Best shows on Acorn TV right now

Where to Stream:

Vera

Acorn TV

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Americans have long been enamored with British TV, and for good reason. Our friends across the pond know how to do gritty drama, sweeping period pieces, and wry comedies like nowhere else in the world, and it can sometimes make our own offerings pale in comparison. Acorn TV is a streaming service that seems intent on pointing out just how true that is.

While we’ve previously been at the mercy of our local PBS affiliate, BBC America, or streaming services like Netflix to bring us the best in British television, Acorn TV not only puts the best UK dramas, documentaries, and comedies right at our fingertips but also brings us some great offerings from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Spain as well. For $5.99 a month, it’s a solid investment for enthusiasts of all things on the international small screen.

If you decide to give Acorn TV a try—and given that the service offers a free one-week trial, I’d highly recommend it—here are the shows you should check out first.

LINE OF DUTY

One of the most popular British crime dramas (and one of the most popular dramas, period), Line of Duty is a crime procedural with a unique twist: it focuses on police unit AC-12 which uncovers corruption and nails criminals within the force. With an all-star cast including Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Lennie James, and Keeley Hawes, all five seasons of Line of Duty are available to stream on Acorn TV. Once you sign up for an account, this show should be your first watch.

SEASONS: 5
PREMIERE DATE: June 26, 2012
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No

Line Of Duty is available to stream now.

VERA

Brenda Blethyn is not to be missed as DCI Vera Stanhope, a detective with a rather unique and intense approach to solving crimes and a somewhat unpalatable personality to match. The series is based on the Ann Cleeves novels of the same name and has spanned nine seasons so far, with a tenth recently confirmed by ITV, the show’s network in the UK. Unfortunately, only the first seven seasons are currently available to stream on Acorn TV, but hopefully Season 8 and Season 9 will be added soon.

SEASONS: 9 (Series 1 and 2, and Series 6 and 7 are currently available to stream)
PREMIERE DATE: May 1, 2011
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No

Vera is available to stream now.

MIDSOMER MURDERS

Midsomer Murders has been on the air in the UK since 2007, which makes it practically ancient by the country’s TV standards. The show is based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby novels, and the first 13 seasons — or series, as they call them across the pond — focused on Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, though the character’s younger cousin DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) has since taken over. As of March 2019, there have been 20 seasons, all of which are available on Acorn TV. However, it does make you wonder just how terrible of a place Midsomer is since people are getting murdered so often…

SEASONS: 20
PREMIERE DATE: March 23, 1997
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No

Midsomer Murders is available to stream now.

STRAIGHT FORWARD

Acorn TV doesn’t just bring you popular shows from around the world, it also offers original content including Straight Forward. Cecilie Stenspil plays Sylvia, a Danish con-woman who plots revenge on the kingpin of the crime gang guilty of murdering her father. Mark Mitchinson is a formidable villain in this gritty drama which spans multiple countries and offers plenty of thrills along the way. There’s only been one season so far and all eight episodes are available to stream, so hop to.

SEASONS: 1
PREMIERE DATE: June 10, 2019
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? Yes

Straight Forward is available to stream now.

MANHUNT

Martin Clunes, who’s also the star of another great series available on Acorn TV, Doc Martin, takes the lead in this mini-series. Manhunt is a dramatization of the real-life case of a French woman killed in London and DCI Colin Sutton’s (Clunes) work in connecting the unsolved case to two others. The full mini-series, which spans three episodes, is available on Acorn TV, along with two behind-the-scenes specials on how the project came together. It’s well worth your time.

SEASONS: 1
PREMIERE DATE: January 6, 2019
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? Yes

Manhunt is available to stream now.

YOUNG, GIFTED AND CLASSICAL: THE MAKING OF A MAESTRO

A one-off documentary focusing on 17-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason, an incredibly talented cellist who’s also the first black winner of the BBC Young Musician competition, Young, Gifted & Classical not only shows the hard work and discipline that goes into being a classical musician but also showcases Kanneh-Mason’s amazing family which includes six siblings who are also musical prodigies.

SEASONS: 1
PREMIERE DATE: December 10, 2017
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No

Young, Gifted and Classical is available to stream now.

DELICIOUS

Dawn French and Iain Glen play a divorced couple with a somewhat complicated relationship in Delicious. Leo (Glen) is a successful chef only because most of his recipes came from Gina (French). Oh, and he also cheated on her for most of their marriage with Sam (Emilie Fox), but now that Leo and Sam are married, he’s cheating on his new wife… with his ex. It’s a comedy with plenty of heart and thankfully, all three seasons are available on Acorn TV.

SEASONS: 3
PREMIERE DATE: December 30, 2016
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No

Delicious is available to stream now.

KINGDOM

If you’re a fan of all things British, you like already know and love Stephen Fry, who stars as kind-hearted lawyer Peter Kingdom in this comedy that ran for three seasons starting back in 2007. Peter runs his own small law firm with some seriously quirky clientele, and extra drama is thrown in when his brother goes missing just as his troubled sister returns to their hometown of Norfolk. You can watch the full series on Acorn TV and it’s definitely a good one.

SEASONS: 3
PREMIERE DATE: April 22, 2007
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No.

Kingdom is available to stream now.

THE HOUR

You can always count on the BBC to bring some incredible dramas to UK TV screens, and The Hour is certainly up there with the best of them. It’s a 1950s espionage thriller centered on a current affairs program during the time of the Hungarian Revolution and the Suez Crisis. It also just so happens to star some of the biggest names in the game including Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, and Peter Capaldi, just to name a few. It’s a compelling and well-acted drama that sadly only lasted two seasons. Thankfully, both of those seasons are on Acorn TV and ready for you to stream.

SEASONS: 2
PREMIERE DATE: July 19, 2011
ACORN TV ORIGINAL? No

The Hour is available to stream now.

DETECTORISTS

Originally airing on BBC 4 in the UK, Acorn TV has all three seasons of the strangely charming comedy focusing on the members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club who spend all their time looking for hidden treasure in the English countryside. It may sound like a boring premise but with talent like Mackenzie Crook, Diana Rigg, Rachael Sterling, and Toby Jones on board, Detectorists is one of the most unexpectedly endearing comedies you’ll ever see.