Some shows are beloved years after they initially aired, finding audiences more primed to enjoy what they had to say after pop culture has advanced a few years. Here are ten TV shows that were way ahead of their times and have been reevaluated in modern times.
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks brought surrealist storytelling to American primetime TV. While it was somewhat popular back in the early 90s, this David Lynch masterpiece wasn’t fully appreciated by its target audience until years after its second season wrapped. Its third season aired in 2017 and brought much-needed closure to the saga.
The Boondocks
Animated series The Boondocks addressed a wide range of social and racial issues throughout its run. The show used a tongue-in-cheek approach to make light of American racism, classism, and politics. When it debuted in 2005, it lampooned the post-9/11 Bush Administration. These days, it still feels vital as it presaged many cultural issues we’re still facing.
Aeon Flux
Cult classic MTV animated series Aeon Flux was ahead of its time in many ways. It was one of the first modern adult-oriented animated series, using stylish and sexy designs and incorporating realistic depictions of violence. It also had a surprisingly post-modern take on concepts like the canonicity of stories—Aeon herself dies in many episodes of the show, and her relationship with other characters shifts based on the needs of the given episode.
Doctor Who
The early seasons of Doctor Who took on surprisingly mature themes for a BBC show aimed at youngsters. It also laid down a blueprint for how sci-fi shows could become long-standing cultural phenomena. When William Hartnell’s First Doctor “regenerated” into Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor, it made TV history and gave the series a free pass to continue for upwards of 60 years, recasting actors as it needs.
Arrested Development
Arrested Development is hilarious and witty. The series has always been a favorite of critics but struggled to resonate with audiences. In the era of streaming TV, it’s easier to appreciate the mile-a-minute jokes and running gags that could be missed with a weekly watching schedule. It’s important to pay careful attention to each line of dialogue and watch each episode back-to-back to fully appreciate the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) callbacks and background gags.
Community
If you’ve ever referred to our current world as “the darkest timeline” or enjoyed a Marvel movie directed by the Russo brothers, you’ve felt some of the reverberations of Community. This unassuming sitcom was criminally underrated in its own time but kickstarted the careers of some major players who still define modern Hollywood, like the aforementioned Russos and the unparalleled Donald Glover.
Lost
Lost gets a bad reputation these days for being convoluted and ending in a weird, unsatisfying way (for some viewers). However, it would have been just as big of a hit had it aired 15 years later as a Netflix exclusive. In fact, its dense mythology and numerous mysteries helped create the TV watching landscape that would later define prestige streaming content.
Cowboy Bebop
The slick, stylish Cowboy Bebop is a cult classic show that was revived as a genuinely awful Netflix live-action series. The original anime is one of the most essential animated shows ever made, though, showing everything that was possible with stellar animation and an unmatched musical score. The series was so aesthetically influential that its fingerprints can still be seen in everything from modern anime to Hollywood action movies.
Read More: Best Animated Movies for Adults
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best TV show ever aired on Nickelodeon. It might be the best Western animated show ever made. The series was astonishingly ahead of its time, handling heavy themes like war and even genocide with a deft hand. It explained the dark realities of dealing with evil to children in a way that was neither oppressively dour nor made light of real-world issues. It’s a one-of-a-kind show that everyone should watch at least once.
Read More: These 10 TV Series Nailed the Ending
The Twilight Zone
Beloved anthology series The Twilight Zone used its unique premise to critique (then) modern society in ways that other shows simply couldn’t. Outright telling late-50s America to stop being xenophobic would have come off as preachy. But when the message was couched in a gripping, well-written horror script? Then people took notice and internalized the message.
Read More: The 10 Worst TV Finales OF ALL TIME
