Telly that bridges the Pond
In this final part of our year-end series, we look at our favorites amongst the shows that debuted in the UK over this past year, programs we hope will one day screen in the US.
As another year of fabulous British TV draws to a close, we take a look back at some of our favorite shows. Here in Part 1 are the ones that debuted in the US during 2014.
Murders in a cold climate? Check. Investigations done by an intense detective? Check. Nordic noir drama? Nope. Scottish. But Shetland is as dark and gritty as any crime series out of Scandinavia, and just as compelling.
WETA UK, the nation’s first and only broadcast channel that airs British TV programming 24/7/365, is also the first public TV channel to screen the Irish crime series, Jack Taylor.
Netflix subscribers, rejoice, because “the world’s leading Internet television network” is bringing you more Brit TV hits in December: Broadchurch and The Honourable Woman.
British TV is set to get dark and moody once again, as Kenneth Branagh reprises his BAFTA Award-winning role as the most brooding of Swedish detectives, Kurt Wallander.
Hwrê! (Hooray!) Hinterland, the Welsh crime drama that is every bit as noir as any of the ones from the Scandinavian countries, will be making its streaming debut in the US and Canada exclusively on Netflix.
Talk about noir. The BAFTA-nominated drama Southcliffe is dark, gloomy, bleak — a binge-watching version of rubbernecking.
Orange isn’t the only new black. For crime drama fans, there’s noir. And as of today there’s the US DVD for Hinterland, the series called a “no-holds-barred gritty thriller” by the Western Mail and hailed as “the Welsh Killing” by
Many a British crime drama can be described as noir, but few (if any) actually take viewers to Arctic climes. The chilling new series, Fortitude — starring Academy Award® nominee Stanley Tucci, Christopher Eccleston, Michael Gambon, and Jessica Raine —
Rarely does a British program screen in the US ahead of the UK, and the same holds true for Scandinavian shows, too. However, Unit One, the 2002 International Emmy Award® winner for Best Drama, is an exception.
The British “invasion” of American television has become an entrenched and still-growing part of the stateside viewing landscape, but another invasion is also taking audiences by storm, and this time it’s Australian.