10 International TV Shows To Stream Right Now

With so many streaming platforms and so many of the giants trying to diversify their content offerings by distributing programming from outside the US, there are endless options of foreign shows to dive into. Don’t let a language barrier stop you from trying out a show that seems interesting. Remember — captions are your friend!

At its core, themes in storytelling have been passed down throughout the millennia — different cultures just put a bit of a twist on each one. If you have a favorite American show, odds are you can find similar ones from other countries, and you might even pick up some new languages while you’re at it!

Looking to dip your toes in the international waters? From across the pond in Europe, down south in Latin America, or across the Pacific to Asia, here are a few excellent foreign series to get started.

1. Derry Girls

We’ll start with an easily accessible, English language series from our friends over in Ireland.

If Riverdale is the “Instagram” part of an Instagram vs. reality meme, then Derry Girls is its “reality” counterpart. Set in Northern Ireland in the 90s, the comedy follows a group of teenage girls at an all-girls school and James, one’s English cousin (and only boy allowed at the school).

What appears at the beginning to be just a wee little comedy actually finds its roots in a time period of political strife for Northern Ireland — the town of Derry, in particular — known as “The Troubles.” Viewers of The Crown might recognize the story of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) from recent seasons.

“The Troubles” aren’t the focal point of Derry Girls, rather the context in which our cast of young characters is growing up. James, the only English one of the core five, is teased, lovingly, as an outsider but is still adopted as a Derry Girl himself.

Each character is witty and charming in their own right, delivering one-liners that will have you chortling. A particularly standout episode? Keep an eye out for the dog pee miracle — you’ll know it when you see it!

The only downside to Derry Girls is the number of episodes we have thus far. At two seasons of six episodes each, there are only 12 episodes currently on Netflix. No fear though, a third season is on the way!

2. This Way Up

Another currently running series, This Way Up, is a British import focused on Irish characters.

Available on Hulu, This Way Up currently has two seasons, the most recent of which dropped early July 2021. While technically billed as a comedy, there are much darker topics covered in this series, though it’s just as witty.

Aine (Creator/Writer Aisling Bea), an English teacher/tutor in London, is trying to navigate life post-nervous breakdown and post-rehab. Her sister Shona (Sharon Horgan) is her ever-present, sometimes overly worried, older sister.

Rounding out the main characters in Aine’s life is Richard (The Crown‘s Tobias Menzies), father to one of Aine’s tutees. 

This Way Up deftly portrays a sort of anxious comedy, the kind of humor that you can tell is sometimes used as a defense mechanism, apt for our protagonist and her reacquaintance with the world. A prime example of this? Aine and Shona breaking into The Cranberries’ “Zombie” whilst meeting Shona’s boyfriend’s family.

3. Elite

Still across the Atlantic in Europe, Elite hails from Netflix Spain. The YA drama/thriller is set in a Spanish high school, Las Encinas. With four seasons currently available and a fifth on the way, Elite has only “graduated” one group of characters, with only two of the original stars remaining.

The rest of the OGs? Graduated, murdered, dropped out, or died. Elite probably has the kind of longevity that Degrassi did, slowly introducing new cast members in with the old ones, allowing us to acclimate our tastes and preferences towards new blood.

Without giving too many spoilers away for how crazy the storylines have developed over the years, I’ll sum it up like this. Elite Season 1: Murder Mystery, Elite Season 2: Missing Person, Elite Season 3: Murder Mystery, Elite Season 4: Whodunnit Mystery.

While it may be a stretch of reasonable situations, each season will have you hooked and binging through to the end to get all of your questions answered.

Fair warning — Elite is pretty R-rated. It’s sexy in a way that will make your jaw drop, especially when you remember that these characters are supposed to be in high school. 

4. Casa de las Flores

Another Spanish-language Netflix original, La Casa de las Flores, aka The House of Flowers, helms from our neighbor to the south, Mexico. More in line with the campiness of traditional telenovelas, House of Flowers comes out swinging when it comes to gasp-worthy twists.

Long-time telenovela fans will recognize Mexican superstar Veronica Castro as matriarch Virginia de la Mora, though sadly Castro only appeared in The House of Flowers Season 1 in person (though Virginia was certainly present in spirit throughout.) 

The de la Mora family discovers Ernesto, the patriarch of the group, has been leading a double life shortly after his mistress takes her own life, leaving behind her and Ernesto’s young daughter. Having committed fraud in his name, Ernesto is arrested and imprisoned, leaving this young girl to move in with her siblings and her father’s real wife, all of whom are less than welcoming.

The kicker? The de la Mora family is a well-off, well-known family, with Virginia running a successful florist business named La Casa de las Flores. Ernesto’s mistress, using Ernesto’s money, was an entrepreneur herself, running a cabaret/drag bar.

Its name? You guessed it — La Casa de las Flores. Two kinds of “houses” and two kinds of “flowers” for two kinds of families.

There’s also a cult, a revenge plot, and a baby with one mom and three dads. You’ll have to see it to know what I mean.

5. Lupin

Going back to Europe, now we’re switching languages again — this time, French. Lupin Part 1 debuted on Netflix in January 2021, then was followed quickly by Lupin Part 2 that following summer.

Sometimes compared to James Bond, Arsène Lupin was a French book character. Like 007, he was a gentleman — but a thief — and Lupin follows one man’s Lupin-inspired journey for revenge.

Omar Sy stars as Assane Diop, son of a Senegalese immigrant who was framed for jewel theft. His father hangs himself in prison out of shame, leaving his son an orphan. Taking pages from the Lupin book his father gave him, Assane’s hijinks across France are motivated by uncovering the truth behind his father’s imprisonment.

The first French series to reach the top 10 in the United States, Netflix has reportedly already renewed Lupin for a Part 3 coming soon.

6. Young Royals 

A recent standout, also on Netflix, Young Royals is a Swedish-language teen drama. The series follows Prince Wilhelm of Sweden. After becoming entangled in scandal, he is sent off to boarding school in hopes that it will provide some discipline.

Flanked by his second cousin, August, Wihelm takes Hillerska Boarding School by storm, catching the eye of both the girls and the boys in his class. Let’s be real, we’d all be fawning over a prince if real-life royalty appeared in our school too.

Though the school is rife with other children of nobility, the prince (obviously) starts to fall for a working-class commoner, who just so happens to be another young man, Simon. A Cinderella story of sorts, Simon and Wilhelm carry on a relationship on the down-low until it inevitably blows up on them.

The relationship at the center of Young Royals, as trope-y as it may be, will compel you to see the season through.

Young Royals Season 1 only has six episodes, and a Young Royals Season 2 has yet to be confirmed. Give it a try if you’re a fan of Gossip Girl or the aforementioned Elite.

7. Beauty and the Baker

Moving over to Prime Video, Beauty and the Baker is a Hebrew-language drama that might sound familiar to viewers in America. The Baker and the Beauty was a one-season adaption of the original with a Latinx twist.

Beauty and the Baker follows Amos, a Baker in Tel Aviv, who winds up meeting Noa, the country’s most recognizable model/hotel heiress. Though already in a committed relationship with Vanessa (who was expecting an engagement, actually), Amos finds himself enthralled by Noa and the exciting life she offers.

The charm of Beauty and the Baker falls in the moments when Amos, just a normal guy who still lives and works with his family’s bakery, comes into his own and finds himself with the help of an international superstar.

There’s also the scheming of Vanessa and Noa’s business manager trying to dissuade the couple from the beginning.

Unlike the American version of the show, Israel’s Beauty and the Baker Season 1 was followed up with a second installment, and Season 3 is currently in the works. 

8. Starstruck

Similar to Beauty and the Baker, the HBO Max Original Starstruck follows the “regular person and celebrity fall in love” trope, though this time through a New Zealand/England hybrid lense. I’m starting to realize I might have a type when it comes to shows…

Starstruck is told in a series of vignettes almost, following writer/comedian/star Rose Matafeo’s Jessie over the course of a year, twisting in and out of a relationship with one of the UK’s top action stars, Tom Kapoor (Nikesh Patel).

Dubbed a millennial comedy, Starstruck, at its core, is a witty coming-of-age story. Our main character is just having her coming of age moment in her 20s. 

Starstruck has all the makings of a solid rom-com: the meet-cute, the misunderstanding with an ex, the reconnection when one party is unavailable, and the “grand” gesture when one is on the brink of moving on.

The series scored a renewal the day it premiered, so we’ll see where Starstruck Season 2 has in its future.

9. Schitt’s Creek

I would be remiss not to mention Canadian import Schitt’s Creek as one of the best international shows you can find on streaming. And yes, as much as I’m sure we’d love to claim credit for this absolute gem of a show, something this good can only come from America’s happier counterpart, the Canadians.

If you’ve never heard of Schitt’s Creek, have you been living under a rock the last two years? It is a riches to rags story, created by and starring Father/Son duo Eugene and Dan Levy.

When the Rose family finds themselves the victim of fraud, stripped of their fortune, and forced to flee to a motel in the small town of Schitt’s Creek, the family experiences what can only be described as a major culture shock.

Why Schitt’s Creek you may ask? It was a gag gift from father to son one year, and deemed worthless, allowing the family to “keep” it.

Over the course of six seasons, the Rose family learns to adapt to small-town life, sort of. Alexis Rose and Moira Rose, played by the absolutely brilliant Annie Murphy and Catherine O’Hara, are the two standouts in the Rose family, easily stealing every scene they find themselves in.

Though it didn’t really achieve mass awareness until Schitt’s Creek Season 5 was on the air, much of the series’ success can be derived from all seasons being available to stream on Netflix.

Mark my words, Schitt’s Creek will be remembered amongst the other great sitcoms like Friends and The Office and will be watched and rewatched for generations to come.

10. Crash Landing on You

One of the top Korean Dramas of all time is a 2019/2020 show called Crash Landing on You. Though it aired on cable television in South Korea, stateside we can find it streaming on Netflix.

Another charming rom-dramedy, the series explores another forbidden romance between a South Korean heiress and a North Korean military officer.

If there’s one thing that transcends international boundaries and language barriers, it’s a good trope. The meet-cute in Crash Landing on You is hinted at in the title of the show. Our main female protagonist, Yoon Se-ri, is a Cinderella-like heiress, poised to take over her family company much to the chagrin of her stepmother and brothers.

Choosing instead to forge her own path (Lena Luthor vibes anyone?), Se-ri is on a product testing excursion, paragliding to test her athletic apparel. A freak wind storm blows her paraglider off course and into the Korean Demilitarized Zone — into the arms of North Korean military captain, Ri Jeong-hyeok.

Though effectively enemies at first, it’s Ri that keeps Yoon safe, going against his better judgment to help her evade capture. One failed attempt at fleeing, one fake-dating cover, and one defeated conniving sibling later, Se-ri is able to make it back home and is one step closer to a happy ending.

Part The Bodyguard, part Succession, and part whatever your rom-com of choice is, Crash Landing on You delivers a sweet, delightful story arc for all of its characters within its one-season, 16 episode run. At well over an hour per episode, it’s a binge that will keep you hooked and satisfied when it comes to an end.

—

Did your favorite international show get left off the list? Got a new suggestion for us to try out? Let us know in the comments below.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

15 Most Binge-Worthy TV Shows of 2021 So Far