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11 underrated Netflix shows everyone should watch (2021)

By Reed Gaudens

VIRGIN RIVER (L to R) ALEXANDRA BRECKENRIDGE as MEL MONROE and MARTIN HENDERSON as JACK SHERIDAN in episode 303 of VIRGIN RIVER Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021
VIRGIN RIVER (L to R) ALEXANDRA BRECKENRIDGE as MEL MONROE and MARTIN HENDERSON as JACK SHERIDAN in episode 303 of VIRGIN RIVER Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021 /
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Pretty Smart season 2 - Best Netflix shows
Pretty Smart. (L to R) Gregg Sulkin as Grant, Emily Osment as Chelsea in episode 101 of Pretty Smart. Cr. Patrick McElhenney/Netflix © 2021 /

Underrated Netflix shows 2021

It’s been such a good year for new Netflix shows. If you watch Netflix as much as we do, you watched a bunch of the same shows. But, there were so many Netflix shows released this year, we’re sure you missed at least a few of the good shows released this year.

To help you find and re-visit some of those underrated shows, some of our team members at Netflix Life picked the nine most underrated Netflix shows of the year.

For one reason or another, these Netflix shows just haven’t gotten the respect they deserve. Let’s get the list started with Netflix original comedy, Pretty Smart. 

Pretty Smart

If you didn’t watch the new Netflix original sitcom Pretty Smart and you happened to hear anything about the series, it probably wasn’t positive. Critics didn’t love Pretty Smart, and the comedy also wasn’t a breakout hit on the Netflix top 10. For those reasons alone, it’s without a doubt one of the most misunderstood and underrated Netflix shows of 2021.

Say what you want about Pretty Smart, but you can’t deny that it was pretty funny. Sure, some of the storylines and jokes were things we’ve seen in sitcoms past, but when you have a cast as talented, game, and in tune with their characters as this show, you can forgive all retreads.

Relationship comedies centered around a group of 20-somethings are a dime a dozen, and modernizing that setup can sometimes be unsubtle. For having a character that’s an online influencer, Pretty Smart walks that tightrope well without totally beating us over the head with references to current pop culture trends.

Overall, the Emily Osment-led series deserves a chance to build a bigger audience with a second season (and more!) and answer the truly exciting cliffhangers left behind in season 1. Pretty Smart might not have been the most popular girl on Netflix in 2021, but damn, she’s got potential.

—Reed Gaudens, Associate Editor

Flip to the NEXT page for more underrated Netflix shows, starting with The Circle. 

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