13 of the best hidden gems on Stan, according to a TV critic.

Ok, we all know why we're here. 

You need TV recommendations, and I've got buckets of them. 

Here are the best hidden gems on Stan: 

(While you're here, why not check out the best shows you haven't seen, the best UK thrillers you haven't seen, and feel-good shows you can watch in one day). 

Rutherford Falls

Image: Stan.  

Rutherford Falls is like Parks and Recreation's younger, woker cousin. 

It's set in a fictional American small town called Rutherford Falls, where Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms), a descendant of the town's founder, works at the local heritage museum. 

His best friend Reagan (Jana Schmieding) is trying to preserve the history of the Minishonka Nation, running a culture centre at the tribe's casino.

Their friendship is tested when the town erupts into debate over whether to remove the statue of the town's namesake "Big Larry" from the town square. 

It's a bloody funny sitcom that explores a part of America we don't see enough on TV. 

Watch it if you like: Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, small towns with town squares, and self-aware comedy. 

The first season of Rutherford Falls is streaming on Stan now.

Good Trouble 

Image: Stan.  

Good Trouble is a spin-off series from The Fosters. It follows Callie Adams Foster (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana Adams Foster (Cierra Ramirez), as they move into a communal living apartment building called The Coterie in LA, with a bunch of other 20-somethings. 

The series follows the ups and downs of their lives - and the rest of the residents - as they start their first jobs, fall in and out of love, and learn who they really are and what they want. 

It's a highly underrated series, perfect for a binge watch, and the best bit is you don't even have to have watched The Fosters to watch it. I had never watched The Fosters, and I loved this! 

Watch it if you like: Game nights with your flatmates, lots of hot young people hooking up, and plenty of drama. 

The first two seasons of Good Trouble are streaming on Stan now. 

Doctor Foster 

Image: Stan.  

Doctor Foster stars Vigil's Suranne Jones as a local GP named Gemma Foster who becomes convinced her husband Simon is cheating on her. 

Secret after secret are revealed until Gemma and Simon are locked in a better feud with almost fatal consequences. 

It's an addictive thriller about the lengths a "scorned woman" will go to for revenge. 

With two six episode seasons, it's perfect for a weekend binge. 

Watch it if you like: Plenty of plot twists, scorned women, and revenge plots. 

Both seasons of Doctor Foster are streaming on Stan now. 

Four Weddings and a Funeral 

Image: Stan.  

This dramedy is the TV re-imagining of the iconic 90s rom-com starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell. 

The series, which is set in New York and London, follows Maya (Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel), a 20-something who is working as a communications director for a New York senatorial campaign. 

Maya travels to London to attend her college friend's wedding, and there she meets Kashif Khan (Nikesh Patel). 

The series follows the group of friends over one year, four weddings and, of course, a funeral. 

Watch it if you like: Your weddings with just a dash of funerals, modern rom-coms, and attractive leading men. 

The first season of Four Weddings and a Funeral is streaming on Stan now. 

Imposters 

Image: Stan.  

Imposters was a huge hit on Stan when the streaming service first launched. 

If you missed it, you're going to want to watch it immediately. 

The series follows Maddie Jonson (Inbar Lavi), a serial con woman who marries rich men and steals their money. 

Maddie finally meets her match when she marries and cons Ezra Bloom (Rob Heaps). Humiliated and furious, Ezra teams up with Richard Evans (Parker Young), another one of Maddie's victims, to track her down and get their money back. 

And that's just the beginning. 

Watch it if you like: Marrying men and stealing their money (jks), non-stop plot twists, and fast-paced action. 

Both seasons of Imposters are streaming on Stan now. 

Keeping Up With Appearances

Image: Stan.  

Ok hear me out. 

Keeping Up With Appearances has to be one of the funniest shows ever made. 

I used to watch it with my parents in early 90s, and my dad would howl with laughter. I recently rewatched it and it still holds up. 

The British sitcom follows the story of Hyacinth Bucket (it's Bouquet), her long-suffering husband Richard, their terrified neighbours, and Hyacinth's colourful family. 

Hyacinth, who's never worked a day in her life, spends her time hosting 'candlelight suppers' and trying to impress the vicar, while her bogan family are constantly roping her into their dramas. 

It's basically a laugh out loud comedy about class differences and the lengths some people will go to "keep up appearances". 

It's like Instagram before... Instagram. 

Watch it if you like: Candlelight suppers, hiding from your annoying neighbours, laugh out loud comedy, and a bit of nostalgia. 

All five seasons of the comedy are streaming on Stan now.  

Liar 

Image: Stan.  

After breaking up with her boyfriend, teacher Laura Nielson (Joanne Froggatt) is set up on a date with recently widowed surgeon Andrew Earlham (Ioan Gruffudd). 

The next day it's clear to Laura that something isn't right. 

Through hazy, half-snatched memories Laura accuses Andrew of raping her and the two are soon locked in a deadly game of he said/she said. 

Watch it if you like: Netflix's Unbelievable, fast pace thrillers, duplicitous characters and short-term commitments. 

Both seasons of Liar are streaming on Stan now. 

Made For Love 

Image: Stan.  

This Stan series stars Cristin Milioti (the actual mother from How I Met Your Mother!) as Hazel Green, a woman who is trying to escape from her tech billionaire controlling husband, Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen), and the "hub" where she's lived for the past decade. 

She escapes to her father's house (Ray Romano) to discover he's in a committed relationship with a... blow-up doll. 

Action and many laughs ensue. 

Watch it if you like: Tinder (lol), the Ray Romano renaissance, Cristin Milioti's eyebrows, and blow up dolls. 

The first season of Made for Love is streaming on Stan now. 

Happy Valley

Image: Stan.  

Happy Valley is written, created and directed by Sally Wainwright, the queen of the gritty British crime drama, who is also the brains behind Scott & Bailey, Last Tango in Halifax, and Unforgiven. 

In the first episode we meet Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), when she introduces herself to a man who is threatening to set himself alight. 

"I'm Catherine by the way. I'm 47, I'm divorced, I live with my sister, who's a recovering heroin addict. I have two grown-up children, one dead, one I don't speak to, and a grandson, so," she says. 

When Catherine starts investigating the abduction of a local girl named Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy), it brings her straight into the path of Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the man who raped Becky and has just been released from prison on unrelated drug charges. 

While this storyline sounds bloody.... bleak, like Mare of Easttown, Happy Valley is surprisingly funny and heartfelt. It has moments of levity between the murders, rapes, and abductions. 

Watch it if you like: Mare of Easttown, depressing small towns, and straight-talking women. 

Girls5Eva

Image: Stan.  

Catastrophe 

Image: Stan.  

Catastrophe is written by and stars Irish comedian Sharon Horgan and American comedian Rob Delaney. 

Sharon Morris (Horgan) is in her late 30s when she has a one-night stand with Rob Norris (Delaney) who's in town one night for business. 

When Sharon realises she's pregnant, her and Rob try to make things work with hilarious results.

The sitcom is basically about two kinda shitty people who are thrown together and have to learn to love each other. 

Watch it if you like: Tall, handsome men, first dates, and your comedy with a side of drama. 

All four seasons of Catastrophe are streaming on Stan now. 

Drop Dead Diva 

Image: Stan.  

I thought I would hate this show going in, but I ended up loving it. 

The dramedy follows the story of Jane Bingum, a plus size lawyer, and Deb Dobkins, a fashion model. 

After Deb dies in a car crash, she enters the gates of heaven and finds herself being judged by a gatekeeper named Fred (Ben Feldman) who says she definitely hasn't done enough good deeds to get into heaven. 

When Ben is distracted, Deb presses the "return button" and her soul enters the body of Jane, who was just killed defending her boss. 

Deb has to learn how to be a good person and that there's more to life than "good looks". 

Watch it if you like: Your dramedy with a side of ghosts, comforting TV shows, and My Crazy Ex Girlfriend. 

All six seasons of Drop Dead Gorgeous are streaming on Stan. 

In The Dark 

Image: Stan.  

If you liked Stumptown, you're going to love In The Dark. 

The series follows 30-something Murphy, who is a blind and always a little bit drunk. 

Murphy only has two friends, her housemate Jess, and Tyson, a teenage drug-dealer who saved her from a violent mugging. 

One night while out for a walk with her dog Pretzel, Murphy stumbles on what she thinks is Tyson's dead body. 

When police show little interest in her story, Murphy sets out to solve Tyson's possible murder herself. 

Watch it if you like: Dogs named after snacks, unlikely best friends, and solving murders.

The first season of In The Dark is streaming on Stan now. 

Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For more of her TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram. 

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