6) Bored to Death
Comedies are tough. When TV shows and movies use humor that is somewhat unorthodox, it takes a while for audiences to buy into the material. This happens all the time. Movies with Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell that faced cool receptions on their initial release but are now praised as hugely influential are proof of this. It seemed like into its third season, Bored to Death was beginning to catch on, with people beginning to take to its unique brand of absurd humor, following a couple of initial seasons that just seemed odd, albeit oddly compelling.
I miss this show, though. There was no other show like it. Jason Schwartzman is always a pleasure to watch, but here his comedic tone seemed to shape the entire show, and to great effect. He was brilliantly complemented by Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson, with the three of them forming this team of misfits that was incredibly endearing, and made you that much more invested in their bizarre escapades. Creator Jonathan Ames tapped into something special on this show, where you weren’t always laughing but were constantly making a pleasant WTF face. There’s talk of a movie in the works for this show too, but we’ll see if that ever actually happens.