20 great TV shows that seemingly no one watched

Glamorous, while it certainly lives up to its title, nevertheless became one of the many shows that endured the Netflix curse when it was canceled after just one season. Despite this truncated run, it features a number of enjoyable performances from the likes of Kim Cattrall, Zane Phillips, and, of course, Miss Benny, who plays the main character Marco Mejia. It’s a story all about empowerment and learning to love oneself, and one can’t help but wish it had really been given the chance to flourish.

Both the British and American versions of Queer as Folk were touchstones for LGBTQ+ viewers coming of age in the 1990s and 2000s. The third iteration of the series, which streamed in 2022, never quite found its footing or its audience. Nevertheless, it’s still a show worth watching, particularly since it takes great pains to show the remarkable diversity that exists within the LGBTQ+ community. It might have only lasted one season, but it still managed to show just how much joy the community is able to forge, even in uncertain times.

Reservation Dogs is one of the several shows that emerged in the 2020s that sought to tell Indigenous stories in a way that isn’t patronizing or exploitative. In this case, the series focused on a group of young people living on a reservation in Oklahoma as they deal with grief and all of the struggles of being a young person. By turns funny and poignant, it was one of those shows that left while it was still on the air, leaving the audience wanting even more.

After one season on Comedy Central, The Other Two made the jump to HBO Max, where it lasted a further two seasons. It has largely been forgotten now, but it’s a remarkably funny and outlandish show, and much of its appeal can be attributed to its two leads, Hélene Yorke and Drew Tarver, who play siblings Brooke and Cary. When their brother becomes a big music star, they have to contend with their own shortcomings. Molly Shannon also dazzles as their mom. This is one of those shows that excels at being ridiculous, even as it also highlights the perils of fame and its sinister appeal.

Looking was very much of its moment. Often understood as the gay equivalent of Girls, it focused on three gay friends navigating love, friendships, and life in San Francisco in the mid-2010s. Though its slice-of-life approach may have lacked the drama of other LGBTQ+ dramas, it was still an emotionally authentic series, and it deserved more than its two seasons and a movie. Nevertheless, it’s worth watching for the tenderness and nuance with which it examines contemporary gay male life.

The series Somebody Somewhere is truly one of the hidden gems of HBO. Starring Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller, it focuses on Everett’s Sam as she returns home to Kansas to mourn her sister, where she strikes up a friendship with Joel, her old high school classmate. The series is a cute, funny, and poignant look at midlife, and how it can sometimes be challenging to find oneself, even (especially) when one is surrounded by people who have known one for a lifetime. The series’ three seasons demonstrate that sometimes the magic of good TV storytelling relies on keeping it simple. 

Though it managed to last three seasons — two on Peacock and one on Netflix — Girls5Eva is one of those shows that never really attained quite the level of popularity that it deserved. This was a show, after all, that starred the likes of Paula Pell, Busy Philipps, Sara Bareilles, and Renée Elise Goldsberry. It’s a hilarious take on the '90s craze for girl bands and, just as importantly, many of its musical numbers are genuinely earworms. All three of its seasons are cute, funny, and charming, and one can but hope that, much like the titular group, they one day get a chance for a reunion.

Even though it lasted for two full seasons, Great News was one of those shows that still managed to fly under the radar. This is a shame, as it is really quite funny, thanks to the winning performances from such comedy greats as Briga Heelan, John Michael Higgins, and, of course, Andrea Martin. The show may not break any real new ground when it comes to the sitcom. Still, there’s a genuinely sweet pleasure to be had from its approach, and, among other things, it’s notable for its exploration of the fraught nature of mother/daughter relationships.

Natasha Rothwell rose to prominence in the 2010s and 2020s due to her scene-stealing performances in series like Insecure and The White Lotus. She finally got her chance to be the star in How to Die Alone, in which she portrays Melissa, an airport employee whose near-death experience forces her to re-evaluate her life. Rothwell is brilliant in the role, and she excels at portraying a woman who, when it comes down to it, is her own worst enemy.

A Very English Scandal is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to its cast, particularly since it stars both Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw in its main roles. Grant portrays Jeremy Thorpe, an influential MP who became embroiled in a sex scandal with Ben Whishaw’s Norman Josiffe/Norman Scott. It’s a series that is, by turns, hilarious and deeply tragic, and both Grant and Whishaw give remarkably nuanced performances. Although it may not have attracted a huge audience, it remains worthwhile for anyone seeking insight into one of 20th-century Britain's most notorious scandals.

There are many reasons to love and watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, starting with the fact that it was one of the most daring and adventurous series to air on the CW. However, it’s also worth a watch for the way that it uses the conventions of the musical to explore some weighty issues concerning mental health. And, of course, there’s also the fact that it’s a very funny show, thanks in no small part to Rachel Bloom’s star turn as the titular crazy ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Bunch.

Christine Applegate might be most familiar for her starring role in the sitcom Married…With Children, but she’s had a number of other series that, while not blockbusters, still deserve praise and recognition. One of the most notable of these is the Netflix series Dead to Me, in which she co-stars with Linda Cardellini. They play two women who meet at a grief support group, unaware that one of them killed the husband of the other in a hit-and-run. Through its three seasons, the show grappled with weighty issues, including grief and death, all while being remarkably funny.

Lee Pace was his usual charming self in the series Pushing Daisies, which aired from 2007 to 2009. Pace portrays Ned, a piemaker who has the ability to bring dead things back to life. It’s safe to say that this is one of those series that was truly ahead of its time, and it features a remarkable cast. In addition to Pace, it also stars Kristin Chenoweth and Swoosie Kurtz, both of whom are always a delight. It was one of those quirky shows that deserved more than two seasons.

A League of Their Own is one of those unfortunate shows that had its second season canceled as a result of the WGA strike. Even so, there’s still much to enjoy about the show, which is a series adaptation of Penny Marshall’s acclaimed film about a professional women’s baseball team during World War II. It brings out some of the elements that were only implicit in the original film, particularly when it comes to LGBTQ+ stories. The series might have ended prematurely, but it’s still worth a watch. 

Our Flag Means Death was one of those series that emerged from the brief moment when HBO Max was trying to really make an impression on the streaming landscape. At the center of the show is the strange but touching relationship between gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet and Ed Teach (also known as Blackbeard), who manage to forge a sweet romance. It became a particular hit among the LGBTQ+ community, and though it was canceled after two seasons, it still maintains a place in the hearts of misfits everywhere. 

There have been many adaptations and interpretations of classic myth, but few have plumbed the world of ancient Greek mythology quite as skillfully or as interestingly as Kaos.  The show, which only lasted one season on HBO, followed various gods and mortals in a setting that is both modern and yet also deeply strange. It featured a number of great performances, particularly Jeff Goldblum as none other than Zeus, and it managed to make the myths of the ancient world feel fresh and relevant, demonstrating the extent to which they can still help interrogate the concerns of the present.

These days, it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge finding an animated series that doesn’t talk down to its audience. One of the more remarkable recent animated series was the short-lived Scavenger’s Reign, which focused on the various members of a crashed spaceship that have to try to survive on a distant planet. It only lasted one season, but it’s a remarkable piece of storytelling that combines horror, sci-fi, and adventure, and it makes for a largely satisfying viewing experience, even if it does end on something of a cliff-hanger.

Raised by Wolves is one of the more unsettling sci-fi shows of the 2020s, and it lasted two seasons before HBO Max pulled the plug. Its first season followed a pair of androids who are dispatched to a distant planet in the hopes that they can raise human embryos far from the chaos and destruction that enveloped Earth. The second season took the story in some new and often bizarre directions, but there was always something deep and richly compelling about the show that earned it a small but loyal fanbase.

Minx is one of those rare shows that managed to survive a change of network, for while it began on HBO Max, it then moved to Starz. It ultimately lasted only two seasons, but it was still a very funny show. Starring Ophelia Lovibond as Joyce Prigger, the series focused on her efforts to form a feminist magazine in the 1970s. It was one of those shows that managed to be both very funny and very insightful, offering pointed commentary on the nature of the female gaze.

The Comeback never fully goes away. There’s no denying that it has its appeals, chiefly Lisa Kudrow, who portrays actress Valerie Cherish, who, as the title suggests, yearns for a comeback and to attain the success that she once enjoyed. It’s one of those shows that is quite adept at being self-reflexive about the nature of celebrity and television itself, and its meta approach to storytelling is slated to continue in a third and final season.