As promised, here you. A short list of good TV recommended based on my personal preferences.
01. Let’s start with comedy. One Day At A time. My entire motivation to watch this was that the main lead, the mother, was a fantastic character in Queen of the south (another great underrated TV show, I haven’t completed watching yet so it hasn’t made it to the list just yet) and she quit it to become lead of this charming sitcom. Its charm comes from the family dynamics that’s encoded in their culture and the newness of the cultural change that comes with her growing children. The dynamics between the mother and grandmother is utmost funny, and lovely to watch and its not generational comedy that’s humorous but also quite profound in its growth.
02. Veronica Mars lost its way before they could continue further the story. With only three seasons and getting the axe, it was frustrating to see a teenage TV show that didn’t involve in petty drama but where the main lead was a teen detective. Not the Riverdale variety though but one that’s grounded in reality. Mars was a cultural phenomenon and never once did that “i am so different and i am not like these other girly girls” song and dance. I don’t remember her putting other girls down to feel herself better. She got bitch slapped way too many times and I didn’t like it in the show. To appease the fans, there was a crowd funded movie that takes place after few years of season 3. It was alright. But then, Hulu did something remarkable and funded a full fourth season. I hated the way fourth season ended, but that’s just me. Kristen Bell may be the woman who will forever be remembered for “Let it Go” but for me she will always be Veronica Mars. This is iconic.
03. Continuing on the thread of thriller and mystery, Leverage is a comfort show. It has action, mystery, thriller and great moments between the cast. But ultimately its about found family whose interactions only gets better, they all live better, function more cohesively as a unit and develop their relationships deeper. We live in the age of writing where every fucking person needs an angst background and that angst makes the person angsty (SANDHYA REMEMBER THIS CONVO!!!) and they all need to get back to this angst past over and over and over all the fucking time. Give me a fucking break. Though in Leverage 4/5 characters have this damaged background, they comfort and work through it and rely on one another to feel better. They become each other’s lodestone and that’s absolutely beautiful.
04. Mystery, thriller and let’s add some complicated EU politics, just few steps always from dystopia and whole bunch of fantastic storytelling, you get Occupied which I watched only last weekend. Sandhya highly recommended this and I decided to give it a shot. (She kinda knows what I like at this point and most of the time, I have enjoyed whatever she has recommended.) This was so good I had my parents watch it also. I now re-watch one episode a day and during the episode I read a lot about modern day Nordic politics, especially involving oil, trade and Russia. Having my parents involved in this discussion is an added bonus and most fun. This is my new favorite show. Also Eldar Skar. ❤ (the guy right there.)
05. In this current climate its almost impossible to recommend a TV show that’s about beat police. But I am going to recommend this grand show, SouthLAnd that goes into life of night detectives played by Regina King and some dude and three pairs of beat cops on the streets of LA. You almost never continuously see private lives of these people – we know that it exists and the problems that they have like all of us and how it can affect their jobs directly or indirectly. Its a splendid show where diversity exists in its boundaries but they never shove it into our faces. They Just Are and they do it brilliantly. Very rarely the show uses background score and uses the sounds of LA to play out as is. In the scenes below which involves both commercial and residential shooting, the sound is very much natural. Its fucking scary because there is no score. Its real. This is as real as it can get. Everything about it is real. Its quick, its fast, its dirty and it all happens all too soon. This is a show that got yanked of air way too fast.
If you guys know of any underrated TV shows, please recommend.
I am running away from reality, as fast as i could... 
Never heard of any of them (except maybe Veronica Mars). I seen to be living under the ground 😵
Interesting mix of shows!
Ohh btw, I started with Black Tapes. Loved the background score; I am yet to get to the stage where I just can’t not hear the podcast. But then I only listened to one episode.
Yes the score of the show is quite good. I like the voice actors too. Still miss it. I heard that its been made to tv series…not sure if its really going to happen or not..
Haha, they aren’t always talked in media or people are watching it always so its no surprise. Give them a shot…after watching youtube videos though..
I have watched some episodes of some of these shows..not all but some. I might give them a try too.
Which ones have you seen
One day at a time, veronica mars, leverage. But I didn’t see them, more like catching an episode here and there.
Never heard of the shows and haven’t seen them. Interesting reviews.
Give them a shot..
First things first, you have me Fringe (Olivia and Peter). So, what choice do I have but to recommend shows that I hope you’ll enjoy 😉
Secondly, was surprised to see Veronica Mars on the list. But then again, the friend who recommended Occupied to me watched VM regularly… so, in a complex way, it all boils down to similar tastes I guess 🤔
Lastly, I know what I’m watching next. Leveraged 🙂
And I still haven’t watched Fringe after you know what episode because of reasons 😂😂 VM is fun and writers characters more honestly. It can be quite brutal in execution as well cause of that reason.
Leverage is a comfort show. It makes me warm and nice.
Drop the rest…. at least watch Fringe season 5… set in a dystopian world. I cried watching Walter – Peter scenes and few more scenes. And I don’t cry often
I know I know. Its just that this messed my head so bad I cant watch the show anymore. 😞😞
Fringe is one show that did Father-son relationship brilliantly and it never gets lost despite the show being a sci-fi show
That’s correct. Its them repairing throughout. And being a small cast means everyone has their own storylines going for them as well.
Added Ocuppied 😘
It’s so so so good. Am surprised sandhya hasn’t blocked me on phone seeing how much I talk about it….
😜 good shows need to be discussed and recommended, you Good Samaritan
I totally agree. Am so tired today so will chill and catch up on reading and movies. Postponing errands till tomorrow
Roff..I will make sure I watch episode 1 this weekend 😘
Ps. I watched P &P (bbc) again…and now I wonder why I had liked it so much in the past. Sometimes one should just let good memories be.
😀
What a awesome recommendation. Watched 3 epi till now. Yes..will look up Nordic politics and oil 😊
hahah 🙂 look at Finland and oil problems.
Showcased my ignorance..knew about the North Sea exploration but not that it was limited to Norway. Or that Finland and Sweden are heavy oil importers.
Found a few vague articles on Finland dependence on Russian imports. ( Where you lucky ?)
Need to do better search on this…should be a fascinating read.
Putin was throwing his weight around few years ago…maybe that is the inspiration for this series.
On Season 2..I am hooked and have recommended it to friends and family 😍
We will talk once you finish season 3
Occupied looks intresting.. I prefer Series which doesnt need to see in order and no drama😉..like The Mentalist..Lie to Me..Sherlock Holmes (Benedicts)
🙂 yeah that’s a preference
If you guys like sci-fi, check out ‘The Expanse’. It’s fantastic. Close to reality.
Yeah. I tried the books. This is one of those times tv is better than books. I read Leviathan wakes and kinda gave up after.
I didn’t read the books yet but tv series is well done.. atleast better than the stuff that is labelled sci-fi these days.
There is always that. And inwarch it cause they have pretty cutlery and eat or drink tea all the time.
So like I said I finish Occupied last weekend (marathon viewing…could not stop 😁). Loved it…for the thrill,drama and chess game of politics. Plus 101 on nordic politics,oil,Russia. Season 3 felt it was a page from US politics and a bit different/cliche. Russian shenanigans whenever someone does not listen to them is surreal but we know it happens.
Not sure they have more material to extend it. Loved the acting of both characters Anita and Berg
That show gave me anxiety. So much happens all the time. Am more of bodyguard fan. The way he changes and not changes throughout the series. And his wife is pretty cool too, Hilde.
Yes felt the anxiety and hated politicians even more. I too liked the bodyguard. His back forth in first two seasons..and then in Season 3 Hilde took center stage.
Hey, have you watched community?
oh yeah. abed…!
Cool cool cool!!!
😆😆😆
Also, it’s not underrated, but do you watch “this is us”
Like first two seasons. They cry so much. I like angst but this is just people crying all the freaking time. I mean after a while I was like, man, there are much bigger problems people have and they have lesser drama. I know it’s not nice to compare miseries and its shitty, but this is fiction so I totally blame writing for over bloating the sadness factor.
I agree to some extent. I feel they bring in the real issues and i compare it how even we make it bigger in our heads, just like they do.
After watching Kate’s equation with her mother, i was so guilty of how i treated my mom at times with my shitty behavior.
But, ya at times the show becomes too much!!
yeah, and sometimes the same thing gets repeated with other characters. yeah, we are shitty people. most of us have treated our parents shittily at one point or the other. but that’s life. we make up for it. we apologize. its the stuff that everyday life is made of.
this show has a tendency to blow up what can be solved by letting things go and dealing with it by talking it out in one sitting.
Ya…. That’s true 😀
They take it up a notch too high!
The one thing that appealed to me and got me hooked is how the story moves across all ages. Like you have present, past and future of someone, and that puts things in so much perspective.
(Also it helps, the men in the show are super duper hot!!)
You know you reminded me, after watching the show the first time, I actually was so sad at myself for how i treated my mom. i actually talked to her. It was she who calmed me down and was telling me that we all behave that way and i shouldn’t beat myself too much about it!! 🙈😅
the show obviously has to tone up the drama to sell, but ya.