Slings and Arrows

Slings and Arrows is a Canadian TV series about a struggling Shakespearean theater company. It's a perfect mix of humor, drama, and artistry with an endearing reverence for the Bard and his works. Despite its comedic undertone, it portrays the distress, euphoria, and chaos that typically goes hand-in-hand with theater-making in such an authentic way.

The standout performance of the series has to be Paul Gross, who plays the tortured artistic director Geoffrey Tennant. His manic energy, comic timing and heartbreaking vulnerability carry the show. The other characters from the quirky heads of department to the oh-so-drama-queen actors add depth and heart and sometimes a good laugh.

The term "hidden gem" gets thrown around a lot, but in this case, it fits perfectly because Slings and Arrows is criminally underwatched. If you're a lover of Shakespeare, theater, or riveting character-driven stories, this show is for you. It dropped the ball just a little bit in its portrayal of mental health, but it remains steeped in such startling realness and layered storytelling that every theater lover needs to see it.