Popular shows like The Night Agent and Bridgerton are currently taking over Netflix — but what if you’re looking for something else?
As the preeminent streaming experts, Watch With Us knows all the little “hole-in-the-wall” shows that deserve a little more love. If you’re tired of streaming Bridgerton, we can help.
In addition to being underrated, these shows also have near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Our picks include the Irish period sitcom Derry Girls and the high school true crime mockumentary American Vandal.
Two of the top shows on Netflix are celebrating their fourth seasons on the streamer in February. Season 4 of the romantic drama Bridgerton premiered in January, but the remaining episodes are dropping on February 26. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I […]
3. ‘Unbelievable’ (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Based on true stories, Unbelievable follows a teenager named Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) who reports being raped — then takes back her story. At the same time, two female detectives (Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) begin investigating a series of rapes bearing similar trademarks to that of Marie’s story. As the detectives follow the evidence and dig deeper, they begin to locate the truth of Marie’s accusations.
Unbelievable subverts true crime clichés by shifting its focus to survivors of abuse, and as a result crafts a thoughtful and powerful narrative free of melodrama. The show seriously grapples with the toll that the truth takes on sexual assault victims, making it more than just a cop procedural but a genuine meditation on the patriarchal status quo. Dever, Collette and Wever are all stunning in their performances.
2. ‘American Vandal’ (2017-2018)
![American Vandal | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m3tkFOtM6go/hqdefault.jpg)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
American Vandal takes the true crime craze and flips it on its head with this engaging and hilarious satire of documentaries like Making a Murderer and Serial. In the first season, American Vandal attempts to pinpoint the culprit of an ambitious high school prank that leaves 27 faculty cars covered in phallic images. Teen sleuths Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam Ecklund (Griffin Gluck) try uncover the truth after class clown Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro) has the crime pinned on him and is expelled.
The second season of American Vandal takes the series to new comic heights when Peter and Sam head to a Catholic high school after the cafeteria lemonade is spiked with laxatives, and they find themselves on the hunt to identify the perpetrator known only as “The Turd Burglar.” Not only is American Vandal an exceptional, laugh-out-loud lampoon, it’s also a genuinely engaging mystery. Marked by a striking sense of authenticity, American Vandal mimics true crime while being more narratively brilliant than many straightforward thrillers.
1. ‘Derry Girls’ (2018-2022)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Set during the final years of The Troubles, Derry Girls follows a group of teenagers in Northern Ireland who attend the fictional Catholic high school Our Lady Immaculate College. Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) navigate coming-of-age amidst the backdrop of political and cultural unrest, frequently getting into absurd, comical situations as they endure their many adolescent growing pains.
Derry Girls is admittedly beloved by its fanbase (especially in Ireland), but one can’t help but feel that this sitcom deserves far more mainstream attention in the United States than it received. Ultimately, the show serves as an honest and accurate portrait of teenage life during The Troubles while also being a genuinely funny sitcom. And not only is Derry Girls hilarious, but it’s also warm, surprisingly touching and colored by memorable, eclectic characters.
