Summary

• The best BBC shows feature acclaimed series that have gained international popularity and have starred big-name actors.
• The Capture is a critically acclaimed crime drama that stands out for its riveting story and unique elements.
• Time is a grounded and thoughtful anthology series that tells a redemption story set in prison.

The best BBC shows are known for their high-quality stories (among other things), but as a British station, U.S. audiences can sometimes overlook those that don't get simultaneously released on American networks like AMC. In 2017, the BBC and ITV combined forces to found BritBox, a streaming service specifically for UK-based shows. Through this, U.S. viewers can access more BBC shows than ever before, but that doesn't mean that all of them have reached the level of popularity as Doctor Who, Sherlock, or Fleabag.

However, dozens of series are just as clever and star-studded as the biggest and best, whether those are classics or new programming. In recent years, the BBC series' popularity has risen outside the British audience as the network has started its own so-called "golden age of television." Along with shows finding international audiences and winning big at award shows, they feature some big-name stars, from Jodie Comer to Idris Elba to Sean Bean. In the end, the best BBC shows include some of the most widely acclaimed series of all time.

25 Call The Midwife (2012- )

Nurse Midwives Working In 1950s-60s London

Call the Midwife is one of the most successful BBC shows ongoing today, as it has been on TV since 2012 and has 13 seasons and 113 episodes already under its belt. The drama series follows a group of nurse midwives in the East End of London, working in the 1950s and 1960s.

The series is based on the memoirs of Heidi Thomas, and the ing seasons cover various years, similar to how Downton Abbey tracks through the decade with its storytelling. One thing that keeps the show going strong is that it is more about the characters and their lives in a wholesome manner that avoids much of the melodrama that exists in many British dramas.

The series remains popular and consistent, winning several awards from the TV Choice Awards UK throughout its entire series run.

The show also gets credit for keeping most of its core cast from the first season still starring on the show to this day, with Call the Midwife season 14 coming soon. The series remains popular and consistent, winning several awards from the TV Choice Awards UK throughout its entire series run.

24 Wallander (2008-2016)

Based On The Swedish Detective Series

The BBC series Wallander is based on the Henning Mankell novels about police inspector Kurt Wallander. The novel, published from 1997 through 2011, had never been adapted so this was the first time Wallander appeared in a TV or movie, with Kenneth Branagh taking on the role of the inspector.

Wallander follows Branagh's inspector as he uncovers terrible murders and solves the cases one by one. The series played out for four seasons, with it first airing on BBC before also being sold to 14 countries and territories across the world. In the United States, PBS gained the rights.

It has a very high 88% Rotten Tomatoes score and an even higher 89% audience score on the site.

The series was a critical darling, praised for its visuals as well as Branagh's performance in the title role. It has a very high 88% Rotten Tomatoes score and an even higher 89% audience score on the site. The seasons are also short, which makes it easy to watch all of them, with only 12 episodes total. That makes it ideal for a binge session. The acclaimed show won four BAFTA Awards, including Best Drama Series.

23 The Night Manager (2016)

Based On The Novels By John le Carré

John le Carré is one of the most respected authors of espionage novels in history. His work has helped create movies and TV shows like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. In 2016, BBC brought another of his novels to the small screen with The Night Manager. The story is about the night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo who used to be a British soldier recruited by the Foreign Office to investigate illegal arms sales and infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer.

The cast instantly stood out, with Tom Hiddleston (Loki from the MCU) starring as Jonathan Pine, the hotel manager, and Hugh Laurie (House, M.D.) stars as Dicky Roper, the arms dealer considered by many to be the "worst man in the world."

This was a six-episode miniseries and aired simultaneously on BBC in the UK and on AMC in the United States. Critics loved the series, ranking it at 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, while it also earned 11 Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Directing.

22 Poldark (2015-2019)

A British Soldier Returns Home After The American Revolution

Poldark was a hugely popular BBC series for fans, as it aired from 2015 until 2019, with five seasons and 43 episodes. The series, based on the novels by Winston Graham, features a British soldier named Ross Poldark who returns to his home after the American Revolutionary War to find his father has died and his entire estate is in ruins. His childhood sweetheart is engaged to his cousin, and he has to find a way to save his home while also finding love as he restarts his life.

On top of airing on the BBC, it aired in the United States on PBS as part of Masterpiece and also aired on Prime Video, increasing its reach and popularity. Critics loved the series, giving the first season a 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating and the third season a perfect 100% fresh score. The final season also managed to stick the landing, giving fans what they wanted to see after devoting so much time to the story. It won a BAFTA in 2016 with the Audience Award (TV), showing how it was both a critical and commercial hit.

21 The Tourist (2022- )

A Man Wakes Up With Amnesia & Sets Out To Discover Who He Is

The Tourist stars Jamie Dornan as a man who wakes up in an Australian hospital with amnesia after a truck runs him off the road. He has no idea who he is or why he is in that town. However, when he meets a local woman who knows him, he barely escapes an explosion at a cafe while someone else comes looking for him at the hospital. It is soon clear that this man is in danger, and he has to figure out who he is and what is going on before he ends up dead.

There have been two seasons so far, and the second saw Elliot (Dornan's amnesiac) heading to Ireland with Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald) as they search for clues about his identity and learn that his past is very dark and dangerous. Critics loved the series, giving the first season a 97% approval rating and the second a 96% fresh rating. It also won awards for its cinematography (British Society of Cinematographers Awards) and production design (AACTA Technical Crafts Awards).

20 The Capture (2019-)

A Fight To Defend The Wrongfully Accused

The Capture is a timely and engrossing crime drama that takes a look at modern society and the difficulty of accepting something seen as the actual truth. The first season of the series finds Holliday Grainger as an inspector looking to clear the name of a soldier accused of murder. She thinks the soldier is innocent despite the seemingly irrefutable evidence stacked against him. The series then looks at the idea of deepfakes, altering video footage, and making things look different than they really are to frame someone for a crime.

The second season, which premiered in 2022, added a layer to the story and showed that not even the hero, Holliday Grainger, was safe from these immoral actions.

The Capture was a critical hit as it was praised for not only telling a riveting and smart crime story but also including elements that helped it stand apart from the countless entries in the genre. It is very different to watch today because, with the advent of AI, it seems like something that could happen in the real world. The second season, which premiered in 2022, added a layer to the story and showed that not even the hero, Holliday Grainger, was safe from these immoral actions.

The Capture is available to stream on Peacock.

19 Bodyguard (2018)

A Troubled Soldier Protects A Controversial Politician

Not to be confused with the popular blockbuster from the 1990s starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, Bodyguard stars Richard Madden as a former soldier dealing with PTSD who is assigned to protect a controversial politician after stopping a terrorist incident. Things are complicated because he despises the political beliefs of this specific politician (Keeley Hawes). Bodyguard is a twisting and complex mystery with shocking developments and pulse-pounding sequences throughout.

The series is also not afraid to approach controversial topics, including government overreach, invasion of privacy, and policies involving counterterrorism. The series achieved one of the highest BBC viewing figures in a decade (via Telegraph) and has since been acquired by Netflix to stream internationally. Madden won a Golden Globe for his towering performance in the lead role, bringing charisma, pain, and intensity to the part of this conflicted hero.

18 Time (2021-)

A Redemption Tale In Prison

With two seasons to date, Time is an anthology series that deals with the realities of life behind bars. The first season stars Sean Bean as a family man struggling with alcoholism who ends up in prison following an accident and attempts to deal with guilt and danger in his new life. Bean gives an amazing reserved performance, winning a BAFTA for Best Actor, while Stephen Graham is also excellent as a conflicted prison guard met with an impossible choice. It is a grounded and realistic drama that serves as a thoughtful redemption story.

The second season changes things up and focuses on three women starting prison sentences in a women's prison, all at different places in their lives. Orla is a single mother heading to prison, Abi is incarcerated on a life sentence, and Kelsey is a pregnant heroin addict and repeat offender. While the series won the BAFTA for Best Mini-Series for season 1, it picked up two nominations for season 2 - Editing and Scripted Casting.

17 SAS: Rogue Heroes (2022-)

A Historical Drama Set In World War II

A mix of period drama and war adventure helps make SAS: Rogue Heroes one of the best BBC shows of the decade. The series is the true story of the origins of the British Army Special Air Service (SAS) during the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. It shows the new tactics of warfare taken by this new breed of soldier. SAS: Rogue Heroes is a violent, funny, and exciting ride with a stellar cast that includes Connor Swindells, Jack O'Connell, and Alfie Allen.

The series scored a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season and a second season has been confirmed. While the series is exciting and has some great wartime action, it is slightly controversial since it states it is "based on a true story." The series is based on the book by David Stirling (played by Connor Swindells in the series), but there are historical experts who claim that the series twists the story somewhat to Stirling's , and it is not as accurate as he might make it seem to be (via The Spectator).

16 Shetland (2013-)

Murder Investigations In A Small Scottish Community

Some of the best BBC dramas involve criminal investigations in small communities. Such is the case with Shetland, which takes place on the eponymous islands in Scotland. The show follows the local police of the area who investigate crimes in the close-knit yet troubled community. The series is based on the novels by Ann Cleeves and most of the episodes take place on the Shetland Islands, where almost all of the external shots are from that beautiful part of Scotland.

Unlike most BBC series that end after a few short seasons, Shetland is on its eighth season to date, still delivering, with its effective mystery storytelling mixed with beautiful locations and rich characters. The show has remained popular even with cast changes, as several characters left the series after the seventh season and one of the lead characters didn't until season 8, with Ashley Jensen replacing Douglas Henshall as the new detective inspector. The show has received several nominations from BAFTA Scotland and remains a popular fan favorite.