Television has emerged as one of the greatest, most essential tools of art and culture.
I'm not exaggerating, I believe that to be true.
Nobody really thought the picture box/boob tube would take off.
Now look.
Can you imagine life without some of the stories we've experienced?
RedditorOpulentOwlwanted to know about the tv shows our lives would brighter with, they asked:
"What's a great TV show that nobody talks about?"
I love The Closer & Major Crimes.
So well done.
Take a look.
Brilliance!
"Most of Bryan Fuller's stuff (other than Hannibal, which did get some traction). Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies were both top tier." ~ nostalgicBadger
GiphyJK Forever!
"Counterpart. Great cast and acting, cool story, two solid seasons." ~ elevenghosts
"I want to go back and rewatch it - the other side had a global pandemic that killed millions. As a result they don't gather in groups in public, they wear masks, they have UV hand sanitizers everywhere. And all this predates covid by a few years. Also JK Simmons is terrific as always." ~ canuck47
CBC History!
"The Terror. (season 1 is AMAZING)." ~ MagdaCadabra
"It was really interesting watching this series because it is part of Canadian history. I watched an old CBC documentary about it and some of the oral histories from the Inuit suggest there was a group of men still walking like 8 years on from when they first abandoned ship." ~ TheMightyWoofer
Actors Galore
"I really liked The Knick." ~ ricomt21
"The Knick had such an incredible cast. One of those shows for which I actively searched out the actors once it wrapped. I’ll watch André Holland and Jeremy Bobb in anything! Chris Sullivan was sooo good with Cara Seymour. (Unfortunately, I can’t watch him in This Is Us… not my cup of tea.)" ~ CCMacReddit
Precious Metal
"The Detectorists. Extremely dry and very British, but a really heartfelt and lovely comedy about some metal detectorists in Essex." ~ BwingoLord1
“Any of you chaps see a trampoline?“
"https://youtu.be/2-iyz1UB1ogThat’s the clip that I usually use when showing people the show. Either grabs them immediately or meh." ~ thermbug
GiphyI loved Dead Like Me.
That ended way too soon.
The Knick? Meh...
Huzzah!
"The Great. It's...great! Hilarious and charming and occasionally a true story." ~ Dusk9K
GiphyMiss you Ted...
"Better off Ted was unceremoniously killed before its time, with ABC citing a lack of viewers. It pops up from time to time on reddit, but being from 2009, it's largely out of the cultural sphere these days. Which is unfortunate, because Portia de Rossi in particular is incredible in it."
"I was looking for a good clip to show the best of this show for people who haven't watched it before, and the Jabberwocky presentation, linked below by a brilliant person, is probably the single greatest example of the show I can think of. As a few have been asking, if you're wanting to give it a shot, it's on Hulu right now." ~ lifelongfreshman
On a Hill
"Mission Hill. Just too ahead of it's time." ~ MotherLoveBone27
"It could totally come back in today's culture. Well, almost; it's literally a major plot point that Andy, after losing his waterbed selling job and mucking about, nets a job in marketing thanks to his friend Jim, being seen by Jim's boss as 'youth of today' and thus valuable for marketing input."
"That spin doesn't really work in current times, so in the event the series does come back, it'd be interesting what the writers do." ~ digitaldrummer1
Sci-Fi Best
"Farscape is one of my absolute favorite shows of all time and it pops up occasionally on threads like this but I never hear it talked about in the wild." ~ sharrrper
"Farscape is probably my favorite sci fi show for so many reasons. Great writing, interesting world, and they didn't phone in the aliens with facial prosthetics and some kind of bullcrap hand waving about 'ancient ones seeding the galaxy.'" ~ emu314159
90s Genius
"Sliders is a show that was supposedly popular in the mid 90s yet is sadly forgotten. The first 3 seasons were awesome." ~ offspringphreak
Giphy"Sliders was awesome! I'll never forget the episode where he finally gets back to his timeline and left because the gate didn't squeak. Then a repairman comes out and says, 'I fixed that squeaky gate for you' to his mom. Thanks for the flashback!!" ~ PhatBallllzAtHotmail
Why, you say?
"Mr Inbetween. The first season (of three total) will be the best three hours (six half-hour episodes) that you'll ever spend in your life, culminating with the best episode (how it got there, where it goes, and how it ends) that I've ever seen—and I've seen The Wire, Deadwood, Halt and Catch Fire, and GOT."
"Scott Ryan created the character, writes every episode, and is the show's protagonist. He's a f**king genius. Why, you say? Well, ask actress Helen Mirren and her director husband, Taylor Hackford. They saw the show, loved it (of course), and told their agent at CAA to sign him right away."
"Oh, and the first episode is called 'The Pee Pee Guy.' So if all that doesn't convince you, then fuck off. But first, have a look at the trailer, please."
magicsoakedinmyspine
AMY!
"Sharp objects. Haven't heard too many people talk about it or know of it."
Gladiators10
"Tried to watch this one. Couldn't do it. Just slow and painful."
Sinjun13
"I freaking loved it. Made my mom watch and she loved it too! Thankfully, I know a lot of people who's watched it."
MisanthropeInLove
Incredible
"Party Down incredible cast and humor."
farid00
"I met Ken Marino when I was an extra on Eastbound and Down and he was the nicest guy in the world. I told him I loved him in Wet Hot American Summer and Party Down. He got a huge smile and said thank you so much. He wasn’t even working that day he was just on set to say what’s up and mess around. Good stuff."
johnnyutah30
Love the Random
"MIRACLE WORKERS all seasons of it Every person I’ve put on to this show, loves it."
Princesscrowbar
"LOVE this show. Such a delightfully random cast (put Lolly Adefope in more stuff!) and high-concept but lighthearted humor executed perfectly."
ich_habe_keine_kase
GIF by Miracle WorkersGiphyrelax and laugh
"Catastrophe. If you liked Fleabag, then you'll like this."
Rossnowlagh
"Love love love catastrophe. Have seen it more than once. I did IVF last year and after you do an embryo transfer you’re 'supposed to' relax and laugh (it helps apparently) and the show I chose to (re) watch was catastrophe. Laughed my a** off. Am sitting next to my newborn now."
-itwaswritten-
Genius
"Person of Interest."
Mingulator
"I was legit about to comment this. The first person other than myself I’ve ever heard talk about it was my first college roommate."
Beverageboi-Averin
"It's much better than any show with the premise of 'mass surveillance is actually a good thing' has a right to be, but Jonathan Nolan made it work."
SciFiXhi
Bring it Back
"HBO’s Carnival - extremely other worldly and atmospheric."
"When they cancelled it was so depressing. Great show very original. They could not let us enjoy it."
ice1972
Season 1 Episode 6 GIF by Carnival RowGiphyWatch Now!!
"Halt and catch fire."
Mjh132
"I loved this show, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone mention it. Lee Pace and Mackenzie Davis are both great in it as well. Really interesting topics as they go on in seasons as well."
equipped_metalblade
"By the last season I was asking myself 'is this the best show in television?' I had to ask myself because no one else was watching."
Ray_Band
Oh Sliders, talk about memory lane. Let's go get out binge lists ready!
- People Break Down Which Movies They Believe Are Absolutely ... ›
- The Most Polite Ways To End A Conversation With A Talkative Person - George Takei ›
- The 31 most underrated TV shows to watch during lockdown | The ... ›
- 40 Most Underrated TV Shows of All Time | Work + Money ›
- Under the Radar's Top 60 TV Shows of 2014 | Under The Radar ... ›
- 6 best shows on Netflix, Amazon & HBO that are still underrated ... ›
- The 20 Best TV Shows of 2021 So Far - Paste ›
- Move over, 'Ted Lasso:' under the radar summer shows ›
- The 11 Best Under-the-Radar TV Shows of 2021 ›
Redditor Tight_Anywhere6794 wanted to hear about the things parents have said in the past that haunts everyone still, so they asked:
"What insult have your parents said, that is stuck in your head as an adult?"
I've been blessed with the mother I had.
So I can't speak from experience.
But I've heard parenting horror stories.
Bad Expressions
Sad Kid GIF by 1tvGiphy“'You’re so annoying.' Said to me as a young kid while I was expressing enthusiasm over some new interest. Later my father complains I never tell him anything."
foppishyyy
Mean Spirited
"What did I do to deserve a fat kid?"
Silosolo
"My parents also mocked me for being fat, and outright physically abused me as in forcefully grabbed my fat child manboobs or slapped me while calling me fat-related names."
"A lot of people at school did it too, so obviously I have a lot of self-image issues like I never let anyone see me without clothes these days. The worst part is that I legitimately internalized a lot of hate, I could never care for myself enough to actually get fit."
FoeWithBenefits
What's My Name?
"My parents divorced when I was young and they hate each other. My mom would call me my dad's name when she was really upset. What makes it worse is that I confided in her that I never wanted to be like my dad. She used that ammunition against me."
Discarded_Pariah
"That's awful. You are your own person. You aren't your father."
blksmnr
Unfunny
"'You can't even laugh right.'"
"My mom in a weird moment I thought we were bonding. There's something inherently extra evil when someone tells you your joy is wrong. Told her I'm engaged and hoped she could at least be happy I'm happy and she ghosted everyone to the point the family thought died. She's a mess."
BlindEditor
"I'll never understand parents that are so hard on their own children that they can't even be happy for them. So their sole function is to bring misery to their offspring?"
macabre_irony
Evil
Oh My God Wow GIF by The Roku ChannelGiphy"My little brother was drowning, I tried to save him but also almost drowned, we got rescued by a neighbor. My mom told me that they should've left me in the pond. I haven't spoken to her in many years."
Ilookbetterthanyou
Good Lord. How do people like this exist?
Tragic.
HIM
"She told me I was acting just like my father when I would get upset. I would just get kinda pissy and sulk. He would go on rampages and scream and hit and throw things. He pushed her down the stairs once. I would never lay a finger on my current partner. The worst part is I look just like him. I was wondering if my mother always expected me to turn into my dad. I prove her wrong every day."
rot_grl
10 Years Old
"When I was ~10 years old, my mum once said 'If I could go back in time and make sure I never gave birth to you, I would in a heartbeat.'"
"Never forgot it. Talked to her about it a couple of times years later and her responses ranged from 'That never happened' to 'Oh yeah and I suppose I’m just the worst mother ever' and finally 'Yeah but I didn’t mean it, you know that.'"
"Messed me up tho tbh. Another one was '[older sibling] was the only child we actually planned for, the rest of you were accidents.' I don’t think it was intended as an insult, but being told your entire existence was an accident as a child kinda stung."
SpiderP*bes
Failures
“'You’re the biggest mistake I ever made.' - my mother when I was 5. I’m 32 now and it’s been the undercurrent for our relationship ever since, constantly wondering if anything I’ve achieved or struggled for is something she’s genuinely proud of or just relieved to say I wasn’t a total failure on her part."
thefaehost
Generational Issues
"Not a parent but a grandparent, I was adopted when I was 12 years old (my parents were both drug addicts so I was in and out of foster care most of my life) my adopted mother's father turned to me on Christmas Eve when no one else was around and said 'My daughter should have never adopted you, she should have let you stay on the streets where you belong'… he got nicer as he got older and sicker but I couldn’t find it in myself to forget what he said even almost 10 years later. Went to the funeral for moral support but was indifferent about his passing."
samweather227
Just Me
Sad Kids GIF by Cian DucrotGiphy"I was an only child and lonely. When I asked for a sibling, the response was 'If you want to know why we don't have more kids, go look in the mirror.'"
Responsible_Fly_3565
Some people should never have children.
Awful.
"What is something you no longer have patience for?"
Off The Clock Means OFF THE CLOCK!
"Working outside of work hours."
"I used to go above and beyond, now I only put in what is required."
"Life is too short to live only to work."- Chesterfieldcat
"The working world."
"My life doesn’t revolve around working here and it never will."
"It will never be a part of my identity."
"I come in, do the job, make money, go home."
"Don’t expect me to come to all the work happy hours so I can pretend how much I love working here."- nuclearsalt
Some Things Just Don't Get A Free Pass
"Sh*tty people getting a pass 'because they're family'."- cgulash
angry homer simpson GIFGiphySay What You Mean, Not What You Feel
"Having to guess what people REALLY mean by something they said."
"I take everything people say at face value now and don't replay conversations in my head to find out the real meaning anymore."
"Be passive-aggressive if you want to but talk to me like an adult if you really have a problem."- WateredDownSalt
EYES ON THE ROAD!
"People who text and drive."
"You're driving a giant piece of metal propelled by explosive liquid."
"Pay attention."- MasterfulNothasie
The Only Life That Should Concern You Is Your Own
"People and groups of people that only talk about other people."- Turf98
"People who can’t mind their fucking business and are always worried about what other people are doing."
"If it doesn’t effect you, f*ck off."
"It’s literally free."- wackwackwackjpg
GIF by WWEGiphySome People Didn't Mind Social Distancing
"People invading my personal space."- Mighty-Foreskin
Influence Can Be Dangerous
"Anything that has “influencer” in it."- chemistcarpenter
Indoor Voices People...
"Streamers screaming, losing their sh*t, breaking things, and having tantrums."
"I used to think this was so funny now I just can't stand it; I can't even watch a streamer if I notice they're not using their normal talking voice." - Reddit
Fail Oh No GIF by G2 EsportsGiphyTaking Responsibility Is A Sign Of Maturity
"People who constantly blame others for the situation they are in."- SuvenPan
Time Is Precious And Shouldn't Be Wasted
"Waiting on people who are constantly late to plans."
"I will wait 15 minutes then excuse myself."- Dabbles-In-Irony
There's Multi-Tasking, And Then There's Just Being Rude...
"People being on their phone while in a conversation with you."
"Seriously."
"Put your phone away!"- rosieblinkstime
Phone GIF by Poehlmann FitnessGiphyIt Takes So Much More Effort To Be Nasty...
"Bad manners, unkindness and general rudeness."
"It costs nothing to be a nice person and from someone who works in a customer-facing industry, attitudes, sadly, appear to be getting worse."
"It really makes me cross."- Bellamiles85
At Least They're Being Transparent
"Medicine commercials with worse side-effects than the thing being cured."- mrbbrj
Wasting our time and thoughts about things that we know can only bring us down is simply no way to get through life.
It's essential to live our lives by taking the present moment for what it is: a present.