The 20 best British shows on Netflix

After Life (2019–2022)

After the death of his wife, local newspaper writer Tony (Ricky Gervais) gets stuck on the second stage of grief: anger. With nothing left to live for, he decides to fill the lives of everyone around him with insults and pessimistic advice, including his hapless co-workers and the offbeat inhabitants of his small town. It's a suitably dark premise for Gervais, who parses out savage put-downs while gradually turning to the light in this exploration of life after loss. —Danny Horn

Where to watch After Life: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Ricky Gervais, Tom Basden, Tony Way, Diane Morgan

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Baby Reindeer (2024)

Comedian Richard Gadd created this enthralling miniseries based on his own experience. He stars as Donny, a struggling comedian whose life is disrupted when he meets Martha (Jessica Gunning), a former lawyer who develops a dangerous obsession with him. But just when you think you know what kind of story this is, the fourth episode peels back the layers even further. An instant sensation when it dropped in April, Baby Reindeer can be a difficult watch, but the emotional honesty with which Gadd channels his trauma is refreshing in today's TV landscape. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Baby Reindeer: Netflix

Cast: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau

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Behind Her Eyes (2021)

A six-part limited series about sex, lies, and astral projection, Behind Her Eyes tells a unique story with unexpected twists that will keep you guessing until the final revelation. Single mother Louise (Simona Brown) begins an affair with her boss, David (Tom Bateman), while also forming a friendship with his mysterious wife, Adele (Eve Hewson). There's something decidedly off about Adele, and Louise comes to realize that there are supernatural forces at work. The complex tale takes a while to untangle, but after the mind-bending finale, you'll want to rewatch the show with new eyes. —D.H.

Where to watch Behind Her Eyes: Netflix

Cast: Simona Brown, Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, Robert Aramayo

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Black Earth Rising (2018)

In this gripping political thriller, Michaela Coel plays Kate Ashby, a 28-year-old legal investigator who survived the Rwandan genocide as a child. When her adoptive mother takes a case to the International Criminal Court against a man who helped to end the atrocity, Kate tries to convince her to bring the people responsible for the killings to justice. After an unexpected assassination, Kate and her boss Michael (John Goodman) are drawn into a dangerous search for the truth in a haunting exploration of accountability, personal identity, and historical wounds. —D.H.

Where to watch Black Earth Rising: Netflix

Cast: Michaela Coel, John Goodman, Abena Ayivor, Noma Dumezweni

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Black Mirror (2011–present)

A speculative-fiction anthology show that offers a dazzling series of dystopian possibilities, Black Mirror explores the dark side of modern technology and its impact on society. One episode presents a world where your civil rights are dependent on everyone's five-star reviews of your behavior; another imagines an AI-generated streaming show that reveals all of your worst personal flaws, because, as we know all too well, negativity leads to higher engagement. Darkly funny and always surprising, the algorithm-haunted universe of Black Mirror will make you reflect on where our culture is heading. —D.H.

Where to watch Black Mirror: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Jesse Plemons, Cristin Milioti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anthony Mackie

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Bodyguard (2018)

War veteran David Budd (Richard Madden) is made the principal protection officer for Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), who plans to increase surveillance powers over private citizens. Budd despises Montague's policies and clashes with her as a person, and his loyalties are tested as a conspiracy arises that threatens both of their lives. Madden's performance is enthralling as a man with PTSD faced with a series of impossible choices and challenges. Filled with intense action sequences and wild plot twists delivered at a relentless pace, Bodyguard is best appreciated as a six-hour nail-biting binge-watch. —D.H.

Where to watch Bodyguard: Netflix

Cast: Richard Madden, Keeley Hawes, Gina McKee, Sophie Rundle

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Call the Midwife (2012–present)

Call the Midwife is a period drama set in the 1950s about the Anglican nuns and medical personnel who work in a nursing convent in the slums of London's East End. The show is initially framed around newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) as she adjusts to caring for patients in deprived circumstances, and each episode brings new patients with their own human story of hardship and hard-earned love. —D.H.

Where to watch Call the Midwife: Netflix

Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Jenny Agutter

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The Crown (2016–2023)

Across six seasons, The Crown depicts 60 years in the life of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy to start), beginning with her marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith) and her sudden ascension to the throne. The show explores the monarch's many struggles as she balances her personal feelings and her public duty as the head of state. The series is a blend of fact and fiction, and while its accuracy has been disputed, the impeccable acting makes it a compelling watch. —D.H.

Where to watch The Crown: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce

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Cunk on Earth (2022)

Comedian Diane Morgan plays the clueless and comedically ignorant Philomena Cunk, who travels the world making civilization's daffiest historical documentary. Sitting down with real-world experts in fields that Cunk only dimly understands, she always manages to ask precisely the wrong question. But there's a warmth to Morgan's delivery, an open-hearted simplicity that makes Cunk as relatable as she is hilarious. In a way, unfortunately, Philomena is just like the rest of us: A little bit lost in a world that we probably ought to be more familiar with. —D.H.

Where to watch Cunk on Earth: Netflix

Cast: Diane Morgan

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Derry Girls (2018–2022)

Derry Girls is a spirited sitcom about five witty and eccentric teenagers growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1990s amid political unrest. The gals hardly blink when their school bus is searched for bombs; they're more worried about their big exam or impressing a guy they have a crush on. Every episode ends in some kind of farcical catastrophe, as the situation spins out of control to a riotously funny result. It may take a minute to get used to the rapid-fire Irish slang, but the show moves at such a brisk pace that there's always another laugh coming up. —D.H.

Where to watch Derry Girls: Netflix

Cast: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn

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The Great British Baking Show (2010–present)

If you're hungry for a fast-paced, enjoyable watch, Netflix has seven mouth-watering seasons of The Great British Baking Show. This sweet and savory competition gathers 12 contestants in a large tent, where the hosts issue challenges for the bakers to design and create amazing cakes, pies, bread, and pastries. One person is sent home at the end of each round, so the bakers are under much pressure to impress the judges. The results are sometimes delicious, and sometimes disastrous, but either way, it makes for tasty television. —D.H.

Where to watch The Great British Baking Show: Netflix

Cast: Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas 

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Heartstopper (2022–present)

Heartstopper is an utterly endearing coming-of-age comedy-drama about two teenage boys falling in love. Charlie (Joe Locke) is an out gay teen who gets bullied at school, and his life changes when he's assigned to sit next to Nick (Kit Connor), a rugby player. Charlie crushes on Nick, and as their friendship develops, Nick gradually realizes that he's drawn to Charlie as well. It’s a show that focuses on the small moments — each little touch of the hand and long-agonized-over text message takes on massive importance — with no shortage of joy, optimism, and cartoon hearts. The third season premieres in October 2024. —D.H.

Where to watch Heartstopper: Netflix

Cast: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney

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The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)

A historical adventure set in England's early days, The Last Kingdom features rich storytelling, sprawling battle sequences, and attractive actors spattered with mud and blood. Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) was raised by the Danish warlord who murdered his Saxon family, and when his surrogate clan is killed, the young man is forced to determine his own path and fight to defend his ancestral lands from Viking invaders. Over five seasons and a movie, the show spans decades of shifting factions, devastating betrayals, and hard-won victories. —D.H.

Where to watch The Last Kingdom: Netflix

Cast: Alexander Dreymon, Emily Cox, David Dawson, Ian Hart

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Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020)

Celia (Anne Reid) and Alan (Derek Jacobi) — both widowed and in their 70s — unexpectedly reconnect over Facebook and realize that the feelings they had for each other as teenagers are still just as strong. Rediscovering passion in later life, they quickly decide to get married, shocking their grown daughters, who each have tangled relationship problems of their own. The sweetly sketched romance between two septuagenarians is a celebration of love at any age, bringing the families together at a time when their children’s lives may be falling apart. —D.H.

Where to watch Last Tango in Halifax: Netflix

Cast: Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker

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Lovesick (2014–2018)

When Dylan (Johnny Flynn) is diagnosed with chlamydia, he's told to contact all of his former sex partners. He makes a list of everyone he's slept with, and one by one, revisits and reconsiders his romantic and sexual past. But the animating question of Lovesick is whether Dylan belongs with his housemate and best mate Evie (Antonia Thomas) as they struggle to decide what they really want in this clever sitcom. Originally boasting the funny (but mildly off-putting) title Scrotal Recall, the show uses non-linear storytelling to spin an entertaining tale of twentysomething turmoil. —D.H.

Where to watch Lovesick: Netflix

Cast: Johnny Flynn, Antonia Thomas, Daniel Ings, Hannah Britland

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Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)

And now for something completely different! In 1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus revolutionized sketch comedy with a bewildering mix of surreal satire, witty wordplay, and beguiling nonsense. In the show's innovative format, skits can start and end at any time, exploding into silliness or turning into a cut-and-paste cartoon. Classic bits include the Dead Parrot sketch, the Spanish Inquisition, the Ministry of Silly Walks, and the Argument Clinic. If those words don’t ring a bell, you owe it to yourself to turn on Monty Python and discover an unforgettable comedy classic. —D.H.

Where to watch Monty Python's Flying Circus: Netflix

Cast: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam

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Outlander (2014–present)

World War II nurse Claire (Caitriona Balfe) mysteriously slips through time to 1743 Scotland, where she joins a band of rebel Highlanders and meets Jamie (Sam Heughan), her soulmate from another century. As the pair fall passionately in love, Claire and Jamie are torn apart, reunited, tortured, rescued, kidnapped, and time-jumped, but they always find their way back to each other. The powerful sexual chemistry between the two leads — and their frequent steamy love scenes — makes this blend of historical drama, science-fiction, and romantic fantasy an irresistible binge-watch. —D.H.

Where to watch Outlander: Netflix

Cast: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Gary Lewis

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Peaky Blinders (2013–2022)

Set in the gritty world of post-WWI Birmingham, England, Peaky Blinders is a crime drama about Thomas Shelby (a riveting Cillian Murphy), the cunning and ruthless leader of a brutal family gang named for their tactic of sewing razor blades in the peaks of their newsboy caps. Always up for a fight, Tommy goes to war against competing gangs, cops, politicians, and anyone who gets in the way of building his empire. The show is structured around the rhythm of Tommy's speech, with short bursts of sharp dialogue propelling the characters forward to the next inevitable (and devastating) confrontation. —D.H.

Where to watch Peaky Blinders: Netflix

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson

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Sex Education (2019–2023)

Teenage virgin Otis (Asa Butterfield) is inexperienced with sex, but he's picked up enough information from his no-nonsense sex therapist mother (Gillian Anderson) to talk a good game. His friend Maeve (Emma Mackey) persuades him to open an underground sex therapy clinic in a disused bathroom in his school, and soon, Otis is giving remarkably empathetic advice that helps his classmates explore their feelings and difficulties. Otis' best friend Eric (a pre-Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa) provides his own wit and wisdom from the sidelines in this celebration of the messy complexity of the human heart (and other organs). —D.H.

Where to watch Sex Education: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey

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Top Boy (2019–2023)

Drug dealer Dushane (Ashley Walters) operates out of a public housing estate in East London and wants to become the area's “Top Boy” in this unflinching take on life in the drug trade. Dushane and his best friend/second-in-command Sully (Kane Robinson) make tough choices and take drastic steps as they battle rival gangs — and sometimes, each other. The show was canceled in Britain after two years, but rapper/producer Drake brought the series back on Netflix. The first two seasons are listed as Top Boy: Summerhouse and the revival series Top Boy comprises a further three seasons. —D.H.

Where to watch Top Boy: Summerhouse: Netflix

Where to watch Top Boy: Netflix

Cast: Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, Micheal Ward, Simbi Ajikawo

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