When you go out for dinner with your friends, what do you talk about? After scanning the menu, the conversation usually covers relationships, work, stress, family, and travel plans. Then, once the appetizers have arrived (hopefully that means an order of sweet potato fries), you ask a big question: What TV show are you currently watching?
Since there are so many memorable and high-quality 2020s TV shows, we all miss out on some. One friend is obsessed with the emotional storytelling in The Pitt but hasn’t checked out the post-apocalyptic thriller Paradise yet. Another is still lamenting The Last of Us Season 2 but enjoying the Scrubs revival. But what about the series that have come out in the past five years that deserve to be recommended? Let’s talk about them.
‘The Midnight Club’ (2022)
Of all the Mike Flanagan Netflix horror TV shows, The Midnight Club is fairly underappreciated. It doesn’t have the flashy, tragic twist featuring Nell Crain (Victoria Pedretti), and doesn’t tell a sad family tale like his other four shows. However, the teenage patients at Brightcliffe Manor form their own kind of family. Yes, Flanagan’s fanbase might be critical of some of his monologues, but we all love his warm-hearted approach to scary stories.
The Midnight Club, which premiered on Netflix in October 2022 and has one 10-episode season, is a story about ghosts, fatal illness, and whether we believe there is anything after we leave this world. While it’s more charming than frightening, it has the emotional depth and character development Flanagan is known for. Everyone talks about The Haunting of Hill House, but this one is also worth it.
‘Devs’ (2020)
While Alex Garland is known for his sci-fi movies like Annihilation and Ex Machina, he also created, wrote, and directed every episode of Devs, an underrated sci-fi series that came out on Hulu in 2020. When her boyfriend Sergei Pavlov (Karl Glusman) tragically dies, Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) goes on a disturbing journey.
The series has a lot to say about work, life, death, and love, and since Lily works at Amaya, a software company, it’s a fun story about technology, too. When compared to bigger and more popular sci-fi shows like Pluribus, Severance, and Silo (Apple TV really has got sci-fi fans covered), we never hear anyone mention Devs. That’s terrible news because it’s a great eight-episode binge.
‘Girls5eva’ (2021-2024)
Do you feel nostalgic for the ’90s? Do you love pop music? Do you want to watch a moving yet uplifting story about fame, ambition, dreams, friendship, family, and love? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then Girls5Eva is going to be a new favorite comedy.
The three-season series premiered on Peacock, moved to Netflix, and stars Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, and Sara Bareilles as the reunited members of a formerly famous girl group. With Tina Fey as an executive producer, it’s as hilarious as you hope it’ll be. Girls5Eva also has some fantastic and clever songs, including “New York Lonely Boy,” which sweetly pokes fun at being an only child in the big city.
‘Hacks’ (2021-2025)
When Ava (Hannah Einbinder) starts working for Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), the two learn they have a lot in common, even if they wouldn’t admit it at first. Hacks premiered on HBO Max in 2021 and examines the stressful and compelling world of stand-up comedy. It’s a moving series about celebrity, success, getting older, and career changes, and it should get more attention.
Hacks has been one of HBO Max’s most underrated series for the past few years, and definitely one of the most underrated TV comedies in general. We all love Ted Lasso, but there’s another wonderful comedy out there that deserves love. Binge all four seasons and then get ready for Season 5, which will be the last one.
‘From’ (2022-)
If horror fans aren’t immediately drawn in by the fact that Stephen King loves From, there’s also the solid premise: people are living in a small town… and they can’t leave. While many still haven’t discovered the series, the people who love it are absolutely obsessed and impatiently waiting for Season 4, which will come out on April 19, 2026 on MGM+.
A rare horror story veers into the supernatural, has well-written characters, and stays interesting no matter how confusing it gets. Admittedly, it’s not always easy to figure out what’s going on here. However, fans of famously perplexing thrillers like Twin Peaks know that sometimes, the more confusing a show is, the more fun it is. Watch From and go along for the ride.
‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ (2025)
With so many TV shows added to Netflix each month, it’s easy to miss some of them, especially if they’re a limited series. Anyone interested in social media, wellness culture, celebrities, and what health really means can’t miss Apple Cider Vinegar, the Netflix miniseries released in February 2025. The series is based on real-life blogger and app developer Belle Gibson, who confessed that she lied about having brain cancer.
Although Kaitlyn Dever is a huge draw here, and her strong performance elicits both empathy and shock, her co-stars Aisha Dee and Alycia Debnam-Carey are equally great as Chanelle and Milla Blake. When Milla, who is diagnosed with cancer, gets sicker and focuses on more holistic treatments, Chanelle investigates the truth about Belle. The show asks big questions about what to do when a friend behaves in ways that harm themselves, and examines the unsettling power that some influencers have. Sadly, Apple Cider Vinegar had some buzz when it came out, but many people don’t talk about it now.
‘Long Bright River’ (2025)
Amanda Seyfried’s incredible performances in movies like Chloe, A Mouthful of Air, and The Housemaid have proven she’s a movie star. She can impress on the small screen, too. Along with her impressive turn as Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s miniseries The Dropout and her small but standout role on Big Love, Seyfried starred in Peacock’s 2025 adaptation of the Liz Moore novel Long Bright River.
In eight episodes, Seyfried plays Mickey Fitzpatrick, a Philadelphia patrol officer with an intense and tragic connection to the opioid epidemic. She’s determined to find her missing sister and also solve several disturbing murders. The series is heavy, but it’s a memorable story about family, pain, and hoping for a better future. Although other crime dramas are talked about more, this one is worth it, too.
‘Industry’ (2020-)
Although Industry is one of the most fascinating HBO series, it fades into the background when compared to hits like The White Lotus, Succession, and The Last of Us. That’s terrible. On the surface, it’s a series about money. In reality, it’s so much more than that.
While the main characters start off working at London investment bank Pierpoint and Co., things change pretty quickly for all of them. The show has fast-paced storylines, examines big topics like joy and trauma, and features strong character development. No episode is dull. You might not always think that the characters are in the right, but they’ll always be captivating to watch. Catch up on four seasons before Industry Season 5, which will unfortunately be the final season.
Was your favorite underrated 2020s TV show on the list? Which one would you add? Let us know in the comments!
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
