4 Great TV Shows To Watch After HBO’s New J.J. Abrams Show ‘Duster’
It’s always an exciting time when a new HBO series arrives and instantly catches audiences’ attention, especially when it’s a show as wonderfully nuanced as Duster.
A nostalgic love letter to B-movies and TV shows from the 1970s, Duster also succeeds as a rip-roaring crime thriller that’s both wonderfully suspenseful and memorably action-packed. Led by gripping performances, rousing action, and plenty of laugh-out-loud comedy, it’s no doubt among the greatest new arrivals to HBO’s expansive library, right alongside The Pitt and The Last of Us’ second season.
As viewers continue to enjoy the series’ inaugural season, we decided to highlight a few similarly-veined shows to check out after Duster’s final episode later this summer, from darkly comic whodunits to down-and-dirty neo-noir Westerns.
Justified
It’s not an exaggeration to call Justified one of the greatest TV series to premiere on Netflix. Based on Elmore Leonard’s widely read Raylan Givens novels, Justified coasts along like a rugged Clint Eastwood Western set in the contemporary American South. Led by a scene-stealing Timothy Olyphant and an equally impressive Walton Goggins, it’s a first-rate crime series that often feels like a cross between Breaking Bad, Deadwood, Fargo, and a half dozen other exceptional crime shows.
Terriers
Don’t let the fact that Terriers was canceled after a single season fool you. In point of fact, this little-known FX comedy crime series is among the most underrated series the network has yet to release, commanding a small but dedicated cult following in the years since its release. Striking a remarkable balance between infectious humor and compelling drama, it’s an underrated crime series we simply can’t recommend enough.
Hap and Leonard
Another wildly loved TV series canceled far too soon, Hap and Leonard is that rare TV comedy where literally anything and everything could happen. Set against the backdrop of the Deep South in the 1980s, Hap and Leonard unfolds like a madcap comic book from the ‘30s and ‘40s, filled with colorful characters, delightful plot lines, and the promises of a sunken treasure large enough to enrich the lives of anyone fortunate enough to find it. If that summary doesn’t sell you on this beautifully crafted crime series, nothing will.
Poker Face
At first glance, Poker Face and Duster might not exactly seem like ideal companion pieces to one another. But looking past the surface, it becomes clear that both TV series act as satisfying homages to a distinct decade of mainstream television. Sure, Duster might look to Starsky & Hutch for inspiration while Poker Face tends to veer in the direction of Columbo. But at the end day, both series succeed as easter egg-filled tributes to a bygone era of primetime television, appealing to a wide array of prospective viewers in the process.
