You’ve undoubtedly seen this column before, where an impassioned critic trumpets his or her reasons for watching a show high on artistic merit and vision but low on viewership.  Who am I to buck common convention?  After all, we all believe that people should watch the same shows, listen to the same music, and love the same movies as we do—everyone thinks they have good taste.  And though admittedly subjective, it’s equally clear that everyone does not.  Since I am no different than you in assuming my taste unimpeachable, I humbly offer three submissions for TV shows for you to watch that I believe offer a sizable return on investment.

I’ll go from most to least obscure to convince you of my underground sleuthing bona fides.  The first two shows, both featuring drug-addicted savants and both on networks we don’t usually associate with quality, are recent revelations and solid summer viewing despite their darker themes.  The third show is a perennial favorite of mine.  All of these have been very well received by a slew of national critics, if you don’t feel like taking my word for it.[1]  Here the shows that are moving the needle in Casa Gelfeld at the moment:

  1. Mr. Robot (USA)

The only thing bland and conventional about this show is the lackluster title as it routinely defies convention and trope to deliver solid, genre-defying intrigue.  The story is told completely from the point of view of the protagonist—Elliot—a hacker with a conscience who suffers from social anxiety disorder.  Elliot is not only addicted to morphine but may also be delusional, so you’re never entirely sure to what degree you’re seeing reality or his perception of it.

It’s a trippy show that still manages to have a full slate of well-developed characters and compelling plots (anything that can bring back Christian Slater in his first meaningful role since Pump up the Volume is doing something impressive and unseen in years).  Every time you think you’re getting one specific trope, the show changes gears, and flips expectation on its head.  The director, Sam Esmail, apparently wrote the show as a movie, and USA[2] has allowed him to make it as a TV show without compromising his bizarre, idiosyncratic perspective.  And the show’s lead, Rami Malek, does a fantastic job of capturing Elliot’s neuroses while still making him a likable, watchable hero.

You might have heard about this show because it’s fast becoming the critical darling of the summer season.  Do yourself a favor, turn off schlock like The Strain and whatever other reality TV crap is on and check out Mr. Robot.  You’ll be glad you did.

  1. The Knick (Cinemax)

If you’ve heard about this show, it’s because Clive Owen is starring in it and Steven Soderbergh is directing it, and those are two very compelling reasons to tune in.  The Knick is about a brilliant turn-of-the-century surgeon who’s addicted to cocaine and obsessed with pushing the envelope both in his professional and personal life.  He spends all his time either obsessing over medical innovations or lounging in an opium den.

Like Mr. Robot, the show has the feel of a movie and maybe that’s where the best TV is headed these days.  The first season of True Detective certainly felt that way.  Though a period piece, The Knick still manages to feel contemporary and cutting edge.[3]  Soderbergh’s direction is high-paced and clever, using strange camera angles and lighting to create the desired mood and tone.  The new-age, synth soundtrack offers an odd but effective juxtaposition with the period costumes and language of the show.

I’m a little more than halfway through the first season but am loving the drama, the performances, and the surprising moments of levity.  Clive Owen is (for those who loved/loathed him in Closer) predictably fantastic.  Somewhat strangely, this show is on Skinemax, sorry Cinemax; further proof that the golden age of TV has expanded beyond the traditional bounds of HBO and AMC.

  1. The Americans (FX)

Last but certainly not least, The Americans is everyone’s favorite show to want to watch but not actually watch.  I still don’t understand how this show isn’t better rated, given that it’s the most compelling, best-acted, and best-written program on TV.  Felicity, I mean Keri Russell, is fantastic as the wife of a husband (Matthew Rhys) and wife Soviet spy duo stealing state secrets in Reagan’s America.  The nods to early 80s culture, including the music, the clothes, and the attitudes, are spot on.  The Cold War rhetoric and all-consuming zero-sum game of the bipolar world are captured equally well for those who lived through it and remember it and those who are getting it for the first time.

The Americans is incredible just seen as a family drama but when you add on the layers of espionage, intrigue, and history, it elevates the level of the material to earn my nod for best show on TV.[4]  It’s not more entertaining than Game of Thrones, but it is better written, acted, and directed across the board.  It’s subtle and powerful without being bleak, and it knocks you on your ass season after season (they just finished season 3 a couple months ago).  FX has had a string of successes lately,[5] and this is the cream of the crop.

Well, I hope this helps you sort out your summer TV viewing.  If you’re desperate for other recommendations, you always can go check out past seasons of my all-time dramas (The Wonder Years, The Wire, Mad Men) or my all-time favorite comedies (Family Ties, Scrubs, Parks & Rec).  I’d love to get your recommendations as to what to watch when I’m finished with this current slate of shows.  Happy viewing.

[1] In particular, Andy Greenwald from the Hollywood Prospectus podcast on Grantland has, to his credit, been on the bandwagon of most of these shows from the get-go.

[2] Apparently, they were able to squeeze in some new content between Saved by the Bell and Wings re-runs.

[3] Pun intended.  It’s pretty gory and gruesome in a medical kind of way.  Think guts and blood and messy surgeries with little modern-day equipment.  Don’t watch it over dinner—but do watch it.

[4] It kicks the shit out of the thoroughly-mediocre Homeland.

[5] I’m still a huge fan of The League, even if it has gone downhill in recent years.  You shit-sipping furtada.