The number one recommendation according to my inbox is "Line of Duty," which is a fantastic series, I wrote about it here:
lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/01/03/line-of-duty/ In 2021 I also listed it as #4 in "Best Series On Amazon Prime-In Order", here:
lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/09/29/best-series-on-amazon-prime-in-order/ You can watch the first five seasons on various services (check justwatch.com), but if you want all six seasons, you must subscribe to BritBox. "Line of Duty" is all about "bent coppers," and it's one of the strongest word of mouth series extant.
I combed through the rest of the BritBox recommendations and I came up with the following list. Once again, these shows might be on different services outside the U.S., and just because a series is English, that does not mean it is on BritBox.
You know that unless it has a score of 80 in the Critics category on RottenTomatoes I don't watch a series. There's just so much to see, and so little time. All of these reach this threshold. In the numbers posted, the first is the Critics Score and the second is the Audience Score. I know RottenTomatoes is imperfect, but I've found it to be the most useful metric. (Certainly better than personal recommendations, which I find to be wildly inaccurate, people are passionate about series that are oftentimes mediocre...if you enjoyed it great, but that does not mean I necessarily will. I take my television watching very seriously, it eats up so much time, I don't want to waste it.) If there is no RottenTomatoes rating in one of the two categories, you will see "—"
One more thing... When I write about streaming television I get much more feedback than I do when I write about music.
In no particular order:
THE TOWER - 100/83
We started here because of the 100 Critics rating. This is not a huge investment, there are two seasons, the first has three episodes and the second has four and each is forty five minutes long.
The series is based on books by Kate London, not that I know who that is. It stars Gemma Whelan, whom dedicated followers of U.K. TV might know, but I did not. Interestingly, Whelan made her bones as a comedian, but this is a straight, dramatic role.
Wilson is the heart of the series, but the supporting actors are up to her level. You don't see this cornucopia of faces in an American series. Everyone is not beautiful, but in some cases that makes them more believable (like Fat Elaine, who owns this moniker even though Wilson's Sarah Collins blows back).
"The Tower" is not revolutionary. It's somewhat predictable, then again there are twists and turns, and the second season is more dense and better than the first. All in all a winner. Not the best series I've ever seen, but definitely a cut above.
SHETLAND - —/83
KAREN PIRIE - 91/85
SHERWOOD - 100/73
GRACE - 80/62
WALLANDER - 88/89
NO OFFENCE - —/92
CRACKER - —/93
VERA - —/82
THE RESPONDER - 100/76
THE THICK OF IT - —//93
STONEHOUSE - 95/74
HATTON GARDEN - 86/—
WHY DIDN’T THEY ASK EVANS - 100/76
LUTHER - 88/88
INSIDE NO. 9 - 100/93
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