We live in a time marred by frequent series cancellations. The slow death of the streaming business model takes no prisoners, ready to annihilate our favorite ongoing stories at the slightest whiff of underperformance. Let’s cheerfully ignore that, and revisit the 2010s to watch some underrated TV from a more optimistic industry age.
Legion (2017-2019)
FX’s Legion is an artifact from a bygone era before all Marvel shows were handed off to Disney+. Possibly the most underrated TV show on this list, it walks the audience through the story of David Haller, a mutant telepath embroiled in the underground conflict between humans and mutants. Haller, played by a post-Downton Abbey Dan Stevens with an American accent, originally believes he suffers from hallucinations.
In the last six years in the mental hospital, Haller has little hope of being discharged. However, he soon discovers that he does not suffer from delusions. Quite the opposite, a (real) malicious entity has latched onto his mind, twisting Haller’s unprecedentedly strong psychic ability.
Created by Fargo’s Noah Hawley, Legion explores the concepts of reality, sanity, and power. It is a show designed to destabilize, even putting the viewer out of time, with 70s A Clockwork Orange aesthetic touches that somehow allow for the existence of emails. Legion is now streaming on Hulu. Fans of Flight of the Conchords will be delighted to see Jemaine Clement play a man lost in the astral plane.
Hannibal (2013-2015)
A decade later, it remains unbelievable that this underrated TV show was ever allowed on network television, but we’re all the better for it. NBC‘s three-season Hannibal adaptation raises the classic movie villain to new heights of artistic gore, fine dining recipes, classical beauty, and ruminations on obsession. Mads Mikkelsen’s refined Dr. Lecter is a more-than-worthy successor to Anthony Hopkins’ powerhouse portrayal of the character in Silence of the Lambs.
Adapted from Thomas Harris’ Hannibal novels, the series follows Hugh Dancy’s hyperintelligent FBI instructor Will Graham, who works to uncover and stop the inventive cannibalistic serial killer. Meanwhile, Dr. Lecter metes out balletic violence and thinly veiled cannibalism puns in equal measure. The show’s unsettling atmosphere slowly unravels the question: does Dr. Lecter corrupt, or does he merely reveal rot that has already seeped through the psyche of our heroes? Hannibal is now streaming on Prime. But be careful, the food looks criminally delicious.
Justified (2010-2015)
With too few Emmy awards for its prestige, FX’s Justified is one of the more underrated TV shows from the Golden Age. Fans of Walton Goggins’ magnetic turn as The Ghoul in Prime’s Fallout series will want to explore his filmography. And although they can watch The Shield or Sons of Anarchy for their episodic Goggins fix, Justified may be the most compelling option.
Based on Elmore Leonard’s novels, Justified is a modern Western. Raylan Givens – played by the ever-graceful Timothy Olyphant – is a Deputy U.S. Marshal. He is a sharpshooter with a cowboy hat, blessed with a perpetual supply of charm, cursed with a bottomless well of anger. His potential blame in a controversial shootout forces him back to his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky, to confront the actions, people, and the very earth of his past. Givens often clashes with his old coal-mining associate Boyd Crowder (Goggins), now a small-time criminal with ambition. The lines repeatedly blur between lawman and outlaw, another underrated TV duo.
A genuine character study, the series pits Givens against Crowder, his mirror, his dramatic foil. At the show’s core, it questions whether Givens would have been different had he never left Harlan – whether he is fundamentally different even though he did get away. Teeming with eloquent performances steeped in coal country, Justified delivers throughout, with its finale roundly fulfilling “the promise” of the pilot. The series is now streaming on Hulu. It’s advised to take a break before jumping straight into the Detroit-based sequel series Justified: City Primeval. Give yourself a little time to miss Raylan Givens.
Final Thoughts
These three underrated shows are kept alive thanks to streaming services revisiting older generations of television. Legion, Hannibal, and Justified offer a great amount of suspense and mystery making them perfect for the horror season. Whether you are a veteran watcher or someone who needs a new thriller to watch, these three shows will keep you occupied to the end.
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