October is usually the time for horror. No, I’m not talking about politics, polls, or elections, I’m talking about ghouls, goblins, and scary movies. Everyone wants to see blood flow this month, so why not watch a good crime series or two instead of the gory Terrifier 3 or the chilling Smile 2?
Streaming services such as as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, BritBox, and Acorn have plenty of British crime shows for your choosing. Here are three good shows that all have involving plots, memorable characters, and unforgettable endings that will surely please ardent crime fans worldwide.
Need more recommendations? Check out the best British shows on Netflix and the best British shows on Hulu.
The Jetty (2024)
Pretty much every decent British crime show has these three things in common: a troubled lead protagonist who must overcome a past trauma to solve a case; picturesque countryside settings in which the most heinous crimes are committed; and accents so thick you can run a butter knife through them. The Jetty, a four-episode show that aired on the BBC earlier this year, has all three of these things, plus a talented cast and a plot that will keep you guessing until the last 10 minutes.
The Sandman‘s Jenna Coleman stars as detective Ember Manning, a “human lie detector” who must investigate a mysterious fire at a posh resort. Once she does, she finds that it’s somehow linked to an unsolved missing persons case from years before. To find out who the arsonist is, she must first solve the mystery of the missing person case first.
Featuring a cast that includes up-and-comers Archie Renaux (Alien: Romulus) and Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon), The Jetty is stressful television for all the right reasons. The twin mysteries of the fire and the cold case are genuinely intriguing, and Coleman excels in the role as the detective who is too smart for her own good.
The Jetty is streaming on BBC iPlayer for U.K. residents. U.S. residents can watch it with a VPN.
After the Flood (2024)
In contrast to The Jetty, After the Flood is grittier and concerned more with urban crimes than rural ones. Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle is police constable Joanna Marshall, a woman who has a lot on her plate right now. She’s pregnant, and anxious about her baby’s health. She’s also eager to show everyone she has what it takes to become a detective like her father. And then there’s a massive flood that is threatening to sink her small town.
To make matters worse, a dead body turns up in an underground garage. Everyone thinks it’s due to the flood — everyone except Joanna. Who did it and why? It’s up to Joanna alone to find out and she may not like the answers she gets.
After the Flood is streaming on BritBox.
Before We Die (2021-2023)
It’s a bit unusual for a crime series to feature two strong lead female characters, which is just one of the reasons why Before We Die is so special. The series, which ran for two seasons, features Lesley Sharp as Hannah Laing, a veteran detective who is being pushed into retirement. In season 1, she joins forces with another detective, Billy Murdoch (Vincent Regan), to protect her son, Christian, from a powerful Croatian crime family.
Season 2 focuses on Hannah taking on the crime family herself, particularly its dangerous matriarch, Dubravka Mimica (Kazia Pelka). Both women have lost loved ones in their lives, and both will do anything they can to hold on to what little they have left in their lives. Before We Die is more serious than your average detective series, but its solemn tone isn’t off-putting. Laing is a standout, and Pelka makes the most of her antagonist role.
Before We Die is streaming on PBS Masterpiece via the Amazon Prime Video app.