stardom.
Starring: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, and more
Number of seasons: 2
"If you enjoy What We Do in the Shadows, try Jemaine Clement's original comedy, Flight of the Conchords. It's an equally hilarious, more musical show with a ton of popular comedian guest stars such as Demetri Martin, Kristen Wiig, and Jim Gaffigan, to name a few."
10.The Great
What it's about: The Great is (loosely) based on the real-life story of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia and her rise to power.
Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan, Charity Wakefield, Gwilym Lee, Adam Godley, Douglas Hodge, Belinda Bromilow, Bayo Gbadamosi, Sebastian de Souza, Florence Keith-Roach, Danusia Samal, Freddie Fox, Grace Molony, and more
Number of seasons: 3
"Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are absolutely amazing in this somewhat historic comedy. It really is worth every second."
11.Speechless
What it's about: The series follows Maya DiMeo, who is extremely protective of her three children, one of which has a condition that limits his mobility and communication skills.
Starring: Minnie Driver, John Ross Bowie, Cedric Yarbrough, Mason Cook, Micah Fowler, Kyla Kenedy, and more
Number of seasons: 3
"It's about a disabled teenager and his family, with the mom played by Minnie Driver. It's genuinely funny and has a really good cast. Cedric Yarbrough is the caregiver/personal assistant, and he's hilarious."
12.A Small Light
What it's about: The series revolves around the real-life story of Miep Gies as she helped her Jewish employer, his family, and many other Jewish people go into hiding after the Germans invaded the Netherlands during WWII.
Starring: Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber, Joe Cole, Amira Casar, Billie Boullet, Ashley Brooke, and more
Number of seasons: 1
"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."
13.Interview with the Vampire
What it's about: Based on Anne Rice's iconic gothic novel, Interview with the Vampire follows the epic story of love and immortality between Louis de Pointe du Lac, Lestat de Lioncourt, and their daughter Claudia, as told by a journalist named Daniel Molloy.
Starring: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Bailey Bass, Assad Zaman, and more
Number of seasons: 1 (so far)
"I am BEGGING once again. PLEASE watch the new Interview with the Vampire series. It is absolutely phenomenal. It's a creepy, lush gothic romance, and it's so delicious and dark. They've changed certain aspects from the books, but it WORKS. It has the best casting on TV — how Sam and Jacob haven't got Emmy nods, I'll never know. It's so, so, so good, and I am BEGGING you guys to talk about it. The first season is the first half of the book, and the second season starts in May, so you have time to catch up."
14.Raising Hope
What it's about: During a one-night stand, Jimmy gets a serial killer pregnant. Then, when he earns custody of his daughter, Hope, after her mom is sentenced to death, he gets help from his wildly unorthodox family in, well, raising Hope.
Starring: Lucas Neff, Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt, Shannon Woodward, Gregg Binkley, Cloris Leachman, and more
Number of seasons: 4
"Raising Hope is sooooo underrated! Every character is great. Every episode is good."
15.Extraordinary
What it's about: In a world where everyone gets a superpower when they turn 18 years old, a 25-year-old named Jen is still wondering how on Earth she hasn't gotten her power yet. So, she and her friends try to take matters into their own hands in hopes of inducing Jen's superpowers.
Starring: Máiréad Tyers, Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, Luke Rollason, and more
Number of seasons: 2 (so far)
16.Our Flag Means Death
What it's about: The series is loosely based on the life of Stede Bonnet, who is also known as the "Gentleman Pirate," and his crew as they try to make a name for themselves as pirates. Then, everything changes when they encounter the most sinister pirate known to man, Blackbeard.
Starring: Rhys Darby, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Samson Kayo, Nathan Foad, Vico Ortiz, Matthew Maher, Kristian Nairn, Rory Kinnear, Con O'Neill, Guz Khan, David Fane, Taika Waititi, Samba Schutte, and more
Number of seasons: 2
"It's basically if The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean had a gay child. This show is insanely funny, oddly sad, and has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a long time!"
17.The OA
What it's about: The series follows the inexplicable disappearance of Prairie Johnson. Having been blind and gone missing seven years prior, she returns home now in her late 20s but is suddenly able to see.
Starring: Brit Marling, Emory Cohen, Scott Wilson, Phyllis Smith, Alice Krige, Patrick Gibson, Brendan Meyer, Brandon Perea, Ian Alexander, Jason Isaacs, Sharon Van Etten, Paz Vega, Will Brill, Chloë Levine, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and more
Number of seasons: 2
"Genius TV."
18.A League of Their Own
What it's about: Based on the movie of the same name, the series revolves around the creation of the Rockford Peaches, the women's team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Chanté Adams, D'Arcy Carden, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Roberta Colindrez, Kelly McCormack, Priscilla Delgado, Molly Ephraim, Melanie Field, Kate Berlant, and more
Number of seasons: 1
"It's SO good. It's an actual crime that they teased and then didn't renew for a second season."
19.A Million Little Things
What it's about: A tight-knit group of friends' lives change soon after a member of the group dies. Now, they realize they must start living their lives to the fullest while coping with the loss of their friend.
Starring: David Giuntoli, Romany Malco, Allison Miller, Christina Moses, Grace Park, James Roday Rodriguez, Stéphanie Szostak, Tristan Byon, Lizzy Greene, Chance Hurstfield, Floriana Lima, and more
Number of seasons: 5
"This show has everything from beginning to end. The series finale was just as good as the first episode, which I think is extremely rare in a multi-season drama."
20.The Comeback
What it's about: This mockumentary series follows '90s sitcom star Valerie Cherish as she gears up to make her massive comeback to television after failing to find work for years.
Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Damian Young, Robert Michael Morris, Malin Åckerman, Laura Silverman, Lance Barber, Robert Bagnell, Kellan Lutz, and more
Number of seasons: 2
21.Unstable
What it's about: Jackson begins working for his low-key narcissistic father's high-tech bio-research facility in order to keep him from spiraling even more after the death of his wife.
Starring: Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, Sian Clifford, Aaron Branch, Rachel Marsh, Emma Ferreira, and more
Number of seasons: 1 (so far)
"It is a silly science-ish comedy starring Rob Lowe, his real-life son, and features Fred Armisen!"
22.Scream Queens
What it's about: The series takes place at the fictional Wallace University, where a sorority is targeted by a serial killer disguised as the school mascot, the Red Devil.
Starring: Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Lea Michele, Glen Powell, Diego Boneta, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, Oliver Hudson, Nasim Pedrad, Lucien Laviscount, Billie Lourd, Ariana Grande, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kirstie Alley, Taylor Lautner, James Earl III, John Stamos, and more
Number of seasons: 2
"I find it funny. It's a clever black comedy. The writing is sharp, and some of the ridiculous insults Chanel delivers are so funny. Emma Roberts plays her as so awful and such a horrendous person. She’s hilarious!"
23.The Middle
What it's about: Set in Indiana, the series revolves around the Heck family as they navigate the day-to-day struggles of life.
Starring: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer, Chris Kattan, and more
Number of seasons: 9
"It's such a wholesome comedy that's genuinely hilarious. It ran for nine seasons and somehow still got so little attention."
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
Did your favorite make the list? Let us know in the comments!
