5 Most Under-Appreciated Current TV Shows

Arrested Development Now that the Emmy nominations are out and we've had a little bit of time to digest them, I still feel that there are some great shows that aren't getting enough love for one reason or another. Sometimes the shows are critical hits, but the audience isn't there; other times, the shows are largely ignored by critics, but loved by the audience; still other times, the shows are loved by critics and the audience, but are ignored by the award committees. This list is dedicated to those shows that seem to under-perform in some capacity, despite each of the shows being incredibly strong and entertaining. If a show that you love is so under-appreciated that it does not even feature on my list of under-appreciated shows, leave a comment with the reason why you love it and others don€™t!

5. Parks And Recreation

Parks and RecUnder-appreciated by viewers and awards committees. Parks and Rec started off poorly. Nobody denies that, including those involved in the creation of the show. It was a spin-off from The Office for all intents and purposes €“ although it had nothing to do with The Office, it was a virtual carbon-copy of the show. And it was a poor attempt at mimicry as well. From the 2nd season on, however, Parks and Rec has been phenomenal. The character development has, generally, been extremely rich. Amy Poehler has been incredible, and she has been recognized for her performance by being nominated for an Emmy for 4 straight years. The problem, though, is just that €“ while Poehler has been nominated 4 times, and Parks and Rec has been nominated once (another travesty, as it should be more than that), the show has not won anything of note. Furthermore, the ratings of the show have been borderline-awful. The show has fallen from almost 7 million viewers for the series premiere in 2009 to not even 3 million viewers for the 5th season finale in 2013 €“ this, all while the show has been going from strength to strength. One wonders if NBC would have cancelled the show, had they had any other options for shows to replace it. There€™s a disconnect between the show€™s extremely positive reception, the terrible viewership, and the refusal to give what is a fantastic show the awards that it deserves, and that is why Parks and Rec makes the list as an under-appreciated show.
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