# What British Series Should I Watch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895 "2011-09-01T22:33:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Biffer\_Spice\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@Biffer\_Spice\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffer_Spice_1)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/41 "2011-09-02T14:46:45Z")
> [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > I would recomend Kingdom. Stephen Fry is a market town lawyer (or whatever you call them in England) Quirky characters and Fry what more do you need? > > I quite liked Misfits as well. 4 kids on probabtion who get zapped with super powers. Not your traditional super hero show. These kids are hilarious and complete fuck ups. > > I second Spaced as well. Great show if you liked Shaun of the Dead. > > Then there’s always Black Books. yeah, spaced is good, rather than hilarious for me. i don’t even mean it disparagingly, it was very clever and watchable, but i was enjoying it rather than rolling around laughing. more an observation than a criticism 🙂 i do recommend it too. and black books had some inspired moments. until the 3rd series where, for some reason, they completely changed dylan moran’s character into some kind of weaselly coward :-/ utterly ruined it, in my opinion, but the first two series were very good and if you want non-comedy, old, and pretty out there, check out sapphire and steel - scared the pants out of me as a kid, but probably too dated for anyone who didn’t grow up with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/42 "2011-09-02T14:49:17Z")
> [@Biffer\_Spice](#): > > and if you want non-comedy, old, and pretty out there, check out sapphire and steel - scared the pants out of me as a kid, but probably too dated for anyone who didn’t grow up with it. 🙂 You are correct - it hasn’t aged well at all. I have the series on DVD and never got past the 3rd episode. Useful only as an historical artifact. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/43 "2011-09-02T18:33:41Z")
> [@JessMagic](#): > > The IT Crowd (filmed in front of a live studio audience, sitcom about IT geeks) Definitely IT crowd if you have any geeky tendencies, but you’d probably enjoy it either way if you like wacky sitcoms. ---
**Author:** ![gizzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gizzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gizzy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/44 "2011-09-02T18:43:20Z")
Its a small series but I can highly recommend The Amazing Mrs Pritchard 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/45 "2011-09-02T19:16:10Z")
Try[Not Going Out](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862614/). Pretty funny, if you understand the fast talking coupled with the accent. J. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/46 "2011-09-02T21:03:12Z")
That Mitchell and Web look Peepshow Both of these are brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/47 "2011-09-02T21:24:53Z")
_'Allo 'Allo_ is pretty fun. It’s the very silll story of Remi, a restauranteur in a small French town - occupied by the Nazi’s. Well, everyone’s both obnoxious and rather sympathetic in this show. Remi is a hustling, sarcastic philanderer. His wife is a loud and self-important but rather dim. The Germans are all entertainingly bent (in all sorts of ways…) and remarkably fun. I also enjoyed the BBC series _Merlin_, though it features one of the stupidest protagonists in television history, and the whole thing is a weird mash of Arthurian legends. Eventually, I was able to shrug my shoulders at the presence of Afro-british blacksmith/lady-in-waiting Guinivere\* and Merlin being younger than Arthur. But it’s never dull for a _moment_. \*I am not making this up. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/48 "2011-09-02T21:42:36Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > A couple Canadian comedies worth mention, just because they are not U.S. humor: > > Trailer Park Boys is, IMHO, the funniest comedy ever (unless you live in a trailer park and are easily offended). > > [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290988/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290988/) > > Corner Gas (mild and unoffensive, but often hilarious). > > [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397138/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397138/) And don’t forget the most underrated TV show ever: [Slings and arrows](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slings_and_arrows) Also, because nobody’s mentioned it yet, I loved [Jonathan Creek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Creek), about a magician’s trick designer turned reluctant detective. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Kaplin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@George\_Kaplin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/George_Kaplin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/49 "2011-09-02T21:48:16Z")
Can’t believe nobody has yet suggested [Outnumbered](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgdIt0SwbQk&feature=related)! Watch it. ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/50 "2011-09-02T22:02:48Z")
No one has mentioned George Gently? Allow me to correct the omission. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/51 "2011-09-02T22:05:40Z")
Well. That’s a pretty broad question. What American TV show should I watch? > [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > I would recomend Kingdom. Stephen Fry is a market town lawyer (or whatever you call them in England) Quirky characters and Fry what more do you need? > > I quite liked Misfits as well. 4 kids on probabtion who get zapped with super powers. Not your traditional super hero show. These kids are hilarious and complete fuck ups. > > I second Spaced as well. Great show if you liked Shaun of the Dead. > > Then there’s always Black Books. All of those are excellent. I don’t know many people who like Kingdom - it’s an ITV1 Sunday evening dramedy for pensioners - but it’s oddly enjoyable. Spaced and Black Books are among the best comedies ever. > [@Bayard](#): > > Just adding my vote for _House of Cards_. When I first saw it, I did not realize that there were two sequels, so my jaw dropped at the end of the first one. Not the ending I was expecting. > > …I agree that _Coupling_ has preposterous plots, but I found it sweet and funny, and I liked the characters. The setup sounds like _Friends_, but while I wanted to stab every character on _Friends_, I liked _Coupling_. House of Cards has one of the best, most evil, most likable, most believable characters ever created. If he were in the position to save the world (or at least the UK), then he would, and could, do so if he thought he would gain an advantage; if he thought he’d do better otherwise, he’d let everyone die. > [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > _'Allo 'Allo_ is pretty fun. It’s the very silll story of Remi, a restauranteur in a small French town - occupied by the Nazi’s. Well, everyone’s both obnoxious and rather sympathetic in this show. Remi is a hustling, sarcastic philanderer. His wife is a loud and self-important but rather dim. The Germans are all entertainingly bent (in all sorts of ways…) and remarkably fun. His name’s Rene. I love Allo Allo, but I love farce and puns. If you don’t, you won’t like it. > [@George\_Kaplin](#): > > Can’t believe nobody has yet suggested [Outnumbered](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgdIt0SwbQk&feature=related)! Watch it. They were all scared away by the evil little girl in it. One day she will slaughter the entire cast. ---
**Author:** ![Biffer\_Spice\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@Biffer\_Spice\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffer_Spice_1)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/52 "2011-09-02T23:26:06Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > That Mitchell and Web look > > Peepshow > > Both of these are brilliant. peep show i can’t argue with, but i do believe you’re the first person to ever describe the mitchell and webb look as brilliant. and i include mitchell and webb in that… ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/53 "2011-09-03T02:21:20Z")
A couple detective series. Not standard detective stuff. Good psychological thrillers: Wallander. U.K./Swedish, based on a great series of books by Henning Mankell. If you liked Stieg Larsson you might like this: > **[Wallander (TV Series 2008–2016) ⭐ 7.8 | Crime, Drama, Mystery](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178618/)** > > 1h 30m | TV-PG Cracker. I’m watching the second season of this series right now; Netflix does not have the first season, for some reason. Robbie Coltrane (aka Rubeus Hagrid), is a deeply troubled (and troubling) forensic psychologist. The first episode of season two is slow, but after that, it is very intense. > **[Cracker (TV Series 1993–1996) ⭐ 8.5 | Crime, Drama, Mystery](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105977/)** > > 1h 40m | TV-MA ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/54 "2011-09-03T02:22:24Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > And don’t forget the most underrated TV show ever: [Slings and arrows](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slings_and_arrows) > Also, because nobody’s mentioned it yet, I loved [Jonathan Creek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Creek), about a magician’s trick designer turned reluctant detective. Thanks, I will give them a try. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/55 "2011-09-03T02:32:09Z")
> [@Biffer\_Spice](#): > > peep show i can’t argue with, but i do believe you’re the first person to ever describe the mitchell and webb look as brilliant. and i include mitchell and webb in that… Oh it’s painful. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/56 "2011-09-03T02:33:54Z")
“The Office” is more cringe-inducing than its American counterpart, and much shorter (thank gawd!) but hysterical. Love the supporting character of Gareth (Dwight). ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/57 "2011-09-03T02:40:24Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > “The Office” is more cringe-inducing than its American counterpart, and much shorter (thank gawd!) but hysterical. Love the supporting character of Gareth (Dwight). Agreed. I know it’s not a T.V. series, but I loved Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s movie Cemetery Junction. > **[Cemetery Junction (2010) ⭐ 6.8 | Comedy, Drama](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1196204/)** > > 1h 35m | R ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/58 "2011-09-03T16:38:30Z")
> [@Biffer\_Spice](#): > > peep show i can’t argue with, but i do believe you’re the first person to ever describe the mitchell and webb look as brilliant. and i include mitchell and webb in that… Wha…? It’s freaking hilarious. It’s the best sketch comedy show ever next to Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Definitely better than SNL, Mr. Show, SCTV, Kids in the Hall, Bit of Fry and Laurie, etc. The cheese/petrol robot bit has to be in the running for funniest bit of all time. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/59 "2011-09-06T15:28:54Z")
**Inspector Morse** is enjoyed by many - although not a comedy obviously. [http://www.inspectormorse.co.uk/](http://www.inspectormorse.co.uk/) ---
**Author:** ![Bordesley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@Bordesley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bordesley)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895/60 "2011-09-06T16:14:07Z")
The follow on from Inspector Morse is LEWIS on ITV and New Tricks on BBC is really good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-british-series-should-i-watch/594895.md?page=4)