Although the era of Peak TV appears to be winding down, there are still far too many television series for any single person to watch all of them. That means there will always be best great shows that fall through the cracks through no fault of their own. One of the reasons for that is that streaming services offer an abundance of choices, and it’s easy to get lost while looking for something to watch. But on the other hand, streaming services also offer shows a second chance to find a larger audience that eluded them during their initial runs.
Peacock has a number of shows that deserve an opportunity to break out and become bigger hits. So for the month of August, we’ve assembled this list of 3 underrated shows that you need to watch. If you’re looking for a great comedy, an outer space adventure, or a top-notch procedural drama, then you’ve come to the right place.
Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
You might think that a hit sitcom that ran alongside The Office on NBC wouldn’t be underrated, but Parks and Recreation just doesn’t get the recognition it deserves eight years after it ended. But just look at the cast members from this show who have gone on to become bigger stars: Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, and Adam Scott.
Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, a passionate government employee in the small town of Pawnee, Indiana. Leslie works in the Parks Department, and she’s a firm believer in the idea that government can better the lives of its citizens. Despite the resistance of her colleague, Ron Swanson (Offerman), and her sometimes apathetic employees Tom Haverford (Ansari), and Donna Meagle (Retta), Leslie still manages to put her best foot forward. She even forms a surrogate family with her team and finds romance with the love of her life, Ben Wyatt (Scott).
Watch Parks and Recreation on Peacock.
Farscape (1999-2003)
It’s been two decades since Farscape prematurely ended after four seasons, and this show has never gotten the respect it deserves despite delivering some of the best sci-fi stories of its era. The series was produced by The Jim Henson Company, which gave Farscape very imaginative alien designs that weren’t dependent on putting humans in makeup. Although there were enough performers in full-body makeup that it put Star Trek to shame for relying on aliens with slightly different ridges on their faces.
Ben Browder headlined the series as John Crichton, an astronaut from Earth who was accidentally thrust to the other side of the universe. Crichton’s only hope for survival is to form an alliance with escaped prisoners on Moya, a living ship that works in harmony with her Pilot (as voiced by Lani Tupu). Crichton isn’t sure what to make of his new friends, but he definitely feels an immediate attraction to ex-Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), an alien who looks remarkably human.
Watch Farscape on Peacock.
The Fall (2013-2016)
The X-Files‘ Gillian Anderson had to go to the U.K. to headline her own series, The Fall. And Anderson more than proved that she could hold down a show in her starring role as Superintendent Stella Gibson. When Gibson is sent to Ireland to look into a difficult murder investigation, it soon becomes clear that there’s a serial killer on the loose in Belfast.
The killer in question is Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), a family man who has apparently escaped suspicion. But when Paul strikes again, it’s up to Gibson and her new team to find him before more victims are claimed.
Watch The Fall on Peacock.
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