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For a starting list of international TV, try these 14 picks from crime, espionage, romance, reality, comedy, documentary, and family drama. They are Andy Meek’s personal favorites—not an objective ranking—and the most useful way to choose is by the kind of story you want to watch.
Andy Meek introduced the selections in his January 5, 2024 BGR article as his favorites “in no particular order.” The list ranges well beyond non-English scripted drama: it includes British and Irish productions, series from Sweden, Italy, Israel, South Korea, France, Germany, and Mexico, as well as stories that cross national borders.
Choose by the kind of show you want
Crime and organized-crime stories
- Snabba Cash: A Swedish crime thriller where startup ambition and drug dealing collide in a pursuit of money. The original article singles out Evin Ahmad’s lead performance.
- Gomorrah: A violent Italian mafia saga set around Naples’ Scampia neighborhood. Choose it for a hard-edged story rooted in organized crime.
- Suburra: Blood on Rome: An Italian crime drama built around a struggle involving organized crime, politicians, and the Vatican.
- Narcos: Mexico: A Mexican-set crime drama about the rise and fall of a drug empire, with Diego Luna playing Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.
Espionage, political tension, and crime
- Fauda: An Israeli thriller following an elite military team and covert operations.
- The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes): This French spy series follows agents in the DGSE, France’s external security service. The BGR recommendation emphasizes its attention to tradecraft and character.
- Kleo: A German spy and revenge thriller set in motion after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Peaky Blinders: A British crime drama, a fit for viewers looking for a crime-centered story rather than an espionage series.
Romance and stories across borders
- Crash Landing on You: A South Korean romance that begins when a South Korean heiress accidentally crosses into North Korea.
- Pachinko: An Apple adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s novel, following a family across Korea, Japan, and America. It is the list’s broadest multigenerational story.
Reality, documentary, and comedy
- Jinny’s Kitchen: A Korean reality series in which celebrities run a Korean-food restaurant in Mexico. Pick it for a lighter, unscripted change of pace.
- Vendetta: Truth, Lies, and The Mafia: A docuseries about a reporter and allegations that turn back on him. It is the list’s documentary pick.
- Extraordinary: An Irish comedy with a superpowered premise: most people gain a power by age 18, but the 25-year-old protagonist has not.
Wine and competition
- Drops of God: An eight-episode adaptation of a Japanese manga, in which the heirs of a French wine expert contend over a valuable wine collection. The $148 million figure cited in the BGR plot description is the fictional collection’s in-story valuation, not a real-world estimate.
How to pick your first one
Start with mood and format rather than treating these recommendations as a league table. For organized-crime intensity, consider Gomorrah, Snabba Cash, Suburra: Blood on Rome, or Narcos: Mexico. For spycraft and political tension, try The Bureau, Fauda, or Kleo; Peaky Blinders is the crime-drama option in that group. For a romance or family story, choose Crash Landing on You or Pachinko. For something unscripted, lighter, or documentary-led, the choices are Jinny’s Kitchen, Extraordinary, and Vendetta. Drops of God offers a competition-driven drama centered on wine.
Where to check availability
The service references in Meek’s article reflect its January 2024 publication, not a current guarantee. Streaming rights change and differ by country, so search for each series in the services available in your territory before subscribing. Netflix’s International TV Shows and Hulu’s international programming pages can help with discovery, but neither establishes that all 14 titles are available in every country.
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The Los Angeles Times published another international-series recommendation article on July 15, 2026, but that separate list does not verify the availability of these shows. Availability should be checked title by title.
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