The New Fall Shows Aren't That Great, So Here Are 6 Recent Winners to Watch Instead
By now you've realized that Scorpion ain't gonna cut it, Bad Judge will be canceled in a few weeks, and Mulaney should never have been made in the first place. Most of this fall's new shows just aren't that good, and now that we've started coming to terms with that, the question becomes, "Well, what do we watch instead?" Don't worry, I'm here for you!
This past summer saw the debut of several great shows, few of which earned the ratings or buzz they deserved. And now's a great time to give 'em another shot! Below, you'll find six new-ish series that recently finished airing their first seasons; trust me, you should be watching one of these gems instead of Stalker.
Manhattan
WGN America, 13 hour-long episodes
Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex) created this excellent drama that just isn't getting enough critical attention. Part of that is due to the fledgling network it airs on, and part of that is due to its cast full of relative unknowns. And yet, Manhattan—which centers on a team of scientists working to build the first atomic bomb in a secret New Mexico town during World War II—is one of the best shows of the year. WGN America has given the show an impressive budget and the freedom to do whatever it wants, and the result is a great-looking period piece that's also one of the more innovative series in recent memory. The cast, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite ensembles, takes advantage of its low profile by exceeding expectations and keeping viewers off balance as we try to figure out exactly which character is the most significant (they're all significant!). The setting is a town that's literally built on secrets—both military and personal—which creates tension on several different levels in a way that's both surprising and fulfilling. And if you're looking to spend some time with some of the best female characters on television, Manhattan is where you'll find them. The show debuted fully formed and hasn't stumbled yet. Also worth noting: If you don't have WGN America, Manhattan is also available to stream on Hulu. It's already set to return for Season 2 next summer.
Happy Valley
Netflix, six hour-long episodes
If FX's Fargo had been made by Brits, it might look a little like this U.K. crime series that was recently added to Netflix. The darkly comic and suspenseful drama follows a regular man who gets involved in a crime and the female cop who's assigned to the case. But things branch out wildly from there; in fact, Happy Valley is one of the few shows I've watched recently where I had absolutely no idea what would happen next. Sarah Lancashire and Steve Pemberton hold an acting clinic in each episode, adding layers upon layers layers to their characters, and the series as a whole is one of 2014's most pleasant surprises.
The Honorable Woman
SundanceTV, eight hour-long episodes
Another English import, this stylish character drama follows Nessa Stein (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the Israeli-British daughter of an arms dealer who inherits his company after he's murdered and uses her newfound role to broker peace in the Middle East by bringing much-needed technological infrastructure to the West Bank. It may sound somewhat boring, but don't let the logline fool you; the series is a slow-burning, satisfying thriller, with several political, personal, and family secrets rising to the surface as it inches through its eight episodes. Plus, the performances are superb and the images are pretty. If you're hearty enough to navigate a complicated drama, don't miss it.
BoJack Horseman
Netflix, 12 half-hour episodes
Admittedly, BoJack Horseman's trailers and first episode left me very unimpressed and disappointed, thanks to an abundance of simple toilet humor. But the more I watched, the more the series' true colors began to show. A goofy rip on Hollywood about a washed-up '90s sitcom star—who, by the way, is a talking horse voiced by Will Arnett—BoJack Horseman becomes shockingly poignant and beautifully sad right around its midway point, developing a tone that's equally likely to leave you laughing and sitting in stunned silence. The surface jokes are fine, but the subtle visual touches of a version of L.A. inhabited by anthropomorphic animals provide the real laughs, and showbiz gags (like Quentin Tarantulatino) evoke the humor of The Critic. I was weary at first, but by the end of Season 1, I couldn't wait for more. Also worth noting: BoJack will return for Season 2 in 2015.
RELATED: Why Netflix's BoJack Horseman Is Funnier Than Any of This Fall's New Comedies
You're the Worst
FX, 10 half-hour episodes
When I first checked out You're the Worst I didn't get it; however, I'm not sure the show got itself, at least initially. At the outset, the comedy was little more than a graphic, basic-cable sex romp between two awful people, with a few jokes thrown in. But You're the Worst got better and better as it progressed—as did its main characters—culminating in one of the best comedy finales I've seen all year. The show is a romantic comedy for people who don't like romantic comedies yet still long for a taste of the warm fuzzies that typically overpower the genre. Also worth noting: The show has been renewed for an expanded (to 13 episodes) second season, which will air on FXX.
RELATED: FX's Married and You're The Worst Reviews: First Comes Lust, Then Comes Marriage (Note: My feelings on the show have changed drastically since the pilot!)
The Knick
Cinemax, 10 hour-long episodes
As HBO's trouble-making little brother, Cinemax is well-known for its propensity to show some skin during late-night programming blocks aimed at boys in the throes of puberty. But the 1900s medical drama The Knick doesn't just show skin, it shows what's underneath that skin (guts! organs! lots of blood!), via gruesome but fascinating antiquated surgical procedures. The series is meticulously directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Clive Owen as a man who's ushering in the era of modern medicine in New York City, where both racism and red tape hinder his progress. Oh, and did I mention that Owen's character is a cocaine addict who taps veins in sensitive areas just to be able to get out of bed and save someone's life? The Knick combines style (Cliff Martinez's neo-future score is incredible) with substance to produce a serious drama that could kick Cinemax up to play with the big boys. Also worth noting: The show has already been renewed for Season 2.
RELATED: The Knick Series Premiere Review: The Period Piece of the Future
Bonus seventh pick: Transparent
I haven't yet finished the 10-episode Amazon drama starring Jeffrey Tambor as a transgendered woman and chronicling the aftermath of him coming out to his three adult children, but the pilot was promising, and TV.com's own Cory Barker makes a great case for adding it to your watch list as well.
Do you have any other recent shows to recommend that we may have missed?
