1. DLP Flash Christmas Competition + Writing Marathon 2024!

    Competition topic: Magical New Year!

    Marathon goal? Crank out words!

    Check the marathon thread or competition thread for details.

    Dismiss Notice
  2. Hi there, Guest

    Only registered users can really experience what DLP has to offer. Many forums are only accessible if you have an account. Why don't you register?
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Introducing for your Perusing Pleasure

    New Thread Thursday
    +
    Shit Post Sunday

    READ ME
    Dismiss Notice

TV Shows Outside the US

Discussion in 'Movies, Music and TV shows' started by Spanks, Mar 13, 2016.

  1. Spanks

    Spanks Chief Warlock

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2007
    Messages:
    1,509
    Location:
    New Jersey
    The majority of shows recommended in this forum tend to be shows produced and aired in the United States. I saw a thread asking people to post movies from their home country and I figured it would be nice to have one for TV shows. I am currently watching Les Revenants from France because I've heard great things about it (It's on Netflix now). I'm curious about the quality of TV shows outside of Hollywood (preferably not sitcoms). I know all about shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock, but maybe there are lesser known but still really good shows that don't make it to the states?
     
  2. Hawkin

    Hawkin Chief Warlock

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2011
    Messages:
    1,453
    Location:
    QC, Canada
    I think one of Quebec's show was remade in the US (as the USA tends to do a lot with a bunch of movie/show). But here are a couple of French Canadian show that were really well received. I don't know if there are any actual english translation for most of them, but I'm pretty sure there are.


    • Omertà: La loi du silence (A special unit fighting the mafia in montreal, really really good)
    • 19-2 (Two policemen and their difficulty in montreal)
    • Les Parents (Family comedy)
    • Unité 9 (Women in prison)
    • Les Invincibles
    • Les bougons
    • Dans une galaxie près de chez vous (Family comedy - There's 2 movies of it also)
    • Lance et Compte (TV show about a hockey team)
     
  3. Sorrows

    Sorrows Queen of the Flamingos Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    Messages:
    2,986
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Edinburgh
    A lot of good UK shows end up 'adapted' with various degrees of success into an American format. Not sure if you have heard of any of these, but I would recommend:

    Life on Mars
    This was one that was transferred to America where it had one mediocre season with a seriously WTF ending. The original is a treasure though and well worth watching. A modern (well 2005) cop ends up waking up in 1970s Manchester with no idea whether he's mad, in a coma or back in time. Has to deal with 1970s attitudes, police techniques etc, while trying to get home. Had a spin off series called Ashes to Ashes set in the 80s, not quite as good but worth watching too.

    Peep Show.
    Hard to explain but pretty brilliant. Follows two flatmates (British comedians Simon Webb and David Mitchell,) switching between their perspectives complete with stream of consciousness voiceovers. One of those things you'll either completely adore or not get at all.

    Spaced
    One of the first things Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ever did. Has become a bit of a cult classic as those two have gotten famous but if you haven't seen it worth watching.


    Black Mirror.
    Kind of like American Horror Story, except each episode is stand alone rather than each season. Very dark satirical horror as social commentary. Deeply fucked up at times, first episode had he Prime Minister fucking a pig (prior to piggate), enough said.


    Misfits
    Basically a very UK version of Heroes, though that doesn't do it justice since unlike Heroes it get better as the seasons go on. A bunch of kids doing community service end up with superpowers, which goes about as well as you can expect. Really funny and surprisingly clever in places.

    League of Gentlemen
    This ones just weird, endlessly quotable and bloody hilarious but weird. Some of the earlier work of Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. Its a kind of horror comedy centered around the village of Royston Vasey, most of the bizarre villagers are played by them in different get ups.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2016
  4. R. E. Lee

    R. E. Lee Groundskeeper

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2012
    Messages:
    397
    I enjoyed the show The Almighty Johnsons from New Zealand, which is also on Netflix. Axl Johnson just turned 21, and his brothers and cousin take him to the forest and tell him that they are actually reincarnations of Norse gods, which becomes apparent when they get that age and gain their god powers. Axl turns out to be Odin, which is huge: when Odin and Frigg meet, the Norse gods are supposed to become full gods, as opposed to mortals with limited powers. They try to find Frigg, but opposing them are the Norse goddesses, who like being mortals just fine (as opposed to subservient to Odin and Frigg) and will do anything to stop them from finding Frigg.
     
  5. Newcomb

    Newcomb Minister of Magic

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2013
    Messages:
    1,246
    Location:
    The Evergreen State
    Not a Canadian myself, but Slings & Arrows is one of my top 5 shows of all time.
    I don't think you have to be a theater and/or Shakespeare geek to enjoy this fully, but it probably helps. It's quite funny on its own, and some of the characters are just... gold.

    My brother and I quote this shit all the time, and I still sometimes answer the phone with "I am Darren Nichols. Deal with that."

    It's funny and moving and the send-ups of theater culture, pretentiousness in art, and corporate absurdity are just fucking brilliant.

    There are three seasons, I think 8ish episodes each? You can blast through it in a weekend. I repeat: top 5 show of all time, and I don't say that lightly.
     
  6. Anarchy

    Anarchy Half-Blood Prince DLP Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2009
    Messages:
    3,679
    Location:
    NJ
    Top Gear is the answer to all things. Only way to really get it on TV in the US is through BBC America (though the internet is the obvious answer).
     
  7. Stenstyren

    Stenstyren Professor

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2009
    Messages:
    465
    Deutschland 83 is a great German show that I can wholeheartedly recommend!

    War & Peace is a show that I've been meaning to start watching but the girlfriend wants to watch it with me so waiting for her, but it seems to be pretty good!
     
  8. ScottPress

    ScottPress The Horny Sovereign –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2013
    Messages:
    37
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The Holy Moose Empire
    High Score:
    6900
    Ekipa (would translate as The Crew, I guess?)

    I have no idea if there's a subtitled version somewhere - it was rather niche in Poland, so that should tell you something.

    Most Polish shows are half-hour comedy/family/drama soaps that run for hundreds of episodes over dozens of seasons. This one is a true gem of Polish television and to this day I regret there was only one season (14 episodes), because it's not just good Polish tv, it bloody well made tv period.

    Since there isn't a synopsis on imdb, here's one: it's a political drama centered around Konstanty Turski, an economics professor who is nominated for the position of Prime Minister after the current PM's Security Service file surfaces.
     
  9. redlibertyx

    redlibertyx Professor

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2011
    Messages:
    442
    I was a pretty big fan of Little Mosque on the Prairie a Canadian show that was airing a few years back. It was fun and had some ridiculously compact writing (with well formed A-B-C-D and sometimes E plots in a half-hour comedy). It wasn't perfect but it was a well made show with a different point of view you don't see on TV all that often. I think it is or was streaming on Hulu.

    I was also a fan of the first couple seasons of the BBC's Being Human though I sort of dropped off in the third season. Never watched the American version, though.
     
  10. Shinysavage

    Shinysavage Madman With A Box ~ Prestige ~

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2009
    Messages:
    2,059
    Location:
    UK
    High Score:
    2,296
    I found myself gripped by the first series of Broadchurch a couple of years ago. Young boy is found dead on a beach, and two detectives (David Tennant and Olivia Coleman) investigate, uncovering a whole web of skeletons in closets, and other such genre tropes. Not the most original premise, I'll grant you, but very well done. Series two was a bit of a disappointment, but had its moments; happily, the first series wraps up neatly enough that you could easily finish there.

    I also got hooked on Indian Summers, a series about the relationships between the white ruling classes and Indian natives in the Raj summer retreat at Simla. Takes in political and social differences, corruption, murder, with a healthy sprinkling of lusty angst. Perhaps of most interest to DLP due to the chance to see Julie Walters (AKA Molly Weasley) being a world class manipulative, racist bitch. Series 2 just started.

    Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is the best thing the BBC have done in ages. The tale of two wizards in Regency England, battling first Napoleon, then fairies, then their own egos.

    Finally, I absolutely love Raised by Wolves, which is the story of a single mother bringing up her six kids on a council estate* in Wolverhampton. It's terrifically funny, although you might feel it sometimes falls into the trap of a great number of HP fanfics by having kids not sounding much like kids (probably justified in that they've grown up largely in their own company due to being home-schooled by a fairly free-thinking mother).

    Obligatory mentions for Doctor Who and Sherlock, although Sherlock does appear to be disappearing up its own arse on recent evidence.
     
  11. Matian

    Matian Seventh Year DLP Supporter

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2009
    Messages:
    299
    Location:
    Denmark
    Black Books is probably one the funniest tv shows ever. Dylan Moran is the non apologetic chain-smoking alcoholic owner of a small book shop and hires Bill Bailey as his shop boy. Tamsin Greig plays the ditzy next door shopowner with her head in the clouds.

    The jokes are simply phenomenal.

    This.
     
  12. Aekiel

    Aekiel Angle of Mispeling ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2006
    Messages:
    1,511
    Location:
    One of the Shires
    High Score:
    9,373
    Black Books is up there with Blackadder for my favourite comedy show. I'd be hard pressed to pick between the two if forced. If you ever get the chance to watch Dylan Moran live anywhere, take it, because he's a fantastic stand up comedian as well as actor.
     
  13. Socialist

    Socialist Professor

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2006
    Messages:
    478
    Location:
    The root of mt. Olympus
    I've enjoyed a couple shows made in Denmark these past few years. One is The Killing (I know a US version was made in 2014), which is a murder mystery with police procedural elements. Unlike shitty procedurals like CSI or the new Law and Order stuff, it's visceral, gripping, addictive, with a great bleak atmosphere and excelllent plot & acting.

    The second is Borgen. It's a show about politics - the central plot revolves around how a female leader of a small-medium party in Denmark manages to create a coalition and becomes the first fm prime minister. Good work acting wise, interesting plot - though, you have to like political stuff, like backroom deals, backstabbing, press manipulation & so on. There's plenty of cynicism to go around, but also some idealism. The only negative for me was that the show sometimes bludgeons you with its feminist agenda, thankfully not that frequently.
     
  14. bob eddy

    bob eddy First Year

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2008
    Messages:
    27
    Gender:
    Male
    The Last Kingdom in the UK is pretty good. It's based on a book series by Bernard Cornwell and is about a Saxon Nobleman that was raised by Vikings and his life as he fights for one or the other. Set approximately 800-900 AD England. It's following the books fairly well from what I can remember; it's been a couple of years since I've read them.
     
  15. Ash

    Ash Moves Like Jagger DLP Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2010
    Messages:
    1,747
    I agree with these 100%, some of my favorite shows.
    Other shows:

    Humans
    Joint Channel 4/AMC production, technically counts, it is set in the UK. Sci-fi show about synthetic humans.

    Utopia

    Utterly gorgeous, spectacular conspiracy thriller, two seasons. I don't want to say much more about it, it's really fucking amazing.

    The Inbetweeners, Some Girls, and Skins
    British teen shows are so much better than American ones, and these are my favorites of the ones I've watched.

    You, Me, and the Apocalypse

    Another joint British/American production, the name is pretty self-explanatory. It has a great cast, with Pam from The Office US, Tammy 2 from Parks and Recreation, Chris Traegar from Parks and Recreation, Olenna from Game of Thrones, and even Ron Swanson in a small role.

    Borgia
    A "French-German-Czech-Italian production" about, you guessed it, the Borgia.

    I keep meaning to watch Tripped, The Thick of It, Wolf Hall, and Fresh Meat, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Definitely others I'm forgetting, but my top recs would be Black Mirror, Utopia, and Misfits, which are three of my favorite shows.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2016
  16. CrashLTD

    CrashLTD Fifth Year

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2006
    Messages:
    148
    If you're into game shows and are fine with reading a lot of subtitles I'm suggesting Korea's Running Man. The first few episodes aren't all that great. But it gets better as it finds it's footing. Overall it's OK if you want to burn some time.
     
  17. weiyaoli

    weiyaoli Third Year

    Joined:
    May 12, 2009
    Messages:
    102
    Location:
    UK
    Similarly to this, I really enjoyed all 4 seasons of the Korean Show The Genius. The games themselves range from Avalon lite to Set and is definitely a draw if you are interested in game theory but the best part is definitely the cast.
     
  18. Bill Door

    Bill Door The Chosen One DLP Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2011
    Messages:
    2,145
    Location:
    Behind You
    Graham Linehan who was the co-creator of Black Books is also responsible for Father Ted and The IT Crowd. Father Ted in my opinion is the single best tv show ever created.
     
  19. Sorrows

    Sorrows Queen of the Flamingos Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    Messages:
    2,986
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Edinburgh
    Anyone from the US trying to watch Father Ted is going to need subtitles.
     
  20. Joe

    Joe The Reminiscent Exile ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter ⭐⭐⭐

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2008
    Messages:
    1,016
    Location:
    Canberra, ACT
    High Score:
    1,800
    Did you hear the actor who played Father Jack died about a fortnight back? Sad tidings. Was brilliant in that show.


    As for non-US television - Luther! Always and forever Luther! Stars Idris Elba as a badass DI taking on London's nastiest.
     
Loading...