Hidden Gems

The Short Answer

1. The Detectorists — Mackenzie Crook's gentle comedy-drama about metal detectorists in rural Essex is one of the most quietly beautiful British shows around — two series of pure television treasure. (Acorn TV)
2. Hope Street — a London detective relocated to a quirky Northern Irish coastal town, fresh, funny, and full of charm. (Acorn TV)
3. The Bletchley Circle — Former WWII codebreakers use their unique skills to solve post-war murders in 1950s London — a brilliant, underappreciated gem that deserves far more recognition than it gets. (BritBox)
4. Jonathan Creek — a reclusive magic-trick designer solving ‘impossible’ crimes from his converted windmill home, endlessly clever. (BritBox)
5. Rumpole of the Bailey — Leo McKern's irascible, cheap-wine-drinking barrister defends the Old Bailey's underdogs, one of British TV's great characters. (BritBox)
6. Waking the Dead — A cold case unit led by the volatile DCI Boyd reopens decades-old murders using new forensic techniques — darker and more psychologically complex than most crime procedurals. (BritBox)
7. Cranford — An all-star cast led by Judi Dench brings Elizabeth Gaskell's gentle, comic portrait of a small Victorian town to life — pure comfort viewing with real heart underneath. (BritBox)
8. Kingdom — Stephen Fry as a small-town Norfolk solicitor quietly holding his community, and his own grief, together. (Acorn TV)
9. Hustle — a team of long-con artists work London's wealthiest marks in slick, stylish capers, endlessly fun. (BritBox)
10. Wire in the Blood — Robson Green's criminal psychologist gets uncomfortably close to serial killers' minds, darker than Morse and hugely underrated. (BritBox)
11. Hamish Macbeth — Robert Carlyle's laid-back Scottish Highland constable who'd rather be left alone than solve another case, charming and addictive. (BritBox)
12. Pie in the Sky — Richard Griffiths' detective inspector would rather run his restaurant than solve crimes, warm and criminally underseen. (BritBox)
13. The Tunnel — a British-French remake of The Bridge, two mismatched detectives investigate a body found at the Channel Tunnel's midpoint. (PBS Masterpiece)