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Comment by caycecan | Hacker News Reader

HACF is a goodie but there's a lot of great shows no one's heard of.

In an effort to sing the song of underappreciated works of greatness...

Patriot - a CIA hitman who writes folk songs about his exploits imdb.com/title/tt4687882/

Counterpart - not a multiverse, just a biverse imdb.com/title/tt4643084/

Scavengers Reign - Robinson Crusoe by way of a nature documentary of a very bizarre alien planet. imdb.com/title/tt21056886/

Common Side Effects - cops, robbers, magic mushrooms, corporate bad guys and the cure for everything. imdb.com/title/tt28093628

Evil - x-files meets Catholic mysticism. imdb.com/title/tt9055008/

The Heat Vision and Jack pilot episode - Jack Black, Owen Wilson and a script by Dan Harmon. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6lWgXDOAJ5s&pp=ygUUaGVhdCB2aXN...

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Patriot is amazing, more people should watch it, everyone I know who has was enthralled by it.

Counterpart was great but structure made it hard for to watch knowing it'd been cancelled.

Scavengers Reign was great; I couldn't get into Common Side Effects.

Evil is exactly the Catholic X-Files, which is an amazing concept, but by the end of the 2nd season it is all the way off the rails and hurtling into a canyon.

Given your list, you might dig Lodge 49, which is somewhere in the intersection of HACF, Evil, The Big Lebowski.

Adding it as well

Evil got cancelled with a 6 episode finish, which is unheard of when making TV. It wanders around, and has highlights in each season. The x-files got real sloppy near the end too.

Also in the running for great title sequences as well

Oh, so does "Counterpart" not have an ending?

It does actually wrap up well enough I reckon. It's not really a cliffhanger or whatever.

It does, though it was obviously setting up a future season things wrap up well enough. I wouldn't be mad to watch it again.

Patriot is my single favorite show of all time. I absolutely adore it and every preposterous, absurd line.

So many quotable moments. Vantasner Danger Meridian. Structural Dynamics of Flow. The attaché badge.

So many phenomenal scenes. I’m not surprised it didn’t get more traction with the general public but it was unafraid to take some serious and weird risks. But they pay off in spades for me!

Are you me? Patriot is amazing and I will never stop recommending it no matter how many dumbfounded looks I get.

I have a framed "Structural Dynamics of Flow" poster on my wall in my home office, visible on Teams calls. Only 1 person has ever recognized the reference.

gosh, the scene where he stumbles into the lecture hall, almost late, and then delivers a flawless retro-encapulator-esque pitch... that had me giddy.

The preposterously long rock-paper-scissors scene had me laughing tears.

Then, of course, you've seen L.G. Claret's website!

If you like Patriot, you might enjoy Mr Inbetween. It's one of my favourite shows ever. Different story, same level of dark comedy, with a heaping dose of Aussie humour.

If you want something more American, the show for you is Barry.

> So many quotable moments. Vantasner Danger Meridian. Structural Dynamics of Flow. The attaché badge.

My friends and I have found that Patriot phrases make excellent team names in pub trivia, even if no other teams get the references. (Also "double great", "disgraced veterinarians", "pin-flam-fastened pan traps", more I'm forgetting... clearly I need to rewatch the show yet again!)

> I’m not surprised it didn’t get more traction with the general public

I suspect the show would have had a larger audience if it had a better title. That seems to be an instant negative whenever I try recommending it to someone. Hopefully Steven Conrad's new hbo show will raise his profile enough to let more people rediscover Patriot. It's an absolute gem.

HACF only has four seasons, but it features great character arcs and a beautiful ending. I don’t think it’s on the level of The Wire, but it’s way more than enough to stand apart.

While it has many many amazing scenes, I think Patriot's "cover" of the Rockwell Retro Encabulator is absolutely top notch.

https://youtu.be/FFK7RHYdWCc?si=w8R0eO6W3uGgXt3R

> Scavengers Reign

For those curious, start by watching the 8 minute short which originated it all. If it hooks you, you’ll love the show.

https://vimeo.com/179779722

But be aware the show wasn’t renewed for a second season. Not enough people knew about it.

I've heard about the show on an episode of the podcast "Endless Thread", where the creator Joseph Bennett talked about how the show came to be and how his creative process worked.

It was very intriguing and I started watching it on the same day. This would have really deserved a renewal for another season, but sadly it got cancelled.

> an episode of the podcast

Mind sharing a link? I found the podcast but not the episode.

One of the few sci fi shows that makes an alien world truly feel alien. Where it clearly has its own evolution, ecosystems, rules, etc., but they are so... alien that it is barely comprehensible to the characters and audience.

I watched the first episode or so and that was it for me. I don't remember it being super grim but it was too depressing and ominous for me.

The showrunner/creator of Patriot has a new show launching in a couple of weeks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DTF_St._Louis

He has something to do with this show as well which was obtuse enough to keep me at a distance. It's an unhinged, detective story with puppets in a noir-laden city grit setting.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13148384/?ref_=ext_shr

Steven Conrad also did Perpetual Grace Ltd (he also wrote the screenplay for Pursuit of Happyness, which is the scariest movie I've ever seen).

I need to get around to Perpetual Grace; I've watched the first 15 minutes of it like four times and always ended up bouncing off of it for one reason or another; but I know if I got into it, I'd probably really dig it.

Same!

Funny thing about watching Patriot for the first time: my sister in law showed up on it. We had no idea. Just all the sudden there she is on my TV. She's the mute cop, Sophie.

It's terrific. Just rewatched it for a third time.

I tried Perpetual Grace and didn't get it. If it's a 4th-episode-it-gets-good show I'll dive back in.

If the first episode doesn’t draw you in, it’s probably not your kind of show. I’m not saying episode 1 is all it has to offer, but if you don’t enjoy episode 1 it’s doubtful you will enjoy the rest.

Station Eleven. Wouldn't have made it past a few episodes if I didn't know how good Mackenzie Davis was from watching HCF 1000 times. I stuck through a few things I didn't care for at first, now it will probably remain my favorite show of all time.

Station Eleven is so beautiful and human. Great pick. Highly recommend The Leftovers if you liked that one. Its exploration of life and grief and humanity following a secular rapture is stunning, and the performances are outstanding.

I have (re)watched everything Patrick Somerville has worked on because of Station Eleven :) I rewatched The Leftovers last month. Maniac last week (this time I noticed a funny reference by Sally Field's character pitching something on the phone about a guy with special hugging powers).

None of that was my type of thing before, now it's all I want. I think the genre might be called absurdist fiction, but I'm not sure that covers the full vibe.

Dan Romer is an excellent composer too, I listen to his stuff a lot. I have the Station Eleven soundtrack in my car, now my kid randomly sings Wandering Under The Moon, and it's one of my favorite things in the world.

I have seen two of your five shows and like them a lot, and heard of another and it’s already on my to-watch list. This is enough overlap to get the other ones added to the list (plus that pilot).

Given the agreement in taste so far, here’s a couple to try if you haven’t:

- Sweet Vicious — marred by getting cancelled after one season, but a fun season anyway. College sexual assault survivor becomes an anti-rapist vigilante. It’s, uh… more light-hearted than the premise sounds?

- Review with Forrest MacNeil — A guy has a review show where he attempts to review… life. Takes viewer requests for what specifically to review in each episode. He takes his job very seriously. Avoid seeing episode counts if at all possible. Trust me on that part. Doesn’t ruin it if you do see them, but being blind to that does improve it.

Another that I’m not sure counts as under-watched as it’s more recent, but I rarely see it discussed in the wild: Dickinson, a magical realism biographical show about the poet, that mixes in humor and some modern pop culture (think: A Knight’s Tale).

Adding yours to mine as well

> Avoid seeing episode counts if at all possible

I don't understand. How would knowing how many episodes there are have an impact on the show? (And the number of episodes seems just... fine?)

My understanding was that if you know you're on the last episode then you'll expect things to be resolved or something like that. Similarly, you probably don't expect any twists on the second episode.

I've not heard of the series so I can't comment on it specifically but that was my take on their warning.

Rot-13 explanation:

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Nun, V frr. V npghnyyl gbbx n ybbx ng gur cybg naq V checbfrshyyl fcbvyrq gur raqvat bs gur fubj sbe zr, naq V jvyy abg or jngpuvat vg. V gubhtug guvf jbhyq or fbzr shaal zbpxhzragnel, ohg gur qenzn natyr jurer vg pbzcyrgryl ehvaf fbzrbar'f yvsr naq unf n qrcerffvat svanyr? Ab gunaxf.

great recommndations, Patriot is amazing dark comedy with great atmosphere, SR is great semi-documentary about alien planet ecosystem, very peaceful, didn't like CSE and Counterpart though

I would suggest also Devs just for the visuals and Tales from the Loop for the most peaceful TV show I've ever seen

Patriot is brilliant. Very surreal with pitch-black humor and rare horror. And piping! Lovely piping.

Scavengers reign is from the same people as common side effects. Both shows are amazing.

Joe Bennet, right?

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4497617/?ref_=ext_shr

I will binge anything he makes with the double bullseye of these shows

Scavengers Reign was easily my favorite sci-fi, in any media format, of the last decade+. So incredibly inventive with the alien biosphere.

Gotta add "Primal" to your list of must-watches ..

> Scavengers reign is from the same people as common side effects.

In case it matters to someone, the order is reverse. As in, Scavengers Reign came before. Also, be aware it wasn’t renewed for a second season. But it absolutely deserved it, just not enough people knew about it.

Also, if you loved Patriot, the creator has two podcasts stemming from it:

https://www.lgclaret.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-techniques-in-mode...

(And he's also done two bands: The Jones Sisters and Hoist the King.)

I'll second Patriot and add Perpetual Grace Ltd. from the same creator.

I'd also add the two other legs of the Lee Pace Great Television stool: Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies.

Rubicon I always add Rubicon to these types of lists. Amazing spy series.

Rubicon is excellent. I was disappointed at the time it only got one season, but in retrospect it worked out okay because it's one season done very very well.

Counterpart is one of the best shows I've seen. JK Simmons is brilliant playing two roles. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job.

I like this list, thank you!

Task (2025)?

- secret city

- Black Earth Rising

- Pine Gap

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