[Great] British TV: An American Rebroadcast Wish And/Or Recommendations List

[Kromm]

So what shows have aired in the UK, but not the US, that you really wish would air on the Left Side of the Atlantic? Or conversely if you've seen something British you're sure most of America hasn't (in other words if it's not yet on BBC America or PBS) then feel free to build everybody else's anticipation by telling us about it. Please use Spoiler Tags if you're going to give more than general impressions or an overall review though.  

 

Oh, and really the issue of "where did you see it" should be a non-starter. The answer is always "The Internet" and it's up to people to find stuff on their own if they're not simply going to wait for BBCA or PBS.  I mean unless the answer is "Hulu" or "Amazon Prime" or "Netflix" of course--then be specific.

[joelene]

I have been thinking about starting a thread like this! I love British television.

I saw the first part of the new BBC adaptation of And Then There Were None yesterday and really liked it. Great cast. Episode two aired yesterday and the final part today.

[Wax Lion]

I think I heard that And Then There Were None was a co-production with Lifetime and will air stateside eventually.

 

On a similar note, I heard good things about You Me and the Apocalypse and after looking at the cast, I can't wait.

[Kromm]

I saw the first part of the new BBC adaptation of And Then There Were None yesterday and really liked it. Great cast. Episode two aired yesterday and the final part today.

Hah, I'll fess up to watching that Dickensian show. It's a very weird high-concept show, waving a metaphorical magic wand andinserting all of Dickens characters possible in one unified story, and I have to fess up to having to Google some of the characters as things went on, because my memory of Dickens has faded. Dickens of course can be alternately dreary and wonderful, and this show certainly (intentionally) explores both sides of that.

As for And Then There Were None, since that's basically Christie's masterwork I'm sure I'll see that sooner or later too.

Thankfully the show didn't use the original British title for the book (this is famously real):

 

 

The UK in fact used the title until 1985.  Yes, 1985.

 

[BellaLugosi]

If you're into reality tv/competition shows, I adore the UK Apprentice. The prize now is a 250,000 investment in your business idea. They don't keep awful people around just because they are "entertaining". It's not even very often that someone irritates me on it, unlike the US version of any of these shows.

[Wax Lion]

So the UK Apprentice is nothing like the Mitchell and Webb sketch?

 

 

One show I wish were available online: The Peter Serafinowicz Show. E! aired it a while ago and it was great but I don't think I've seen it anywhere since then.

 

Is The Chaser still on in Australia? G4 aired it for a little while but pulled it, I enjoyed it. It was like The Daily Show meets Punk'd with a group of pranksters. Some of their stuff made news like when they disrupted (torture memo writer) John Yoo's UC Berkeley class with a guy in the Abu Garib stress position and asking if that was torture. I guess most Americans aren't really interested in a show that made fun of other countries' politics but I enjoyed what I saw of The Chaser.

 

I would also tune in for Mock the Week, at least for a little while.

[Kromm]

I would also tune in for Mock the Week, at least for a little while.

The panel show I like the most is actually the one that's almost not one--where they take 8 Out of 10 Cats (which I can take or leave) and plug it into that Countdown game show. It's a totally lunatic idea that shouldn't be entertaining (because I don't find either the "normal" Countdown or the normal 8 of 10 Cats all that compelling) but is in this exact combo.

[LucyHoneychurch]

My people!

 

I just finished watching River on Netflix. Highly recommended.  I'm a little upset that Lifetime is going to be showing War and Peace instead of PBS or HBO.  Even with a DVR I can't deal with the commercials.  

 

Any word on if/when Doctor Foster might make its way to the US?  

[BW Manilowe]

I think I heard that And Then There Were None was a co-production with Lifetime and will air stateside eventually.

On a similar note, I heard good things about You Me and the Apocalypse and after looking at the cast, I can't wait.

It's scheduled to premiere in the US on NBC, on Thursday, January 28th at 8PM Eastern/7PM Central Time. At least it won't conflict with Rob Lowe's other show. Starting January 5th, The Grinder will air on Fox on Tuesdays at 9:30PM Eastern/8:30PM Central, after Brooklyn Nine Nine.

http://m.nbc.com/you-me-and-the-apocalypse

I wish BBC America would rerun Torchwood from the beginning again.

Edited December 28, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[Kromm]

If you're into reality tv/competition shows, I adore the UK Apprentice. The prize now is a 250,000 investment in your business idea. They don't keep awful people around just because they are "entertaining". It's not even very often that someone irritates me on it, unlike the US version of any of these shows.

I liked their lower key approach to Ninja Warrior.  One series in and a second one apparently starts in a few days (it might not seem lower key from the antics in this video, but trust me, it was--at least Series 1 was):

 

 

The course was easier, which might be a downside, but the flip side is that several women got through in their first edition vs. the US one taking six. And I don't attribute that specifically to the slightly easier course as much as I think that the UK public has been viewing the US one for years and so the extreme sports people came out right away vs. waiting years (and travel to the contest is easier too, since the country is smaller).

Edited December 29, 2015 by Kromm

[Wax Lion]

Is it me or did that promo look... wacky? Like it mixed the drama of the Ninja Warrior franchise with snarky commentators, a la Wipeout? I didn't like the smug tone of WIpeout's announcers, but I think I'd take John Henson over Matt Iseman and American Ninja Warrior's irritating faux-sportcasters.

 

I'm actually cool with an easier course, what I liked about the Sasuke obstacles was how dynamic they were. I think sometimes the ANW designers value difficulty more.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Wax Lion

[Kromm]

Is it me or did that promo look... wacky? Like it mixed the drama of the Ninja Warrior franchise with snarky commentators, a la Wipeout? I didn't like the smug tone of WIpeout's announcers, but I think I'd take John Henson over Matt Iseman and American Ninja Warrior's irritating faux-sportcasters.

 

I'm actually cool with an easier course, what I liked about the Sasuke obstacles was how dynamic they were. I think sometimes the ANW designers value difficulty more.

To be clear, the Ninja UK announcers/commentators are shit. Total shit (or as our British brethren would say "shite"). Even worse than Iseman. That said, I found I liked the actual format (less sob/backstory), the centralization (they literally held the whole thing indoors in one location--doable in a geographically smaller country but I suppose not in the US), and yes, the subtly easier and thus more approachable course better. 

 

At the very least it's a tie. ANW got SO tiresome with the way they edit and present the backstories, the "while you were away" shit, and the superhero edits for favorites, that I have to swallow a bit of bile sometimes now when I watch it.  It was good to see a bit of a reset, although that was balanced by inexperienced commentators who were far too chipper and at times had very little to say other than "that was a good go at it!"

[ApathyMonger]

Hah, I'll fess up to watching that Dickensian show. It's a very weird high-concept show, waving a metaphorical magic wand andinserting all of Dickens characters possible in one unified story, and I have to fess up to having to Google some of the characters as things went on, because my memory of Dickens has faded. Dickens of course can be alternately dreary and wonderful, and this show certainly (intentionally) explores both sides of that.

 

I'm enjoying Dickensian, but twenty half-hour episodes may be too many.

 

Weirdly, even though it's scheduled to run until April, Amazon have the DVD as coming out in February: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dickensian-DVD/dp/B019N4K1UMI assume that's a mistake.

[ApathyMonger]

Trailer for BBC One 2016:

 

[Rick Kitchen]

QI!  C'mon!

[Kromm]

QI!  C'mon!

It's soon not going to have Stephen Fry presenting it, and if not what's the whole point of the show?  So yeah. Watch QI like crazy while he's still there.

It's not like Top Gear where the concept can (possibly) survive the hosts, I think. I mean there's nothing so unique about how QI is done that anyone can just step in. The charm of the show IS Fry. Without him it's just another interchangeable UK panel show.  With a badly done plinky sounding reggae theme song. Oh right. That'll save it!

Edited January 6, 2016 by Kromm

[ApathyMonger]

I'll miss Fry, but Sandi Toksvig is great, so I'll at least give it a chance.

[SVNBob]

BBC America did air some QI a little while ago as I recall. But they only did about 3 series and were a little behind at that (airing only Seires I, J, and K after L had been finished for a while and M hadn't yet started...or something similar). I don't know if the ratings were high enough for BBCA to justify importing additional series.

The mostly full runs of the standard episodes of Series I, J, and K are available on Hulu. I say standard because I personally prefer the XL editions, and I say mostly full runs because they don't include the VG clip shows.

Edited January 10, 2016 by SVNBob

[Wax Lion]

BBC America eventually bumped it down to Sunday afternoon so I don't think QI did well. I think the audience who would watch it already saw those episodes.

[Dejana]

Not so much a wishlist item but a question about general TV viewing patterns... Are cable/satellite/streaming less prominent in the UK compared to the US? Whenever I see articles that mention the ratings of popular British shows, it's clear TV in the UK has retained much more of the broadcast audience compared to the US.

Strictly Come Dancing 2017 destroys X Factor in ratings:

Quote

The BBC has since revealed the first episodes viewership, a staggering 9.3 million people watching on average, peaking at 10.2 million. Overall, the debut live show had an overall audience share of 46.9%.

As a result, ITV’s rival show The X Factor suffered, an average of 4.8 million viewers tuning in — a 1.5 million drop from last week — peaking at 6 million once Strictly finished.

The US has about five times the population of the UK, but even at their peak in the aughts, well before streaming and DVRing everything, the idea of American Idol or Dancing with the Stars getting 51 million viewers would have been sheer fantasy. That's Friends finale territory! Here's another night in British primetime earlier this year:

 

Quote

Poldark has returned to the top spot in the Sunday drama ratings battle, beating ITV's The Loch last night (June 11).

The opener for the third series of the BBC One favourite took in 5.5 million viewers, according to Telly Mix.

Quote

New six-part drama The Loch took second place with 5 million viewers, ahead of Channel 4's The Handmaid's Tale with 1 million.

The biggest scorer of the night was Antiques Roadshow, raking in 5.9 million viewers, ahead of Countryfile's 5.3 million. Elsewhere, Love Island pipped Big Brother on the reality TV side of things with 1.3 million to the Channel 5 show's 1.1 million.

I'm multiplying those numbers by five to kind of translate the size of the audience to US terms. "Antiques Roadshow wins the night with 30 million viewers" as a headline would have everyone here checking the calendar to make sure it's April 1st. It's just so interesting to see the differences and wonder if it's a cultural thing, or that UK Netflix doesn't get the top homegrown shows?

Edited October 20, 2017 by Dejana

[ApathyMonger]

11 hours ago, Dejana said:

It's just so interesting to see the differences and wonder if it's a cultural thing, or that UK Netflix doesn't get the top homegrown shows?

Netflix UK has a lot less acquired content than Netflix US in general. Very few new UK shows go there. The broadcasters pretty much all have their own (usually free) streaming services that keep their shows themselves: iPlayer, ITVPlayer, 4oD, etc.

There's also less streaming services in general. Netflix is the only big one, then Amazon. There's no real equivalent of Hulu that has a load of current TV from a bunch of different channels.

[GaT]

Since I discovered The Great British Bake Off (I finally got to watch the earlier seasons that weren't shown in the US), I've been interested in other British competition shows. I've already watched both seasons of The Great Pottery Throw Down, & I'm currently watching The Great British Sewing Bee. I plan on trying to find Bake Off: Creme de la Creme (or The Professionals), & The Big Painting Challenge.  Can anybody recommend any other shows?

[Ceindreadh]

17 minutes ago, GaT said:

Since I discovered The Great British Bake Off (I finally got to watch the earlier seasons that weren't shown in the US), I've been interested in other British competition shows. I've already watched both seasons of The Great Pottery Throw Down, & I'm currently watching The Great British Sewing Bee. I plan on trying to find Bake Off: Creme de la Creme (or The Professionals), & The Big Painting Challenge.  Can anybody recommend any other shows?

There was one called the big allotment challenge.

Sort of like bake off for gardeners. There’s usually three challenges a week including one in which they judge the best grower of a particular crop. I think there’s a few seasons of it around. 

[GaT]

3 minutes ago, Ceindreadh said:

There was one called the big allotment challenge.

Sort of like bake off for gardeners. There’s usually three challenges a week including one in which they judge the best grower of a particular crop. I think there’s a few seasons of it around. 

I watched that one a couple of years ago (I think) & really enjoyed it. I was trying to think of the name for my post, but it eluded me, so thanks for reminding me. :-)

[Brookside]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

Since I discovered The Great British Bake Off (I finally got to watch the earlier seasons that weren't shown in the US), I've been interested in other British competition shows. I've already watched both seasons of The Great Pottery Throw Down, & I'm currently watching The Great British Sewing Bee. I plan on trying to find Bake Off: Creme de la Creme (or The Professionals), & The Big Painting Challenge.  Can anybody recommend any other shows?

Masterchef UK is a bazzillion times better than Masterchef US.  I watch it on Youtube.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, Brookside said:

Masterchef UK is a bazzillion times better than Masterchef US.  I watch it on Youtube.

Does it have Gordon Ramsay on it? 

[meep.meep]

No it doesn't!  Probably why it is so good.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

No it doesn't!  Probably why it is so good.

Then I'll check it out, thanks!

[Brookside]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

Does it have Gordon Ramsay on it? 

Gordon Ramsey dials up his over-the-topness when he does US shows vs UK shows.

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, Brookside said:

Gordon Ramsey dials up his over-the-topness when he does US shows vs UK shows.

Yeah, the original UK Kitchen Nightmares were quite good, even with all the swearing.

[Athena]

In general, Ramsay is a lot more tolerable and helpful in his non-US shows. The US exception is Masterchef Jr where he seems closer to his "real" self.

[biakbiak]

The Great Interior Design Challenge and The Big Family Cooking Showdown are both on Netflix. I think they could have been an episode or two shorter but I think that could be because I binged both.

Its not really a competition show but Million Pound Menu in which people via for investors in their restaurant concept is interesting. It’s sort of like Shark Tank for restaurant so all the contestants do have the potential to “win”.

Edited September 7, 2018 by biakbiak

[GaT]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The Great Interior Design Challenge and The Big Family Cooking Showdown or both on Netflix. I think they could have been an episode or two shorter but I think that could be because I binged both.

Its not really a competition show but Million Pound Menu in which people via for investors in their restaurant concept is interesting. It’s sort of like Shark Tank for restaurant so all the contestants do have the potential to “win”.

LOL, I've watched all 3. I didn't realize how many British shows I watch.

[Brookside]

If you enjoyed Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren, then Broadchurch is a must-see.  Low key crime drama in a spectacular setting starring David Tennant and Olivia  Colman.

[GaT]

WHEN DOES THIS SHOW START?????????????

[Irlandesa]

On 9/7/2018 at 2:32 PM, biakbiak said:

The Great Interior Design Challenge

I discovered this show a few months ago and I so wish they had more than one season on Netflix.  I thought it was so relaxing to watch and it was amazing what they could do on a limited budget.

[legaleagle53]

Strictly Come Dancing, easily. It's the parent of our Dancing with the Stars (and the numerous other international versions), and it's still light-years better than DWTS, even though it's started to pick up some of our version's bad habits (Contemporary, Jazz, and Broadway, I'm looking at you!).  And it has a very funny and informative weekday companion show, It Takes Two, which has no US counterpart.  ITT goes behind the scenes and has pros who explain about technique and training and what to watch for in the different dances each week, as well as some hilarious filler segments.

[TaraS1]

On 9/9/2018 at 8:28 PM, legaleagle53 said:

Strictly Come Dancing, easily. It's the parent of our Dancing with the Stars (and the numerous other international versions), and it's still light-years better than DWTS, even though it's started to pick up some of our version's bad habits (Contemporary, Jazz, and Broadway, I'm looking at you!).  

Forgive my ignorance, but I have always wondered...what the heck does that title, Strictly Come Dancing, mean?  I mean, I know what the show is lol, just the wording of the title sounds strange to my American ears.

[legaleagle53]

6 minutes ago, TaraS1 said:

Forgive my ignorance, but I have always wondered...what the heck does that title, Strictly Come Dancing, mean?  I mean, I know what the show is lol, just the wording of the title sounds strange to my American ears.

The show's original incarnation (dating back to the 80s/90s, I think) was called Come Dancing.  When it was rebooted in the mid-2000s, the title was changed to Strictly Come Dancing to distinguish it from the original version, which had a different format and premise.  Brits, plase feel free to correct any of what I've just said if I'm misremembering any of it!

[doesntworkonwood]

Come Dancing was a ballroom dancing competition that had 'normal' people in it rather than celebrities and actually dates back to 1950-1998 so it ran for almost 50 years. They added the Strictly part to the the name when they created the new show as an illusion to the 1992 film Strictly ballroom. 

It's very big in the UK, you're either watching Strictly or X Factor/BGT if you're watching TV on a Saturday night. 

[TaraS1]

Thanks @legaleagle53 and @doesntworkonwood!  Much appreciated!

[legaleagle53]

3 minutes ago, doesntworkonwood said:

Come Dancing was a ballroom dancing competition that had 'normal' people in it rather than celebrities and actually dates back to 1950-1998 so it ran for almost 50 years. They added the Strictly part to the the name when they created the new show as an illusion to the 1992 film Strictly ballroom. 

It's very big in the UK, you're either watching Strictly or X Factor/BGT if you're watching TV on a Saturday night. 

Thank you.  I thought it dated back farther than the 80s, but I wasn't sure HOW far back it dated.  I DID know that regular people rather than celebrities competed -- and that Len was a part of it even back then (and believe it or not, so was Anton Du Beke in the 90s as a very young pro.  Talk about someone who's been around forever!).

[GaT]

Does anybody watch "The Repair Shop"? I adore this show, & I wish it was more easily accessible in the US. The show is filmed on the grounds of the Weald and Downland Living Museum. People bring in family heirlooms or just items they love, & experts restore them. It absolutely fascinates me to watch these artisans work on these items. The show used to be on BBC2, but for series 4 it moved to BBC1. I don't really understand what that means, I just know that as an American, It's harder to find the episodes to watch. They're on the BBC iplayer, but I can't access the show. Very frustrating, especially since I thought there was only 10 or 15 episodes, but I just found out there are actually 30. 

[Meredith Quill]

I recommend Year Of The Rabbit - it's a new comedy set in Victorian London. Season 1, consisting of six episodes, has just finished airing.

[Ceindreadh]

8 hours ago, SilverStormm said:

I recommend Year Of The Rabbit - it's a new comedy set in Victorian London. Season 1, consisting of six episodes, has just finished airing.

I heartily endorse this recommendation. 

[Ghost Ship]

If you've enjoyed series like Detectorists, you might like another BBC show called Ghosts. The basic set up is that a young modern couple inherit a dilapidated country house and also its population of ghosts who are not best pleased to see them. There's been one 6 part season so far and another has been commisioned.

[SVNBob]

Another "panel show" recommendation: Taskmaster.

Panel show is in quotes because it's not exactly a panel show, but has elements that are panel show like.   Series creator Alex Horne is the assistant to the Taskmaster, comedian Greg Davies.  Alex gives the regular-per-series cast of 5 comedians and/or actors unusual tasks to do for the Taskmaster.  The Taskmaster then ranks the results of the cast's attempts, sometimes based on exact criteria, like time or quantity, but often based on what he thinks is best.  This includes the opening task of every episode; the Prize Task, where the contestants have to bring in something (typically a possession) that they feel best fits the prize theme.  Each task gets a score of up to 5 points.  The person with the most points at the end of an episode wins the prizes for that episode (for real.  For example, one contestant once brought in a blank personal check for "the most valuable item" prize, and the winner of that episode  cashed it in.  Another contestant on a different episode put up his wedding ring as a prize and lost, and the winner actually took it home (he eventually returned it...I think)), but the person with the highest overall point total wins the series.

There are 8 series of the show thus far, with a special 2-episode mini-series filmed after the 5th series, where the 5 series winners competed for the title of "Champion of Champions".   And the 9th series has already been announced.

If this sounds somewhat familiar, there was a one-season American adaptation on Comedy Central.  The American Taskmaster was Reggie Watts, but Alex "retained" his role as the Taskmaster's assistant.   Due to the differences in broadcasting standards in the US and UK, there were several differences (more ad breaks, a change to the prize task, etc.), and the show didn't do that well.

[Meredith Quill]

On 7/17/2019 at 8:44 AM, Ghost Ship said:

If you've enjoyed series like Detectorists, you might like another BBC show called Ghosts. The basic set up is that a young modern couple inherit a dilapidated country house and also its population of ghosts who are not best pleased to see them. There's been one 6 part season so far and another has been commisioned.

I second this. It comes from the team that gave us Horrible Histories.

55 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

Another "panel show" recommendation: Taskmaster.

Panel show is in quotes because it's not exactly a panel show, but has elements that are panel show like.   Series creator Alex Horne is the assistant to the Taskmaster, comedian Greg Davies.  Alex gives the regular-per-series cast of 5 comedians and/or actors unusual tasks to do for the Taskmaster.  The Taskmaster then ranks the results of the cast's attempts, sometimes based on exact criteria, like time or quantity, but often based on what he thinks is best.  This includes the opening task of every episode; the Prize Task, where the contestants have to bring in something (typically a possession) that they feel best fits the prize theme.  Each task gets a score of up to 5 points.  The person with the most points at the end of an episode wins the prizes for that episode (for real.  For example, one contestant once brought in a blank personal check for "the most valuable item" prize, and the winner of that episode  cashed it in.  Another contestant on a different episode put up his wedding ring as a prize and lost, and the winner actually took it home (he eventually returned it...I think)), but the person with the highest overall point total wins the series.

There are 8 series of the show thus far, with a special 2-episode mini-series filmed after the 5th series, where the 5 series winners competed for the title of "Champion of Champions".   And the 9th series has already been announced.

If this sounds somewhat familiar, there was a one-season American adaptation on Comedy Central.  The American Taskmaster was Reggie Watts, but Alex "retained" his role as the Taskmaster's assistant.   Due to the differences in broadcasting standards in the US and UK, there were several differences (more ad breaks, a change to the prize task, etc.), and the show didn't do that well.

My OH floves this show so I second this recommendation oh his behalf.

[Stuffy]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:14 AM, SilverStormm said:

I recommend Year Of The Rabbit - it's a new comedy set in Victorian London. Season 1, consisting of six episodes, has just finished airing.

It’s goofy and I really enjoyed it. I believe it’s coming to the IFC, but I don’t know when. It’s on Dailymotion for now until they take it down. 

[rcc]

My Life is Murder, an Australian new show runs on Acorn TV every Monday. Starring Lucy Lawless. It's based in Melbourne and she plays a crime solver. It's very good.