B. This is a first pass, the rankings are fluid.
C. Reviews do their best to reveal as few plot points as possible.
D. Foreign shows should be watched with subtitles. It's easy to go into the settings and choose them.
1. SPIRAL
The best cop show on streaming TV period. The seasons get better in quality, both in image and story, not that the initial 2005-6 episodes are not satisfying. You must watch from the beginning, in order, because the characters and their relationships evolve. Thierry Godard plays a completely different role than he does in "A French Village" and you can't take your eyes off him or his costar, Caroline Proust, who is certainly beautiful, then again if you watch enough French television you find her in roles where she's mousy and at times unrecognizable. And the left field star is the judge, Philippe Duclos. This is one of the biggest international hits extant, it's only the Americans who are clueless, but they're catching on. Watch it.
Viewing: MHz Choice
2. A FRENCH VILLAGE
One of the best streaming series available. It's the story of a French town occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Audrey Fleurot delivers a riveting, far-ranging performance. And the Nazis... The Resistance in the mountains doesn't play true enough, but this series will affect you viscerally, you'll start asking what you'd do in the same situation. You'll get addicted.
Viewing: MHz Choice
3. THE BUREAU
The French CIA. One of the best streaming shows extant. The first season is a bit slow, but then... You'll be tense, on the edge of your seat, this is as good, if not better, than any drama that's played on the big screen in years.
Viewing: Sundance Now
4. LINE OF DUTY
On multiple services, this is the #1 show in the U.K. right now. It's a procedural about the anti-corruption division of the police pursuing "bent coppers." The seasons all connect and it's phenomenal. There is some violence, but that's not what the show is about. A unique look at the cops with fantastic acting, it's a must-see.
Reviews: bit.ly/3kUtIY8 and Season 6: bit.ly/3B6v6MA
Viewing: Seasons 1-4 Amazon Prime Video
Season 5 Acorn
Season 6 BritBox
Seasons 1-5 can be viewed via Hulu
5. THE BRIDGE (BRON/BROEN)
Danish and Swedish cops work on crimes together... The first season has the same plot as the first season of "The Tunnel," but the rest are unique. Sofia Helin as Saga, the Swedish cop on the spectrum, is so good, you can't take your eyes off her, you'll start talking like her, it'll become an inside joke. Great acting depicting three-dimensional characters and interesting plots to boot. There's nothing this good on American television right now, nothing! "The Bridge" has been shown in over a hundred countries, it's been remade not only in the U.K./France, but there have been USA/Mexico, Estonia/Russia, Malaysia/Singapore and Germany/Austria remakes. But you've got to watch the original, really.
Review: bit.ly/3og6I7S
Viewing: Topic
6. THE AMERICANS
Like "Bosch," this is one of the few series that gets better as it unfolds. Discard the fact that it was on FX originally, this is a first class, first rate show. Forget that Keri Russell was once Felicity. This is Russian spies in America and look out for supporting actors Noah Emmerich and Alison Wright, they're superb. You will think about this show when it's over. Also, unlike almost all long-running series, the ending is satisfying.
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
7. THE A-WORD
I could watch this show every night. (Same deal with "Ozark," even though they couldn't be more different.) Joe is a young child who is autistic, he's addicted to music, and he and his extended family live in the Lake District in England, with a landscape so beautiful you can't wait to go there. This story is very common, parents have a child, they know something is wrong, they must ultimately confront the fact the kid is autistic and then cope. You can't fix autistic, there is no operation. Then again, every kid has their special qualities and generates love. The combination of the parents' issues, mixed in with the extended family and neighbors, makes for riveting television. No one is trying to get rich, this is about living your life and coping. Positively excellent.
Review: bit.ly/2XUtOWt and Season 3: bit.ly/3kSBuSd
Viewing: Seasons 1&2 Amazon Prime
Season 3 SundanceTV via your cable provider
8. BOSCH
A police drama based on the Michael Connelly books that stars Titus Welliver and a host of character actors. It's gritty, it twists and turns and is wholly gratifying. You won't be intellectually challenged, but you'll love the ride.
Review: bit.ly/3oko0k4 and Season 6: bit.ly/2XZd68z
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
9. SRUGIM
Unmarried Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem trying to find their way in love, religion and career. The Israelis (and the Danes!) make the best television in the world, and this lives up to the billing. There are no superheroes, no special effects, just a group of friends trying to figure things out. Yes, they are Orthodox, but they are not the black hat-type. They wear regular clothes, live normal lives, but they observe the Sabbath and adhere to other traditions. At times you'll be elated, at times you'll find your heart breaking, but this is life, and it doesn't matter where you live, what religion you are, ultimately it's the same. This is about the script and the acting, not the images, which are relatively flat and washed out, but isn't that how it is in the heat of the desert?
Review: bit.ly/3uoUhYe
Viewing: Season 3: Amazon Prime Video Seasons 1&2 and all three seasons now on the Roku Channel and tubi
10. TRAPPED
Genius Icelandic TV starring Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as an endearing, but lumbering policeman in season one trying to find a murderer in an icy fjord community. In season 2 a foreman at the local power plant dies and... I absolutely loved this series, highly recommended. Slow, but satisfying
Viewing: Amazon Prime
11. FOLLOW THE MONEY-BEDRAG
Addictive Nordic noir. There are three connected seasons and you'll love them all.
Viewing: Topic
12. TRANSPARENT
You don't have to be Jewish to dig "Transparent," but it helps. If you're interested in family dynamics, sibling rivalries, interpersonal relationships, you'll love "Transparent." However, it may take you a couple of episodes to get into it.
Review: bit.ly/39Nb4en
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
13. THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
Sometimes the tone wavers, it becomes less than believable, subsequent seasons are not as good as the first, but if you like historical dramas of the mid-century, the twentieth century, you should enjoy this. Once again, you don't have to be Jewish, but it helps. Meanwhile, Rachel Brosnahan, who was self-controlled and meek in "House of Cards" is exuberant and excellent here, playing a wannabe Jewish comic even though she isn't Jewish. Can you go against the family wishes? Can you afford to disappoint your parents? Do you have enough strength to do it your way? Watch and find out.
Review: bit.ly/3ilskff and Season 3: bit.ly/3kSKsif
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
14. THE TUNNEL
A French/English crime show whose first season is lifted directly from the Danish/Swedish show "The Bridge"... I thought this was positively great, until I saw the original...
Review: bit.ly/3ATHTlv
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
15. ZEROZEROZERO
The brainchild of Roberto Saviano, who is responsible for "Gomorrah," which got caught up in the Weinstein sale and disappeared but is now streamable on HBO Max. This is a road movie, in some ways akin to "The Wages of Fear" or Friedkin's underrated "Sorcerer." We travel from country to country trying to deliver the product... The imagery is a ten and so is the journey. The meaning is not really there, but the experience is top-notch, this needs to be seen.
Review: bit.ly/3F3V31W
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
16. AUTONOMIES
A fantastic Israeli series set in an alternative world where the Orthodox live separately from the less observant, it's another visceral Israeli watch that draws you in. Who do you obey, the rabbi or the law? What is the right thing to do, what will you sacrifice?
Viewing: Topic
17. DEUTSCHLAND '83, '86 AND '89
This is a trilogy concerning East German spies from the nation's heyday until its fall. The tone can vary wildly, from deadly serious to comical, but the series is ultimately very rewarding, the peek into East German life feels very real.
Viewing: Acorn for '83 and '86 or watch all three on Hulu
18. THE ATTACHÉ
Israeli musician follows his wife to Paris for her gig and they encounter terrorism and it all feels real, especially the tug and pull of the wife's family, meddling in the marriage.
Viewing: Acorn
19. HIDDEN
Another U.K. whodunit with creepy characters and family drama that will keep you watching.
Acorn
20. DEADWATER FELL
The always great David Tennant in a murder mystery in a small town in Scotland...watch "Broadchurch" first, but if you're a fan of this U.K. stuff you'll love this.
Acorn
21. WHEN THE DUST SETTLES
There's a terrorist attack in a restaurant, how do the disconnected yet affected cope with this? You get backstory, you get hopes and dreams... There are better series, but this is a very good one (and it's Danish!)
Viewing: Topic
22. KEEPING FAITH
Eve Myles as an attorney with a duplicitous husband involved in nefarious affairs. The show is not as good as Myles, by the same token Myles is as good as it gets, you can't take your eyes off of her! Shot in Wales, I can't say that I loved it throughout, but the final, third season, is a triumph, and that's so rare.
Review: bit.ly/3mgRGMG
Acorn
23. THE HOUR
50s TV news show with politics, both office and governmental/world, and murder. The marvelous Ben Whishaw is excellent as usual, it's fun to get a peek into the 50s both in image and political issues, but it just doesn't feel real.
Viewing: Acorn
24. THE RETURNED
The dead reappear, but to call it a zombie show would be unfair. It's French, the production qualities are high, the show is very watchable, but at times it's a bit slow and unbelievable. I wouldn't put it at the top of your list, but if you want more French television...
Viewing: Sundance Now
25. PATRIOT
Bizarre and nearly inexplicable, watch half an episode and you'll know whether this is up your alley. What you've got here is big business mixed with foreign intrigue and interstitial music played on the guitar by the star. Whacked. And a bit slow. But those who've seen it comprise a cult of fans who always talk about it.
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
26. LONG STRANGE TRIP
Overrated Grateful Dead documentary that somehow misses the mark. The early days are done well, after that...
Review: bit.ly/2XZ7v22
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
27. GOLIATH
First season is great, after that beware. Billy Bob Thornton is phenomenal, as is his costar Nina Arianda. And the cinematography is brilliant too. "Goliath" is a legal drama that becomes less satisfying as the seasons roll on. This is middlebrow fare.
Review: bit.ly/3m9lCKu and Season 4: bit.ly/39SDNhP
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
28. I LOVE DICK
A Jill/Joey Soloway production just like "Transparent." If you are into the art scene, you'll love this. And unless you are, or are into foreign drama, beware. This stars Kathryn Hahn, who Soloway has helped make a major star.
Review: bit.ly/3AUkpNp
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
29. HOMECOMING
Overhyped and overrated. Julia Roberts is great, but the plot is convoluted, unbelievable and ultimately unsatisfying. Real world sci-fi, if I tell you any more I'll ruin it. But you don't need to see it.
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
30. ARDE MADRID
This is a whacked comedy/drama set in Spain in the sixties starring Debi Mazar as Ava Gardner with the Perons living next door, angry about the noise she's generating while Franco lurks in the background. Can be an endurance test, but the twists in character are interesting.
MHz Choice
31. FORTITUDE
I love Scandinavian dramas, but I could only make it through the first season of this. Once Dennis Quaid appeared, I was out. It was a step down in quality, it was akin to an American show. What you've got here is mysterious deaths in the bleak Norwegian Arctic. There are many great shows with similar settings, this is not one of them.
Viewing: Amazon Prime Video
--
Visit the archive: lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, Unsubscribe
To change your email address this link
No comments:
Post a Comment