From Gomorrah to Crash Landing on You, these are some of the best international TV shows across all of the major streaming services.
From gritty crime dramas to Korean gems, docuseries, cartel and mob stories, as well as good-old-fashioned spy series, the TV series on my list of favorites that I’ve streamed over the last few years all have one very important thing in common with each other: Without exception, all of them are international TV shows.
As the streaming TV industry continues to evolve, creators from around the world have been able to get their content in front of more eyeballs than ever before. And opportunities for storytellers now are as abundant as they’ve ever been in the history of the industry. It’s why, for example, a streaming subscriber like me has been able to get caught up in shows like these with the ease of clicking a button.
Best TV shows from around the world
In no particular order, my favorite international TV shows from over the last several years include:
Snabba Cash
Gomorrah
Fauda
Crash Landing on You
The Bureau
Kleo
Peaky Blinders
Jinny’s Kitchen
Vendetta: Truth, Lies, and The Mafia
Suburra: Blood on Rome
Narcos: Mexico
Drops of God
Extraordinary
Pachinko
Now, let’s take a closer look at each of those shows based on where they’re all available to stream right now.International Netflix series
Most of Netflix’s subscriber base resides outside of the US, so it should come as no surprise that there’s a growing pile of locally-themed content available for subscribers to enjoy on the streamer. Here’s a snapshot of some of the best of those shows:
Kleo: From the official description of this Netflix show, “1987: Shortly after liquidating a businessman in West Berlin on behalf of a secret Stasi commando, top East German spy Kleo is arrested, denounced by the Stasi, and even betrayed by her own grandfather. After two years in prison, the Berlin Wall suddenly falls and Kleo is released. But she soon realizes that the conspiracy against her is much more complicated than she thought, and that an ominous red suitcase is the key to it all.”
Kleo sets out on a revenge spree that leads her through Berlin’s seedy underbelly, dance clubs, and Mallorcan fincas — all the way to Chile’s Atacama Desert. And, all the while, a West Berlin policeman is hot on her trail. If you loved shows like Killing Eve and The Americans, Kleo definitely belongs on your list (and it’s coming back for Season 2).
Snabba Cash: I’m going to quote myself here, by way of describing this fantastic Swedish crime series.
