More under the radar TV that's worth watching.

The long winter nights are rolling in rapidly and it's always good to have a boxset or 7 to watch from beneath a lovely warm blanket. So here's another look at some of the superb TV coming from America that isn't talked about much or that has slipped under the radar. Some of these shows are legally available over here and the others........well ya know yerself. Cough.



You're The Worst  ( 4th seasons, 13 eps each, 4th season in progress )

Boy meets Girl in Los Angeles and they fall for each other. Sort of. Sounds boring doesn't it. Well its not. It's a biting and caustic look at the parts of love stories we never hear about. It's also a stunning look at mental illness in a way that totally creeps up on you.  Aya Cash is amazing in this. The type of show that makes you laugh and then feel bad for laughing. No idea if this is showing over here yet but the FX channel is a good bet.



Hap & Leonard ( 2 seasons, 6 episodes each )

An adaption of the Joe R. Lansdale novels and a highly enjoyable watch. Southern gothic meets modern noir in this 80's set tale of 2 amateur sleuths in East Texas. Fun, easy going, brutal in places, shocking in others and carried by 2 immensely likable performances from Michael K. Williams and James Purefoy. Lovely short seasons as well. Only 6 episodes each so no padding at all.


Better Things ( 2 seasons, 10 episodes each, 2nd season in progress )

The story of a voice over actress and her relationship with her 3 daughters and her dotty mother. Do you like your comedies to be funny and full of heart but with a nice edge too? Then this is one for you. Pamela Adlon is pure adorable in this. A little fireball coping with the 10 millions problems her daughters throw at her. I don't think this is showing on any TV stations but Amazon prime streams it.


Atypical ( 1 season, 8 episodes )

This one is available on netflix but I have't heard much buzz about it. It's about a teenager with autism and his attempts to gets a girlfriend and lose his virginity. It's also about the effects his condition have on his family.  A lovely show full of great performances. Keir Gilchrist is excellent in the lead and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Rapaport are perfect as his parents.



The Good Place ( 1 season so far, 15 episodes, season 2 out soon )

A young woman dies and finds herself in a very strange idea of heaven. But then realises quickly she was sent to the wrong place. A genuinely clever and charming comedy that's bizarre, odd, ingenious and crucially hilarious. Kirsten Bell in the lead is brilliant as always and Ted Danson just rocks it. The first season of this just popped up on Netflix too.



The Deuce ( 1 season, only 2 episodes out so far )

The new TV show from David Simon & George Pelecanos who previously collaborated on The Wire & Treme so you know you're in safe hands. Based around a set of characters involved in the sex industry in New York's Time Square in the 70's. It's harsh, grim stuff but the labyrinthine cast is magnificent and their stories are going to be quite compelling based on what I've seen so far. Sky Atlantic should be showing this one soon. James Franco & Maggie Gyllenhall are ace.

iZombie ( 3 seasons so far, 45 episodes )

A zombie show but as far from the hellish boredom of the Walking Dead as you can get. A young woman who works for the Seattle PD coroners office gets bitten during a party and her whole world changes. This is brilliant stuff. Hilarious, gooey, clever as hell and full of awesome characters. Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin and Rahul Kohli are all great and create something rare in genre TV, characters you actually care about. RTE started showing this but sadly gave up on it.


Ash Vs The Evil Dead ( 2 seasons, 20 episodes, season 3 coming soon )

The TV show based on the cult film series. I hadn't expected much of this but it has turned into one of the most entertaining and funny 30 min shows on tv. Your enjoyment of it all depends on your ability to deal with blood and guts splashing around the screen but if you're ok with that then you'll love this. Brilliant fun and Bruce Campbell as Ash is on fire with cracking support from Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo and Lucy Lawless. I've no idea if this gets shown over here.



Unreal ( 2 seasons, 20 episodes, 3rd season next year sometime )

A fictional look at the behind the scenes people of a famous reality TV show and the things they are willing to do for ratings. This sounds like it should be awful. But its not. It's cracking stuff.  Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer are excellent in the lead roles and the fact that it's set around a dating show means the supporting cast changes regularly keeping everything fresh.