TV shows not set in the U.S. or England

August 9, 2023 11:30 AM

I’ve noticed that almost everything I’ve watched over the past few years is set in the U.S. or in England, with South Korea making a very honorable mention. (Can only think of two shows set in Ireland, nothing in Scotland or Wales). I’d like to break that up and expand my horizons:

I just watched Tokyo Trials (set in Japan) and started Kleo (set in Germany) and I guess that’s what got me thinking.

As far as genres/preferences, I’ve enjoyed The Crown, Fisk, Happy Valley, How to Become a Tyrant, White House Plumbers, and The Last of Us.

TV shows are preferred, movies are okay.

posted by bunderful to Media & Arts (62 answers total)

I enjoyed Deutschland 86 and Babylon Berlin
posted by jouke at 11:32 AM on August 9, 2023 [6 favorites]

“Chernobyl” maybe?
posted by jzb at 11:36 AM on August 9, 2023 [11 favorites]

Season 2 of White Lotus (Sicily)
Acapulco (Mexico)
Club de Cuervos (Mexico)
3% (São Paulo, Brazil)
posted by credulous at 11:37 AM on August 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

There's the whole subgenre of Scandinavian crime drama that was pretty popular for a while.
posted by AndrewInDC at 11:42 AM on August 9, 2023 [12 favorites]

Babylon Berlin is definitely worth a watch. I liked Dark as well.

Outside of Germany, I enjoyed Sacred Games (India), Derry Girls (Northern Ireland), Miss Sherlock (Japan), and Lupin (France).
posted by the primroses were over at 11:42 AM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

Dark is a fantastic sci-fi show set in Germany. Borgen is about a (fictional) Danish prime minister, the first woman in the role. The whole world of Scandinavian TV is pretty cool, actually. Watch one or two and others will start popping up on your recommended list. Lots of dystopian stuff, too.

I'll also second the recommendation for 3% from Brazil.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:47 AM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

Deadloch (Tasmania, Australia)
The Tourist (Australia) - note: NOT the Angelina Jolie movie
Wellington Paranormal (New Zealand)
posted by mrphancy at 11:48 AM on August 9, 2023 [5 favorites]

I was coming in to mention Derry Girls and Lupin.
posted by praemunire at 11:50 AM on August 9, 2023 [7 favorites]

Top of the Lake - New Zealand
My Brilliant Friend - Italy
Les Revenants/The Returned - Originally French, later American adaptation
posted by rabbitbookworm at 11:50 AM on August 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

Young Royals is set in Sweden and focuses on a member of the Swedish royal family navigating boarding school. I found it especially interesting after watching The Crown - it's very different tonally and also shows how different the Swedish royal family is from the British one. You can watch in Swedish with English subtitles or listen to the English version which is dubbed by the original cast.

Outlander is set (mostly) in Scotland, and is a great starting point to jump into Scottish history. Monarch of the Glen is a cozy dramedy about a Scottish man who's been working in London and goes home to run his ancestral estate.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is set in 1920s Australia.

If you're interested in very stylized/fictionalized versions of other times and places: Reign is a soapy drama set in France and later Scotland (and a little England), focusing on Mary Queen of Scots. The Great is very funny and focuses on Catherine the Great in Russia.
posted by earth by april at 11:54 AM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

I mentioned a few Canadian programs over here. I think Son of a Critch is airing now in the US, so you should be able to view it.

Republic of Doyle, mentioned here, was described by its creators as a modern day Rockford Files set in Newfoundland. It wasn't, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good detective show.
posted by sardonyx at 11:54 AM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

A place to call home is set in New Zealand.
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:55 AM on August 9, 2023

Hinterland, police drama set in Wales.
posted by JimN2TAW at 11:56 AM on August 9, 2023 [5 favorites]

The Fall, set in Northern Ireland.
Counterpart, set in Berlin, although you don't get much of a feel for Berlin.
Orphan Black, set in Canada, although I didn't notice much that really set it apart from the USA.
posted by adamrice at 11:58 AM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Netflix Lupin series is set in France.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:00 PM on August 9, 2023

The House of Flowers (Mexico)
Borgen (Denmark)
The Returned (France)
To the Lake (Russia)
posted by rhymedirective at 12:04 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

Squid Game is South Korea. Black Mirror is an anthology of episodes some of which are set in non-US, non-England places.
posted by mmascolino at 12:08 PM on August 9, 2023

Katla (Iceland)
Shtisel (Israel)
posted by wondermouse at 12:23 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

Shetland, a murder mystery series set on the Shetland Islands
Fortitude, set in Iceland
Trapped, set in Iceland
Smilla's Sense of Snow (movie), set in Denmark and Greenland
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 12:26 PM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

Kleo (on Netflix) is completely amazing and set in Cold War Germany.
"Der Usedom-Krimi" aka Baltic Crimes is set between Germany and Poland.
The Bridge is also fantastic, that's Sweden/Denmark.
posted by quacks like a duck at 12:28 PM on August 9, 2023

Oh, also Occupied, about a "soft" Russian invasion of Norway
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 12:28 PM on August 9, 2023 [5 favorites]

I’m not sure about the other services, but I know that Netflix lets you browse shows by their original language (it’s the ‘Browse by Language’ option at the top of the screen). I’ve used that before to get a little more geographic/cultural diversity in what I watch.
posted by scyllary at 12:31 PM on August 9, 2023 [4 favorites]

all on Netflix - all with English translations:

A Girl and An Astronaut (set in Poland & Russia). Top Gun-esque TV show about air force pilots fighting over a girl and a secret space mission. Time travel, the future, etc.

Home for Christmas: Denmark (maybe?) Comedy/drama about a serially dating woman and her family.

Italy: An Astrological Guide to Broken Hearts- standard comedy/romance sitcom from Italy about a tv producer, her best friend astrologer, and episodes and people based on astrological signs.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:35 PM on August 9, 2023

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_shows_by_continent_of_setting might be a good start.

There's a whole bunch of other categories that might get into what you're after as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_shows_by_geographic_setting as an example.
posted by adekllny at 12:36 PM on August 9, 2023

Girl from Nowhere (Thailand)
posted by ichimunki at 12:50 PM on August 9, 2023

There are Three seasons of Young Offenders (People's Republic of Cork)
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:56 PM on August 9, 2023

The Brokenwood Mysteries, a goofy small town mystery series from New Zealand.
posted by zamboni at 12:58 PM on August 9, 2023 [5 favorites]

with South Korea making a very honorable mention

The streaming service Viki specializes in content from East Asia, and you can browse by country.
posted by trig at 1:08 PM on August 9, 2023

Call My Agent, set in Paris.
Srugim, set in Israel.
Commandments, set in Israel.
posted by FencingGal at 1:09 PM on August 9, 2023

Get MHZ Choice for streaming. They import all kinds of shows from Europe, Oceania, and Asia that aren't British and not on BritBox/Acorn. It's an $8 addon to Prime Video if you already have that.

(one warning though is that all shows are in their original language and subtitled in English, and cannot be turned off)
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:18 PM on August 9, 2023

The Empress basically felt like "The Crown, But In Austria"
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:24 PM on August 9, 2023

Canada:
- Schitt's Creek
- Kim's Convenience
- Letterkenny

France:
- Call My Agent
- Emily in Paris (ok this is an American show and a bit of guilty pleasure but it's good fun and set almost 100% in Paris)
- Parisian Agency
- Lupin

NZ:
- What we do in the shadows (the movie, not the show)
posted by sid at 1:32 PM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

My husband just watched "Rough Diamonds," set in Antwerp, and liked it.
posted by wisekaren at 1:36 PM on August 9, 2023

The Bureau (French show, set in many places) - outstanding spy drama
posted by plant or animal at 1:57 PM on August 9, 2023 [4 favorites]

Post Mortem: Nobody Dies in Skarnes (Norway) is on Netflix. It's a brilliant show about vampires, family funeral homes, and mostly gormless cops. 6 episodes, no filler, leaves you hungry for more. (Sorry.)

You can go in cold (SORRY) or check out the trailer.
posted by maudlin at 2:20 PM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

I really enjoyed Bad Sisters (Ireland), Deadloch (Australia), and The Dogs of Berlin (Germany).
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:36 PM on August 9, 2023

Letterkenny is a pretty accurate (and funny) spoof of modern millennial life in a Canadian farming town. Like, there are horses… and there’s weed
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:50 PM on August 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

Derry Girls - set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s - tv comedy with dramatic and historical elements

Servant of the People - Ukraine - tv comedy with dramatic and historical elements

Lupin - France - tv mystery thriller
posted by erst at 2:57 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

State of Happiness is set in Norway at the point when major oil reserves were discovered.
Rita is about a teacher in a Danish school.
More set in Scotland: Case Histories, The Book Group, Karen Pirie, Lip Service.
France: The Parisian Agency, A Very Secret Service.
posted by rongorongo at 3:07 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

there are some great suggestions here. i'm going to go with a few that are moody/atmospheric. pacing here is a lot slower. all are just one season and were available to me on netflix at view time. most rec'd first

copenhagen cowboy (denmark) - completely mesmerizing. my favorite series since i don't even know when

katla (iceland) - this is an the next one are similar, with katla being superior

curon (italy)

fontera verde (colombia)
posted by lescour at 3:31 PM on August 9, 2023

Sens8 was a wacky Wachowski show shot on location in Mexico City, Iceland, Nairobi, Seoul, Mumbai, SF, London, Berlin and Chicago. Pretty over the top but fun. The Wachowski's seemed really interested in profiling the cities along with the characters.
posted by latkes at 3:51 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

Valhalla Murders
Wallander
Young Wallander
Deadwind
Bordertown
Dark

Also I second a bunch listed above, especially Miss Fisher, Shetland, Hinterland, and Derry Girls
posted by JenMarie at 4:22 PM on August 9, 2023

There are plenty of Australian shows and films on Netflix. Not sure if this will work, but try this https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/100371.

Here's a random few I've watched and enjoyed:
Utopia (series)
Last Cab To Darwin (movie)
Irreverent (series)
Two Hands (movie)
Glitch (series)
Rake (series)
Tangle (series).

Outlander (Netflix) is set in Scotland mostly, with the later series in the US and we enjoyed this a lot.

You can search on Netflix for ' movies & TV' if looking for something from a specific place.
posted by dg at 4:41 PM on August 9, 2023

I like Ragnarok, a rather over-the-top but still good story about ancient gods in modern, bleak, small town Norway.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:12 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

Moon Boy: set in Ireland.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 5:55 PM on August 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

I know that Netflix lets you browse shows by their original language

This is helpful for me. Once I started watching some shows in non-US/England/Canada locations, it started suggesting more. A few I liked above include Letterkenny, Wallander, Derry Girls, Borgen, Shetland, Miss Fisher, Wellington Paranormal and Occupied. A few not mentioned above include Deadwind (Finnish procedural), Zen (Italian procedural mini series, somewhat dated but with Rufus Sewell) and possibly my favorite, Beforeigners (Norwegian procedural BUT WITH TIME TRAVEL).

Other non-cop shows include Standing Up (miniseries about the world of four French stand-ups who are friends, not a documentary, really well done), Welcome to Wrexham (docuseries about a football team in Wales bought by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McIlheney, LOTS of Welsh content) and Little Mosque on the Prairie (Canadian feelgood show about Islam and rural Canada) and Pine Gap (sort of a quirky Australian miniseries about working at a joint Aus/US security base, really more interesting than it sounds).
posted by jessamyn at 6:06 PM on August 9, 2023 [3 favorites]

I am a fan of anime that is about countries other than Japan. For example, I love Monster, which is set in central Europe (mostly Germany) in the '80s and '90s. It's about a young Japanese surgeon who gets caught up a string of grisly murders. I mean, that's what all the synopses say it's about. It's hard to say what it's about in a way that feels adequate though. On the one hand, it's about Dr. Tenma having to face up to the everyday compromises he's made in pursuing his professional ambitions, and his quest to ethically purify his life. But it's also about Germany needing to face up to its historic darknesses. It's about every degree of human evil -- from massacre, to corruption, to cheating on a test, to just having a self-righteous bearing -- and what can be redeemed in a bad person.

I believe Monster is currently on Netflix US.
posted by grobstein at 6:19 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

Mystery Road-Australia, Acorn TV.
Undercover-Belgium and Netherlands, Netflix.
K Dramas: Stranger and Stranger season 2, All of Us Are Dead, D.P. seasons 1 and 2, Netflix.
posted by mrsbartolozzi at 6:39 PM on August 9, 2023

_Norsemen_ is set in dark ages Norway. The first season is very, darkly, weirdly funny. After that it got too dark for me, but I'm still glad I watched it. Like not only was it about something I rarely otherwise think about; but its humor felt just foreign enough to be noticeably different from American or English humor.

If you want Scotland, _Lovesick_ is absolutely lovely and funny, set in I think Glasgow. But it doesn't have a very strong sense of place, and the actors mostly sound English, not Scottish.

_Moone Boy_ was cute, set in small town Ireland.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:52 PM on August 9, 2023

For TV from South Korea, have you watched Vincenzo? It's probably one of the best shows from anywhere I've watched in the last few years. It's a drama, with comedy, and some action, and some romance, but mostly...all of those things rolled into one? It's well worth checking out.

Also definitely yes to Derry Girls and Moone Boy.
posted by pdb at 9:19 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm hopelessly addicted to Korean dramas and have made a list of what I've watched, with summaries and scores and little emojis for content.

Pdb - You would definitely enjoy Lawless Lawyer and Fiery Priest!

I would absolutely recommend 'Midnight Diner', a Japanese series that's like a collection of plays centred around a small bar/restaurant in Tokyo. It's very calming and good late night viewing.

I also enjoyed 'The Green Frontier', from Columbia, set in the Amazon, which is flawed and has no ending but while it lasted was strange and atmospheric and showed life in (to me) an unknown part of the world.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:50 AM on August 10, 2023 [5 favorites]

Recipes for Love and Murder (Acorn) - South Africa
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (HBO or Max or whatever they’re calling themselves now) - Botswana
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:28 PM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

For something a bit different, Colin from Accounts is a delightful Australian rom com.
posted by goo at 2:53 PM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Here's where I get to again push one of my favorites: Black Spot, which is sort of a French-Belgian "Twin Peaks", although a bit grimmer and less self-consciously quirky.

Also La Révolution, which is a reimagining of the start of the French Revolution with a supernatural element.

Both currently on US Netflix. Unfortunately, both seem to have succumbed to Netflix-itis, where the creators were clearly hoping for more seasons that they never got, so the endings aren't super-satisfying.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:17 PM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Spirited (Prime/Freevee) - Australia
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:15 PM on August 10, 2023

Packed to the Rafters (Australia) was pretty good.

SEH-VAHnnnn
posted by Rykey at 10:06 AM on August 11, 2023

Ones I've enjoyed:

Colin from Accounts (Australia)
Borgen (Denmark)
Money Heist (Spain; only watched the first season which was ridiculous and fun, heard it gets worse over time)
Mystery Road (Australia)
Call My Agent (France)
The Serpent (British but set in East and South-East Asia)
The Bridge (Sweden and Denmark; also The Tunnel, in Britain and France, so it 50% qualifies!)
My Brilliant Friend (Italy)
The Young Pope and The New Pope (both Vatican City, obvs)
Chernobyl
Babylon Berlin (Germany)
The Trip (Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon semi-fictionally toruing various countries)
Baghdad Central (Iraq)
Wisting (Norway)
Spiral (France, maybe my favourite of the lot)
Follow the Money (Denmark)
Deutschland 83, 86, and 89 (Germany)
Fortitude (Iceland)
Trapped (Iceland)
Wallander (Sweden; only seen the Krister Henriksson ones)
The Killing (Denmark)
posted by fabius at 10:07 AM on August 11, 2023

If you are a PBS supporter and have Passport (or are willing to sign up), try the Walter Presents franchise. "Walter Presents is a curated collection of award-winning international drama, hand-picked by Walter Iuzzolino, a TV connoisseur who has scoured the globe for compelling hits. Presented in their original languages with English subtitles. This collection is available to stream with PBS Passport."

I enjoyed "Seaside Hotel" set in Denmark in the 1920s-1940s. Gentle fun with beautiful scenery.
posted by Preserver at 12:10 PM on August 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

Italy: Inspector Montalbano
Australia: Stateless
Japan: Giri/Haji

bonus suggestion, since you liked Happy Valley (although set in Yorkshire, so not quite meeting your base request): the Red Riding Trilogy
posted by jindc at 7:52 AM on August 13, 2023

Israel: Hatufim
posted by jindc at 7:54 AM on August 13, 2023

Australia: Mr Inbetween
posted by onya at 4:35 PM on August 14, 2023

Mysteries are my main TV habit, so that's what I'll go with--

South Korea:
Stranger on Netflix is excellent (original title is Forest of Secrets so you might find it under that name elsewhere)
Signal (also a South Korean mystery series)

Sweden:
The Fjallbacka Murders series (this one is really good)
Agatha Christie's Hjerson (good and lovely to look at, but hard to find)
Rebecka Martinsson
Annika Bengtzon (I've only seen the 2012 series)
posted by JR06 at 7:13 AM on August 30, 2023