Netflix debuts new content at a relentless pace. Sure, the company has algorithms and business models that claim this strategy makes sense, but I dont believe it.

Industry critics often prognosticate that Netflix has aims to replace all of television by scaling far faster than their network and streaming competitors. But other companies plan to match the streaming giants outrageous spending, and so Netflix hasnt killed the competition yet ... and likely wont ever do so entirely.

All this means that you still have more shows to choose from than ever and, as such, great shows get lost in the glut all the time. With all the competition, almost no one show truly rules the zeitgeist anymore, but at least shows like Stranger Things and The Crown get some attention. These days, most of the Netflix shows barely earn recognition that they even exist.

So as half the year has now passed, Ive rounded up a few of my favorites from 2018 that I believe got overlooked by audiences (more on that below). These are all shows that in a different, less competitive era could have earned hit status or at least garnered some Emmy attention.

By underrated, I dont mean that you havent heard of these shows before. Culture fanatics undoubtedly know a thing or two about One Day at a Time.

But in an era when even a supposed hit like HBOs Westworld only garners slightly over 1 million viewers a week , the true rating-smashes like Game of Thrones or CBSs The Big Bang Theory are increasingly rare. The audiences for smart Netflix shows like Collateral and Dear White People remain small despite a few critics singing praises. Or at the very least, the audiences remain smaller than the shows deserve. Lack of impressive ratings means these shows are literally underrated.