Netflix and other streaming services do a pretty great job of making sure that there’s always something new to watch every weekend. Sometimes, though, those new releases aren’t what you’re looking for. It’s under those circumstances that you might be interested in trying to find a show or movie that is already on the service, but has flown under the radar.
It’s with that in mind that we’ve selected three underrated gems from Netflix’s back catalog that are definitely worth checking out. From a dark horror show to a heady sci-fi series starring a recent two-time Oscar winner, this list should have something for everyone who is looking for a show to binge this weekend.
Maniac (2018)
This star-studded miniseries is one of the more experimental series that Netflix has ever produced. It stars Emma Stone (Poor Things) and Jonah Hill (Moneyball) as two disaffected people who sign up for an experimental drug trial that promises to solve all of their problems.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the series is beautifully shot and features two incredibly committed performances from Stone and Hill, who navigate both their own minds and each other’s as they try to find the sources of their own traumas. The series is bolder than anything Netflix has released more recently, and more rewarding as a result.
American Vandal (2017-2018)
Easily one of the funniest comedies that Netflix has ever released, American Vandal‘s two seasons each tell the story of a low-level crime that took place on a school campus. The first focuses on an act of vandalism in which a boy with a bad reputation is blamed for drawing vulgar symbols all over the school parking lot.
The series follows two amateur documentarians as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery. What makes the series really work, though, is the way it both parodies and embraces the conventions of the true crime genre, even as it tells an entirely fictional story. What is even more impressive, though, is the way the show ultimately humanizes all of its main characters, reminding us that people are almost always more complicated than they seem.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Mike Flanagan made a name for himself by telling elaborate horror stories for Netflix, and Midnight Mass might be his best work. The series tells the story of a priest who arrives in a small town and enthralls the community, in part by convincing them that they truly can live forever. Of course, there’s a terrible price for this promise of eternal life, one that Jesus would never approve of.
Like so many of Flanagan’s shows, though, the series also tackles the biggest possible questions around death and faith, and comes up with its own understanding for why things are the way they are. Midnight Mass is equal parts terrifying and beautiful, and it’s worth checking out whether you love horror or not.
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