“Easy,” “On My Block,” “Brand New Cherry Flavor,” and more hidden gems appear on this handy-dandy TV treasure map.
Hunting for buried treasure? Unearthing hidden gems? Looking for party gold? Use whatever digging metaphor you like, but your findings will remain the same: Netflix has some good stuff, some bad stuff, a lot in between, and digging through it all takes forever. On the same subject : Best Sci-Fi TV Shows on Netflix.
Since entering the content production game with “Lilyhammer” in 2012, then breaking through with “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” in 2013, the pioneering streaming service has made thousands of hours of TV in dozens of different languages . From “BoJack Horseman” and “Arrested Development” to “The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Umbrella Academy,” the entertainment company once known for mass mailing DVDs has become a production force.
Netflix boasts consistently strong nominations in the drama and comedy categories at the annual Emmys (along with a handful of the streaming service’s Oscar-winning films). Check out “Russian Doll,” “Ozark,” “The Crown,” “Black Mirror” and “The Kominsky Method,” among other celebrated TV titles.
Of course, you already know about them. In the avalanche of new Netflix TV shows, blockbuster series like “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game” have turned into cultural moments that attract millions and millions of eyeballs. But at the same time, many more shows have languished in the less visited parts of Netflix’s catalog, overshadowed by a home page that’s more algorithm than frame and a constantly buzzing social media conversation ready to move on faster than you can say “Bridgerton. “
Now, a lot of unknown and/or canceled Netflix shows are just not good. And, presumably, those titles didn’t stand a chance regardless of where and how they were available. Unscripted Netflix is a particularly wild area, with true crime docuseries and dating shows making up the huge block of “stuff” available to subscribers.
Still, if Netflix’s dramatic business saga from 2022 confirms anything for jaded audiences, it’s that the more-is-more approach can be a lot… for everyone involved. Inundating viewers with options over the past decade, the streamer has amassed a seemingly impenetrable mountain of art, and there’s no doubt that good projects have been overlooked.
And so, to go back to that archeologist metaphor, the audience has to dig. To get you started on your next off-the-beaten-path Netflix adventure, here are 19 of the most underrated hidden gems of TV shows on Netflix (listed in alphabetical order), from “Brand New Cherry Flavor” and “On My Block” to “It’s All Bullshit!” and “Alias Grace”.
Note: Series with major awards recognition or significant viewership (as reported by Netflix) are disqualified as “hidden gems.” It may appear on another IndieWire list.
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