Credit: Netflix

Schitt's Creek

Non-Netflix show available in UK/US

Ah, how the wealthy fall. Schitt’s Creek, a one-liner packed gem of a show, knows that its title is the punchline in many an anecdote, and recycles it as the punchline for its premise. The Rose family, led by video store tycoon Johnny (Eugene Levy) and his histrionic former soap opera star wife Moira (Catherine O’Hara), find themselves on hard times, losing their fortune when their business manager swindles them. All that’s left is the small town of Schitt’s Creek, purchased as a joke, that becomes the family’s new home. Manipulative, spoiled, and bratty, the Rose family relocates and struggles to settle in with the natives.

Based on its premise alone, Schitt’s Creek works magic. Throw in comedy class acts Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, whose on-screen chemistry forces each other to raise their game, and you’ve got gold. It’s not all about the guffaws, though, with many tender moments emerging as the Rose family find themselves changing in their new surroundings.

Peaky Blinders

Image credit: Netflix (Image credit: BBC)

Non-Netflix show available in UK/US

What do you get when you throw Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy on the screen together? The Dark Knight fanfic come to life? Well yes, that, but I was referring to the brilliant Peaky Blinders. Set in 1919, the series takes its name from a particular street gang that took charge of Birmingham, England shortly after the Great War. Using whatever means necessary to rise through the criminal ranks is war veteran Thomas Shelby, who – along with his family – forms the focus of this gripping crime drama.

A show that’s dubbed the British Boardwalk Empire deserves checking out for that comparison alone. If you’re a fan of that HBO series, you’ll love what kicks off in this historical gangster masterclass, and if you’re not? Peaky Blinders captures an era and location that’s seldom given much screen time and makes you wonder why the hell not? Prepare to binge the entire thing.

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