With Netflix producing content at a staggering pace, it’s easy to forget shows that came out a month ago, let alone since the streamer started operating. And now, the problem isn’t that some shows are bad (though many admittedly are) — it’s that Netflix’s algorithm has a short-term memory as the library fills up with more original content. This level of production is impressive but also conveyor-belt-like, forcing fans to chase the latest thrills and not look back on some classic fan favorites.
There are many shows that were once fan favorites, earning dedicated followings and critical praise, yet they’ve been buried under the avalanche of new content. From dark comedy and sci-fi to mystery thrillers and horror, here are seven fan-favorite Netflix shows nobody remembers, but which deserve a second (or third or fourth) look.
1
‘Sense8’ (2015–2018)
The one time The Wachowskis stepped away from filmmaking and decided to create a TV series was when they wrote and directed Sense8 for Netflix. This was seemingly their passion project, and just like their foray into action epics with The Matrix, they made Sense8 to be unlike anything else on television. However, the show turned out to have a massive budget (due to filming entirely on location across the globe), which, together with its niche appeal, pushed Netflix to cancel it after two seasons. A massive fan outcry prompted a two-hour series finale, but the show never regained momentum; today, Sense8 is a cult classic beloved by its devoted fans but largely unknown to newer Netflix subscribers.
Sense8 follows eight strangers from cities around the world — Chicago, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Seoul, Mumbai, Nairobi, and Mexico City — who suddenly become mentally and emotionally linked. Known as “sensates,” they can see, hear, and feel everything each other experiences, transcending language, culture, and geography. As they learn to control their connections, they discover they’re being hunted by a shadowy organization that wants to eliminate them. The show is a globe-spanning sci-fi thriller that celebrates diversity, queerness, and the power of human connection. While it may not mean anything in terms of evolving Sense8 beyond its cancellation, the main cast got close during filming, and their chemistry is one of the things that still lingers in the minds of fans who loved the series.
2
‘She’s Gotta Have It’ (2017–2019)
Spike Lee‘s 1986 cult film She’s Gotta Have It was revived by the director himself for Netflix in 2017. It was updated for modern times but filmed in many of the same locations across Brooklyn as the feature film. It was directed entirely by Lee, who is generally a critical darling, but despite his involvement and strong reviews, She’s Gotta Have It was canceled after two seasons in 2019. Lee reportedly planned to shop the series elsewhere, but no network picked it up, leaving it to obscurity after the final moments of the last episode aired.
She’s Gotta Have It follows Nola Darling (the brilliant DeWanda Wise), a young, polyamorous Brooklyn-based artist juggling her career, friendships, and three very different lovers: the protective model Greer (Cleo Anthony), the charismatic narcissist Jamie (Lyriq Bent), and the immature but charming Mars (Anthony Ramos). The series adapts the story for the modern era, addressing issues of race, sexuality, gentrification, and artistic freedom. Nola refuses to be defined by anyone’s expectations, and she fights to maintain her independence in a world that constantly tries to label her. The show’s honest portrayal of female sexuality and polyamory was groundbreaking, but She’s Gotta Have It never really managed to reach mainstream audiences.
3
‘Easy’ (2016–2019)
Easy must be a name you haven’t heard in a while; can you believe it’s been a decade since its debut on Netflix? Easy, created by Joe Swanberg, was a critical success, with each season earning higher Rotten Tomatoes ratings. The show is an anthology series that talks about modern love, sex, friendships, and family dynamics, featuring an incredible roster of actors, including Orlando Bloom, Dave Franco, Malin Åkerman, and Melanie Lynskey (among many others). However, because it was an anthology with no ongoing plot or recurring characters (aside from cameos), it never developed the type of fan base that keeps shows alive in memory, and Netflix found the anthology format underwhelming.
Easy is made up of three seasons and 25 episodes set in Chicago that explore the messy, complicated lives of various characters as they navigate love, sex, technology, and modern relationships. From a married couple attempting to spice up their sex life with a dating app to a musician reconnecting with an old flame, each story is intimate, awkward, and human. The show features an ever-changing cast of Chicago residents, with recurring characters appearing in multiple episodes. Today, Easy is the definition of a forgotten gem: loved by critics but barely remembered by audiences. The show was shot entirely on location in Chicago, and many characters were based on the actors themselves.
4
‘Marianne’ (2019)
Marianne is one of the scariest shows Netflix has ever produced, and many viewers have probably never heard of it. It’s one of Stephen King‘s favorite horror series, which he calls “truly terrifying.” The French-language horror series received high praise, but Netflix canceled it after one season, leaving many plot threads unresolved. The cancellation was frustrating because of those unresolved plots, but also because there’s a lack of high-quality horror series in general, and continuing the series would have fleshed out Marianne further. Marianne is now a cult favorite among hardcore horror fans, but the majority of Netflix subscribers are unaware of it.
Marianne follows Emma (Victoire Du Bois), a well-known horror novelist who has built her career by writing about a terrifying witch named Marianne, a figure who haunted her nightmares as a child. When she returns to her hometown, she discovers that Marianne exists — and she’s furious that she’s been trapped in Emma’s stories for so long. To get rid of Marianne, Emma must confront the childhood trauma that created the witch in the first place. Marianne is a show that horror fans, including the aforementioned King, strongly recommend to anyone who will listen.
5
‘Bloodline’ (2015–2017)
Have you heard of Bloodline? Can you believe it’s one of the best and earliest prestige dramas on Netflix? Despite mixed reviews for Seasons 2 and 3, the show maintains the narrative and serves as the foundation for the streaming service’s subsequent crime thrillers, such as Ozark and The Waterfront. Starring Kyle Chandler and Ben Mendelsohn, Mendelsohn won an Emmy for his performance, and the show received nominations for several awards during its run. Despite that, the slow-burn pacing and dark tone failed to attract a large audience, and Netflix canceled it after three seasons. This decision resulted in a rushed and shortened final season, casting a shadow over a series that could have had a long-term place in the prestige drama genre.
Bloodline follows the Rayburn family, who run a beautiful, crumbling inn in the Florida Keys. On the surface, they appear to be a successful, respectable clan, but when the family’s black sheep, eldest son Danny (Mendelsohn), returns for the 45th anniversary celebration, decades of secrets, betrayals, and resentments emerge. What begins as a tense family drama gradually evolves into a dark thriller about what people are willing to do to protect their reputation and how far they will go to bury the past. Bloodline, which was shot on location in the Florida Keys, has a dark tint throughout that transforms the sun-soaked family business into a twisted ordeal; the cinematography is exquisite and frequently sets the tone for the plot. Bloodline is rarely mentioned in “best of Netflix” discussions anymore, but those who saw it still consider it one of the greatest things the streamer has ever produced.
6
‘Santa Clarita Diet’ (2017–2019)
Santa Clarita Diet is one of the earliest original series on Netflix, and it’s a wild ride. Deadpan comedy meets some family drama, though the show never gets serious enough to raise stakes or put the protagonists in genuine danger, considering its theme; it’s basically a gory sitcom that stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. Despite an 89% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a rabid fan base, Netflix canceled Santa Clarita Diet after three seasons, leaving it on a massive cliffhanger. Barrymore and Olyphant deliver some of their best comedic performances, but the show simply got lost in Netflix’s crowded library after it was slashed.
Santa Clarita Diet follows Sheila and Joel Hammond, who are a perfectly normal real estate couple living in the California suburbs — the titular Santa Clarita. One day, Sheila suddenly dies and comes back to life as a flesh-eating zombie, but instead of panicking, she discovers that her condition gives her superhuman strength and an insatiable appetite. That appetite, sadly, is only reserved for people. With Joel’s reluctant help, the couple begins hunting and disposing of bad guys to keep their family fed, all while navigating PTA meetings, their son’s teenage development, and the increasingly suspicious behavior of their neighbors. Santa Clarita Diet is rarely mentioned nowadays, though hardcore fans remember it well.
7
‘GLOW’ (2017–2020)
GLOW was a critical and commercial success, and many people still talk about it fondly, but the audience does not appear to be as large as expected. GLOW has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating across all three seasons, as well as multiple Emmy nominations. It was renewed for a fourth and final season, but then COVID-19 struck. Production was delayed, and Netflix abruptly reversed its decision, canceling the final season due to the logistical challenges of working during a global health crisis. This meant that the show would end on a massive cliffhanger, with fans never receiving closure. Today, GLOW is a painful memory for its devoted audience, as well as for its cast, most notably the lead, Alison Brie.
Inspired by the real-life 1980s women’s wrestling league and the wrestling TV show of the same name, GLOW follows Ruth Wilder (Brie), a struggling actress in Los Angeles who auditions for a bizarre new show called “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” (aka GLOW). Ruth, along with a diverse cast of wannabes, trains to become a larger-than-life wrestling villain while dealing with sexism in the industry, personal rivalries, and the absurdity of 1980s pop culture. The show is a hilarious and heartfelt mix of wrestling antics and character drama, and it achieves it better than most shows due to the cast’s diversity and the production’s willingness to accept its actresses for who they are. With such freedom comes a less restrained performance, and GLOW is the ultimate empowering and beautiful show that we must try to save from Netflix’s vast algorithm.
GLOW
- Release Date
-
2017 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
-
Liz Flahive
- Directors
-
Liz Flahive
- Writers
-
Liz Flahive