If you’ve ever watched a British TV show, you may have gotten an inkling that the British do TV a little bit differently than their American counterparts. While you may at first be confused by their seemingly random premiering schedules, the strange season lengths, and the innovative ways they tell their stories, you’ll eventually find much to appreciate in what British TV has to offer.
BritBox is the perfect service for exploring all of that. The streaming service is designed to deliver a package filled with British TV greats to you, but once you’ve subscribed, you may be even more lost than usual about what’s actually worth watching. If you’re in that boat, don’t worry. We’ve selected three great shows from the service that are worth checking out this month.
Dunkirk (2004)
No, not the Christopher Nolan movie. This Dunkirk was made first, and is a docudrama that chronicles one of the more gripping stories in British history. After battling the Germans across France, British soldiers had been pinned down and were waiting to be evacuated on the beaches of Dunkirk.
The series follows these soldiers as they anxiously wait, and we learn about the small boats that were sent to rescue them. Dunkirk is one of the most compelling true stories ever told, and this docu-drama, which co-stars a young Benedict Cumberbatch, gives us many different perspectives on the beauty and horrors of the evacuation.
You can watch Dunkirk on BritBox.
Suspects (2014-2016)
If you read the initial description of Suspects, you might naturally confuse it with the more conventional crime procedurals that we have in the U.S. The major difference, though, is that Suspects is largely improvised by the actors who play the detectives at the show’s center, and the series is filmed in a style that is meant to imitate a fly-on-the-wall documentary.
This interesting mashup of styles and genres leads to a show that is riveting, in part because it follows the natural patterns of human behavior. You never know what’s coming next.
You can watch Suspects on BritBox.
The Great British Countryside (2012)
Tourism shows can sometimes be underrated. The Great British Countryside is more than a decade old, but it’s still one of the best series showcasing all the splendor of the United Kingdom. The U.K. is often a country derided as gloomy and cold, but this show’s brilliance is in acknowledging those truths while finding plenty to love about the country the Brits call home.
Hosts Hugh Dennis and Julia Bradbury dive into the country’s splendor, and the ways it has shaped the lives of those living in the country for generations and centuries. It’s a fitting tribute to the country it calls home.
You can watch The Great British Countryside on BritBox.
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