Hubski, can you recommend any shows that you think are excellent, but that have not received so much attention, for whatever reason?
One of my favorite series of all time is called the Bridge; it's a Scandinavian crime show that opens with a woman found in the middle of the border between Sweden and Denmark. Season 3 is being filmed right now and will air in September of 2015.
Both seasons 1 and 2 feature riveting and intelligently crafted plots. There is character development, you feel like you get to know and understand the characters, and it feels real and believable, but at the same time fast-paced and intense. The story is set in Scandinavia, which influences the feel of the show - there is sort of a cool, engrossing darkness about it that just feels very different from other shows I've watched. Here is a link for watching it on hulu.
Upright Citizens Brigade gets remembered for this sketch and that's about it It's got a cult following. The humor is bizarre and surreal. It's sketch comedy but there's always a framing device which allows for running jokes such as the characters hatred of astronauts and each season finale culminates in an episode devoted to one thing that's been hinted at throughout the season. I think Little Donny was the first season finale I wanted to link to the Bucket of Truth but it's more of a gag throughout the first episode than something I can easily link to. Something about a bucket that reveals pure unmitigated truth when you look in it is insanely hilarious to me
I had never seen the penny sketch. Holy crap, that was awesome. Thanks. I need to run to the bank, I've got a bunch of meetings next week.
Black Mirror is good stuff, but be warned - the first episode is a bit disturbing. Worth sticking with it though.
Luther, from the BBC. It's got Idris Elba in it. I didn't really know him before I saw Luther, but now when I see that he's in something, I'm like "Fuck yeah, Idris Elba!" (fingers crossed he gets Bond, but I doubt it'll happen). Anyways, you've heard the premise a million times. A cop who's better at his job than everyone else investigates serial murders. Same old story. Luther doesn't really do something new, it just does the old stuff really, really well. He's a better cop than everyone else, but he's not unbelievably better. He screws up. He thinks of things other people don't... but it's too late. People get hurt because he makes the wrong call. It's an incredibly intense show with some rock-solid acting from the entire cast. It's short, too. Only 14 episodes across 3 seasons. Make sure you have time to watch episodes 5 and 6 together, because you won't want to stop when you get there. Also, the cinematography is fantastic. The whole thing is beautifully shot.
You won't regret it. Or maybe you will - it gets pretty brutal in places. But hopefully not! I haven't seen The Wire, but I've heard good things. It might be a shock to hear him with an English accent, I've heard people say that they didn't realize he wasn't American after watching The Wire.
I liked the Wire a lot. I feel like it portrays the cop world extremely authentically. It starts off slow but it's because they have to introduce the cast of characters and set it up well. At some point they pick up the pace and it gets more complex and interesting from there. And yes, Idris Elba does have a great American accent, but I've seen trailers for Luther and I think I'll manage to get used to his Britishness.
My two series I'd recommend are: Utopia (the UK show) and Hellfjord, which is a norwegian show with one season and no English dubbings. Be aware that Utopia was not finished yet and ends in a pretty big cliffhanger after season 2 (it was suspended, because it was too brutal for a TV series, btw, just so you know what you're in for :D). Both are pretty awesome, though. If you want a little bit more recent and famous stuff: Over the Garden Wall is a great animated mini-series from Cartoon Network that I read very, very little about and only know it because a friend recommended it to me, no idea if it was a big thing in the US. Fresh Off the Boat's first season aired earlier this year, and I think it was less famous than it should've been. Pretty great show but I think overshadowed by some other great shows last season and overlooked by many. Also +1 to briandmyers tip for Black Mirror. Another great UK series. Got it recommended and binge-watched it on one weekend. That Christmas special, damn.
I loved series 1 of Broadchurch. The writing is impeccable, and the characters are pitch perfect. Series 2, though, had me a bit puzzled as to what the writer was trying to do?
I was still engrossed, though. The other series that really had me hooked was Spiral (Engrenages in French).
French murder investigations unit, and the legal system surrounding it.
It's beautifully written, and the characters develop massively over the seasons.
It's on US Netflix - I recommend it.
Babylon 5 It looks rather dated because it was the first show to use heavy CGI. On top of that the original footage was burned in a fire, so they can't remaster it. A lot of people also find the first season off putting due to one of the main actors. If you can get past all that, the story involves some of the best character development I have seen on TV, especially in SciFi shows.
Comedy Bang Bang is one of my favorites but it very much seems to have a cult following only. I've tried showing it to people and it hasn't gone over so great... For more serious shows, I really enjoy Lilyhammer which is a show about a mobster turned witness protection program member who decides to go live in Lillehammer, Norway.
I'm not sure to what degree this qualifies as "lesser known". It is certainly an older show, but still super funny. It's called "Are You Being Served" and lampoons all sorts of British stereotypes in a department store post-WWII. It's got few sets ,a small cast, but is witty and well-written. The jokes hold up very well and the actors are great. It sometimes pops up on PBS, otherwise, you'll have to find a DVD or alternate means.
...a cast that includes John Cleese! I suspect "lesser known" varies depending on how millenial you are. I'm GenX and AYBS was one of those shows that PBS could run all day every day so it was hard to miss between midnight and 2am most nights... or exactly when you were coming home from the kegger.
It's not very obscure, but the Eric Andre Show puts me in stitches with some of the things they do.
I'm late to the party, but I would like to add 2 shows : Treme : It's about the culture of New Orleans and how Katrina affected the life of a lot of people. It's about jazz, food, carnaval, the people of the city of New Orleans and it's a really great show. The Corner : It's about the life of a family in West Baltimore and drugs. If you have watched The Wire, you should love this show. It got mentioned before, but you should really watch Black Mirror, Utopia and Luther if you have the time, those are great.
The Genius (Watch it here with English subtitle: http://kshowonline.com/kshow/2206-%5Bengsub%5D-the-genius-s1-full ) Korean game show. Funny, very well edited. For anyone who like boardgames, strategy talk, and deception.
Life on Mars is pretty great. It's kind of an amalgam of sci-fi (time travel) and gritty 70s cop drama. The US version is okay, although they totally fucked up the ending. I also rather enjoy Alpha House, Amazon's comedy about four Republican Senators living together.
Jericho, and Alias. Also, CSI: Cyber. As a reasonably computer-literate person, it's simply so bad it's good!
Finally, someone that may appreciate this song I wrote about a scene from Jericho:
Transparent. It's on Amazon Video and stars Jeffrey Tambor as a divorced father of 3 kids who comes out as trans in his 60s. The show won a few awards a few months ago, so I'm not sure it's as overlooked as it was initially. Another serious show (but funny at times) is Togetherness on HBO. Just completed its first season and is a great mixture of (mostly) drama and some comedy. If you want something funny, I'd throw out Broad City, Mr. Show, anything related to Chris Lilley, Peep Show, Whitest Kids U' Know, The Kids in the Hall (I like sketch comedy a lot), The Larry Sanders Show, Bored to Death, etc. Some of these may be more well-known than you're looking for, so I tried to give a few extra recommendations to hopefully expose you to something you're not familiar with.