Overrated/Underrated

UNDERRATED

‘Borgen’ on LinkTV: Viewers drawn into AMC’s “The Killing” (adapted from the taut Danish import, “Forbrydelsen”) should seek out the similar aesthetics of this political drama, a Denmark-born twist on “The West Wing” covering European politics, the media and a cunning prime minister, played by Sidse Babett Knudsen. Plus, with NBC reportedly working on an adaptation, you can get onboard before the series (with English subtitles) shoots itself in the foot in the States.

‘Take Shelter’: Frequently referenced in relation to the Academy Awards snub of star Michael Shannon (also seen as the square-jawed Fed in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”), this film is an affecting experience in its own right. Shannon’s powerful portrayal of a man either in the grips of mental illness or wild apocalyptic visions gets burned into your memory, but the impact of those surreal turns in writer-director Jeff Nichols’ hands is every bit as enduring.

OVERRATED

Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’: Now that the stage version of this lauded 2004 album has come to town, the truth can be told: The source material isn’t all that good. At one point inexplicably hailed as “album of the decade” by Rolling Stone (did they know “Kid A” and “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” had been released?), Green Day’s rock opera is bloated, bombastic and, years removed from its mid-aughts angst, packs as much nuance as, well, some Broadway musicals.

‘Doomsday Preppers’ on National Geographic: Television is full of reasons to feel pessimistic about our long-term prospects as a species, and the latest example is this show exploring the unsettling habits of those arming themselves for the end times. Although a bit of the Boy Scout motto goes a long way in a disaster, you get the feeling that those obsessed with being ready for the worst in humanity are in their own way also revealing the worst in humanity.

— Chris Barton