A lot of great streaming video doesn't come from the US. Unhollywood examines movies and TV currently streaming on major services that were made in Europe, Canada, Australia, Africa, and almost anywhere else.
The content isn't necessarily new, but it is worth watching. Period drama and some science fiction does age remarkably well.
Also, this is one person's personal opinion. Your mileage may vary. The links take you to US sources for the streams. If you watch from another location, you may have to do some searching.
2020
Kang Quintus, Faith Fidel, Cosson Chinepoh
First, let's admit that this is an incredibly beautiful movie, first class Geography Porn that uses the beauty of Cameroon to magnificent effect. It tells the story of a Cameroonian girl who wants to go to school in a place where girls almost never do that.
That it tells this story in heavily accented English is not that much of a problem--there are subtitles if you need them. The actors are personable, and the production values are very good. This is a really good story in an unusual setting, and it is beyond watchable. It streams on Netflix, but reputedly only until April 3 2023, so if you're going to watch, you might want to set aside a little time in the next few weeks.
2020
Miki Nakatani, Elaiza Ikeda, Mari Natsuke et al.
Tokyo is a beautiful city, and Limi is a gifted photographer juggling professional and personal goals. Natsuke is a struggling actress--emphasis on the "struggling," as she can't get arrested. The intersection of their lives in this gorgeous setting and the darker world of social media makes a wonderful and visually striking series. Have a look. You won't be disappointed.
The Netflix version defaults to Japanese audio, but there are buttons at the bottom to bring up the English audio track. As lovers of Japanese TV already know, though, the translations are sometimes a little... interesting. Viewer's choice, though.
2018-2021 (only three seasons as it got covided): Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn
In the 1990s in Northern Ireland, going downtown could mean shopping, snacking, maybe checking out a gallery, maybe getting blown to bits.
In the midst of all this, four young girls and one boy work their way through adolescence in a girl's school (James's presence there is explained in the first episode). The characters are exquisitely delineated and the performances bring each one to life. The writer shows us life as a Derry girl in a way that made me try to laugh and cry at the same time. There are some great lines and some wonderful visuals. Derry Girls is well worth the time it takes to watch it.
1995-1998: Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Sheen, David Calder, Keely Gainey, Andrew Connolly, Kevin McMonagle
This is, of course, not the only television series about a female doctor in the 1890s and her professional and social struggles.
It's just far superior to the one you're thinking of.
For one thing, it avoids most anachronisms and depicts something of the actual state of medicine at the time. Rumor has it the medical content is based on actual historical cases. Another bright spot is the heroine, who is very, very far from perfect, although always personable even when working through her own pigheadedness and the results of her mistakes. The London setting, wilder even than the wildest of the American West, crosses Dickens with Jane Austen to produce a portrait of a divided society. And the visuals, of course, are magnificent. The ending, in the form of two TV movies advertised as "Season Four," isn't up to the rest of the material, but it's still watchable. Give the show a try; it's very easy to like.
No real disparagement of that other lady doctor show; it's not bad and I watched it religiously. It's just that Bramwell is better.
2008+: Yannick Bisson, Hélène Joy, Thomas Craig, Jonny Harris, Lachlan Murdoch
Detective William Murdoch is an inventor and the bright star of the Toronto Constabulary in the 1890s and 1900s. Dr. Julia Ogden, the coroner, is his love interest and later his wife. Their career and personal life have delighted viewers for a decade and a half, now, and the show is still going strong. Its use of prominent guest stars and historical detail brings it a cut above most such shows. If you've somehow missed it, check it out. It's great fun.
2012-2015: Essie Davis, Nathan Page, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Ashleigh Cummings
Melborne in the 1920s. Miss Phryne Fisher is a forward-thinking lady who sets up as a jazz-age detective, astonishing not only the older generation but many of her contermporaries.
Adapted from Kerry Greenwood's novels, the television series is visually magnificent, with period detail of costume and setting that delights the eye. The performances are also a treat, especially Essie Davis as Miss Fisher and Ashleigh Cummings as her maid Dorothy. Altogether, this is well worth watching, or even rewatching.
There's also a TV movie, and a "spin-off" set in the 1960s.
2006-2007: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White
actually set in Manchester, but BBC Wales did produce it.
So, there was this car accident, and a very good cop from the early 2000s woke up in 1973.
This one could have gone in fantasy or mystery as well as this category, of course. As someone who actually remembers the 1970s, though, it's the nostalgia that gets me, that and the first rate writing and iconic performances. Apparently they got quite a number of award committees, too, because this show is draped with them like ornaments on a Christmas tree. If you haven't seen it, fire up Britbox right this minute and go watch it. You won't be sorry.
Be aware that Season 1 Episode 4 should carry a trigger warning for sexual assault. It wouldn't have in 1973, of course, or probably in 2006, but it's a bit over the line for modern audiences.
William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Ncuti Gatwa, and that's just the title character
The grandaddy of science fiction series is still running, for now, but many fans are doubtful of its recent sale of distribution rights to Disney. That and the return of David Tennant as "the Fourteenth Doctor" has many long-term fans, including yours truly, quite worried about the show's future.
If you somehow have never seen any of the series, though, it is seriously worth watching. From Pertwee's swagger and Tom Baker's charisma to Capaldi's pure acting chops and Whittaker's remarkably mobile face, each of the several doctors is a treat. The actors cast as the different incarnations of the Master, the doctor's so-called arch enemy, are also some of the most talented in the business. I have to name them too? Roger Delgado, Anthony Ainley, John Simm, Michelle Gomez and Sacha Dhawan. Throw in recurring characters like Alex Kingston as River Song, Jemma Redgrave as the Brigadier's daughter (and successor) and in the classic episodes Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier himself and you get a cast that handled all sorts of material with style. They are not to be missed.
I just hope they have a future.
Note that Classic Who streams on many of the free services as well as Britbox. There are also two movies: Peter Cushing in Doctor Who and the Daleks is on Amazon Prime and Paul McGann in Doctor Who: the TV Movie can be found on YouTube with a simple search.
Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Alexander Simcoe, Lani John Tupu, Jonathan Hardy, Gigi Edgley, Wayne Pygram, Virginia Hey
How pitiful am I, that ten years on I can still rattle off the cast of Farscape? Like Odysseus, Crichton wandered this way and that, encountering some very strange things in his quest to get home. The show was the flagship series of the Sci-Fi channel in its time, and it is still worth a rewatch, or possibly several.
1 season of 16 episodes mostly heavily accented English with a few subtitled passages
Faustina Kwablah, Asem Kweku, Christ Agafie, Evelyn Emenyo, Abraham K Seidu, Miranda Bazaanah, Patient Nyce
There is some gorgeous scenery in Akelah and the Budus Stones, and quite an enticing story of a teenager in ancient Ghana facing the opposition of those around her to her inborn link to mysterious magic. Unfortunately the stones in question have voices like the twins in an old Godzilla movie, and the copy of the video available to the streaming service has visible flaws in a few places. Only a few, though, and not enough to mar the enjoyable whole. That said, the series captures one's attention with a culture rarely explored on US TV and a particularly charming protagonist.
2022; 8 episodes
renewed for a second season, now pending, to be shot in the UK
Morfydd Clark heads a large cast of gifted performers
Tolkein had me, in terms of Galadriel--and this was with the hardback book from my university library in 1975--he had me with the song in the boat, before I ever saw the Silmarillion, much less the film adaptations. I'm heavy into this. That said, let us recognize that the show's makers could not or would not acquire the rights to said Silmarillion. This means that this show, while delightful, bears the same relationship to Tolkein as Steinbeck's Arthurian novel bears to Tennyson, Mallory or T.H. White. In other words, it's another interpretation of the same source material
I don't have a problem with this, and the show is definitely enjoyable. It's a product of Bad Wolf Productions, the same folks that gave us Doctor Who. Go. Watch it. And then wait with me for someone to actually do a film version of the Silmarillion.
2014 forward: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan
I thought twice about including this widely known piece, as it was a Starz production with an American producer, but 1) if you actually haven't seen it, you should, and 2) a good deal of the photography was done in Scotland, even the parts that were meant to depict early America. Also, there is enough Scottish Gaelic in it to make the designation reasonable. Once Outlander was in, I had to decide where to put it as, like Life on Mars, it could be fantasy, time travel science fiction or a pure period piece. I'm calling it fantasy, but decide for yourself after you watch it.
Outlander is about a World War 2 veteran nurse who finds herself transported to 1743, and what happens to her there. Based on novels by Diana Gabaldon, the visually striking series follows Claire through eight seasons so far of the resulting adventures. It's lovely and fun to watch, and has pulled in a good many awards. If you haven't seen it yet, try an episode or two. You're likely to enjoy it.
The huge cast includes Marco Pigossi, Julia Konrad, Alessandra Negrini, Jéssica Córes and Samuel de Assis
"The city grew larger; the forest grew smaller." Then a dead dolphin appears on the beach in Rio de Janiero, and then... well, that's when we find ourselves chin deep in Brazilian folklore. Throw in a murder mystery and the fascinating career of the environmental police, and you get a compelling series well worth watching.
2003-2015 England
Detective Superintendant Sandra PUllman shot an aggressive dog at a chaotic crime scene.
This did not help her career. In fact, she soon found herself in charge of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOCS, pronounced just as you'd expect). She and her team of retired officers investigate cold cases with a surprising degree of success.
The show is delightful. Amanda Redman, James Bolam, Alun Armstrong and Dennis Waterman can solve my murder any time. The banter and situational comedy make a wonderful contrast to the murder mysteries, and the settings and camera work are first rate.
And there are twelve seasons of it, streaming on Britbox. If you love cozy mysteries, check this one out.
2003-2007 England
In a hard world of not always squeaky clean policeman, a good man and a good cop can seem out of place, and can find himself assigned to less than prestigious cases, the sort at which success is not going to bring recognition and acclaim.
This is the position in which 'Dangerous Davies finds himself, and the premise of a series of cozy mysteries that can make the pickiest of viewers smile. It helps that Peter Davison could hold an audience's interest while reading a phone book. It's a visually beautiful show with a charming cast, and well worth watching, even if we never do learn the title character's first name.
Over the huge span of the series an enormous and frequently changing cast has been led by Amanda Benton or Emilia Fox, and for one delightful season (25), both.
This long-running forensic drama delves into gruesome crimes as well as the personal lives of the scientists and police officers working in the lab. It's a wonderful example of the genre, and great fun to watch.
2019 forward: 1st season Australia, after that New Zealand
The huge cast includes Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans, Bernard Curry, Rawiri Jobe, Alex Andreas, Joe Naufahu
Retired and widowed, ex-police officer Alexa Crowe bakes bread for a friend and solves a few crimes on the side. Lucy Lawless puts out a flawless depiction of this stage of an active woman's life, and the rest of the cast keep up with her all the way. One of the best things about My Life is Murder is the design work: in a world where television is neutral and dark, this show is brightly colored and brightly lit in a way that brings a smile to my face even during a murder. Check it out and see if you don't agree.
2021-; 13 episodes
Sally Lindsay, Robin Askwith, Sue Vincent, Steve Edge, Sue Holderness, Alex Gaumond
Jean White is an antiques dealer with an exhaustive knowledge of collectible art. She goes to France to settle the affairs of her late husband and discovers that he was broke and had another wife.
As it takes a while to straighten out that mess, Jean finds herself assisting the local constabulary in matters of identification and forgery relating to a number of murders. It's a fairly original premise, a charming character and a lovely location, and it's great fun to watch.