3 Underrated TV Shows made for a Perfect Afternoon Binge

I love asking for TV recommendations. As someone who has watched far too much television for my own good, finding a new, lesser-discussed watch during a lazy afternoon makes me positively ecstatic.

The one issue I find, however, is when a dear friend of mine asks if I've ever seen this underrated show called Game of Thrones.

We all have our respective definitions of what "underrated" means and for myself, I tend to refer to TV shows that are incredibly entertaining watches yet for whatever reason, they aren't as in the mainstream discussion as they should be. Although the respective show may have an audience, its quality deserves so much more attention than what it's been getting.

... And that's where you get articles like this one and all the others featured in Vocal+'s ICYMI Challenge!

My goal is to highlight the following readily available for consumption streaming shows that can easily be binged within a 24-hour period and are worth carving time out of your Netflix reality dating show schedule for... And as someone who's a shameless Netflix reality dating show aficionado, believe me when I say I have your best interests at heart.

1. Everything Sucks! (Netflix)

I am a little bias in recommending the criminally short-lived Netflix series Everything Sucks! Set in the town of Boring, Oregon (real name, real town) in the 1990s, the show follows timid high school student Kate Messner (Peyton Kennedy) as she struggles with her sexuality and navigating the various conflicts involved between the school's AV and Drama Club.

It featured a cast of remarkably young talents including Kennedy, Jahi Di'Allo Winston and breakout star Sydney Sweeney who recently appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and has a recurring role in the HBO hit Euphoria.

When the series was canceled back in April 2018, myself and countless others began a "Renew Everything Sucks!" initiative that included sending 1,500 ring pops to Netflix HQ among a number of other attempts at getting the streaming giant to reverse their decision that took up virtually every second of my life during that time.

Although the series has remained canceled over two years later (and in case you're wondering, yes: my salt meter remains intact) it is genuinely a fantastic watch that doesn't dumb itself down because of its subject matter. Thankfully for fans of the show, co-creators Michael Mohan and Ben York Jones have announced their new collaboration on Quibi's platform for a dramedy entitled Heartbeats so I guess I have to get Quibi now.

Everything Sucks! makes you smile at the adorkability one second until you suddenly find yourself weeping the next because of the connection you grow to have for these characters... Not to mention it has like a totally fly '90s soundtrack that is all that and a bag of chips - I mean, can it honestly get any better than that?

NUMBER OF EPISODES: 10.

PERFECT IF YOU LIKE: Stranger Things, Freaks and Geeks, On My Block.

WHERE TO WATCH: Everything Sucks! is streaming on Netflix.

2. Dickinson (Apple TV+)

From the moment Emily Dickinson replied with "this is such bullshit" after being asked to fetch water at 4 in the morning from her boy-crazed sister I realized this show would be a different take on a historical figure...

And it is absolutely brilliant.

From the mind of Alena Smith (who recently inked an overall deal with Apple to develop television projects exclusively for Apple TV+) comes Dickinson. The series follows revered poet Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) as a rebellious youth challenging various societal restraints of the early 19th century. Unlike other works that tackle this time period, Dickinson is a unique take on the classic young-woman-craving-a-life-outside-of-domestic-stability by viewing this material through an entirely modern lens. As The Verge (who refers to Dickinson as the "wildest, weirdest, and most earnest show" on Apple TV) describes it: "[u]sing period-accurate costumes and sets gives it a slightly prestigious feel but the dialogue is deliberately contemporary."

While a mother frets about which boy is possibly left to marry off her eldest daughter, a scene will follow featuring a crowd of hormonal teenagers twerking to Carnage ft. I LOVE MAKONNEN's "I Like Tuh." Female characters plan to sneak into a male-only scientific event while "Boys" by Lizzo is the chosen montage song. Attempting to marry the traditional with the contemporary can potentially result in a horrendous union that requires a massive amount of paperwork and lawyers in order to successfully separate. It's an undeniably huge risk that Smith and crew manage to pull off exceptionally.

It's an overwhelmingly intriguing, delightful and hilarious series that boasts an equally talented cast including Academy Award nominee Steinfeld, Toby Huss, Jane Krakowski, Ella Hunt, Adrian Enscoe and Wiz Khalifa as Death. Wiz and Steinfeld share a number of scenes together that are just an absolute wonder to watch unfold.

Dickinson was renewed for a second season before the first even premiered on the streaming platform so we thankfully have more of Emily's sarcastic quips to look forward to.

NUMBER OF EPISODES: 10.

PERFECT IF YOU LIKE: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisal, Jane The Virgin, Fleabag.

WHERE TO WATCH: Dickinson is streaming on Apple TV+

3. High Fidelity (Hulu)

"Making a playlist is a delicate art. It's like writing a love letter - better - in a way: You get to say what you want to say without actually saying it. You get to use someone else's poetry to express how you feel." - Rob in Episode 2:"Track 2"

If I were making a playlist describing how I feel about Zoë Kravitz in this show, the first track that would hit your ears would probably be Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

Based on the Nick Hornby novel, Hulu's High Fidelity takes the beloved material made famous by the 2000 John Cusack-led film of the same name and places Kravitz's natural charisma at the forefront. She portrays Robyn "Rob" Brooks, the owner of Brooklyn's Championship Vinyl and "ultimate music fan... who’s obsessed with pop culture and Top Five lists."

The series features an absolute stunning soundtrack which only works to further develop these characters you grow attached too almost instantly. When a certain track plays while a particular character is on screen, the viewer is able to appreciate the utilization of someone else's poetry to express how they feel without them having to blatantly state anything.

The supporting cast including Jake Lacy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and David H. Holmes are all incredible and work brilliantly alongside the star of the show - Kravitz as Rob.

Kravitz has appeared in numerous high-profile projects including Mad Max: Fury Road, Fantastic Beasts and its sequel and most recently on the HBO series Big Little Lies. In a show such as the latter featuring the unbelievably talented talents of a Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman or MERYL FREAKING STREEP, Kravitz not only held her own but was easily a standout. After seeing her in High Fidelity I genuinely cannot wait to see what she brings to Selina Kyle in The Batman when it releases in 2098.

She completely owns every scene she appears in and thankfully for us, it's basically all the scenes. The series does a spectacular job in showcasing Rob as a human being - faults and all. It breaks the fourth wall constantly as she bestows her valuable expertise with a sprinkling of the occasional naivety that only makes her more of a compelling character. She is the furthest thing from perfect and thanks to the sharp writing and Kravitz's phenomenal performance, you will find yourself becoming invested in her choices on love, life and, what is possibly the most important choice of all, music.

... Completely unrelated/"Thanks Captain Obvious!" side note: It's also not lost on anyone that Zoë Kravitz is her mother's actual twin:

A second season of High Fidelity has not been announced as of yet, however it is likely the series will be renewed as it has received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and viewers alike.

NUMBER OF EPISODES: 10.

PERFECT IF YOU LIKE: Euphoria, Fleabag, Sex Education.

WHERE TO WATCH: High Fidelity is streaming on Hulu.

Choosing which TV series to spend a chunk of your day with is not a decision made lightly and hopefully the above mentioned shows are able to make the cut. Whether you discover a show that fits perfectly either in the category of "scrolling through your Instagram feed while it plays on TV" or "I refuse to sleep until I search through the IMDb of every single person that has ever appeared on this show" I wish everyone the best of luck with where your binge watching takes you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I heard Netflix just released all the episodes for Dating While Not Actually Dating But Wait Are We Actually Dating?