16 International Series To Watch Right Now On Netflix

Netflix has really stepped up the number of titles we can watch with one click in recent years. While some may lament the sheer volume, one thing the streaming service has done is brought shows from around the globe to American audiences.

That’s doesn’t discount the traditional networks that have done the same in the past. ABC aired Canadian police drama Rookie Blue for six seasons and Australian comedy Please Like Me, which is now sitting on Hulu available to stream, found a home on the now-defunct network Pivot. And, there many more examples.

Some international shows find American homes, but, in general, without streaming services, American audiences would probably miss out on many of the world’s great shows. Netflix has just tapped into American audiences’ appetite for international shows.

With the volume of shows, it’s easy to get lost or miss things on Netflix. That’s where we come in! Here are 16 shows from around the world you should be watching:

1. Mossad 101

Isreali drama Mossad 101 centers on a group of strangers who are committed to serving their country as part of national intelligence agency Mossad.

Frustrated with being stuck as an instructor, veteran field agent Yonna decides to take the group’s training in a different direction. The new recruits do not have the most positive educational experience because they distrust Yonna, setting up a complex conflict.

From the unconventional recruits chosen to the missions themselves, his tactics change the lives of his students, and potentially his agency, forever, but it will definitely keep viewers on their toes.

Mossad 101 had a thrilling and shocking first season then returned for a second adventure earlier this year.

2. Crazyhead

One of the streaming service’s best international imports is off-kilter supernatural series Crazyhead. The six-part series starring Susan Wokoma and Cara Theobold is the fun mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and beloved British shows, Misfits and Killing Eve.

Wokoma and Theobold’s characters are a dynamic duo of self-trained demon hunter and newly-discovered seer of evil demons respectively. Together they fight evil while bantering like absolute pros.

The backbone of the series is their relationship, which grows significantly over the batch of episodes.

What sets the series apart is its gut-busting comedic moments amid real horror and deadly stakes. A standout moment from early in the series is an attempt to exorcise a demon by peeing on the individual possessed.

Unfortunately, the series will not return for a second season, but it is worth it to watch the six thrilling episodes.

Crazyhead is outrageous, hilarious, and a great time.

3. Occupied

Norwegian political thriller Occupied pits Norway against Russia after Norway’s Green Party decides to stop the country’s oil and gas production. Things get dire for Norway when Russia decides to occupy the country in order to restore it.

It’s a fascinating, and quite horrifying, look at what a modern-day occupation would look like. From the perspective of a variety of Norwegians – a journalist, government officials and the owner of a restaurant among them – the show gives a look at life in the country. That is before of the invading begins.

After debuting its first season on the streaming platform in 2016, Occupied returned to continue telling the story of this particular occupation in 2018. According to Cinema Scandinavia, it has been renewed for a third season.

The political intrigue draws you in, and the anticipation of a revolution, whether it succeeds or fails, keeps you watching.

4. 3%

For those missing The 100 between seasons, 3% may be the show for you.

Set in a dystopian world, the series follows a group of people trying to escape poverty in the “Inland” to join the privileged in a paradise called “Offshore.”

The problem for those competing is only 3% of them will make it through. Some may have nefarious plans and others simply want to enter paradise, but everyone just wants a better life.

3%, Netflix’s first ever Portuguese-language original series, premiered in 2016 and returned its second season in 2018. Fans can look forward to a third outing in 2019.

While the high stakes of survival and shocking twists throughout the process make 3% compelling, the show’s greatest asset is its young cast. Each candidate has their own personality and history that add complications to the process.

The hard choices and horrifying things people will do to survive are common among dystopian stories, including this incredibly Brazilian drama.

5. Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope

Irish comedic drama Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope on its surface is a fun show about two best friends living it up – or trying to at least – in the city.  But it’s about much more than the antics of besties Aisling and Danielle.

While the duo drinks and dances through life, the show dives into the negative effects of codependence. These two love one another and are probably tied together forever by friendship, but that does not mean they are good for one another.

Viewers will see the women go to work, school and even date as they just try to get through the day in one piece over the two seasons of the series. Both of which have already premiered on Netflix.

Anyone who watches will laugh loudly with and get incredibly frustrated by the duo, but mostly they will be happy they went along for the ride.

6. Rita

Rita Madsen is a “bad teacher” with a heart of gold on Danish series Rita. The administration gets frustrated with her on a daily basis, but everything she does – insulting parents and pissing off counselors – is all in an effort to help her students.

You will gasp when she breaks all the rules, and your jaw will hit the ground at several of her actions, but in the end, a student’s life will improve, which exposes the gooey center of this hilarious and raunchy series.

While Rita means well at work, her personal life is an absolute mess at best. Her relationships with her three children and romantic life just cannot fall into place. It’s her powerful personal journey that viewers will eagerly follow over Rita’s four seasons.

Rita is not a person viewers will agree with very often, but they will be very happy to know her because the fun times do roll.

7. The Method

Like a mix of Homeland and Hannibal, Russian drama The Method is a brilliantly twisted ride that is may be hard to stomach at times. At the center is newly-minted officer Eseniya Steklova who is determined to work with Rodion Meglin, a legendary officer shrouded in mystery.

Unfortunately for the young investigator, Meglin is really a vigilante and one that has no problem risking her life in order to close a case. Regardless, she perseveres and works hard to become an investigative powerhouse in her own right.

Amid the violence and gore, their drama creates an entertaining dynamic between teacher and student to follow over sixteen episodes.

Adding a bit of intrigue to the series is the mystery surrounding the death of Eseniya’s mother, an incredibly personal tragedy that viewers will find ties several of the show’s characters together.

8. Doctor Foster

At the center of British series, Doctor Foster is a woman who has been wronged in an incredibly personal manner. One day she learns that her husband has been cheating with a younger woman, and the people in her life – a good friend and her neighbors for example – all knew about it.

Then the battle between Doctor Gemma Foster and her husband Simon begins. Watching actress Suranne Jones brilliant performance as Gemma works through her new reality in both seasons is incredibly thrilling.

Also, for Killing Eve fans, you can see a pre-Villanelle Jodie Comer who plays the new woman in Simon’s life.

Whether you agree with her actions or not, her spiraling is warranted and compelling to watch. Doctor Foster is twisted and gut-wrenching, which makes for great viewing.

9. The Letdown

The Letdown is an Australian comedy about Audrey, a new mother who is trying to figure out life as a parent alongside the members of her mother’s support group. The humorous antics of this group will entertain viewers to no end.

Alison Bell is the brilliant creative force behind the series. Not only is she its lead, but she also created and wrote the comedy alongside Sarah Scheller.

Audrey is an incredible lead because her flaws are on display and make her a relatable entry point into the world. Whether you are a parent who can relate to part of her story or someone with no idea, she brings you into her world. After all, she’s figuring this new chapter of her life too.

The first season is not perfect, especially when Audrey’s husband is centered in the story, but Audrey and her new friends more than make up for any lag and more than enough to get viewers excited for a potential second season.

Watching this series is sure to be a touching experience, but also one that will have you laughing so hard your stomach hurts. The Letdown is incredibly charming, occasionally inappropriate and seemingly-authentic viewing.

10. Ultraviolet

Polish procedural Ultraviolet puts the investigative power in the hands of the people in a way that short-lived drama APB and Wisdom of The Crowd never could. Instead of having a rich man “fix” policing, the series centers on a collective of citizens who work together to solve crimes.

Leading the charge is Ola Serafin, a woman who holds animosity towards the police for how they handled her brother’s death. When a death she witnesses is ruled a suicide, despite what she saw, she turns to online collective Ultraviolet to get the truth.

The group uses their individual skills to work together to solve crimes, regardless of how the police feel about it. Ultraviolet does not shy away from the tough reality of being novice crime fighters.

Ola often gets in the way of police investigations and puts herself in mortal danger during the show’s first season of ten episodes.

The show’s best asset is Ola and her entertaining relationships with the other characters — the young detective she flirts with, the surrogate father who is her quasi-partner on cases, the mother she butts heads with, and her new friends in Ultraviolet.

Marta Nieradkiewicz’s performance as Ola ties it all together.

At its core, the team of average citizens is driven by a compulsion to help others, which gives the series an inspirational core not typically found in shows about violent crimes. It’s the reason Ultraviolet stands out.

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