The Most Underrated TV Shows Of 2023

Believe it or not, there was once a day where one could watch just about every new show that aired on television, with just three networks in existence in America. Since the advent of cable television, though, it has become a challenge just to watch all of the good ones, and now with streaming, it's impossible. Every year, hundreds of shows land in front of audiences, and it can be tough to choose which ones to spend your time with.

Today, viewers are forced to go by recommendations — whether it's from a friend, an online review, or just aggregated critic and audience scores from the likes of Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic. But every year, dozens of top-notch shows get missed by most, the victim of the annual abundance of programming that leaves audiences to pick and choose. And at the end of every year, it's our job to highlight the ones you may have skipped but should have watched.

In 2023, it should come as no surprise that most of the underrated shows hail from streaming services: Whether Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or Apple TV+, each platform releases so many shows every year that even the biggest productions can be scuttled beneath the waves. So we've scoured social media and review aggregators, combined them with our own opinions, and assembled a list of the most underrated TV shows of 2023. If you're looking for something new to watch that many missed, here's your chance. 

Joe Pickett

Westerns have seen a comeback over the last decade or so, with period pieces like "Hell on Wheels" and "The Son" complimented by neo-Westerns like "Justified" and "Yellowstone." Even supernatural and sci-fi Westerns have been thrown into the mix, proving the genre is alive and well into the 21st century. But Paramount+ might have one of the most under-appreciated Westerns in recent memory with "Joe Pickett," a gritty backwoods crime drama based on the pulp novels of author C.J. Box (whose "Big Sky" became a hit network drama in 2020).

Michael Dorman slides into the title role of Joe Pickett, a game warden in Wyoming not far from Yellowstone National Park, and the show follows his investigations into both crooks and corruption in the wilds of today's Western frontier. The even-keeled Pickett is unlike the many Western law enforcers audiences may be used to — he's sensitive but strong, and more of an ordinary man looking to fight injustice than the unflappable, invincible heroes who often lead this kind of show — and that's exactly what makes it so special.

Criminally underrated, "Pickett" barely made headlines when it debuted in 2021. Its second season is even better, adding new cast member Keean Johnson as Pickett's protege Luke Brueggeman. Together, they chase an apparent serial killer, making an uneasy alliance to catch the murderer. Unfortunately, the series wasn't renewed for a third season, though that might make it more appetizing for audiences looking for something to binge.

Rabbit Hole

Even after fighting terrorists as FBI agent Jack Bauer on "24"  and again as President Kirkman on "Designated Survivor," Kiefer Sutherland still isn't done saving the world. In 2023, the veteran actor returned with a new series on Paramount+ titled "Rabbit Hole," and while promotion was heavy on its launch, it never really caught fire with viewers. That's too bad, because it's a solid spy thriller, a blend of "Jason Bourne" and "Jack Ryan" with a little old-school '70s political intrigue too.

Sutherland stars as John Weir, a corporate espionage agent who is falsely implicated in the grisly murder of a prominent tech mogul (played by "Succession" star Rob Yang). Weir must now go on the run to clear his name but in doing so he uncovers evidence of a global conspiracy that strikes at the very heart of democracy. His enemy isn't a diabolical terrorist mastermind or an international drug cartel, but powerful forces whose ability to manipulate information makes them impossible to stop.

Perhaps it was the somewhat overdone premise — a secret agent who learns of a powerful cabal that controls the world — that led audiences to turn away from "Rabbit Hole," but the series isn't as rote as its description might seem. If you enjoyed "24" and "Designated Survivor," and enjoy a quality caper with plenty of twists and turns, "Rabbit Hole" is the hidden gem you've been looking for.

The Changeling

Not every show fits neatly into a genre box, and "The Changeling" is one of them — difficult to describe as purely horror, fantasy, sci-fi, or psychological thriller. A mix of those and more, the series is adapted from Victor LaValle's beloved novel by screenwriter Kelly Marcel, whose past scripts include "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage." 

This time, Marcel tells the story of Apollo Kagwa (LaKeith Stanfield) and his wife Emma Valentine (Clark Backo), who fall in love and welcome baby Brian into the world. But when Emma begins to believe that their new child isn't what it appears, she does the unthinkable and disappears, leaving Apollo to pick up the pieces. Looking for answers, Apollo tracks down his wife only to find a hidden mythological world that is anything but make-believe.

Airing on Apple TV+, "The Changeling" didn't get the kind of massive promotion that shows like "Stranger Things" get on Netflix. Combined with some mediocre early reviews, the series was overlooked by many. But with a poignant story of love, loss, and betrayal — and universal themes of parenthood — it's a series that will resonate with just about everyone, and its impressive cast delivers some of the best performances of the year. Throw in a gripping, edge-of-your-seat story that unfolds in unexpected ways, and there's plenty to keep you hooked — though its cliffhanger ending may prove frustrating for some (especially considering a Season 2 has yet to be announced).

Silo

The last few years have seen a surge of stellar sci-fi shows, from new takes on longtime stalwarts like "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" to video game adaptations like "Twisted Metal" and "The Last of Us." But while those blockbuster franchises allowed their adaptations to get tons of widespread recognition, "Silo" — based on a series of novels by Hugh Howey — got lost in the shuffle. 

In "Silo," the world has been besieged by destruction, forcing what's left of civilization into the confines of an enormous 144-story grain silo. All of society has been restructured within, with a tyrannical ruling class that keeps the population in check. Law and order is provided by Sheriff Holston Becker (David Oyelowo) and security chief Robert Sims (Common), but when engineer Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) discovers that the silo is harboring a sinister secret, she threatens the entire world order by questioning everything she's been led to believe about this dystopian world.

Created by "Band of Brothers" and "Justified" producer Graham Yost, "Silo" also stars Rashida Jones, Harriet Walter, and Tim Robbins. It's a series with a compelling mystery at its center, with new clues each week that unravel a tightly wound web of story, propped up by its star cast who are all at the top of their game. It may not have a brand name atop its title, but "Silo" has the potential to be a long-running series, perhaps even with spin-offs of its very own.

Dead Ringers

It's not often that a celebrated cult classic film is remade as a TV series and turns out just as good or better than the original. But where "Heathers" failed miserably, Amazon's "Dead Ringers" soars, remaking the 1988 David Cronenberg mind-bender and putting a new twist on the tale that gives the series its own flavor. Adapted like the Cronenberg film from the 1977 novel "Twins" by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, the remake was developed by Alice Birch, who also wrote the first and final installments of the six-episode miniseries.

Like the Cronenberg film, "Dead Ringers" centers on twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot Mantle, both played by the same actor. Replacing Jeremy Irons from the film is Rachel Weisz as the gender-swapped version of the Mantle siblings. The identical twins' parasitic relationship becomes the stuff of nightmares when Beverly uses her medical practice to take advantage of clients looking to conceive.

Despite its star lead actor and acclaimed source material, the Prime Video miniseries came and went with little fanfare. But reviews were stellar, with critics pointing to the enthralling Weisz as enough to tune in for, and the nail-biting horror story as the icing on the cake. Whether you've seen the original or not, "Dead Ringers" is the kind of chilling psychological thriller that will keep you up at night, wondering who you can really trust.

Platonic

Try and explain how one of the biggest names in movie comedy can write, produce, and star opposite an acclaimed Hollywood actress in a new prestige series that somehow flies under everyone's radar. But that's exactly what happened with "Platonic," which got some initial attention thanks to Seth Rogen's involvement but seemed to fade from consciousness after its debut despite good reviews.

Airing on Apple TV+, "Platonic" followed former best friends Will and Sylvia (Rogen and Rose Byrne), whose lives went in opposite directions after they each got married, but who reconnect after Will's divorce. Sylvia is a successful suburban wife and mother who left her career as a lawyer to take care of her burgeoning family, while Will is co-owner of a struggling bar, but now they're back to the same kinds of wild antics they got up to back in college. Together they toss the notion that men and women can't be friends on its head, deciding that life is better if you follow your heart and stop trying to live up to everyone else's expectations. 

A laugh riot with a heartfelt message, "Platonic" does something fresh with an otherwise ordinary sitcom formula. The series shines with its combination of sharp comedy, pitch-perfect performances, and the same kinds of off-the-wall ridiculousness as Rogen's best movies. Though it remains to be seen if viewing figures were enough to secure a second season, critics and audiences who saw it heaped it with praise as an unconventional buddy comedy that succeeds where it should and delights where least expected.

Deadloch

It's bad enough knowing you'll never be able to catch everything worth watching between the glut of programming from network and cable TV on the air and across a dozen or more streaming platforms. But American audiences also tend to miss out on foreign-born television too, and one of the most underrated shows of 2023 hails from Australia, the crime comedy called "Deadloch." 

From the land down under comes this neo-noir series on Prime Video, starring Kate Box and Madeleine Sami. The two star as Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe, a pair of cops investigating the death of a local man after his body washes up on the coastline of Tasmania in the town of Deadloch. But Collins and Redcliffe do things differently, and their mismatched styles and techniques only make solving the case a bigger challenge, while the unfolding investigation threatens to expose the small town's darkest secrets.

A black comedy that roasts the well-worn police procedural genre, and a stinging send-up of classics like "Broadchurch," "Deadloch" might be the funniest cop show since "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Though its cast isn't well-known to American audiences, and it's more of a guilty pleasure than a true great, the series will tickle the itch of those looking for good cop stories and good comedy.

Rain Dogs

A mix of dark humor and darker drama, "Rain Dogs" is an HBO series from Cash Carraway that's already earned critical acclaim for its tender but offbeat love story. The series stars Daisy May Cooper as Costello Jones, a down-on-her-luck single mother struggling to get by on the streets of London, often forced to skirt the bounds of the law to support herself and her daughter Iris (Fleur Tashjian).

The mother and daughter find a quasi-father figure in the form of Selby (Jack Farthing), who's just gotten out of prison and looking to get his life back. Together, Costello, Iris, Selby — and Costello's best friend Gloria (Ronke Adekoluejo) — become an unconventional family unit. But no matter how hard they try, they can't escape a system meant to keep outcasts like them down and out, with no way to escape their unlucky circumstances.

A tragic comedy about the bond between family — blood or not — "Rain Dogs" explores the lives we don't often think about: those living on the outskirts, forgotten by society, yet looking for prosperity and belonging just like everyone else. It's a little rough around the edges, but the series stands head and shoulders alongside the best shows of the year, even if you've never heard of it.

Poker Face

It's typically major news when a blockbuster movie director creates a high-profile series for television. Yet somehow, "Poker Face" seems to have been completely overlooked, despite it being created by Rian Johnson, the writer-director responsible for the "Knives Out" films. Johnson himself helmed three of the show's 10 episodes, personally penning two additional episodes on top of writing the season opener.

Johnson isn't the only big name involved, though. The series is led by Natasha Lyonne and Benjamin Bratt, with an all-star rotating supporting cast that includes Adrien Brody, Ron Perlman, Nick Nolte, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jameela Jamil, among others. The series is a so-called "inverted detective story," a kind of mystery that gives all the answers at the outset and sees an intrepid investigator getting to the bottom of it all.

In the series, which airs on Peacock, Lyonne plays human lie detector Charlie Cale, who works as a cocktail waitress at a Las Vegas casino. But when her boss turns up dead, Charlie goes on a cross-country journey, solving mysteries, homicides, and other criminal conspiracies, her ability to see through lies helping her along the way. It's a satisfying procedural that's earned four Emmy nominations, including one for Lyonne for her lead performance as Cale, but it hasn't received the kind of overwhelming widespread praise as better-known — and lesser-quality — shows.

Shrinking

Major Hollywood stars are coming to television more and more these days, and one of the last holdouts was Harrison Ford. But in late 2022 (and early 2023), Ford starred in a TV series for the very first time in his legendary career, the "Yellowstone" prequel "1923," and it was met with rave reviews. Yet Ford didn't just star in one series in 2023, but two: his second was "Shrinking," a comedy that was overshadowed by "1923." While it also met with acclaim from critics, "Shrinking" didn't light up the charts the way it probably should have.

Ford stars in "Shrinking" as Dr. Paul Rhoades, a therapist suffering from Parkinson's disease. But Ford is really playing a supporting role to Jason Segel, who takes the lead of the series as Jimmy Laird, Rhoades' colleague and therapist going through his own life crisis. Following the death of his wife, Laird re-evaluates how he does his job and starts breaking all sorts of legal and ethical rules by getting more and more involved in his patients' lives.

A sardonic look at self-help and self-improvement, "Shrinking" has already been nominated for a pair of Emmy awards, with Segel and co-star Jessica Williams (who plays fellow therapist Gaby) both earning nods. But as funny as the series is, what makes the show so special is its moving story of grief and its exploration of personal tragedy.

The Great

When it comes to all-star casts, one would be hard-pressed to find a series with a more impressive starring duo than "The Great." The series, a historical satire inspired by the reign of Russian empress Catherine the Great, stars Elle Fanning as the queen and Nicholas Hoult as her husband, Russian emperor Peter III. But Hoult also plays another role, co-starring as Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev, a fugitive and soldier who posed as Peter III during Catherine's reign. 

"The Great" follows Catherine's rise to prominence, as she marries into power when Emperor Peter III chooses her to be his wife. But after attaining the crown, Catherine soon realizes that Peter isn't the ideal king and husband she'd imagined, and her life is miserable living under his thumb. When she learns that his death would make her uncontested ruler of the land, Catherine engages in a fiendish plot to assassinate her own husband and claim the throne for herself.

Royal historical dramas have been all the rage lately, with hits like "The Crown" becoming critical darlings. "The Great" takes a different route, spilling a healthy dose of black humor and absurdity, and while other shows of its ilk grabbed the majority of headlines, "The Great" delivered a third excellent season in 2023. All three seasons can be viewed on Hulu.

Beef

Screenwriter Lee Sung Jin has contributed to a number of modern greats, writing episodes of "Silicon Valley," "2 Broke Girls," and "Dave," while also serving as writer and story editor for a slew of episodes on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" during the show's fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. In 2023, he created his own series, the dark comedy "Beef," starring Academy Award nominee Steven Yeun and Emmy nominee Ali Wong.

"Beef" is the story of Danny Cho (Yeun) and Amy Lau (Wong), total strangers whose lives become intertwined when they become involved in a random road rage incident. In the aftermath, neither can let the conflict go, and their sparring soon escalates into a never-ending war, with the two at odds while dealing with their own personal problems at home. But when the war boils over, and the back-and-forth takes a twisted turn, both their lives begin to spiral out of control.

Nearly flawless, "Beef" boasts sterling performances, as well as a tightly scripted, unpredictable story that delves into dark places and will keep you guessing. The way it explores our most inner fears and the ways we react to turmoil is what has reviewers raving and landed the show 13 Emmy Award nominations, including one each for Wong and Yeun.

The Lazarus Project

"The Lazarus Project" is a sci-fi series hailing from Britain. Written and created by Joe Barton, the man behind the masterful, BAFTA Award-winning "Giri/Haji," the series is a new twist on the time travel subgenre, with a story that sees a man named George (Paapa Essiedu) stuck in a repeating loop of time. But rather than reliving a single moment or even a day, George's time loop is six months long.

Repeatedly awakening on July 1, George is recruited by a woman named Archie (Anjli Mohindra), who understands his predicament because she's working for the Lazarus Project, an organization that tries to prevent global catastrophes. With his rare ability to reset and loop time, he becomes a key component in their mission. But when his girlfriend Sarah is killed, George decides to use his power to save her while risking millions of lives in the process.

Season 2 of "The Lazarus Project" launched towards the end of 2023, and picks up with Season 1 left off. Airing on the English streaming service Sky Max, Season 2 lost none of its swagger, delivering thrills, spills, and time-traveling chills, while reminding viewers that British sci-fi is more than just "Doctor Who."

Hijack

Idris Elba came to fame on the small screen with HBO's "The Wire" and BBC's "Luther." In the years since, though, he's mostly been on the big screen, but whenever he returns to television it's always worth watching. In 2023, he came back for "Hijack," a midair thriller where he stars as a corporate executive stuck on a plane that's been taken over by terrorists. And the whole thing is told in real time, a la "24," with the events unfolding in six hours or so.

Elba plays Sam Nelson, whose day job is a negotiator for big business wheeling and dealing. So when his flight to Dubai is overrun, he's the best person aboard to communicate with the hijackers. Setting a seven-episode series within the confines of a plane was risky, but the series pulls it off with aplomb, as the real-time format brings an added layer of tension.

Unfortunately, "Hijack" suffered the same fate as "Platonic" and "Changeling," and didn't receive much love airing on Apple TV+, whose subscriber base pales in comparison to rivals like Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, and Disney+. Still, it shouldn't be discounted just because it was released on a lesser-viewed service, as it delivers some of the best suspense of 2023 — just don't expect it to be offered as in-flight entertainment any time soon.

Black Snow

You may never have heard of "Black Snow," but you probably know its star, Travis Fimmel, who's lit up screens for years as Ragnar Lothbrok on "Vikings" and Marcus on HBO's "Raised by Wolves." This time Fimmel plays a detective in a six-part Australian series told unconventionally, with two dueling narratives playing out in two very different time periods.

The series centers on Isabel (Talijah Blackman-Corowa), a 17-year-old girl who is killed in 1994, and whose time capsule is discovered decades later, leading police to reopen her unsolved murder case. The lead detective is James Cormack (Fimmel), a reckless, world-weary cop who sets out to find Isabel's killer, and to do it he'll have to involve Isabel's sister Hazel (Jemmason Power), who wants anything but to relive the painful memory of her death. But Cormack comes at the case with fresh eyes, as an outsider, and is unafraid to dig into the town's sordid past to find the truth.

Thanks to extensive flashbacks, the series' victim gets a chance to take the spotlight in a break from the "whodunit" format. But it's also a story with a message, as the town's dark history exposes the problems faced by the country's migrant population. A more obscure entry, "Black Snow" barely received enough reviews to make it on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes when it initially ran on AMC+, but stands tall by subverting common genre tropes.

From

Streaming service Epix changed its name to MGM+ in 2023, but one of its best shows remains a holdover: the second season of the sci-fi/horror series "From." It may not get the attention of shows on bigger streaming platforms, but it should: at its best, "From" is as good as anything in either genre gets. It's the brainchild of writer John Griffin, who penned the Disney+ movie "Crater" and is slated to script the Netflix adaptation of "Magic: The Gathering."

"From" stars "Lost" alum Harold Perrineau as Boyd Stevens, the leader of an otherworldly town that seems to have supernatural properties. The series opens with a family on a road trip who are forced to take a detour into the town but find themselves unable to leave. Like a twisted episode of "The Twilight Zone," every road leads back into town, and all efforts to leave are thwarted by unknown forces. But who or what is keeping the residents and visitors of this town trapped within its confines — and for what sinister purpose?

Debuting in 2022, the show's second season is again under-appreciated in 2023, despite Perrineau receiving acclaim for his performance, and reviews that are through the roof. Praised for its spooky vibe and cleverly-told mystery, "From" should be at the top of your list if you're looking for something to watch late at night.

Mrs. Davis

With an onslaught of new shows every year, producers, writers, and creators are always looking for new ways to stand out, and that often means mixing genres. And none do it with more aplomb than "Mrs. Davis," a series whose plain and ordinary title belies its true nature — and that may be why audiences haven't been tuning in. With a home on Peacock, too, it hasn't gotten the same love as shows with a higher profile platform.

A strange and unexpected comedy, "Mrs. Davis" is an action-adventure, drama, and sci-fi thriller all rolled into one. It's all about the titular Mrs. Davis, who isn't the leading character, but an astonishingly advanced artificial intelligence that controls most of the world, all seemingly for the betterment of humankind. Up against it, though, is Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin) a devout nun who despises technology. But Simone is baffled when Mrs. Davis makes her a deal: She'll shut herself down forever if Simone will locate the mythical Holy Grail — yes, that Holy Grail — and destroy it, for reasons that aren't entirely clear.

A mysterious adventure that puts a fully-frocked nun on the seat of a retro motorcycle, there are few shows out there like "Mrs. Davis." The series takes the heroic whip-wielding relic hunter from "Indiana Jones" and gives it a new, technological spin, in what might be the most unique series around.

The Sixth Commandment

Good British crime dramas are a dime a dozen these days — you can toss a bowler hat and hit one by mistake — but while the new "Luther" telefilm grabbed most of the mainstream press, it was shows like "Payback" and "Steeltown Murders" that dazzled beneath the fold. And the best of the rest is "The Sixth Commandment," a series that is easily the most enticing thanks to its true crime roots.

Based on a true story, "The Sixth Commandment" is led by Timothy Spall and Anne Reid as university professor Peter Farquhar and his neighbor Ann Moore-Martin. Eanna Hardwicke stars as Ben Field, a university student studying under Faquhar who becomes romantically involved with the professor. But when Farquhar is killed under suspicious circumstances, and Moore-Martin appears to be targeted too, the relationship between the teacher and his student comes under scrutiny.

Masterfully told, "The Sixth Commandment" benefits from its stellar but unheralded cast, but be warned: don't go reading about the story from 2015 if you're unfamiliar with it. It made waves in the British press at the time, but you'll want to go in fresh as there are plenty of surprises in store.

A Murder at the End of the World

Thanks to their role as Princess Diana in "The Crown," actor Emma Corrin is getting more attention these days. Still, their starring role in "A Murder at the End of the World" just hasn't hit the zeitgeist the way their previous series has done. Instead of playing beloved royalty, this time Corrin plays Darby Hart, a self-styled, hard-boiled amateur sleuth, who unwittingly becomes part of a classic murder mystery.

The story kicks off when Darby — and eight other individuals — are invited to a dinner party held by a wealthy magnate at a remote estate. But when one of the guests is killed under strange circumstances, Darby has to figure out who did it — and stop them before they strike again. But not everyone in attendance believes it was murder, and each one has their own hidden agenda.

Though the series' starting premise could be seen as something of a cliche, it's the way the series is told that elevates the story. And the cast — which includes Brit Marling, Clive Owen, and Alice Braga — also makes sure that the detective story never gets old.

Black Cake

It may lack huge stars, but "Black Cake" is as good as any series with a top-billed A-lister. Its cast is comprised of actors that many audiences won't be familiar with, but with a little bit of luck, some of them might become big stars thanks to the series, which began seeing rave reviews even before it concluded. One of the best shows of the year, it's downright shameful that it isn't among the most-watched — and we're here to help change that.

Adapted from the novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, "Black Cake" introduces us to Byron and Benny Bennett (Ashley Thomas and Adrienne Warren) whose family history is riddled with secrets. When their mother Eleanor (Chipo Chung) dies and leaves them with a series of mysterious recordings, they slowly uncover the sins of the past. As they gradually make their way through the recordings, stunning revelations are explored in extensive flashbacks to the 1960s — showing us just how the Bennetts came to be.

Though the series puts a focus on the family's twisted history, there's also plenty of drama in the present lives of Byron and Benny, too. Finally facing up to ghosts from their past, Benny and Byron must find a way to reconcile their mother's long struggle with their own challenges today — and you'll be hooked watching them try.

Warrior

There aren't many martial arts TV shows in the West, with the likes of "Kung Fu" and "Cobra Kai" both announcing their cancellations in 2023. But if you're looking for a new one, don't miss "Warrior," which has a much more authentic flavor than the more popular shows in the genre. Created by Jonathan Tropper, who co-created "Banshee," and executive produced by "Fast and Furious" director Justin Lin, it's based on the works of the original TV martial arts star, Bruce Lee. 

Far from a biopic of Lee — whose daughter Shannon also serves as a producer on the series — "Warrior" takes place in the 19th century in San Francisco. It follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), who sets out on a journey from his native China to San Francisco to find his sister Xiaojing (Olivia Cheng). When he gets there, he finds that his sister has changed her name and is now a hardened warrior herself ... and a ruthless madam at a notorious Chinatown brothel.

In its third season, "Warrior" remains underserved by its audience and the press, but is nevertheless an action-heavy crime drama that fuses fast-paced hand-to-hand combat with gangland strife. Its period setting and authenticity make it feel cinematic in a way that other martial arts shows lack, and its move from Cinemax to HBO's Max service may finally help it get the respect it deserves.

How we chose the most underrated TV shows of 2023

A tally of underrated anything might be one of the most challenging lists of recommendations to assemble. After all, the term can mean many things to many people — but we've done our best to put together a group of shows that fit the bill.

For our list here, not only did we consider shows that got more modest reviews than they may deserve, but we also put special attention on series that were great — and got good reviews — but didn't seem to get the notice they should have from the wider audience and the media. We took into account scores from Metacritic, IMDb, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as online chatter from social media sites like Twitter and Reddit, combining all of that with what we feel was truly underrated in 2023.

With any luck, our list will give you something to chew on — because we'd like nothing more than to help an underrated series gain some new fans.