16 Underrated Television Shows from 2017

7. The 100

The 100 is truly like nothing else on The CW — really, it’s like nothing else on television. It deals with the types of moral quandaries that you typically see on a show like Game of Thrones.

Except on The 100, it’s teens and young adults dealing with these literally life or death issues. Throughout the series’ four seasons, it’s pulled off more than a few shocking, game-changing twists, all without jumping the shark.

Its character development is also unmatched. On top of all that, this show has given viewers an incredible amount of representation and diversity, including Clarke Griffin as the show’s bisexual female protagonist. The 100 also makes our list of best sci-fi and fantasy TV shows from 2017.

8. The Good Place

The Good Place is about a woman named Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) who has discovered she has died. Not only that, but she’s ended up in what’s called The Good Place, hence the title of the show, which is like a heaven of sorts.

Except there’s one problem, she’s not supposed to be there.

The Good Place’s architect Michael (Ted Danson) and the others all think she’s someone else; a different person who also happens to be named Eleanor Shellstrop.

Eleanor, in fear of not wanting to go to The Bad Place, enlists the help of her supposed soul mate Chidi to teach her how to be a good person, in hopes she can get rid of the bad person she was on earth and start over in the afterlife.

This half hour comedy airing on NBC is delightful, heartfelt, and has a lot of very timely one liners. Its cast really brings these characters to life despite being in the afterlife. There’s also a lot of shrimp and frozen yogurt.

9. GLOW

Outlandish, creative, driven, and brave women coming together to kick butt in theatrical costumes? Yes, thank you, more please!

GLOW is based on the true story of the 1980s show The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). It is a flashy showcase of talent, helmed by Alison Brie as Ruth Wilder and Betty Gilpin as Debbie Eagan. Viewers may have overlooked GLOW in the fervor over other Netflix originals such as Stranger Things and The Crown. But, GLOW is decidedly worth the watch.

The new series examines the limitations imposed on the lives of women by intersectional stereotypes. For example, the black woman who is “Welfare Queen” in the ring, is a soft-spoken mom of an Ivy League college student out of the ring.

GLOW forces the audience to consider the myriad of stereotypes different people face in our world, and how those have changed, or not at all, since the 80s.

Each of the wrestlers is seeking success and has to decide how to balance their desire to give the crowd what they want with their personal integrity. It is inspiring to see the women of GLOW turn to each other for help and support, while, and sometimes by, beating the crap out of each other. GLOW also gives us delicious make-overs and underdog tales in each episode. It is time for audiences to tune in to GLOW.

10. Younger

This smart, funny show snuck up on us.

Younger follows Liza Miller as she pretends to be much younger than she actually is in order to land a job at a publishing company. What seems simple at the time becomes incredibly complicated, especially as she starts forming new friendships and new relationships. 

Even in its fourth season, Younger still finds a way to surprise us — and to show continued growth of its fantastic cast of characters.

11.  Lucifer

The devil has come to the city of angels, no really.

Based off of the characters created on Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg the series follows Lucifer, the fallen angel himself. He makes his home in Los Angeles running a night club and indulging in alcohol, women, and a few men.

The fallen angel’s adventures don’t start with him indulging in his sins; they start when a woman is killed outside his nightclub. From there he meets Detective Chloe Decker who shows him that there is hope in humanity and maybe even himself. Lucifer which airs on FOX is the perfect mixture of fun, mythology, and crime. It’s a show you just want to indulge over and over again in.

 12. Atypical

 Atypical is a Netflix original that follows the Gardner family as they deal with the ins and outs of the oldest son’s Autism. Sam may be Autistic, but the thing he craves the most is to be in love.

To be honest, this show deserves all the praise and recognition of a show on network TV. It has humor, heart, and a bit of drama all rolled into eight episodes. This vastly underrated gem does a great job of balancing not only Sam’s quest for love but also how that quest affects those around him.

His helicopter mom has to cope with her new-found extra time, and his somewhat absent dad takes a more active role, even his younger sister finds her life affected because she finds herself giving up on certain opportunities because of Sam.

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