Here at CrimeReads we operate on the premise that every few weekends, no matter the weather, the mood, or the reading options, you need to spend a couple days inside watching an international thriller series from start to finish. In pursuit of that ideal, we bring you an occasional roundup of what’s available for your viewing pleasure.
If you’re interested in England, organized labor, and noir…
Sherwood
Seasons: 1
Streaming on: Britbox
Are you ready for some English mining town internecine tension? Do you like atmospheric television packed full of interesting accent work and extreme moral ambiguity? Then get ready for Sherwood, an intensely noir series about the mining strikes and the pervasive suspicion and trauma visited upon this small, proud community.
If you could use a refresher in German, or the international drug trade…
How to Sell Drugs Online Fast
Seasons: 3
Streaming on: Netflix
A half-baked scheme from some high school outcasts (sell some ecstasy, get girls interested) spirals out into a major international drug trafficking operation in this gleefully odd German crime thriller. Tune in for the fast-paced illicit distribution tutorial, but you’ll stay for the coming-of-age story and some charming performances.
If you liked Mystery Road but want to go back to the beginning…
Mystery Road: Origin
Seasons: 1
Streaming on: Acorn TV
Do you need to have seen the original Aussie Noir hit, Mystery Road, to enjoy this new prequel? Well, yes, probably. It would certainly help. But the new series has plenty to appreciate, from the thick Outback atmospherics to the burgeoning love story to the tense family dynamics. Or you can just resolve to enjoy the sun-burnt cinematography and long brooding shots of an investigator about to begin his long lonely journey into the abyss.
If you like your spies retired, and on the run for their lives…
The Old Man
Seasons: 1
Streaming on: FX on Hulu
So what you may have heard about this Jeff Bridges spy vehicle (based on the excellent Thomas Perry) is true: the show is fantastic…for a while. And then it kind of goes off the rails for a while. But maybe you don’t mind a little erratic storytelling? I don’t, so long as it’s Jeff Bridges at the center and an international wanted man scenario that involves a lot of border crossings, picturesque backdrops, and a retired spy on the run trying to piece back together his life and his broken relationships.
If you want to watch Charlie Hunnam mix it up with expats…
Shantaram
Seasons: 1
Streaming on: Apple TV
A big part of your decision-making process on this one is going to come down to how you feel about Charlie Hunnam. I, for one, enjoy the man’s screen presence, especially when he’s doing some globetrotting (I’m thinking about the David Gran adaptation, The Lost City of Z). In Shantaram, he’s playing a bank robber who has to go on the lam from Australia and washes up in India, ready to hide out among the expat community and maybe, just maybe, learn some spiritual lessons along the way.
