Down The Rabbit Hole - The Under-rated and Underwatched.

Quarantine has undoubtdly led to a increase in binge watching shows.

That's ok though because shows can be a wonderful escape to reality and with new addicting story lines like Outer Banks, Revenge, Good Girls, The Good Dr, Arrow, Lost Girl , Tiger King ( Which I havnt watched yet ) And many more its not hard to escape our realitys for a bit and enjoy a good binge watch.

What about the shows that people don't see anymore. The ones that were overlooked or the hidden gems of netflix that are just waiting for enough people to realize how amazing they are . Maybe even the ones that were judged a little too harshly by our parents .

Degrassi

This show was one of a kind. Degrassi next generation carried on stories from degrassi jr high . It aired from 2001 and went for a strong 14 seasons. This show was ironically something that when I first watched it. It was from the comfort of my bed in my room at 11pm because my mom didnt care for it . She never told me I couldn't watch it just that she didn't want to. I wish she would of though. She did a very good job raising me to know right from wrong but so much was covered in those 14 seasons that made it more than a show.

It was created at the peak of the interet useage . When cell phones were becoming really popular . Yes the ooo ahh age of flip phones.

This show was considereed pretty risque by most parents of teens or middle schoolers when it was becoming popular. However it held so many important lessons as well. The Creators Jay and Silent Bob didn't miss a beat when creating something entertaining as well as lesson teaching. From season 1 and covering partying and eating disorders . To showing other issues teens may face. They showed us the first glipmse of the future of the internet. From meeting up with people we don't know to just how fast a photo or post can spread like wildfire. They showed us sexually transmitted diseases. Teen pregnancy in multiple forms from deciding for adoption and keeping the baby to raise while being a student. Showing us how dangerous some people can be and how situations can change us forever.

This show hit hard and kept hitting.

It helped us see real world situations without being in them. How to recognize signs of parental abuse in our friends both mental like Manny's parents and physical like Craigs.

It addressed something was extremely prevalent when I was a kid . Most known in this show as Ellies Self Harm and Emma's eating disorder

Being Gay in the early 2000's was still something that many parents and school mates had a unpleasant reaction to. Unfortnatly even now almost 20 years later its still a issue for some.

Of course it also touched on harder hitting subjects from the time that Rick was abusive toward terry going as far as putting her in a coma .

He then faced extreme bullying at school both for his actions and because he was different and had unaddressed mental health issues. Those combined set off the events of him to be a school shooter and shoot Jimmy leaving him in a wheelchair. Which of course led us to follow his journey in recovery and coping with his new life situation. Rick ended up dying by another main character in the show sean which allowed him to repair a rocky relationship with his parents while he coped with his part of the ordeal.

The show allowed us to experience the first huge social media madness of "breaking a website" when myspace overloaded because so many of us were not expecting the devastating hard hitting but real emotion filled event of JT Yorkes death. Which happened from a stabbing from a lankhurst student who had earlier declared war on Degrassi and JT.

Even more we experienced even more with drug use when Craig comes back from trying to make it big with a cocaine addiction.

Spinner got testicular cancer and it raised the awareness of the importance of speaking out when something doesn't feel right with your body.

As the seasons progressed and our main characters we met in 01 graduated and moved to college new degrassi students were introduced which of course we introduced with a new era of issues.

Addressing everything from rape to the importance of speaking out when someone is using you. It also brought us to realize the not so shocking but sad truth that gay hate isn't gone. When Marco's boyfriend gets beat in the streets for being gay.

Suicide and abortion were also addressed in the show making many parents at the time seriously questioning the show and if teens should be watching it.

I remember having many friends who were told not to watch it of course they did anyway and perhaps at the time that upset our parents but honestly we took away alot from this show. In alot of ways I feel it was before its time or at the very least that the new seasons degrassi next class dont hit as hard as the original do. The things that were covered in degrassi next generation were extremely relevent for the time period and I feel in alot of ways it still is.

This show was apperciated by the generation and target audience it was meant for but I'd love to see one of those parents react videos because I have this acheing feeling that they never really apperciated it or how much infortmation it had in it. So in my opinion its very underrated and overlooked. Which is a shame because I still love it.

Life Unexpected

The Laughs - The Drama - The Tears. Underrated and Underapperciated.

This is another show that touched on some serious real life scernarios

When I began watching this I quickly got pulled in and finished it in 2.5 weeks.

The show is about a girl who has bounced from home to home in the foster care system and desperately wants to be emancipated. The process leads her to finding her birth mother who happens to be famous radio host Caitlyn Ryan. Ryan as shes called through a majority of the show is pretty taken back when the kid she thought she adopted out shows up looking for her then later finds out that she now has to go on a unexpected but hilarious coparenting adventure with her ex, Lux's dad. Bring Lux and her ex into her life turns it upside down sometimes in good and bad ways. Creating a new dynamic for exisitng relationship, life and job. Meanwhile while dealing with her new found parents Lux has a life of her own with a best friend, boyfriend and the typical and not so typical teen drama. It touches on the importance of trusting adults in your life and also admitting that sometimes as a adult you need and can learn new things. Its a great show that is filled with laughs drama and tears as well as happy endings .

Knight Rider - Both of them .

The original Knight rider had its first season of it's television series, debut on September 26, 1982, and ended on May 6, 1983

The second newer version aired from 2008-2009

Now I know not everyone agrees witb this but this was most definitely a show that was taken for granted and in my opinion vastly underrated. Kitt was literally my favorite and in case you dont know Kitt was the car. It could talk and rather humourously most of the time. Sarcastic too. His owner Michael Long is a crimefighter who is seriously wounded during his work. Nursed back to health by a mysterious benefactor (chairman of the Knight Industries), he regains consciousness. Hes a new man with a new face and a new name: Michael Knight.

His mysterious benefactor (through the guise of associate Devon Miles) provides Michael with equipment and support so that he can continue his crime fighting work. The most notable piece of equipment supplied, is "KITT", a high-performance sports car fitted with artificial intelligence.

Kitt And Michael go on fun , laugh and drama inducing fights and adentures that are fun to watch and escape reality with.

Here are some fun Kitt and Michael interactions

"Michael Knight: "You know, you're about as much fun as a divorce... which is not a bad idea."

KITT: "I want custody of me."

[KITT has lost his memory]

KITT: "Don't touch Turbo Boost. Something tells me you shouldn't touch Turbo Boost."

[KITT has just Turbo Boosted over a police car]

Cop #1: "What the hell was that?"

[incredulous]

Cop #2: "A Pontiac!"

If I ever am offered a talking car. It better be a Kitt

Both the original and the new show were before their time and underapperciated while being underrated.

So there you have it 3 very different, entertaining but underrated TV shows. I know degrassi was popular but it wasnt as popular as it should of been for the right reasons and I wish adults had seen the value in the show at the time. Life unexpected hits home for many people and provides a ending I'm sure alot of kids have wished for in their lives and knight rider well its a talking car and I dont care who are that should be freaking cool and the sarcastic nature of the car in my opinion should of been wildly more popular than it was. Kitt is the Salem Saberhagen of cars. and if you dont know who salem is well then you get to get yourself amazon prime video and check out some of the original episodes of sabrina the teenage witch.

You can find full episodes of Degrassi Next Generation for free here on YouTube.

Life Unexpected I do believe is still hiding out on netflix

Here are 3 other shows that I think are under rated considering their storylines and outcomes.

My So Called Life - My so called life starring claire daines was very similar to degrassi however focused more so on one person and her surrounding friends and family. It touched on family unhappiness and abuse. Toxicity, teen drinking and partying. Consequences of not listening and mental health.

I dont even think I apperciated the show for what it was until I got older and for that I am sorry. It equally touched on the importance of picking who you surround yourself with and who you trust.

South Of Nowhere

Ah another teen drama but it was so much more. Touching on the importance of family acceptance, being gay , parental issues from absentee parents and so much more. It follows the Carlin family when they move from a small town in Ohio to Los Angeles because of mom Paula getting a new job, it takes them a while to adjust to the lifestyle shift. Complicating the adjustment for teenage daughter Spencer is her struggle with her sexual orientation. Her older brother, Glen, was once a budding basketball star, but an injury derails his hoops dreams and leads to erratic behavior. Dad Arthur also has difficulty adapting to big-city life after being a "hero" social worker in Ohio. As with many teen-oriented shows, "South of Nowhere" deals with real-world issues, including racism, drugs, underage drinking, teen pregnancy and domestic violence.

Revenge -

Love Sex Betrayal Secrets and Lies - Oh my. This is a completely fictional show however it is manipulative and entertaining. Wealth, beauty and status define the people who live in the Hamptons. But one woman Emily Thorne is seeking revenge could destroy it all. Emily Thorne lived in the Hamptons until an incident ruined her family and their reputation, forcing them out of town. Years later, she has returned to her old neighborhood, blending in with the citizens and making friends, not letting on that she has lived there before. In an effort to right some of the past wrongs, she plans vengeance on those who wronged her and her family -- and she doesn't care at what cost. Going after Victoria Grayson isn't easy but she does it meeting friends foes and lovers along the way.