Anyone who has ever stumbled across something great on Netflix knows that the streaming service has plenty of great and unheralded shows worth checking out. If you’ve ever tried to blindly find those shows yourself, though, you may also be aware that there are lots of shows on Netflix that aren’t really as good as they might seem.
Wading through this huge pile of content without any assistance can be difficult, to say the least, which is why we’ve taken the time to point out a few underrated shows that are worth investing your time in. These three shows may not be at the top of your Netflix recommendations, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth checking out.
Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
A prequel series to Breaking Bad that focuses on the goofy lawyer from the original show seemed like a genuinely terrible idea. Instead, Better Call Saul became a show almost as successful as its predecessor that never got the same levels of attention or acclaim.
Following Saul Goodman (real name Jimmy McGill) as he slowly becomes the irredeemable lawyer we met on Breaking Bad, the show invests more time in exploring exactly what might convince a person that there’s no reason for them not to be the worst version of themselves. It’s a funny, dark, deeply moving ride, and one that may in fact be more satisfying than the show that spawned it.
You can watch Better Call Saul on Netflix.
Dear White People (2017-2021)
One of the more original shows to ever get made at Netflix, Dear White People is adapted from a film of the same name, and follows a group of Black students on a predominantly white and entirely fictional Ivy League campus.
Through careful satire and clever humor, the show examines all the ways that the enlightenment of life on a modern college campus still has plenty of shortcomings, particularly around the issue of race. Dear White People features an incredible ensemble cast, and characters complicated enough to sometimes fall short of the lofty ideals that they preach.
You can watch Dear White People on Netflix.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
The Haunting of Hill House was Mike Flanagan‘s first show with Netflix, and the one that received the most attention, but The Haunting of Bly Manor is just as great, but gets far less attention. The show is adapted from The Turning of the Screw by Henry James, and follows a young governess who is hired to look after two children on a remote English estate.
Starring Victoria Pedretti, who was the unquestioned standout of Hill House, Bly Manor is just as terrifying as its predecessor and, in the end, far more emotionally satisfying. Like all of Flanagan’s shows, there’s a real beating heart underneath all the terror, which is part of what makes them so rewarding.
You can watch The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix.
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