The Golden Age of American TV arguably began with the first episode of The Sopranos, continued through The Wire and Breaking Bad, and ended with the last episode of Mad Men. Peak TV bled directly into the infestation of streaming platforms, but with very few exceptions, those platforms have resulted in more content, but lower-quality programming.
Thus, discerning television viewing audiences turn to the UK, where shows are still developed by people rather than algorithms. Whereas series made for streamers tend to be high concept and ultra-glossy, the British Broadcasting Corporation tends to make grittier, more emotionally complex shows that look and feel real. It makes for more honest television, where unique voices still retain creative control. For American audiences, it’s a worthy crop of television choices.
‘Broadchurch’ (2014 - 2017)
Starring Olivia Coleman and David Tennant as detectives in a small seaside town, Broadchurch revolves around their investigation of the murder of an eleven-year-old boy. As a media frenzy erupts around the sensational case, the seemingly friendly town closes its ranks to keep its secrets. The police, locals themselves, suspects, victims, and witnesses alike, must pick at scabs that threaten to tear the small community apart.
Though Broadchurch did receive a single-season American remake (2014’s Gracepoint), it was completely unnecessary. Broadchurch is a who’s who of incredible British acting and should be watched in its original state to appreciate the full flavor of its police procedural. Its suspenseful mystery unfolds slowly, and the drama is intelligently centered on the flaws of human nature and the depth of communal grief after a tragedy. The court of public opinion and clickbait journalism operate far more quickly than the law, which makes Broadchurch a well-shot, beautifully woven mess.
‘Industry’ (2020 - )
Industry follows young graduates from diverse backgrounds as they attempt to secure one of few banking and trading positions available at a top investment bank in London in the wake of the 2008 collapse. This drama trends more toward soapy than incisive social critique, blending ambition and backstabbing with plenty of hot sex.
This is the Aaron Sorkin of British television: the writing is sharp, and the talented ensemble cast of Industry handles the sometimes jargon-heavy banter with shrewd precision. This hybrid production should satisfy viewers from both sides of the pond and avoid any talk of an American version, which would have twice the budget but half the wit. Instead of lauding the American dream, Industry reflects a corrupt, cutthroat, and corrosive business model that chews up employees for profit, leaving viewers to hope even unlikable characters will survive it.
‘Fleabag’ (2016 - 2019)
Known only to viewers as Fleabag, the titular character hides hurt and grief behind anger and snark. As she navigates trauma, she bluffs her way through London, rejecting everyone before they get close, forming no attachments except the one she has with the audience when she breaks the fourth wall.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s enormous success seems like a uniquely British fairy tale. Fleabag is likely the only dramedy to be able to mine suicide, adultery, anal sex, a wicked stepmother (Olivia Coleman), a dinner party miscarriage, and a flirtation with a Hot Priest (Andrew Scott) who is the only character to notice Fleabag addressing her audience. No watery American imitation could possibly compare, and none should even try.
‘Bad Sisters’ (2022 - )
The Garvey sisters, united due to the death of their parents, are a tight-knit group who do everything together, for better or worse. When one sister shrinks under the thumb of her emotionally abusive husband in Bad Sisters, the others resolve the only cure is to kill him. But if they thought murder was hard, so is getting away with it.
This Irish comedy is as black as they come. Creator and star Sharon Horgan has a briny but warm appeal as the de facto leader of the siblings. The setup and the ensuing catastrophic failures may have viewers believing this show is merely wickedly funny, but its exploration of family dynamics, dark secrets, and desperate protective instincts is the true showcase here. Bad Sisters is based on the Flemish series Clan, but wouldn’t work as well as an American adaptation, which would have it falling either too much toward the absurd, like Desperate Housewives or the bleak, like Mare of Easttown. The Irish, it seems, have found the perfect blend.
‘I May Destroy You’ (2020)
Arabella should be focusing on the exciting opportunity to write a novel, but instead, she’s coming to terms with a sexual assault and grappling with ongoing issues of consent while navigating the modern dating landscape.
Creator and star Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You is brave and bold. It pushes boundaries and features underrepresented citizens of London, both things that might have been adulterated should Coel have taken the money Netflix offered, which came without total creative control. Instead, Coel held out for the BBC, which let her create something truly significant. The subject is allowed to be deeply uncomfortable and unflinching, while an American series would surely have blinked first.
‘I Hate Suzie’ (2020 - )
Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper), teen pop star turned actress, has her phone hacked and photos leaked, prompting a scandal that disrupts not only her career but her family life as well. Each episode of the first season is modeled on one of the stages of grief and has its own unique tone. I Hate Suzie is a scathing satire on celebrity, but it doesn’t take the lazy way out – it keeps on digging.
There absolutely could be an American equivalent to this series, but it would be so wildly different viewers may not even recognize them as distant cousins. Britain is of course known for its vicious tabloids, so it’s the perfect venue to explore the lack of true privacy. It also delves into womanhood generally and female celebrity specifically. With unfiltered vulnerability, the series contemplates what it means to constantly recalibrate one’s femininity to remain acceptable to the public.
‘Good Omens’ (2019 - )
As Armageddon draws near, the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant), acquaintances since the Garden of Eden, should either be encouraging or preventing imminent doom. Yet as both have become accustomed to life on Earth, they find a common goal in preventing the coming of the Antichrist and thus the apocalypse.
From the minds of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens is of course epic fantasy and loads of fun. Sheen and Tennant lead an all-star ensemble cast so pitch-perfect it features Frances McDormand as the voice of God and Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Satan. It would be ridiculous to remake what is already an extraordinary series. The English weigh in on good and evil with their trademark wit and quirky humor.
‘Derry Girls’ (2018 - 2022)
Four girls and Our Lady Immaculate College’s first male student attend a girls’ catholic school in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the final years of the Troubles.
Black humor and raw honesty are the hallmarks of this mid-90s teen comedy, Irish style. Amid bomb scares and Clinton visits, these teens are concerned about lipstick, prom dates, and grades just like everyone else. Derry Girls hits the nostalgia mark while straddling humor and heart.
‘It’s A Sin’ (2021)
It’s A Sin follows a group of gay men who move to London in 1981 and form a fast friendship. Over the course of five episodes, they’ll live through a decade where HIV/AIDS impacts their lives, and everything changes.
Every community has its own story to tell about the AIDS crisis, and this one is uniquely London’s. The series does a wonderful job of establishing time and place, but the real treasure is the determination to live fiercely and freely. HBO Max agreed to stream It’s A Sin for American audiences as long as a well-known American was cast; Neil Patrick Harris appears in the first episode.
‘Normal People’ (2020)
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Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) are so different, it wouldn’t seem their high school paths would connect. Yet she, a social oddball, and he, a popular athlete, share an on-again, off-again romance complicated by their socio-economic backgrounds, home life, and Connell being a silent bystander to Marianne’s bullying.
Normal People has a beautiful aesthetic but a bleak atmosphere that builds throughout the limited series’ twelve episodes. Teenage angst has never seemed so lyrical; Marianne and Connell are intimate and vulnerable in ways rarely seen on television.