Hidden TV gems you might have missed

It may not feel like it anymore, but summer is still the season when TV programming takes a bit of a breather and viewers can catch up on the shows they didn’t have time for, or are only hearing about now.

My list of the best shows of 2022 (so far) is coming soon, but first, here are 10 hidden gems - smaller shows without the star power or marketing muscle of flashier competitors - that struggled to get noticed amid the never-ending content deluge. I’ve already reviewed and recommended about half of this list but thought some shows deserved an extra push; the rest are series I wish I’d had time to praise when they premiered. 1. ‘Angelyne’ “I am not a woman,” intones the titular buxom blonde who plastered herself, along with her signature Barbie-pink Corvette, on Los Angeles billboards in the ‘80s and ‘90s. “I am an icon,” she asserts, rather correctly. For decades, Angelyne was a local legend - and a total mystery. Her billboards sometimes featured a phone number, but often just her name in unmissably huge letters. The five-part Peacock drama, about the search for the “real” Angelyne, is a deep show about surfaces, with an unrecognizable Emmy Rossum in an outstanding lead turn. And if you’re feeling hesitant about signing up for yet another streaming service, just know that Peacock’s comedy lineup has seriously bulked up in the past few months, with the second seasons of “Girls5eva” and “Rutherford Falls” joining “We Are Lady Parts,” “Killing It” and the “Saved by the Bell” reboot. (Streams on Peacock) 2. ‘Dark Winds’ Based on Tony Hillerman’s mega-popular Leaphorn & Chee mystery novels, the recently debuted “Dark Winds” stars the incredibly versatile Zahn McClarnon (“Fargo,” “Reservation Dogs”) in his first lead role on a regular TV series. The milestone feels long overdue, given the clench-jawed intensity and wounded humanity the 30-year screen veteran brings to his role as Leaphorn, a detective in the Navajo Tribal Police trying to find the common link between several disparate crimes. (Kiowa Gordon plays his uneasy protege Chee.) Set in ‘70s New Mexico and boasting an all-Native American writers room (as well as a nearly all-Indigenous cast), the show’s lovingly crafted portrait of a Navajo community, with all its hardships and beauty, more than makes up for the occasional snags in the procedural. (Airs on AMC; streams on AMC Plus) 3. ‘The Deep End’ TV has no shortage of cult content, but “The Deep End” offers a unique and irresistible hook: A spiritual influencer’s team hires a private investigator to determine if their leader is, in fact, running a cult. The four-part docuseries and word-of-mouth hit is wildly uneven, and yet utterly mesmerizing in its later episodes, as it captures the possible disintegration of self-help guru (and self-professed clairvoyant) Teal Swan’s inner circle, with members forced to confront the parallels between their group dynamics and those of more traditional cults. In contrast to most other entrants of its genre, “The Deep End” filmed its subject close to her full power, producing a rare glimpse of a savvy narcissist in the act of justifying to her underlings her ludicrous expectations of their selfsacrifice. The result is raw and uncomfortable and should be studied for years to come. (Aired on Freeform; streams on Hulu) 4. ‘My Brilliant Friend’ Easily one of the best dramas currently on television, the Italian-language adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s celebrated novels ran headlong into the ‘70s and the women’s movement in its extraordinarily moving, decadespanning third season. Centered on two childhood friends who can’t help comparing their lives and achievements to each other’s over the years, the series suddenly finds Lila (Gaia Girace) and Elena (Margherita Mazzucco), who both grew up on the outskirts of a war-torn Naples, on the opposing sides of a class divide against a political backdrop of newly energized populist violence. The women only ever dreamed of escaping the deprivation and indignity of their humble origins. The epic scope of the series helps illustrate that, no matter their accomplishments or circumstances, true freedom for Lila and Elena remains elusive. (Aired on HBO; streams on HBO Max)