15 Most Underrated TV Shows Of The 2010s, Ranked
Some were poorly marketed. Others were simply ahead of their time. These 15 underrated shows from the 2010s all deserved much bigger audiences.
In the 2010s, television saw the emergence of groundbreaking dramas and comedies that redefined the medium. However, not all exceptional shows reached their deserved audience, often due to the challenges faced by mainstream networks and premium platforms as they transitioned from traditional programming to original scripted content. This led to many remarkable series being overlooked or buried under ineffective marketing.
One such underrated show is Black Sails, a prequel to Treasure Island. Despite its ambitious goal of expanding the mythos of a classic English-language novel and featuring a standout performance by Ray Stevenson, the series struggled to attract a wide audience. Its home on Starz, a network still building its identity in the mid-2010s, may have limited its reach. Additionally, the series debuted at a time when Starz was still establishing its brand, which may have further hindered its visibility.
Another underrated series is Orphan Black, a Canadian-produced BBC America show that began as a crime thriller about a criminal stealing her doppelgänger's identity. However, the show's core identity as a mind-bending cloning conspiracy was not effectively communicated through early marketing. BBC America, known for British comedies and detective procedurals at the time, lacked the reach to help the show's audience grow.
Tatiana Maslany's performance, which eventually led to her winning an Emmy, was the clearest path to broader recognition, but it still wasn't enough to fully break Orphan Black's cult status. The series ran for five seasons until 2017, with a subsequent spin-off, Orphan Black: Echoes, cancelled after one season in 2024.
Person of Interest also faced challenges in finding its audience. This proto-prestige sci-fi drama, set against the backdrop of a CBS police procedural, was developed by Jonathan Nolan and presented a unique blend of technology and crime-fighting. However, CBS's desire for a case-of-the-week show clashed with Nolan's vision of a serialized, high-concept exploration of its themes.
The series, an outside production from Warner Bros., was cancelled after five seasons in 2016 due to CBS's reluctance to support it amidst the rise of prestige TV and streaming. Nolan later attributed the show's lack of recognition to a perceived bias against broadcast procedurals in the critical landscape.
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