Netflix is the be-all and end-all for modern television in our new streaming service-dominated world of entertainment. In its early glory years, Netflix produced some of its best scripted material, as well as some extremely underrated comedy programs. Then, the company slowly decided to just start axing shows left and right. The algorithm is omniscient, and no Netflix property can last for long, so here's a list of Netflix shows that deserve another chance. Ironically — or tragically, depending on how you look at it — these are also among some of the company's finest work.

'GLOW' (2017-2019)

The most painful part is that a fourth and final season of "GLOW" was being shot, and the cast and crew found out on-set that the show was being canceled for good. This is easily one of the best shows Netflix ever greenlit, with an ultimate collection of talented female actors playing the "gorgeous ladies of wrestling."

There's a lot of "Mad Men" DNA built into the show, both in terms of shared casting and period drama quality. The storytelling about the inescapable nature of capitalism in America was razor-sharp and turned it into a hilarious show, with true pathos for its female stars, Marc Maron's drug-addicted showrunner character Sam Sylvia and the work required to put on a good wrestling show. This is one of our favorites, and it's such a shame Netflix felt the need to get rid of this to make room for another reality show.

'American Vandal' (2017-2018)

"American Vandal" is one of the best parodies after the recent explosion of true crime TV and podcasts like "Serial," "S-Town," "The Jinx" and "Making a Murderer." It turned out to be a very short-lived mockumentary, about two cases involving high school students pranking each other, that treats the crimes as seriously as an episode of "Law & Order," with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in at every turn.

You'd never expect the people behind Funny or Die and CollegeHumor to make such an effective and cutting satire, but it holds up incredibly well as to what teenagers are actually like, the psychology behind investigating a mystery and the human condition. This is a revelatory television series that should have never been canceled after just two seasons; there was so much more potential here, not only as a vehicle to cast young talent but to mock the age we live in ad nauseum. This show won a Peabody Award!

'Tuca & Bertie' (2019-2022)

It's baffling that a spin-off and spiritual successor to "Bojack Horseman" would be discarded so quickly, and that "Tuca & Bertie" had to move to another network (Adult Swim) — only to be canceled there, too. Tiffany Haddish as a toucan and Ali Wong as a thrush could have gone for ten seasons, yet the powers that be didn't believe in them.

There aren't a lot of animated shows that highlight two women in the starring roles — "Broad City" did that recently, but it's not a cartoon. Maybe costs ballooned and paying supporting actors like Steven Yeun and Richard E. Grant through got too pricey, or maybe their schedules just didn't line up right, but anthropomorphic animals dealing with relationships, sex, adulthood and money is the kind of thing we need more, not less, of in 2024.

'Mindhunter' (2017-2019)

From the mind of David Fincher, "Mindunter" became a cult hit about the formation of the FBI's serial crime unit, and its modern-day psych evaluation of serial killers. It was based off of the eponymous book, in which the likes of Charles Manson and Ed Kemper were profiled. Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Anna Torv were sensational, and it's a shame this brilliant show never took off after two seasons.

There's a highly dedicated fanbase of people constantly asking Groff and Fincher if, and when, the show will come back, and questions about the serial killers they would feature. How can you ignore the constant BTK Killer teases that were never resolved? What a shame Netflix just let this die on the vine instead of continuing the show, because it was one of their best.

'The Baby-Sitters Club' (2020-2021)

The "BSC" novels were gigantic, and the '90s gave us both a TV series and a movie. But the reboot in 2020 received universal acclaim and a dedicated audience, only for Netflix to kill the show after 18 episodes. This all happened under the banner of the COVID-19 pandemic gives cover for networks to cancel shows era, and if not for that excuse, this could have run for way longer, really launching stars like Xochitl Gomez.

'The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale' (2018)

"The Soup" was how many people learned about and fell in love with Joel McHale; it was where he stood in front of a green screen making fun of reality shows and internet clips for years. The second coming of that premise eventually came to Netflix, but only lasted for a few episodes. We would have loved to see "The Joel McHale Show with INSERT NEW HOST HERE."

There's an endless number of new reality shows, fake celebrities, stupid pointless dramas and ridiculous clips to make fun of. So why aren't we getting more content taking aim at those things, with or without Joel McHale?

'W/ Bob & David' (2015)

"Mr. Show with Bob and David" was the best sketch show of the '90s during its competition with "Mad TV" and "SNL." The HBO show lasted for a few years and shined a light on stars like Paul F. Tompkins, Tom Kenny and Jack Black. It seamlessly segued every sketch into the next one, all wrapped around a particular theme, joke or character.

In November 2015, Netflix brought it back under a new name, and, surprisingly, it was still really good! But clearly Bob Odenkirk and David Cross went onto do bigger and better things (namely "Better Call Saul"), which resulted in this show having only five episodes, without any promise of more in the future. Which is a shame, because sketch comedy needs competition to stand up to "SNL."

'Murderville' (2022)

We've written about this show before, and it looks like we're done with new episodes. Will Arnett is a busy man, lending his voiceover skills to every commercial on TV right now. A cop show with improvisation, how could you not be hooked? It's the perfect idea.

Detective Terry Seattle (Arnett) needs to rope in more celebrities for a season two ASAP, because the first season was funny and clever. They might not get any more A-listers like Conan O'Brien or Marshawn Lynch, but they can keep this series going, since it clearly looks like a very low-budget affair.

If you enjoyed this list about TV shows, we have more, like one about those that never should have continued after season one or the seven shows to be most hyped for in 2024.

[Image: YouTube]