The 32 greatest streaming TV shows you've probably never heard about
Oct. 4, 2024Your next obscure binge favorite awaits
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The streaming era of TV, often called “Peak TV,” is an embarrassment of riches with seemingly more so-called “must-see” shows than there are stars in the sky. But some shows fly under the radar, no matter their actual quality or star-power behind them. When it comes to streaming television, what “obscure” shows actually deserve more attention?
Whether you’re looking for something off the beaten path to change up your algorithms, or want to prove to a friend that your obscure television obsession is actually worth checking out, here are 32 of the greatest TV shows on streaming you’ve probably never heard about.
32. Tales From the Loop (Prime Video)
From Alex Garland, director of movies like Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Civil War, his streaming series Devs was an eerie thriller that revealed the dark underbelly of technology. Sonoya Mizuno stars as a software engineer who takes a job at an ultra-secret software company Amaya to piece together the circumstances of her boyfriend’s death at the job. While Devs lasted just one season on Hulu, the show drew widespread praise from professional critics and was reported by Hulu itself as one of the most-watched shows on its platform.
In this handsome bilingual British crime drama co-produced by the BBC and Netflix, Takehiro Hira plays a Tokyo detective who travels to London in search of his brother after he’s accused of murdering a Yakuza family member. While in London, the detective gets close to a British constable, played by Kelly Macdonald, and develops a bond with a young sex worker (Will Sharpe). A crime drama with dashes of Wong Kar-wai, Giri/Haji (translated as “Duty/Shame”) earned widespread acclaim from critics but never saw a second season renewal.
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Intelligent and surprisingly warm, Rutherford Falls is a comedy all about the hilarity of small town living. The show follows Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms), the descendant of a prolific, albeit problematic dynasty and the namesake of this cozy New York town. He is supported by his best friend Reagan (Jana Schmieding), a Native American activist who is also trying to preserve her tribe’s history. Progressive but never preachy, Rutherford Falls was a pure delight in its criminally short two-season run on Peacock.
Russian history has never been funnier than in The Great, a surreal black comedy that chronicles the rise of Catherine the Great but throws historical accuracy to the wind. Elle Fanning stars as the 18th-century Russian empress who schemes to overthrow her dopey husband, Emperor Peter III (played by Nicholas Hoult). Irreverent and sharp in its story of a woman claiming her independence under the boot of patriarchal control, The Great lives up to its title even when strict historians are the last ones laughing.
The star power of Harrison Ford hasn’t made Shrinking a major hit, but anyone who catches this heartfelt comedy gem on Apple TV+ is sure to be an instant fan. Shrinking follows Jimmy (Jason Segel), a therapist who himself is grieving the death of his wife. Amid his anguish, Jimmy begins breaking rules held sacred by therapy professionals to offer blunt advice to patients, all to the chagrin of his boss and mentor (played by Harrison Ford). Shrinking is lovely without being sappy, an enlightening and entertaining sitcom underscored by themes of loss, healing, and connection.
Japanese-style anime and Greek mythology clash like titans in this splashy epic from executive producers the Parlapinedes Brothers for Netflix. The series traces the coming-of-age heroism of Heron, a young demigod who must save the world from the destructive Titans who’ve returned to exact vengeance against the Olympians. As epic as a baroque painting and as exhilarating as a heavy metal album, Blood of Zeus proves that anime doesn’t only have to originate from the Far East to dazzle the senses.
A dark thriller unlike anything you’ve seen before, Calls on Apple TV+ is a star-studded experiment that challenges the senses. Essentially an elaborate audio drama or narrative podcast with a minor visual element, Calls is made up of phone conversations between groups of people who encounter bone-chilling horrors; all of these stories are united by a single apocalyptic event that changes their lives. While some may find the lack of physical actors off-putting, Calls is so much more than its MP3 visualizer vibes and works as a compelling artistic experiment. If it helps, some of its biggest stars include Aubrey Plaza, Pedro Pascal, Aaron Tayor-Johnson, Clancy Brown, Nick Jonas, Mark Duplass, and so many more.
You want me to tell you about Shoresy, bud?Huh?This hilarious spin-off from Letterkenny follows Jared Keeso as the title hero, a rude and crude small-town Canadian hockey player who swears to his new owners that his team will never lose a game – ever. But as Shoresy tries to carry his team to immortality, he also tries to win over beautiful Laura Mohr (Camille Sullivan). You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, Shoresy will make you lace your skates for the big one, buddy.
There’s trouble in paradise in The Resort. Cristin Milioti and William Jackson Harper co-star as a couple trying to resolve their marital problems by celebrating their tenth anniversary at a luxurious Mexican resort. While figuring out their future together, they are drawn into a missing persons case at the resort dating back 15 years prior. Teeming with darkness but loaded with quite a few good laughs, The Resort invites you to check in, because you’re never gonna check out.
Imagine if The Muppets centered around Elvira, or maybe if Donna Reed were one of The Munsters, and you’re halfway to understanding this woefully overlooked Netflix original. The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell centers around its title heroine, Christine McConnell, a real-life artist and baker who cultivated an online following through viral concoctions that mix horror with traditional Americana. While Curious Creations is partially a baking show, it’s also a sitcom with McConnell starring as a fictionalized version of herself who manages a household of zany puppets with cranked-up personalities. (It might be all the sugar she feeds them.) Come for the spooky Halloween atmosphere, stay for McConnell’s salivating creations.
There’s no question that climate change is the most urgent issue of our time. In this sprawling anthology drama on Apple TV+, filmmaker Scott Z. Burns speculates on our near future to imagine how globally warming temperatures can, and most definitely will, wreak havoc on the lives of everyday people. While each episode tells a standalone story, they are all intrinsically connected by the same greedy forces that heat our planet by alarming degrees. Kit Harington, Daveed Digs, Sienna Miller, Matthew Rhys, Meryl Streep, and Diane Lane are just some of the famous people who appear in this necessary epic.
Colin From Accounts is a romantic sitcom about how chance encounters – or more accurately, chance car crashes – can change everything. Ashley (Harriet Dyer) and Gordon (Patrick Brammal) are two strangers who catch each other’s eyes on the road only for Gordon to wind up hitting a poor dog. Brought together by circumstances, Ashley and Gordon slowly fall in love while getting over their quirks and hang-ups. Oh, and they raise the dog together, which they name “Colin.” Originally streaming on Australia’s Binge before airing everywhere else (including Paramount+), Colin From Accounts has won over viewers to become one of Australia’s most beloved sitcoms of the streaming era.
Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, two grown adult actors, play their 13-year-old selves in this hilarious comedy set in the early 2000s. While Pen15’s story about suburban teens is no different than any other coming-of-age show about the messiness of adolescence, its appeal is in the surprisingly never-ending absurdity of seeing 31-year-olds yell about crushes, homework, and other trivial woes. But Pen15 is far more than its sketch idea premise implies. There’s plenty of heart and humor that afford dimension to the show’s definition of nostalgia. (Imagine the “S” in nostalgia drawn in that block-shaped S symbol we all drew in our notebooks.)
We know Steph Curry has a monster three-point shot. But did you know he couldact?Mr. Throwback, a Peacock original, casts the NBA icon as himself who reunites with childhood friend Danny Grossman (Adam Pally) – someone Curry remembers as a beast on the court when they played middle school basketball. Now an adult, a down-on-his-luck Adam tries to rebound in his life; Curry steps in to help, using his money and influence to make a documentary about Adam’s once-promising career. Aside from a revelatory Curry as a comic actor, Mr. Throwback is a surprisingly moving show about what it means to be a friend and a teammate.
A long time ago, in a California movie studio far, far away, a group of renegade artists, craftspeople, and technicians came together to make one of the greatest movies of all time: Star Wars. Light & Magic is a riveting documentary series that salutes the countless technical artists behind George Lucas' Star Wars, and how their collaboration created the now-legendary studioLucasfilm. A must-see for anyone who cares about the art and craft of filmmaking, not to mention an absolute treat for anyone obsessed with miniatures and creature effects, Light & Magic is enough to make you believe in the Force.
A philosophical sci-fi series that trafficks in the magnificent beauty of the unknown, Raised by Wolves entertains in how it muses on the self-destructive nature of humankind. The show centers on two androids (Amanda Collin and Abubakar Salim) tasked with raising children on a distant planet. As the colony eventually comes apart due to religious turmoil, the androids learn that controlling people is a more complicated endeavor than they calculated. Although its high production costs and merger between parent studio WarnerMedia with Discovery led to its cancellation, Raised by Wolves made the most of its short run.
Apple’s streaming service has carved an enviable niche of big budget science fiction epics with star-studded casts. But some of its other original programming offers something more real and relatable. Enter: Trying. Starring Ester Smith and Rafe Spall, the series follows a UK couple eager to start a family but soon come to terms that they cannot. As the couple decides on adoption, they find a whole new universe of challenges before them. Thankfully, they have all the love in the world for each other and whoever else enters their lives. This tender comedy is all about the ups and downs of would-be parenthood, and is quietly one of the best shows on Apple TV+.
Filipino folklore is brimming with bone-chilling creatures of the night. The Netflix animated horror series Trese, based on a Filipino comic book series, is one of few to showcase the supernatural underworld of the Philippines to a wider audience. The series follows Alexandra Trese, an occult detective who helps Manila police solve paranormal cases. Such cases usually involve monsters from Filipino mythology, like the tikbalang (half-man, half-horse demons) or aswangs, a collection of shapeshifting vampires and ghouls. Fans of media like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, or DC’s Hellblazer comic books will be right at home with Trese, which introduces a fresh flavor of horror. Shay Mitchell voices Trese in the English language version, while Liza Soberano and Ryoko Shiraishi lead in the Tagalog and Japanese dubs.
Hugh Howey’s sci-fi novel series Silo comes to life in this beautifully-rendered Apple TV+ exclusive series. Set in a distant future, the remnants of mankind dwell in a giant underground silo, forbidden to leave due to the alleged toxicity of the atmosphere above ground. But when residents begin to disappear, an engineer (played by Rebecca Ferguson) resolves to learn the truth about what’s really going on. Hailed for its production design, world-building, and a deeply engaging Rebecca Ferguson as its lead heroine, Silo deserves a place on your watchlist.
From writer and director Berkun Oya, Ethos is a Turkish prestige drama chiefly about the invisible connections between people. Set in contemporary Istanbul, Ethos chronicles an array of diverse characters from different socio-economic backgrounds who all meet through mysterious and seemingly fateful circumstances. Turkish identity is at the forefront of Ethos, being a show that tries to reconcile conservative tradition and progressive ideas. But it’s also a show the whole world can and should experience, with striking picturesque cinematography (courtesy of series director of photographer Yagiz Yavru) and a universal story about individualism at odds with the surrounding culture.
Despite massive popularity in its native South Korea, Moving didn’t exactly shake the ground in other places like the United States. But this original superhero action-drama, made for Disney+ and Hulu, is still waiting like a radioactive spider prepared to bite. Based on a popular online comic book, Moving follows teenagers with superpowers whose parents try to hide them when a serial killer of powered individuals is on the loose. While the premise isn’tterriblynew – Watchmen says hello – Moving gets major points for its uniquely Korean take on the genre and a relatable story about the extreme lengths you go to protect those you love, no matter if they’re bulletproof.
Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he’s your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming at Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.
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