Some TV shows get all the attention. While series like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things have certainly earned their buzz, they’ve also drowned out some of the other excellent entertainment streaming right now. Just because a show doesn’t have a massive fan base doesn’t mean you won’t piss your pants laughing while watching it, find a kindred spirit in a fictional character, or spend an entire weekend glued to your screen. These TV shows are totally worth canceling your plans, calling in sick, or skipping your workout for. Forget about what’s trending on social media and give these lesser-known series the binge-watch they deserve.
Cover Photo: Barbara Nitke/Hulu
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TV Shows You Missed
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'Ramy'
Ramy (Ramy Youssef) is a Muslim millennial living in New Jersey who is trying (and often failing) to keep the tenets of his faith when faced with temptation. His hilarious and brutally honest crew consists of fellow Muslims Mo (Mohammed Amer) and Ahmed (Dave Merheje) as well as Stevie (Steve Ray), who has muscular dystrophy. What makes this series more than just another comedian-turned-sitcom-actor scenario is that the show takes on different characters’ perspectives, creating an immersive experience for the viewer. Ramy will tickle your funny bone but it’ll touch your soul, too.
Watch it on: Hulu
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'Fleabag'
Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is a brash young Londoner with a devil-may-care attitude, dysfunctional family, and tragic past. In the show’s latest season, Fleabag pursues the ultimate taboo: sex with a priest (Andrew Scott). While that sounds tawdry, the cutthroat writing and exquisite performances make this not only plausible, but incredibly sexy. Her acerbic asides and comedic glances directly at the camera make you feel like you’re conspiring with her in this naughty endeavor. Will Fleabag get to know the beer-drinking priest biblically? You won’t be able to stop watching until you find out.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
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'Catastrophe'
Imagine that the best one-night-stand of your life lasted an entire week. Now imagine that it produced a baby. Um...awkward, right? That’s the fate of an American ad exec Rob (Rob Delaney) and Irish schoolteacher Sharon (Sharon Horgan) during his business trip in London. The comedic duo decides to have and raise the baby together, and soon they’re one chaotic, unhappy family. What makes Catastrophe fantastic is how Rob and Sharon haven’t lost themselves (or their bad habits, filthy humor, and no-bullshit attitudes) in their roles as parents. If you have to settle down, do so kicking and screaming like this couple.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
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'Shrill'
Based on the memoir, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West, this comedy series follows Annie (Aidy Bryant), a writer looking for her big break as she battles fat-shaming, an online hater, a toxic boss, and an insensitive fuck buddy.
Watch it on: Hulu
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'Patrick Melrose'
Patrick Melrose (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the kind of asshole we’ve all encountered at some point in our lives. He hails from a wealthy family but has somehow managed to fuck it all up and become a drug addict, alcoholic, and womanizer. When his father dies and Melrose is sent to retrieve the ashes, he hits rock bottom. Why the self-destructive streak? Well, you’ll find out as this series explores Melrose’s past, one so painful that you’ll find yourself rooting for him in the end.
Watch it on: Showtime
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'Succession'
The Roy family consists of three vile brothers and one ballsy sister jockeying for control over a media empire as their father, Logan Roy, suffers health issues that compromise his ability to lead. While fighting one another for total domination, the siblings make hot messes of their personal lives. It’s rare that characters this bad (who are likely based on a certain political clan currently in power) make for such great TV.
Watch it on: HBO
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'Ozark'
Financial adviser Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) moves to the Ozarks with his wife and two children by order of a drug boss who needs him to launder $500 million. As the family begins to buy businesses in the area, they butt up against other powerful players in the drug underworld as well as those who want to turn them in or run them out of town. This dark, violent series is tension-filled and tough to watch – but it’s even tougher to turn off.
Watch it on: Netflix
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'The Act'
This creepy, psychological drama is based on the real-life story of DeeDee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette) and her daughter Gypsy Rose (Joey King). Since early childhood, Gypsy has been the victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, meaning that her mother has convinced her and a slew of doctors that Gypsy suffers from multiple life-threatening illnesses, some of which require major surgeries. By drugging and confining Gypsy to a wheelchair, DeeDee has maintained complete control over her daughter and managed to bilk a new home and thousands of dollars from unsuspecting do-gooders. The deception works…until Gypsy’s sexuality awakens and entices her to run away from home. But the only way to escape her mother, she decides, is murder. This disturbing series is one you won’t be able to shake after the final frame.
Watch it on: Hulu
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'Bodyguard'
This political thriller centers on Police Sergeant David Budd (Richard Madden), a war veteran tasked with protecting London’s Home Secretary, Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes). Her appalling politics, his PTSD, and their mutual sexual attraction complicate this seemingly straightforward job.
Watch it on: Netflix
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'A Very English Scandal'
Based on a true story, this British series examines the events leading up to the scandalous 1979 trial of Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant), a former member of Parliament who was accused of hiring a hit man to murder his alleged ex-lover, Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw). Because homosexuality was illegal at the time, and Thorpe was married and the father of a young son, the professional and personal stakes were high. Thanks to the snappy script and brilliant acting, you’ll find it hard to pick a side in this masterful drama.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
