By Libby Esterle, Senior Account Executive
As a member of a Cincinnati-based marketing and communications agency, I wrote a blog awhile back recounting some memorable ads throughout the ages. And much like TV ads that vary in tone from country to country, I realized a lot of the shows I stream on Netflix or Amazon Prime also reflect their country’s unique “personality.”
This brings us to the “ABCs” of television series (Australia, Britain and Canada) and what our English-speaking friends from up north, across the pond and across the world have to offer. From dark horror series to sweeping historical dramas, sci fi and fantasy shows and dry/off-beat/quirky/witty comedies, here are some of my favorites:
Australia
- “Glitch”
- “The Let Down”
- “Wonderland”
Great Britain
- “Call the Midwife”
- “Catastrophe”
- “The Crown”
- “Lovesick”
- “The Tudors”
Canada
- “Alias Grace”
- “Schitt’s Creek”
- “Workin’ Moms”
Finally, I would be remiss to not include at least a couple of great “hybrid” shows that are the result of joint British and American production efforts, such as:
- “Outlander”
- “Penny Dreadful”
And if you enjoy historical/period dramas like “The Tudors,” I highly recommend checking out Starz’s “The White Queen,” “The White Princess,” and “The Spanish Princess” and HBO’s “Rome.”
From a marketing perspective, it’s also interesting to explore how I discovered some of these shows, especially some that are a little more obscure like “Glitch” and “Catastrophe.”
In most cases, the answer is pretty simple—most recommendations have come from Netflix’s “Because you watched” list and Amazon Prime’s “Customers who watched this item also watched” suggestions.
And let’s not forget the importance of social media (Facebook friend recommendations in this case) for leading me to such gems like “Call the Midwife” and “Outlander.”
Tell me, what foreign shows do you like? Why? How did you come across them?