PAST:
In radio you had "quiet storm" programming which was a made up block of songs with a similar sound/vibe. Irrespective of it formally being (r&b, jazz, easy listening, etc.)
In film you had Blaxploitation. Movies with different themes (comedy, horror, etc) that were grouped based on commonalities.
CURRENTLY:
Over the past decade we've had a cadre of Movies&TV that could be grouped into a similarly made up genre as was done with Quiet Storm / Blaxploitation ...via their similar themes.
It's a cocktail blend of...
- Grand conspiracy
- Mysticism
- Hints of surrealist/absurdist scenarios
- Lightweight sci-fi
- Other stuff I haven't caught
H.I.M. - 2025
Freaky Tales - 2024
I Saw the TV Glow - 2024
I'm a Virgo - 2023
They Cloned Tyrone - 2023
Atlanta season 4 - 2022
Nope - 2022
Atlanta season 3 - 2022
The Mandela Effect -2019
Us - 2019
Atlanta season 2 - 2018
Sorry to Bother You - 2018
Get Out - 2017
The Alchemist Cookbook - 2016
Atlanta season 1 - 2016
Atlanta may not fit(still haven't seen it) ...but of the little clips I've seen here & there it seems to fit the overall mold.
I'd actually suggest sitting down over the weekend fri-sun and watching all these back to back.
That said, I still don't know what I'd call it as a new "sudo-genre" ...or what else I'd add to the list.