4 New Sleeper TV Shows You Need to Watch

As more and more TV hits the airwaves (and the web!), it's harder to keep up and keep track of what to watch. While most viewers are locked in on their favorite programs throughout the year, it's easy to let smaller shows slip by.

Many people complain about Peak TV - there's too much to watch and not enough time to watch it. This is true, but audiences have an advantage in this overpopulated television landscape: Not only are there more than 400 programs on the air, but also many of them are of top quality. With so many shows competing for viewers, producers and showrunners know their art must be excellent and captivating. The latest trend in TV is the half-hour drama; these shows don't require too much of a person's time but still offer the same amount of tension and intrigue one would find on "The Affair" or "Mr. Robot."

Those half-hour dramas and dramaties are well represented below: Three of the four shows fit the bill, while the fourth show is a slow-burning moody drama, which has runtimes that could send you running for "Atlanta." But don't - because all of these shows, which are all in their first season, are excellent and may have only made a small blip on your TV radar. If you can make space in your TV diet, consider one of these four programs, all of which are all currently on the air.

"Quarry" (Cinemax)

Let's get the big one out of the way.

"Quarry" is the hour-plus-long drama mentioned above. You may think you don't have time in your life for another dark, brooding, complicated sad man and violent anti-hero cable drama, but "Quarry" is riveting TV and truly special.

The slow-burning program is a stunning cross blend of "Banshee" and "Rectify." Based on the book of the same name by Max Allen Collins, "Quarry" is about Mac Conway, a Marine who returns home to Memphis after serving in the Vietnam War in 1972. When he comes back to his small town, he finds his world has changed since he left: Like many Vietnam vets, he is shunned and demonized by family, friends and the public. As he's adjusting to his new life, Conway is pulled into the city's underworld, which exploits his skills as a war vet to carry out heinous acts.

All eight episodes are directed by Greg Yaitanes ("Banshee"), who does an impeccable job, elevating "Quarry" from what could be a basic cable drama to an electrifying thriller. There's a plethora of stunning shots packed into each episode and stars Logan Marshall-Green, who plays Conway; Jodi Balfour, Conway's wife Joni; and Damon Herriman, the quirky criminal Buddy, give incredible performances. If you're not checking into HBO's "Westworld" this fall, then please take a trip down South with "Quarry."

Watch the full first episode of "Quarry," for free, below.

"Better Things" (FX)

Louis C.K. might not be returning to TV this fall ("Louie" is currently on hiatus) but the comedian, who released his own spectacular web series "Horace and Pete" earlier this year, is still involved behind the camera.

Pamela Adlon, who frequently stars on "Louie" as the titular character's on-again-off-again love interest, and C.K. created "Better Things" - a half-hour dramedy that stars Adlon as Sam Fox, a hardworking actress raising three daughters as a single parent. There's a warm throwback feel to the show, recalling the best moments of the now-iconic family dramas of the 90s (specifically, "Roseanne" minus the lower-middle class commentary).

It's a small and touching show but Adlon's performance is far and away the best part of "Better Things," which is already a hit on FX as it was recently picked up for a second season.

"One Mississippi" (Amazon)

"One Mississippi" comes from the brain of out standup comic Tig Notaro, who co-created the half-hour Amazon series with Diablo Cody ("Juno"). Like "Better Things," Louis C.K. is involved with this show, serving as an executive producer. Notaro plays Tig, a radio DJ who returns to her hometown in Mississippi after her mother dies. There, she reunites with her goofy and slacker brother Remy (Noah Harpster) and her no-nonsense stepfather Bill, played by the very excellent John Rothman.

Notaro takes her deadpan standup and transforms it into a solid TV series. And C.K.'s thumbprint is felt on "One Mississippi" -- the surrealist tones that wove "Louie" together show up when Notaro has flashbacks to her childhood.

"One Mississippi" is a provocative show where audiences will find themselves unsure if they should be laughing (there are throwaway jokes about molestation, for instance). There are only six episodes, all which can be streamed on Amazon, and the back half of the season is incredibly strong and deeply moving. Clocking in at three hours, it will probably take just a weekend to binge your way through the season, but "One Mississippi" offers a rewarding experience.

"The Good Place" (NBC)

NBC used to own the must-see comedy hour blocks, airing "Friends" and "Seinfeld" in the 90s and "The Office" and "30 Rock" in the mid-00s. But ABC has been hitting it out of the park with their progressive comedies, between "Modern Family," "Blackish," "Fresh Off the Boat," "The Goldbergs" and their newest addition, "Speechless."

With "The Good Place" we see NBC returning back to its comedy roots. Starring the delightful Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, this Michael Schur comedy ("The Office, "Parks and Recreation") is a fantasy comedy where Eleanor (Bell) dies and is mistakenly put in The Good Place - a Heaven-esque type afterlife. Teaming up with her soul mate Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Elanor, who was a miserable self-absorbed jerk while alive, has to figure out how to stay in The Good Place without being found out that she should really have been sent to The Bad Place.

"The Good Place" is a quirky, off-kilter half-hour comedy that doesn't require too much brainpower nor does it drain emotion out of you (I'm looking at you "Transparent" and "You're the Worst). "The Good Place" is network comedy at its best; popcorn TV with excellent jokes. What else can you ask for on a Thursday night?