5 Lesser Discovered TV Gems Streaming Online in the UK

We’re living in a golden age of telly, right? While multiplexes are content to churn out two Hercules movies in a single year, TV viewers seem to be spoilt for choice. Want to watch a stylish clone conspiracy? Catch up on Orphan Black. Looking for a grim and gritty period piece that’s nothing like Downton Abbey? Join Cillian Murphy as he leads the Peaky Blinders through a brutal inter-war Birmingham. Oh, and then there’s Game of Thrones, but that’s more of a religion at this point.

So how come, with so many great shows around boasting such good writing, we can never decide what to watch? Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime make it easier than ever to explore more diverse TV than ever, but I’ve spent more than one evening trawling through the choices on hand, afraid to try anything new. If you’re anything like me these recommendations might help:

 

Lie to Me

Before John Oliver became the darling of American liberals with Last Week Tonight, actor Tim Roth was the Brit showing America how things were done in this case-of-the -week fare. Roth plays Cal Lightman, a professor who – by facial tells and body language – always knows if you’re lying. If he’s playing poker don’t join his table.

By way of story content and structure, Lie to Me doesn’t really offer anything new: it’s one of those procedurals where the main character has a special skill or quirk that makes them better at solving crime than normal cops. What makes this worth a look is watching an unflappable Roth play the obnoxious, righteous genius so well. In one episode, when the FBI are interrogating a suspected terrorist in a shady looking government warehouse, Roth meanders in, interrupts the questioning, and has the tenacity to inform the deputy director that she’s doing it all wrong. Oh, and it turns out he’s right. He’s almost always right.

With the rise of serialised storytelling on the big screen, Lie to Me might not suit people who have become accustomed to binge watching season long story arcs, but with Roth heading up a cast that makes the most of their characters it’s definitely worth a look if there’s nothing else on. If for no other reason, you should tune in to marvel at how Dr Lightman’s small consulting firm can afford such large, trendy offices.

Lie to Me is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

 

Sleepy Hollow

I’m not sure if this counts as a hidden gem in the UK or not, but this modern take on the Washington Irving short story will very likely rack up a lot of episodes if the third season is as good as the first two.

Instead of setting up shop in revolutionary era America, Sleepy Hollow takes hero Ichabod Crane and ‘timey wimey’ magics him to the present to partner with local cop Abbie Mills. Mills is the Scully to Ichabod’s Fox Mulder, and the two leads have surprising chemistry right out of the gate. As with most modern TV the monster-of-the-week focus is balanced by longer story arc elements. If you’re looking to get a witches and demons fix this’ll do it but the wry humour, often from Ichabod’s reactions to modern day mundanities, elevates Sleepy above the average. Think Grimm mixed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Also in the shows favour is its diversity. Abbie, a police lieutenant who has dragged herself up from an adolescence of petty crime, is a rare, well rounded woman of colour on our TV screens.

The first season introduces you to a headless horseman, a Sandman that can invade dreams and a haunted country house that won’t stop attacking you. If that sounds like your bread and butter then you probably don’t need me to tell you anything else about the show. On the other hand it, might also be worth watching for Ichabod’s eighteenth century tirades against Starbucks and sales tax.

Sleepy Hollow is available on Amazon Prime Instant Video.