June is typically the time of swimming pools, baseball games, and ice cream cones, but who says you can’t have a little murder, too? Not in reality, of course, but on TV, where it’s safe to view the odd homicide now and then. There’s always a surplus of crime shows available on streaming services, and most of the good ones hail from the United Kingdom.
Why? I have no idea, but I’m glad they are there for me to binge. This June, we’re recommending three thrilling series from the past and present. One is a classic Clive Owen mystery while the other two are relatively new shows that have their fans. All are guaranteed to give you a killer good time.
Need more recommendations? Check out the best British shows on Netflix and the best British shows on Hulu.
Second Sight (2000-2001)
Clive Owen is no stranger to the crime genre, having starred in now-classic movies like Croupier and Inside Man. Heck, he even starred in a great 2024 mystery show, Monsieur Spade. Yet over 20 years ago, the actor established his stardom with the British public by starring in the popular two-season series Second Sight, which has all but been forgotten about in the present.
Owen stars as DCI Ross Tanner, a divorced London detective who makes a startling discovery: He’s slowly losing his sight. Desperate to keep this a secret as long as he can, he proceeds to try to solve some of his department’s most puzzling crimes. From a confounding murder of a child to the killing of a groom-to-be on his stag night, these crimes are tackled by Tanner with a growing sense of desperation. How long can his eyesight last? And what happens once it goes away? While the production values are bit dated now, Second Sight is still gripping TV, and that’s thanks to Owen’s always on-point performance.
Second Sight is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Bodkin (2024)
This summer, let Netflix take you on a trip to those emerald green hills of Ireland, where all sorts of things occur … including murder. Saturday Night Live vet Will Forte stars as Gilbert Power, the leader of a trio of podcasters, which include London-based journalist Dove Maloney, who descend on the small town Bodkin to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three people decades earlier.
What happened to them? And what’s up with Dove, who is still recovering from the sudden death of one of her subjects, a whistleblower who was key to another investigation she was involved in? Is that somehow linked to the mystery in Bodkin? The best thing about Bodkin is that it constantly keeps you guessing, and provides as many answers as it does questions. Oh, and the on-location scenery can’t be beat.
Bodkin is streaming on Netflix.
My Life Is Murder (2019-present)
Lucy Lawless is and will always be famous for her starring role as Xena: Warrior Princess. And that’s OK; Xena isn’t nothing to be embarrassed by. But actors have to work, and Lawless has consistently been in good projects that are worthy of attention. Her most current one is My Life Is Murder, an Australian-set mystery series that combines crime and … baking?
Lawless stars as PI Alexa Crowe, a former detective for the Victoria police department who now bakes all sorts of goodies at her cafe. She also solves crimes as diverse as a death by a tennis ball machine and a ballerina shot in the back with an arrow. As you can tell, My Life Is Murder is less serious than the other crime shows on this list, and that’s why it’s so appealing. Lawless is, of course, great, and the show goes down like a nice glass of iced tea on a sunny afternoon.
My Life Is Murder is streaming on Acorn TV. Season 4 debuts on June 17.
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