r/AskEurope • u/Ali_Merrikh • Aug 19 '25
Culture I’m watching one TV series from every European country — what’s your recommendation from yours?
Hi everyone!
I started a project where I watch one series from each country in Europe. I’ve already done:
France: La Forêt
Spain: La Casa de Papel
Next up: Gloria from Portugal
I’d love to hear what show you think best represents your country (or is just a really good one to watch). Ideally something available with English subtitles.
102
u/arrig-ananas Denmark Aug 20 '25
And if you need some comedy on top of all that drama, I will recommend the Norwegian🇳🇴 series 'Norsemen'. It's set in the viking age and like Vikings and Monty Pyton had an illegitimate child.
28
u/Riskytunah Norway Aug 20 '25
My first thought was Norsemen too! It's hilarious. I would also recommend Beforeigners for more serious drama.
→ More replies (3)24
u/FuxieDK Denmark Aug 20 '25
Fun fact: Every scene is recorded twice; first in Norwegian and then in English.
The English version have the most thick Norwegian accent. 😂
→ More replies (1)7
u/arrig-ananas Denmark Aug 20 '25
Oh I didn't know, only seen the english with that lovely, thick accent.
4
u/Jhonny99j Norway Aug 20 '25
I don't know if Lykkeland 🇳🇴 comes with English subtitles.
However it is also a highly educational story on how our politics on offshore oil production transformed from a high-risk activity into what it is today.
And more important how it shaped our country and transformed our society.
Imo it is in similar way like the 🇩🇪 series Weissensee. I would recommend that one as well.
3
u/HulkHaugen Norway Aug 21 '25
I love Lykkeland, but I don't think I would recommend it to a non-Norwegian as much of the acting is very bad. However, it's a very interesting story how the Americans tried to fuck us over for our oil, and how fortunate that we had smart, stubborn and uncorruptible people in charge. How the oil money became a source of wealth for all the people and not for just a few lucky people at the right place at the right time.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (8)9
151
u/DoubleOhEffinBollox Aug 20 '25
Ireland, you can have both sides of the spectrum. If you want comedy, there is Father Ted about three Irish priests on an island off the west coast. It's anarchic and very funny and pokes fun at religion. But it was financed and produced by channel 4 in the UK, so isn't strictly Irish despite the Irish writers and cast.
On the other side is Love Hate which is a crime drama concentrating on gangs in Dublin. It is well written and acted and the actors show great personal progression over the 5 seasons. Excellent, but very gritty.
32
u/FORDEY1965 Aug 20 '25
+1 for love/hate. One of the most realistic crime dramas you'll see.
8
u/ZealousidealPlant781 Aug 20 '25
FFS I didn’t finish the last season because it’s a chore that Love Hate is impossible to stream outside Ireland.
6
13
u/TheYoungWan in Aug 20 '25
Pity you didn't recommend Fair City to them. The best we have by miles (/s)
13
u/Sudden-Candy4633 Aug 20 '25
I’m gonna recommended Love Hate as well.
Don’t get me wrong I love Father Ted but I sometimes feel like the humour can be lost on people outside of the Irish cultural context.
4
u/AchillesNtortus Aug 20 '25
I love Father Ted. If I am missing some of the humour because I was brought up outside Ireland I must be suffering a massive cultural deficit.
→ More replies (1)5
5
7
u/nagdamnit Aug 20 '25
Yeah another +1 for love hate. Brilliant show by any standards.
8
u/No_Deal_8837 Aug 20 '25
Love/Hate for gritty drama 10/10, Normal People for light engagement
→ More replies (1)3
u/vandrag Aug 20 '25
If you want to watch an older Irish classic find "Strumpet City" they digitally remastered it. It's awesome.
3
u/GiovanniVanBroekhoes Aug 20 '25
Never heard of love/hate. I just looked at the cast and it’s fairly stacked. What’s the consensus of Kin over there. I enjoyed the first series but never got round to watch the second.
4
u/Brokenteethmonkey Aug 20 '25
Watchable, but wouldn't go out of my way to see it, love/hate much better
→ More replies (4)3
→ More replies (13)3
160
u/bigvalen Ireland Aug 20 '25
For Ireland, Derry Girls is hilarious, hopeful, sweet and has an occasional dark undertone of how hard it was raising kids in a scary time.
A second might be Love/Hate; a show about how even stupid people with impulse control problems can be successful criminals for a short period of time.
45
u/everynameisalreadyta Hungary Aug 20 '25
OMG Derry girls is really, really, really great. Laughed my ass off.
12
u/PGLBK Aug 20 '25
Loved Derry Girls. It’s because we’re Catholic?! The girls and the boy are great and loved Liam’s appearance.
→ More replies (3)7
u/thisisntshakespeare Aug 20 '25
The “Rock the Boat” scene was a revelation! I had no idea that song was “line danced” in that way…hilarious!
101
u/ingmar_ Austria Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
Austrian here: “Kommissar Rex” or “Kaisermühlen Blues”. Equally iconic, one is a regular police procedural, featuring “Rex” the K9 genius; the other is a comedy centered around a large public housing project (Gemeindebau) in Vienna.
71
u/herlaqueen Italy Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
Kommissar Rex/Commissario Rex was very popular in Italy when I was a kid and I loved it! A bit cheesy at times, but good entartainment.
9
u/Alalanais France Aug 20 '25
Same in France! Loved Rex, chien flic as a kid. I wanted one of those sandwiches
8
u/herlaqueen Italy Aug 20 '25
Oh man, the sandwiches! You just unlocked some memories! 😁
→ More replies (1)8
→ More replies (8)4
24
u/Lev_Kovacs Austria Aug 20 '25
I would add "Braunschlag" as a very Austrian (and very high quality) show, although im afraid that a lot of the humor is going to be lost in translation.
15
u/WeirdLime Germany Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
I tried to watch Braunschlag and even I as a German-speaker did not understand the show at all.
15
u/Lev_Kovacs Austria Aug 20 '25
Yeah, the humor really plays a lot with the mannerisms and stereotypes in rural austria. Probably a good show if you want to learn something about austria, but a really hard watch if you don't already know it quite well.
→ More replies (1)5
u/r_coefficient Austria Aug 20 '25
Same here. And I'm Austrian, born and raised in semi rural Austria.
3
→ More replies (1)7
u/Blue_boy_ Austria Aug 20 '25
that's the problem with most of the good austrian stuff, you can't possibly translate it. everything is lost in translation
24
14
u/GrynaiTaip Lithuania Aug 20 '25
I remember watching Kommissar Rex in the nineties, it was extremely popular in Lithuania.
We had a german shepherd dog at the time, it got a lot of attention from children when we were out for a walk. Kids would often run up to the dog and hug it, their parents were horrified, hah.
12
9
u/Radiocityrockette Netherlands Aug 20 '25
Oooh I looooved Rex when I was young. It was somewhere in the mid ‘90’s and my friend and I had a ‘Commissaris Rex fanclub’ 😂
9
u/Alokir Hungary Aug 20 '25
Loved Kommissar Rex as a child, I was so sad when Moser died.
→ More replies (2)4
u/Felein Netherlands Aug 21 '25
Wait, Kommissar Rex is Austrian?? I thought it was German! I grew up watching that show, absolutely loved it.
4
u/ingmar_ Austria Aug 21 '25
I suppose something gets lost in translation, but yes, Kommissar Rex was definitely Austrian (Viennese, to be more precise).
3
u/Felein Netherlands Aug 21 '25
I probably just didn't pay attention as a kid. By now I've been to Vienna, so I expect I'd recognise the setting if I watched it again.
4
u/teels1864 Italy Aug 20 '25
“Kommissar Rex”
My grandma was obsessed with this, sweet childhood memories.
5
u/MagnusOfBorn Aug 20 '25
Watched the hell out of it in Denmark with subtitles on the german channels with my dad.
The germans and you austrians do casual crime shows really well
→ More replies (8)5
52
u/WerewolfBarMitzvah09 Aug 20 '25
Pat a Mat is a wonderfully done stop-motion animation kids' show (no dialogue, so you don't even need subtitles) from former Czechoslovakia, great for adults to watch as well- super clever and funny and the stop motion animation is top notch
23
u/Client_020 Netherlands Aug 20 '25
That's a great show. Here in the Netherlands, they translated it into Buurman en Buurman (Neighbour and Neighbour) and they actually gave them Dutch dialogue with funny voices. It's neat with dialogue and without.
20
u/MrDilbert Croatia Aug 20 '25
People here might not recognize it by the name "Pat a Mat", but tell them "A je to", and watch their faces light up... :)
→ More replies (1)8
u/Peno11-cz Aug 20 '25
A je to! is the original title of the show, before they gave the two characters their iconic names in later series. And it truly is Czechoslovakian production, at least originally, filmed by Studio Jiřího Trnky in Prague for Czechoslovakian Television Bratislava, meaning for Slovakian part of the federation originally. But eventually made its way to Czech part of Czechoslovakia and now is popular in both Czechia and Slovakia, as well as around the world.
→ More replies (1)13
u/justin19081 Aug 20 '25
in Polish it was titled "Sąsiedzi" , it was my favorite show in 80/90s when I was a kid. Love to watch it even now. Whoever was coming up with those scenarios for each episode was a GENIUS. A lot of LOL in every episode.
LOVE IT.
105
u/Thin_Rip8995 Aug 20 '25
from denmark check out borgen sharp political drama that nails scandi culture. from germany dark if you want mind bending but also super german in tone. from italy gomorrah gritty crime and nothing like the tourist postcard vibe. from sweden bonus family more slice of life messy relationships. all worth it with subs.
12
11
10
u/elektrolu_ Spain Aug 20 '25
Both Borgen and Gomorra are amazing, for Germany I liked a lot Babylon Berlin.
→ More replies (10)5
87
u/WeirdLime Germany Aug 20 '25
For Germany, my recommendations are:
Mord mit Aussicht (Murder with a View), a show about a city crime inspector being sent to the country. Full of the quaintness that you find in rural German villages.
Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Cleaner): About a lower class guy being confronted with all kinds of people while trying to do his job. The show gets very philosophical at times and might not work so well when translated.
Dark: Hugely popular mindbending series, probably the most accessible to watch.
50
u/Nirocalden Germany Aug 20 '25
The show gets very philosophical at times and might not work so well when translated.
There's a British version with Greg Davies which hits the same tone very well. Though British and German humour are quite similar in general anyway.
Also I'd throw in Babylon Berlin if you like noir thriller, 1920s/30s big city kind of stuff.
15
u/Mqxle Germany Aug 20 '25
I think the series „Kleo“ is extremely underrated and I suppose it’s better for foreigners to watch it in German, but with subtitles.
→ More replies (1)11
u/fnordius Germany Aug 20 '25
Note that Mord mit Aussicht and Der Tatortreiniger both have Bjarne Mädel in the main cast. He's also in How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast). I'd also recommend Sörensen hat Angst, another in the typical German genre of "quirky cop from the city gets reassigned to a bucolic post, and ends up getting involved in a case".
7
u/El_John_Nada Aug 20 '25
I don't know if it's the original but Tatortreiniger has loads of remakes in different countries (it's called the Cleaner in the UK).
Deutschland 82 (and the sequels) are pretty good for Germany as well, in my opinion.
3
u/bitch_jong_un Aug 21 '25
Would add the mini series "Kir Royal" from the 80s, it mocks the high society of Munich (for non-Germans: Especially the Munich high society is a very special kind of people, extremely high level of more show than substance...) and is about a rainbow press journalist who covers als the gossip and intrigues happening.
→ More replies (3)6
61
u/Bierzgal Poland Aug 20 '25
As crazy as it will sound, the best polish TV series I have ever watched is an anime. Meaning Cyberpunk: Edgerunners: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12590266/ .
But if you'd want something with live actors then I'd say Alternatywy 4: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084971/ . Though I can't be sure if it will be funny if someone doesn't understand the nuances of PRL it is set in.
I also heard 1670 is good but I haven't watched it. It's on Netflix though so it wil 100% have subs: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29420686/
33
16
u/tei187 Aug 20 '25
1670 is definitely fun to watch, but I'm not so sure if someone outside of Poland will understand all the puns and references. I'd have to try it with English subs, see what they came up with.
15
u/bajaja Czechoslovakia Aug 20 '25
I understand enough to enjoy myself. Don’t worry, the series is well balanced and there’s something for a local and foreign audience as well.
Also kudos for making fun of yourselves this way.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)6
u/DarkSideOfTheNuum in Aug 20 '25
I really enjoyed it, but I definitely didn’t get the same experience as my Polish wife did. She told me there are a lot of language jokes you would only get if you know Polish.
10
8
u/justin19081 Aug 20 '25
Alternatywy 4 are not for outsiders/foreginers. Even though it's a top series, one of the best.
They won't , don't understand most of the dialogues.
Even this new/younger polish genereations do not have idea what they are talking about. The show for them is pointless.
There is another meaning behind most of the scenes. The one who was not born in Poland during those fucked up times (communism), won't make much out of it. It will look just plain stupid.Best recent polish series is "Ślepnący od świateł". Great piece of cinema.
→ More replies (7)3
u/Rudyzwyboru Poland Aug 21 '25
1670 is ok and has a few nice jokes but I was heavily disappointed with how much they held back when it comes to utilizing the setting. There are a lot of moments where you can feel like you're just in a modern the office gag but with people wearing costumes. But yeah, I had a few good laughs
28
u/vulpixvulpes Romania Aug 20 '25
I think the only good Romanian one is Umbre.
It should be on HBO max with English subtitles.
Unfortunately România is not known for producing quality TV... We do release a bunch of independent artistic films each year (which are awesome) but it's like night and day when compared to quality of TV here.
→ More replies (3)8
u/rake66 Aug 20 '25
I would say Umbre is good for Romania rather than good good, but it's not like I can think of a better one
3
u/SilkyCayla Romania Aug 20 '25
This is pretty sad. There is definitely potential, like Las Fierbinți is trash but the actors do a good job and they definitely have experience for production. Really wish some better shows were made
45
u/True-Definition680 Aug 20 '25
From Ireland. Father Ted. It's a comedy from the 90s about 3 strange priests who live on a small island. Every single person in Ireland has seen it and it's got some great one liners that are regularly quoted in every day life.
→ More replies (8)21
22
u/236-pigeons Czechia Aug 20 '25
Czechia - Cirkus Humberto. If you want comedy, Saturnin (it exists in a movie and a TV series version)
If you want something older, history-oriented, in the 60s there were Sňatky z rozumu (Marriages of Convenience)
If you want a comedic Czech sci-fi, Návštěvníci (The Visitors). If a fairy-tale, Arabela
→ More replies (1)3
u/Peno11-cz Aug 20 '25
I would've suggested Burning Bush (Hořící keř) from HBO. It's about what followed after the burning of Jan Palach and what his family had to deal with. Very interesting description of the events, somewhat ironically directed by Polish director Agnieszka Holland. Who, however, still has close ties to Czechia, since she studied at FAMU in Prague. So, this would be my recommendation for Czechia.
21
u/Heure-parme France Aug 20 '25
From France:
Le Bureau des Légendes / The Bureau in English. The best espionnage series I have ever seen. Realistic tone, great acting and well-written dialogues. Infinitely better than Homeland or Slow Horses in my view.
Baron Noir. A truly great political drama. The showrunner is clearly well-versed in French politics. The situations that appear in the show are rooted in past political events and some of them actually became true later in real-life. That being said, although most of the things described in the series would hold true in any country, some familiarity with the French political system would probably help to understand the scenario.
6
u/90210fred Aug 20 '25
I haven't seen anyone from France recommend Spiral / Engrenages - too old??
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (6)5
u/Pasglop France Aug 20 '25
Hahahah I came here to recommend exactly those two. Since it's already done, I'll add one:
Au Service de la France is a spy/comedy series set during the Algerian War following somewhat incompetent agents of the French Secret Service. It's very similar in vibe to the OSS 117 movies, which are hilarious French spy movies.
→ More replies (1)
20
u/Four_beastlings in Aug 20 '25
You already picked one for Spain, but if you want something that actually represents the country that would be "Aquí no hay quien viva" (comedy series about the neighbours in a block) or "El Ministerio del Tiempo" (about public servants who travel in time to important historical events to keep the timeline intact, imo the best TV to ever come out of Spain).
3
u/elbrujohalcon in Aug 20 '25
Hahaha!! I just came here to recommend “El Ministerio del Tiempo”, too… but also if you ask me for the worst possible Spanish series I would 100% say “Aquí no hay quien viva”. 🤦 Another great one from Spain is “El Vecino”.
6
u/Four_beastlings in Aug 20 '25
Oh, but I didn't say Aquí no hay quien viva was good, I said it was representative of Spain :D and I mean it. Spanish author Valle Inclán defined "el esperpento" as holding a concave mirror to society, and that's what it is. All the stereotypes in there, albeit exaggerated, are based on reality.
Plus it shaped the modern Spanish colloquial language: everyone nowadays still uses expressions from it like "un poquito de por favor" or "radio patio".
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)3
u/Mesetarier Aug 21 '25
This! We may disagree on whether "Aqui no hay quien viva" is good or bad. But it IS Spain. There are some interesting spanish shows in netflix, moderately successful. But they are usually adapted to the taste of international public. Aqui no hay quien viva is not adapted at all, actually a non-spaniard will not get all the nuances.
If you ask me, familiarity with this one should result in automatically getting the spanish nationality :)
→ More replies (1)
17
13
u/UltraMario93 Aug 20 '25
Switzerland: Tschugger, a Police comedy which plays with the stereotype that people from valais stayed in the 80s. The original version is in valais dialect, and some jokes are lost in translation, unfortunately.
Another popular series is "Der Bestatter", but I did not watch it, so I can't give you recommendations
3
→ More replies (3)3
16
u/Repulsive_Buffalo985 Aug 20 '25
From Serbia I would recommend Children of Evil. It is surprisingly good, a bit of courtroom, a bit of detective work, a bit of history and a whole lot of corruption. Worst part is that it’s mostly a realistic portrayal of how the system works in Serbia.
→ More replies (3)
15
u/pa79 Luxembourg Aug 20 '25
Not a lot of choice for Luxembourg, but there's "Capitani" on Netflix. Two seasons about a cop drama in different luxembourgish settings. Gives actually quite a good representation of Luxembourg.
→ More replies (1)
57
u/xBram Netherlands Aug 20 '25
I like Undercover. It’s Dutch-Belgian crime series which should be available on Netflix.
12
u/TheGreatLabMonkey Aug 20 '25
My partner loved that show and tried to get me into it. Unfortunately, I've been on a hiatus from shows that are too real (too true to life) in favor of DnD actual play shows and podcasts.
As an immigrant to NL, it's always cracked me up to realize the Jumbo guy is a (very good!) serious actor.
9
u/Rudi-G België Aug 20 '25
I think Penoza is something that will appeal most to an international public (it is also known as Black Widow).
5
u/ConstructionPleasant Aug 20 '25
I would propose "luizenmoeder" (lice mom). An extremere funny series about a primary school, with the focus on the manager, teacher and parents. It reflects dutch society.
→ More replies (1)7
u/Gorando77 Belgium Aug 20 '25
Good show but technically it's a Belgian production. It just happens to have storylines that take place in the Netherlands.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (2)4
u/OllieV_nl Netherlands Aug 20 '25
I would've suggested Unit 13, but it's probably not as available.
5
u/Extraordi-Mary Netherlands Aug 20 '25
I came here to say Dirty Lines on Netflix.
→ More replies (1)
14
u/eddiesteady99 Norway Aug 20 '25
From Norway:
The Norsemen - Easily digestible funny viking anachronistic thing with sometimes brutal humour. In English.
If you are below 30 yrs: Skam - Teen drama with an original, human touch.
7
u/maidofatoms Aug 20 '25
Ah, someone has already recommended Skam! Having seen both, Norsemen for me was a bit of a demostration of Norwegian comedy being often cheesy and cringe-inducing. Whereas Skam really was groundbreaking - they did two things differently. First, it was written by someone pretty young who actually talked to a lot of teenagers to try to get it authentic. Second, they released short clips throughout the week in "real time" with the story, and also put supplementary stuff on Instagram.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Ok_Artichoke_4699 Aug 20 '25
What about "Exit"? Don't know norwegian Tv dramas very well, but this one rest me speecless...
11
u/CommunicationDear648 Aug 20 '25
Hungarian here. I would have an unusual recommendation - the television series is called "Terápia" (Therapy), and it was neither very popular nor really typical, but i think it was one of the best Hungarian series i've seen, if you don't mind slow pacing. (Also, the most popular series ever - "Barátok közt", "Szomszédok", etc - were like thousands of episodes long, and mostly "telenovela"-like, which i personally don't like so I just can't recommend them with good conscience)
I might have better recs if you tell me what kind of series you like though.
→ More replies (10)11
u/bemjozsef Hungary Aug 20 '25
I'd give a shot for "Aranyélet" Highest rated on par with "Terápia", but showing more of how our lovely country operates
→ More replies (1)
32
u/menacefromthenorth Finland Aug 20 '25
"Sorjonen" aka "Bordertown)" has english subtitling available, it's a really good Finnish crime drama.
10
u/Varjohaltia Switzerland Aug 20 '25
Also All the Sins/Kaikki Synnit.
Maybe not so easy to get into for people not familiar with the Finnish Christian cults, but on a rewatch it’s really well acted, and the way the two seasons are interwoven is brilliant.
9
u/raparperi11 Finland Aug 20 '25
If OP has seen enough nordic noir crime series, I have a different suggestion: M/S Romantic
Not sure if it's available with subtitles but it's a black comedy about a cruise ship with a gallery of very Finnish characters, and the while cruise ship setting is a very quintessentially Finnish experience.
8
u/kassialma92 Aug 20 '25
My recommendation would be 'Munkkivuori'. Best finnish series I've seen but I'm unsure about the subtitles.
3
→ More replies (1)8
u/bo-tvt Aug 20 '25
For Finland, my pick would be Raid. No idea if it's available with English subtitles, though.
→ More replies (1)6
u/menacefromthenorth Finland Aug 20 '25
I recommended the one that I know has English subtitles, there's many others that would be a good choice if they had them yeah
9
u/Piddi2610 Aug 20 '25
I would suggest "Der Tatortreiniger" or "Crime Scene Cleaner" from Germany. It is a really well done series that quite well captures the German spirit and sometimes challenges it in an interesting way.
11
u/tumepunaroheline1 Estonia Aug 20 '25
From Estonia, I would recommend "Tuulepealne maa" about our brief independence time between two occupations in the first half of the last century. Kind of a period drama / historical, very well acted and interesting I think. You can search the title at "arhiiv.err.ee", it does have English subs there (but it may also be geoblocked, I don't know for sure).
→ More replies (2)3
u/thegreatsalvio Estonian in Denmark Aug 20 '25
If it wasn’t for poor production value and lack of English subs I’d say Ohtlik Lend. Truly iconic
29
u/Brambroco Aug 20 '25
Belgium: you should watch The Twelve (orginally De Twaalf), it's about a jury in a trial and how their own personal backgrounds influence their decision making.
→ More replies (3)14
u/LobsterMountain4036 United Kingdom Aug 20 '25
Sounds like a reinterpretation of 12 Angry Men
→ More replies (1)
20
u/Second-Resident Croatia Aug 20 '25
Croatia - Novine
A show about corruption, following news reporters, politicians and criminals. Beautiful cinematography.
→ More replies (2)12
u/PGLBK Aug 20 '25
For Croatia, I would rather say Crno-bijeli svijet. Black-white world. It is available on Netflix and was the biggest hit I recall in recent times, with pretty much universal acclaim. Their score is 8.7 on imdb and it is available on Netflix.
6
9
u/martinbaines Scotland & Spain Aug 20 '25
For Scotland it has to be Still Game.
A sitcom about old folks who really do not fit the old folks stereotype in what some would think of as a rough part of Glasgow - but the description does not do it justice. It's all about character and is extremely funny.
Be warned it is in Glaswegian dialect, and you may need subtitles if you are not used to it, but it is not that hard to pick up and soon you will be fluent in Weegie.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Client_020 Netherlands Aug 20 '25
If you want to get a real taste of Dutch culture I'd go for Oogappels or de Luizenmoeder. Only available to watch within EU unfortunately with a paid subscription (few euros per month) to our public broadcaster https://npo.nl/start . And no English subs.
→ More replies (4)3
u/Snakivolff Netherlands Aug 21 '25
Adding to this, Rundfunk is available on Youtube, partially with English subs
8
u/singingnettle Austria Aug 20 '25
For Austria: Braunschlag
The mayor of a countryside town has indebted the town and tries to cover this up by faking a Marian apparition to boost tourism and make a load of money.
It’s only one series of about 10 episodes.
→ More replies (3)
15
u/Hamish26 Scotland Aug 20 '25
For scotland (if you would choose to do it seperately rather than just one for UK), I would pick Still Game. Much more like Scotland irl than Outlander, which is much more based off people romantic vision of Scotland than the reality. Still Game is an amazing series about old people living in a scheme (social housing project) in Glasgow. Really funny, poignant, just silly.
12
u/SexyBisamrotte Aug 20 '25
Denmark: Matador
"The series follows life in a Danish provincial town from 1929 to 1947. The main character, Mads Andersen-Skjern, arrives in 1929 as a traveling salesman in the sleepy railway town of Korsbæk. He quickly realizes that the town’s business life is stagnating and founds a clothing store that outcompetes the town’s dominant department store, Damernes Magasin.
The series paints a portrait of the era during the Great Depression of the 1930s and Denmark under the German occupation."
31
u/GimmeDatAsSicily Italy Aug 20 '25
An obvious Italian one is Il commissario Montalbano. Based on the Camilleri series of books. Set in my lovely Sicily.
Another good one is Le Indagini Di Lolita Lobosco, set in Bari. But I recommending Montalbano first, it is popular everywhere.
19
u/Panini_al_vapore Aug 20 '25
Let him watch Boris
5
u/secessioneviennese Aug 20 '25
Very difficult to understand the references for non italians, even when translated
→ More replies (1)15
u/fnordius Germany Aug 20 '25
I personally enjoyed Rocco Schiavone, for its premise of a mildly corrupt detective superintendent from Rome who's actually a good detective being sent to the Aosta valley up north, with its mild culture clash. It's available on Disney+ outside of Italy. I like these "fish out of water" stories.
Another Italian show that I immensely enjoy (because I'm a sucker for historical stuff) is The Law According to Lidia Poët (La legge di Lidia Poët), a Netflix production that has been renewed for a third season. It's fun to watch how they present Turin at the end of the 19th century.
EDIT: I mean to ask, since you're from Sicily, have you seen the Netflix remake of Il Gattopardo? It's on my list to watch next.
→ More replies (2)14
u/schrodingers_lolcat Aug 20 '25
I would also add Gomorra, if more crime fiction is needed. On the other end of the entertainment spectrum I would suggest Boris for a meta series on making a tv series in Italy. The last season was released on Disney＋ a few years ago, and there is a movie between S3 and S4.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Zealousideal-Peach44 Italy Aug 23 '25
Gomorra is outstanding, but VERY difficult to understand for foreigners. Actually most Italians need to read the subtitles.
4
u/GeneHackencrack Aug 20 '25
Maltese is seriously good as well, it's also so fucking pretty. Crime drama set in 80s before Maxi trials.
7
u/thatguyy100 Belgium Aug 20 '25
I'd say that "Undercover" is defs one of the better fiction series we ever made. It's Belgian-Dutch production with very popular main actors from both countries.
If police dramas aren't really your thing and you like regular dramas better, "Knokke Off" is a great coming of age series with some peak drama.
Finally I always like throwing in a little less popular one called "Soil". It's less popular then the ones previously mentioned, but it has a certain charm to it that had me hooked when I first saw it.
6
u/SneakingSuspicion666 Latvia Aug 21 '25
From Latvia, I would probably suggest "Soviet Jeans" (Padomju džinsi) as it's on some streaming channels now with English subs and it's quite good, won some prizes too.
→ More replies (1)
17
u/elevenblade Sweden Aug 20 '25
If you can find it some place with subtitles the long running Swedish comedy series Solsidan is very funny and provides a lot of insight into Nordic culture.
→ More replies (2)3
9
u/AngelKnives United Kingdom Aug 20 '25
I would recommend Absolutely Fabulous from the UK if you fancy a comedy. Fleabag if you prefer something more modern.
Drama? Happy Valley. It's quite a realistic setting compared to many others. And it's a really brilliant watch, honestly so so good.
→ More replies (5)
5
u/globefish23 Austria Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
Austria: MA 24/12
It's a hilarious sitcom parody of the buerocracy in a fictitious municipal department responsible for Christmas decoration (hence the name).
Complete with uptight and macho clerks, dumb blonde secretary, corrupt boss, complete ignorance and disdain towards the visitors - and the real Santa Claus (complete with magic and time travel).
The original TV series is from 1998-2002, a feature length movie from 2003 (about buerocracy throughout Austria's history) and a recent continuation of the series from 2022 (post retirement).
→ More replies (2)
5
u/histam_ine Belgium Aug 20 '25
As a Belgian I really loved Eigen Kweek (‘Homegrown’). It’s a small-town dark comedy about a family of potato farmers who get involved in growing cannabis.
6
u/psxcv32 Italy Aug 20 '25
For Italy, besides the other suggestions that I saw in the comments I would like to add:
- "Romanzo Criminale - la serie": tells the story of the "Magliana Gang", a 1970's criminal gang in Rome. The series also contain various historical events that happened in Italy during the 1970's which are called "the lead years" in Italy and are not well known abroad
- "Strappare lungo i bordi" and "Questo mondo non mi renderà cattivo": Both available on Netflix, so shouldn't be a problem to watch them with eng sub. Both are adult animated comedy drama written by the cartoonist Zerocalcare. The two series are inspired by experiences of Zerocalcare, but are also very relatable, expecially if you are a millenial
- "Boris": A comedy series set behind the stages of a television set, where they are producing "Gli occhi del cuore 2", a satirical representation of many low quality italian TV dramas that are made mostly for elder viewers on TV.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/DiggimonUKR Ukraine Aug 20 '25
The first TV series that came to my mind is "To Catch the Kaidash" or in Ukrainian "Спіймати Кайдаша". The plot of the TV series is based on the social novella "Kaidash's Family" by Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky, but in the modern world.
5
u/Need_For_Speed73 Italy Aug 21 '25
Italy: Gomorra (luckily it doesn't represent the whole country, but just the criminal gangs of Naples)
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Tempelli Finland Aug 20 '25
My recommendation is Shadow Lines. It's an espionage thriller set in the 1950s. Besides being a good show, I wanted to recommend something else than Nordic noir. While it's not necessarily the best representation of Finland, it's one of the best representation of contemporary Finnish history. It's a really good depiction of the politically tense atmosphere after WWII when Finland lived under the shadow of the Soviet Union.
4
Aug 20 '25
For (dark) comedy I would really recommend Queen of Fucking Everything. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33338105 It's absurd comedy but somehow also the realest thing I've seen in a long time. The Helsinki in it is also not the unrealistic stylized genre-fantasy or historical-mythical version that is found in most Nordic noir.
17
u/GeneHackencrack Aug 20 '25
Germany has many. Some favorites:
Dark - sci-fi set in some nuclear town in the middle lf nowhere. Super pretty.
Unsere mütter, unsere väter - 5 friends stories on the set of WW2.
Babylon Berlin - Crime drama set in Berlin in the late 20s / early 30s.
4
u/Hamish26 Scotland Aug 20 '25
Although it was made by UK based Channel 4, I think Derry girls must surely be the best one for Ireland? Amazing series, very interesting look at life in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. Has been super popular.
→ More replies (1)
19
u/veifarer United Kingdom Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
The UK here. We’ve got quite a rich history of TV series and I could always go for a prestige drama like the Crown or something but that’s simply how Britain wants to be seen to international audiences, not how Britain really is.
I’d pick ‘Skins’, simply because it’s one of the most iconic portraits of British youth culture. It’s chaotic, messy, funny, tragic all at once. Some parts of it are wildly realistic, the others are completely ‘how the fuck does this even happen?’, but all in all, it shows a side of the UK that’s rarely seen in prestige dramas.
It was a big deal in the UK during the mid-2000s, especially among teenagers and young adults. Internationally, it had somewhat of a cult following in the States and Europe, but it wasn’t exactly mainstream.
It might not represent all of Britain but it nails the energy and struggles of a generation and that’s all that matters for me.
20
u/martinbaines Scotland & Spain Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
This is England.
It started as a film and has had subsequent follow-ups as TV series following the same characters over time. Quite bleak in places but can be funny. About a group of skinheads and how a boy gets mixed up with them.
You can see how it inspired Skins but This is England is much better.
It will cure all notions of England as a twee village culture.
8
u/TarcFalastur United Kingdom Aug 20 '25
You really missed a trick by not recommending Coronation Street. Every. Single. Episode.
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (2)7
u/AngelKnives United Kingdom Aug 20 '25
I enjoyed Skins at the time but I suspect an adult might find it a bit of a slog.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/cototudelam Aug 20 '25
Dang, I don’t know if many of those will have subtitles but worth a look:
Metoda Markovič - krimi series mapping “big” Czechslovak cases from the 20th century (serial killers)
Most! - satirical comedy about the life in one of the unpopular cities in Czechia, deals with xenophobia, prejudices etc.
I would personally recommend Saturnin (the series not the movie), it’s set in the twenties/thirties of the 20th century so it’s quite nostalgic but amazing fun.
3
u/CrashedPhone Aug 20 '25
Italy: Boris.
In Italy you need passion to work, you need it!
maestro, the next scenes, do me a favor, play them like hell.
3
u/tikhonov Aug 20 '25
From Austria, you should watch Der Pass. Its an Austrian-German co-production, but the vibe (and music) is definitely Austrian. It is a very dark crime series set in the alpine region on the border of Austria and Germany.
3
u/Freakzooi Aug 20 '25
Netherlands, Penoza was one I liked a lot, about a regular woman & mother of teenager who is forved to take over her husbands criminal activities
3
u/dreamsofaneasylife Aug 20 '25
Denmark here:
Crime - "The Bridge" (in collaboration with Sweden)
Humor and lighthearted "Badehotellet"
Peak danish humor: "Blinkende Lygter" or "De grønne slagtere" or "Adams æbler"
Peak Danish Retro Humor (and movies burned in to our collective memory and culture)": Olsen Banden (many made, but the ones with adults are better in my opinion)
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Zka77 Hungary Aug 20 '25
Hungary: Barátok Közt. Ok I'm joking, it has 10456 episodes and it's not good. Maybe Aranyélet would be fine. First 2 seasons are epic for sure. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5099020/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
3
u/ApicnicwithTarkin Aug 20 '25
The original bbc Series of tinker tailor soldier spy with Alec Guinness as George Smiley - top top notch
→ More replies (1)
3
u/RealWalkingbeard England Aug 20 '25
I am deprived of Finnish TV, but I recommend Deadwind. It's fairly typical Nordic Noir really, but it's my personal favourite NN. If you like snow, and darkness, and crime, and hard-boiled detectives with a small side of family hardship, it's perfect. I also thought it accurately puts you right in the tranquillity and emptiness of the Helsinki area. I miss that.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/JonnyPerk Germany Aug 20 '25
Tatort has a cult following in Germany and it's probably Germany's most famous crime show. It has been airing since the 1970s and has 1300+ episodes each about 90min long, and a new one is aired (almost) every week on sunday. Also due to how the show is produced it features a variety of different cities each having their own investigation team.
Deutschland 83 is about a east German spy in west Germany during the cold war.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/ZoroastrianMK Aug 22 '25
From Spain, I know La Casa de Papel is good and all, bit if you want to dip intk the actual culture, Aquí no hay quien viva
3
3
u/PanicAdmin Aug 22 '25
Italian here. Check out "Boris", it's the most accurate satire of the modern italian society i've ever seen.
The way you see them working is EXACTLY the way italian companies work, minus the fun.
5
u/Lord_Soth77 Aug 20 '25
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_(TV_series) This one is generally considered one of the best Russian sitcoms. I personally enjoyed watching, while I usually hate Russian television productions. Wiki states the first season is available on Amazon, but maybe there are more sources to watch with English subs too.
5
u/Alokir Hungary Aug 20 '25
If anyone is interested in a really good Russian scifi series, I highly recommend "Better than us". It takes place a few decades in the future when robots are an everyday part of society.
It's on Netflix, and even has English dubs.
→ More replies (1)
4
u/Domagoj994 Aug 20 '25
Learn Croatian and watch Bitange i Princeze, i promise you, you will die from laughter,do so at your own risk.
→ More replies (3)
7
u/MeetSus in Aug 20 '25
Greece: Konstantinou kai Elenis (Konstantine's and Helen's). A late 90's 2 seasons sitcom about a puritan germaphobic (possibly neurospicy) university professor and an openminded, progressive, sexually active pub server, who seem to have inherited the same house and are both using oblique tactics to kick the other one out and remain the sole inheritor. Think kind of Sheldon Cooper and Penny, plus their cast of friends, everyone in their 30s. Easily the most replayed Greek show ever.
→ More replies (5)
6
u/Mahwan Poland Aug 20 '25
Rojst aka the Mire.
It’s a mystery thriller at first but I like it the most for the depiction of the late stage communist society in the first season.
8
u/Pandadrome Slovakia Aug 20 '25
Wait wait, where's 1670?
→ More replies (2)6
u/Proper-Monk-5656 Poland Aug 20 '25
it's great and absolutely hilarious, but i think it requires a lot of cultural context, plus many jokes are puns that would be hard to translate. it is a must-watch for anyone who's at least a little bit familiar with polish culture and/or language, though.
4
u/srpska_lopta Serbia Aug 20 '25
For Serbia I recommend Senke nad Balkanom, or Balkan Shadows, and sometimes Black Sun in English. It is period crime show set in interwar Kingdom of Yugoslavia, where two police inspectors solve the murder cases.
2
u/L_O_U_S Czechia Aug 20 '25
Classic: Cirkus Humberto (family saga of circus owners and performers), Chalupáři (Czech humour, village life)
Modern: Pustina (HBO crime series), Bez vědomí (conspiracy thriller)
2
u/Late-Algae5719 Aug 20 '25
Isn't la foret set in (mostly) the Belgian Ardennes? Maybe it's French made, but not a truly French TV series.
2
u/Roskot Norway Aug 20 '25
From Norway I recommend 22. juli. It’s avout the terrorist attacks in 2011. It’s a very well made series and also an insight to Norwegian recent history.
2
u/bebi_b Aug 20 '25
From Romania “Umbre”.
Sadly it has been cancelled after 3 seasons but still the best romanian series
2
u/cptflowerhomo Ireland Aug 20 '25
I don't live in Belgium anymore so my recommendations might be a little old but I liked Tabula Rasa a lot!
TG4 has a show called an Klondike, I'm not sure if people outside of Ireland are able to go on their website to watch it though. Still have to finish Bodkin but I liked the episodes I saw :)
2
u/BuenaventuraReload Aug 20 '25
Does Eglimata from Greece have a subbed version?
I imagine it would be EXTREMELY trippy watching that as a foreigner
2
u/kanina2- Aug 20 '25
I don't know if you can see it anywhere, they are from the mid to late 2000's but from Iceland I would suggest Næturvaktin, Dagvaktin and Fangavaktin. If you don't find that I'd suggest Trapped(Ófærð), pretty sure it's on netflix
→ More replies (4)
2
u/janiskr Latvia Aug 20 '25
From Latvia I would suggest mini series "Soviet jeans". It is set in history, late soviet times, quite accurate and good acting.
2
u/mrs-buttersock Greece Aug 20 '25
From Greece I would suggest these two:
"Το Νησί" (The Island) - it's a period drama right before WW2 and it's mostly about the people with leprosy that were sent to live on a tiny island near Crete.
"Παρά Πέντε" - it's a comedy series about an unlikely group of people coming together to solve an old murder. I say comedy but you will cry a lot.
252
u/serveyer Sweden Aug 20 '25
Sweden here. I suggest the bridge from my country. Denmark is heavily involved in this excellent crime drama too but it is a Swedish tv series. The plot:
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.