What movie or show you didn't know was THAT good until you watched it?
What movie or show you didn't know was THAT good until you watched it?
Indirectly asking for recommendations on what to watch.
Schitts creek.
It was pushed so hard by Netflix when it first came out that I ignored it. Just seemed like an overdone rich fish out of water idea and I just wasn't interested.
I finally got round to it when I think they did another promotional push. After watching it I basically forced every person I know to watch it and it is now a comfort show that I've watched a bazillion times.
But it is just so good.
Arcane, the animated League of Legends show on Netflix.
Oh MY GOD, every element is seriously SO mind-blowingly good. And imo its animation is at least as good as—if not better than—the Miles Morales Spiderman movies... though they did spend six years working on it tbf.
And to be clear, while I'm vaguely familiar with LoL, I've never played it so I had zero emotional connection to any of the characters before watching.
Be prepared to cry though. Like the loud, punched-in-the-gut, ugly sobbing kind of crying.
Ted Lasso is a great stepping stone to get into soccer and also throughout its 3 seasons a great, empathetic critique of toxic masculinity and how racism, homophobia and narcissism affect individuals and groups. The writing, the characters, both the villains and the team members are well written and incredibly funny. One of my favourite shows I didn’t expect really like.
Cougartown is also very funny, I loved Community and had seen Abed reference the show several times before finally watched Cougartown. Lots of clever gags and jokes, well thought out, flawed characters with interesting dynamics and (mis)adventures.
It is genuinely unreasonable how good Arcane is.
I went in thinking OK, this is an animated show based on League of Legends, it's gonna suck but at least the fight scenes will be fun, right?
Reader, I cried. You could teach classes on how good the writing in this show is. The last half hour of season one is, without question, one of the most perfect scenes in television history. A flawless masterclass in character development and believable conflict, paired with note perfect editing and some of the best animation you'll find outside of a Miyazaki or Satoshi Kon movie.
This show is based on a god damn MOBA. It had absolutely no right going this damn hard and I fucking love them for it.
After a LONG stretch of mediocre Star Wars content, I was burnt out on the franchise and had pretty much tuned out from new releases cuz they all sucked.
...saw people rave on and on about Andor, finally dove in expecting it to be more of the same half-assed shit we'd been getting for years leading up to it.
IT IS SO FUCKING GOOD!
Like holy shit, it felt so good to actually enjoy SW content again!
Haven't seen anyone mention Severance, which is one of my more recent obsessions. Everyone I watched the first episode with bounced off pretty hard, saying it was too weird. Man the payoff is amazing though, everything slowly ramping up to a crescendo in the final couple of episodes. Highly recommended if you like early Black Mirror.
The Wire
Blade Runner - the final cut
Originally, I planned to skip it before Blade Runner 2049 as I seen people shit on the original blade runner. But then I realized they were referring to the Theatrical cut as it was apparently filled with a lot of boring or even off-putting narration. It was definitely worth it to watch it before 2049 (and also the 3 short films that were included on the DVD* of 2049).
Secondly, They Live (1988).
Really describes the world we live in well.
*Yes, I buy DVDs. I like them. And there's no way I am paying for a movie unless I get a physical copy. Otherwise, himovies.sx.
Based on the trailers back when Kung Pow: Enter the Fist released, I wouldn't have thought anything about it. It didn't seem like a good movie. But then I saw it because my mom made me drive my two younger siblings who wanted to see it to the theatre and nothing else was playing that I hadn't seen so I just went with them.
It's one of my top 10 favorite comedies.
True Détective Seasone one !
Each season is a completely different story, so they're not related. But season one of this show absolutely killed it, starring both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. TD is a must watch show for anyone into the crime genre as this, dare I say it, is the king of all crime.
Into the Spiderverse is a perfect movie.
Pluto
Blue Eye Samurai
Oh and Guardians of the Galaxy I thought would be so stupid but really liked it.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—I was always a fan of TNG, and the original star trek movies growing up and watched Voyager’s later seasons as they aired but for some reason never gave DS9 any attention—didn’t watch it until after college and my god was I missing out. It is absolutely the best star trek property out there.
A couple others that come to mind:
DC Legends of Tomorrow. The first season is admittedly pretty bad because it basically repeats a crossover event of The Flash and Arrow (and of course its just a CW Arrow-verse show so not by any means a masterpiece) but from the second season on it stops taking itself seriously and becomes a genuine delight of nonsense. Still mad it got cancelled when they could’ve just finished it off in a final season.
One Piece as well, it’s definitely a slog, but is really a very charming show. I never gave it much mind but after seeing the first episode of the Netflix live action version, I had to check out the original.
The boondocks.
Everything else I was going to mention has already been posted. On the other hand, I just added 14tb to my server and will have to save this post.
Black sails.
Starts a bit slow but damn. I enjoyed the intrigue, political manoeuvering, and characters. You start of disliking some of the characters but they grow on you as they mature throughout the series.
1. FROM (got hooked during the second season. third season is being filmed now. feels reminiscent of LOST but with darker undertones. so far, a frustratingly few answers have been provided, but i’m really rooting for this mystery series. rich characters, great performances and a plot that leaves you trying to figure it all out for days after.)
2. The Killing (surprisingly intelligent cop drama with excellent character dev and great tension)
3. The Terror (first season - based off the 1845 arctic voyage in search of a viable northern passage shipping route and the ship’s subsequent abandonment after getting by stuck in the ice. the end jumps the shark a bit but the acting is excellent. the concept, environment and mood throughout is captivating.)
4. Nathan For You (loved The Rehearsal and The Curse too, but i don’t think he will ever top NFY. plus, he graduated with really good grades)
5. Mrs. Davis (a lucid acid trip down modernized mythology)
6. On Becoming a God in Central Florida (brilliant satire)
7. 12 Monkeys (2015 series. vibrant, gritty sci-fi)
8. The Bridge (original Danish version)
9. River (cerebral detective drama starring Stellan Skarsgard)
10. Waco / The Aftermath (absolutely love Michael Shannon in this respectful retelling of a highly controversial series of events that had a profound impact on american society)
11. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (hard to watch but such an important story. feels like a love letter from past to future generations)
forgot to include:
- The Chosen One (2023. subpar reviews but unique, cinematic and worth the watch imo)
- Midnight Mass
- Midnight Gospel
- The Jinx (an unexpected season 2 is now in production)
My GF recently introduced my to a show called Please Like Me. It's out of Australia from a comedian named Josh Thomas.
Don't look at the IMDB score or anything like that -- this show is pure art. It's got a lot of heart and the cinematography is better than it has any right to be.
Please Like Me is honestly better than Fleabag in that it is a dramedy that covers real issues, but it resolves more satisfyingly and feels more grounded in reality. It is so good and nobody has heard of it.
Pushing Daisies is simply delightful and whimsical.
The Magicians is an epic story with highly entertaining characters and a full storyline with an actual ending.
Loudermilk is a witty and heartfelt look at people trying to get by while also dealing with their alcoholism.
Sandman is masterfully done, a visual treat, regardless of whether you're a fan of the comic.
You've probably already watched it, but Avatar The Last Airbender. Also Years and Years.
Hamilton.
Thought it was probably fine, but massively overrated. Avoided pretty much everything about it until I saw it live.
It was better than the hype.
Downton Abbey
I've come to this thread late and everyone is mentioning pretty obviously good shows which won awards etc. But there are 2 criminally underrated shows which were just phenomenal when I watched them:
The Americans - in my opinion it should be up there with the other big shows like The Sopranos and The Wire etc.
The Patriot - tv series .. not the stupid Mel Gibson movie. Amazing premise and probably not as popular because of a stupid name and Amazon.
Oh and bonus show: The Bear. But it's getting the accolades it deserves.. so knew it would be good going in
Definitely Steven Universe. Random, ignorant people love to shit on that show just like random, ignorant people love to shit on the entirety of the furry fandom; and it does start more childish and unserialized. But hot damn does it get good later, and it was one of the most-helpful, intelligent, and positive experiences of my life.
Among many things I COULD talk about, I would just like to add that I've never seen a more thorough and accurate portrayal of autism than Peridot; and they don't ever outright say what they're doing with her, but even the green alien symbolism is there. Also how people respond to her, both positively and negatively, as well as her ability to learn to improve— so smart and good.
I check reviews before watching stuff so there’s not a lot, but I remember going into Mad Max Fury Road blind and was blown away. The Killing of A Sacred Deer as well, but I was already aware of Yorgos and his style, I just didn’t know if the movie was good or not.
Dr Who
Before I watched the "New Who" episodes on the stern recommendation of an obsessed girl friend, I was extremely reluctant.
I just saw more and more friends and aquatences go into watching the series, normal as one can be.
Them, they watched the series on Netflix.
It changed them, giving them an almost unhealthy level obsessed obsession with the show.
I too had the same change, but on a much less level than some.
Lars and the Real Girl. It sounds like a risible premise that is actually super human and skillfully executed.
The American version of shameless. I didn't like the English version but the American one was really entertaining.
My somewhat spolier-lite to spoiler-free reccomendations:
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I'd also recommend the original movie, but it's kind of a different beast.
Really well done series that switches between long expository plot sequences, and really well done action sequences, in a pretty good display of budgetary efficiency. The plot exposition, dialogue, and investigative stuff kind of surrounds the action scenes with an actual sense of consequence and meaning, relative to most anime that I've seen, and the series as a whole is kind of much more grounded than most other anime, which is also incredibly refreshing. The medium is used in this case more to emphasize subtle differences between this potential near-future reality and our own, rather than kind of just, being an engine for bombastic and outlandish animation and repetitive trope-work. The series bounces between episodically structured plots, or, stand alone episodes, and episodes that deal with an ongoing seasonal plot, or character plot, and there's a couple little progressions in there that kind of span the series if you're paying attention. There's not really any arcs, it's just a good, focused show, front to back.
The Venture Bros.
Slow start, but it's also probably one of the better pilot episodes, in my mind, of all time. Plenty of little comic book nerd references in there that are pretty enjoyable, and the comedy is pretty good at times while also tending not to venture into the offensive, except for maybe two or three instances that stand out in my mind, which is maybe somewhat impressive for an early adult swim show. I think, more than that, though, the series' ability to juggle serial plots and episodic plots is kind of mind blowing and insane. One-off episodes and single characters get spun off into entire fully formed characters with arcs and backstories. Stupid jokes get expanded into much larger things than you would expect. It's very well done.
Nichijou
Yeah, this one is pretty good, you should watch it.
Drive and District 9.
If you’re a fan of gritty police dramas, I continuously beat the drum for The Shield. It’s one of most tightly written series I’ve ever seen, with events from the very first episode affecting everything that comes after. Plots wind through multiple episodes and sometimes seasons.
All 7 seasons are currently on Hulu.
Into The Badlands
Miami Vice (2006) - intense, gritty and stylish.
Permanently Deleted
This is Us
Do books count? I spend most of my life hearing Blood Meridian being the American Novel and avoided it for the better part of a decade because of how overjerked I felt like it was.... until I read it and said "yeah, maybe it is that good."
Help me through this, because I watched the first couple seasons, maybe even the first three? To the point where the son opens up his own store.
I found it charming, quirky, and largely enjoyable. But then it just sort of felt repetitive? Like, I couldn't see where the plot was going and the characters while enjoyable, I felt I'd enjoyed enough.
Is there a drastic uptick that I just needed to hold out for? Or at that point is the show pretty much what you sees what you get?
Scavengers Reign, they didn't promote it at all.
I thought at first that Kickass was going to be another only-adults-would-understand-this movie, but it turned out to be very family-ish and wholesome.
Europe Tribes