For every major TV series that appears in a streaming service's top 10 list there are 100s lurking in the backend, largely sitting unwatched and unloved.
That includes Disney+ which hosts far more than Star Wars, Marvel and its own programming – especially in the UK and Europe where the Star section includes Fox content, too.
And most of them are excellent in their own right. That's why we've found three hidden gems on the platform that are worth a second glance.
The Finder
Running for just one great season and being a spin-off from Bones, The Finder is a prime example of a show that, despite having a great cast, a solid hook and some really sharp writing, just never took off. It didn't gain the audience it deserved.
The perennial "Oh, it's that guy!", Geoff Stults, plays Walther Sherman – an Iraq war veteran who after being injured, finds he can connect the dots and see things that others cannot when it comes to crime and mystery. Using this ability to find people and their stuff, he teams up with the greatly missed Michael Clarke Duncan and sets up a detective agency.
Yes, it is a simple episodic police procedural style show, and yes it can be corny. However, it is also engaging, light and enjoyable. It deserved more seasons, but the sad death of Duncan and a declining audience ended that dream.
Angel
Everybody on the planet over the age of 40 knows and loves Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, but if you're not, here's a chance to find out why.
A spin-off from the Buffy series and running for five seasons itself, this vampire detective show was huge in the late 90s and for good reason. It is fonted by a very young-looking David Boreanaz and is a darker and more lore-heavy version of Buffy with a male lead.
It has a great central cast, a long-running and pivotal story that isn't afraid to be dark when needed, and a great mix of main story and "monster of the week" style episodes. Solid writing and just the right level of campy melodrama made this a smash hit at the time.
Available in full on Disney+, Angel is an absolute treat for any binge viewer. Just ignore the 90s / 2000s fashions – we were cool, honestly.
High Fidelity
The TV version of High Fidelity is an adaptation of the 2000 John Cusack film, itself an adaptation of the North London-based Nick Hornby novel. Released in 2020, it swapped the lead character's gender and location, as well as solidly updated the material. It all works very well.
Zoe Kravitz takes charge of the record store this time, as owner ‘Robyn’, and the show centres on her attempts to find love, while dealing with modern life and running the business. However, it was given only a single series on its original home of Hulu in the US before being cancelled by an over-eager Disney.
That's a big shame as it remains sharp, lavish, thoughtful and intelligent. There's also great humour and heart throughout.
Thankfully though, if you haven't yet managed to catch it, High Fidelity's solitary season is still on the streaming network to watch in full, and at only 30 minutes per episode it makes for a perfect afternoon's viewing.
