The Leftovers, Mr. Robot, Barry: An Analysis of the Three Biggest Underrated Shows of all time
- Girikrishna GP
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
As television gave us cosmic shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, some of its other shows have been pushing storytelling limits without getting their fair share of attention. The Leftovers, Mr. Robot, and Barry were all praised for their originality, emotional intensity, and foreshadowing trajectory, yet underrated gems of golden-age TV.
The Leftovers: Grief, Faith, And The Value Of Loss
Co-created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, The Leftovers, HBO’s drama, is a show about how people act when, simultaneously, inexplicably, 2% of Earth’s population goes missing.
In avoiding a depiction of the way it occurs, the play addresses loss, faith, and our desperate desire for significance.
Justin Theroux’s restrained acting, Carrie Coon’s ferocity, and a melancholy score by Max Richter turned it into one of the most reflective shows ever. It did not immediately become a classic by sweeping general approval—maybe by its philosophic tone.
• IMDb: 8.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (critics)
Mr. Robot: Cyber-Thriller That Broke the Rules of Storytelling
Sam Esmail’s Mr. Robot (USA) also included psychological drama and cyber-thriller elements. It centers on Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cybersecurity engineer also suffering from dissociative identity disorder, who finds himself in the crosshairs of an anarchist hacker’s war.
The cinematography, symbolism, and multilayered storytelling all came together for a visual and intellectual tour de force for the series. Rami Malek’s mesmerizing turn earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor, while Christian Slater’s supporting turn deepened the series’s emotional resonance.
And while it shaped future shows as far as internet folklore is concerned, Mr. Robot never hit mass numbers, generally, due to its complex plot and esoteric topic.
• IMDb: 8.5/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (critics)
Barry: The Dark Heart of a Comedy of Tragedy
HBO’s Barry is a profoundly tragicomical morality. Created by and starring Bill Hader, it’s about a hitman who signs up for an acting class as a last-ditch effort to leave the bloody industry.
Across four seasons, Barry transformed from satire through guilt, identity, and existential redemption. Hader’s acting and direction were universally lauded, buoyed by breakout turns from Sarah Goldberg and Henry Winkler. And it ended in 2023 to universal critical acclaim but so-so viewership behind HBO’s lead shows.
• IMDb: 8.3/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (critics)
Why They Deserve Extra Credit
Illustrated by The Leftovers, Mr. Robot, and Barry, is their introspection into their own homegrown brainchild. They require their audience to be engaged, and richly intellectually and emotionally, and experience such nuanced television rarely, if at all, on broadcast television.
Their craftsmanship–Lindelof’s book of existentialism, Esmail’s prophetic stewardship, Hader’s mastery of tone–in an era where aesthetic risk and mass popularity must be linked. As models for sophisticated audiences, they are what TV can be if it believes more in logic and less in velocity.
Continue navigating The ScreenLight for more such recommendations.
