I know I’ve mentioned how many good foreign films you can stream through Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, but I haven’t told you lately how many good foreign TV series you can stream online for less, as well. So let’s get to them!
HULU
Hulu has a lot of good foreign Television series available for streaming, including A French Village, the tale of the occupation by the Nazis, during World War II. It has a more realistic depiction of occupation, and stars Robin Renucci, Audrey Fleurot and Marie Kremer, and gets an 8.4/10 on IMDb. It’s a French production, and Hulu has at least 5 seasons available. Hulu also offers Midnight Sun, a Swedish/French 2016 production. Taking place in Kiruna, Sweden, a brutal murder of a French citizen requires the presence of both French and Swedish police, and things escalate from there. The Guardian calls it “gory and gothic” and I agree. It stars Lila Bekthi, Gustav Hammarsten and Albin Grenholm and gets a 7.5/10 on IMDb. Hulu has also recently added Bad Banks, a German thriller. Starring Paula Beer(Frantz) as young investment banker who must decide how much she wants to sacrifice to come out on top. Bad Banks also stars Barry Atsma, Desiree Nosbusch and Mae Duong Kieu and gets an 8.1 on IMDb. And finally, Hulu has Wallander, the Swedish series. If you love Wallander mysteries and weren’t satisfied withe the BBC series starring Kenneth Branagh, now you can enjoy the authentic series in Swedish with Krister Henriksson. First released in movie theaters as movies, it’s now a series, set in Ystad, Skane, in southern Sweden. If you love Stieg Larrsen or other European noir, you should check this out. Wallander also stars Johanna Sallstrom, Charlotta Jonsson and Douglas Johansson and it gets a 7.6/10 on IMDb.
NETFLIX
Netflix has some excellent new television series from Europe and elsewhere, including Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope, an Irish 2016 comedy/drama series. About two young women who share a flat in Dublin and love to party, this series stars Seana Kerslake, Nika McGuigan, Muiris Crowley and Amy Huberman. The Irish Times calls it “a series so well written and at times so convincing that it was hard to watch” and IMDb gives it a 7.1/10. Netflix also offers Merli, the Catalan television series. About a philosophy teacher, forced to move in with his mother, it stars Francesc Orella, David Solans and Candela Anton. And Merli gets an 8.7/10(!) on IMDb! Netflix also has Marcella, a noirish crime series from Britain. It stars Anna Friel, a former detective who takes up a search for a serial killer. Dark and gritty, Marcella also stars Ray Panthaki and Jack Doolan and gets a 7.5/10 on IMDb.And, finally, Netflix offers The Frozen Dead, a French thriller/mystery set in the Pyrenees. It stars Charles Berling, Julia Piaton and Pascal Greggory, the series features a mystery that seems to implicate a past serial killer, but he is in prison. This show is dark and violent, but if you need a mystery, it may be for you and it gets a 6.3/10 on IMDb. Ad the scenery is breathtaking.
AMAZON
One of the best foreign language television shows on Amazon is Breathe, the Indian thriller that’s an Amazon Original. About a cat and mouse game between a detective and a father, who both think they’re right, Breathe stars R. Madhavan, Amit Sadh and Hrishikesh Joshi. And the show gets an 8.7/10 on IMDb. Also on Amazon is Ekaterina, a 2015 historical drama series from Russia. In it, Marina Alexandrova stars as Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia , in her life story. It also stars Yulia Aug, Alexander Yatsenko and Alexander Lazarev, is beautifully shot and gets an 8.2/10 on IMDb. Well worth checking out. Amazon also has Umbre, a crime drama from Romania. Servan Pavlu stars as a taxi driver/mob enforcer, whose family starts to realize he’s not just a hack. Umbre was an HBO Europe production, also stars Maria Obretin, Stefan Velniciuc and Andreea Vasilie and gets an extraordinary 9/10 on IMDb. And, finally, Amazon has Trapped, a mystery series from Iceland. Starring Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ilmur Krist Jánsdóttir and Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, an investigation is underway, after a human torso is found on a fjord. This is another Nordic noir, that gets 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.1/10 on IMDb. Oh, and I would recommend changing your setting to subtitles, rather than dubbing, because dubbing is low quality on Amazon, as well as Netflix and Hulu.
So if you are sweltering in the heat, like we are in Portland, stay inside and binge on foreign language series online!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 