Some of the best shows currently streaming are on a service that shares its name with, yes, a nut. Named after its media corporation owner, Acorn TV streams some of the finest international programming around.
Its primary focus is British programs with an emphasis on crime shows and mysteries. And who can blame them? Watch With Us is a fan of the genre and a big supporter of Acorn TV.
The following list spotlights some of the best shows currently available on the streamer and is not ranked in any particular order.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the Best New Shows on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and More, the Best BritBox TV Shows on Right Now, the Best British Crime Shows on Right Now and the Must-See Thrillers on Netflix Right Now.
Alexa Crowe (Lucy Lawless) is a former detective who just wants to bake some bread in peace. But she can’t escape a life of crime and, before she knows it, she’s solving mysteries as a private investigator. She’s not alone, though — she’s supported by Reuben (Joe Naufahu), the owner of the cafe she bakes for in her spare time, her tech-savvy assistant Madison (Ebony Vagulans) and Kieran (Bernard Curry), a detective working at Alexa’s former station. As a group, they try to make Australia safe from crime while also cooking up some delicious pastries.
My Life is Murder is breezy fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Think of it as a modern-day Murder, She Wrote, only with Australian accents, the beautiful scenery of Melbourne and, in later seasons, Auckland. Lawless is terrific as a charismatic PI who is just as good with a blender as she is with her gun.
Harriet “Harry” Wild (Jane Seymour) is bored. That’s what happens when you’re a retired English professor with too much time on your hands and a lingering need for intellectual stimulation. She scratches her itch by solving crimes, which isn’t that out of the ordinary in the U.K. crime genre. Along with high school student Fergus (Rohan Nedd), Harry sets out to prove that there’s life after retirement — even if it involves finding a dead body or two.
Harry Wild is a great showcase for Seymour, who has her best TV role since Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. As the inquisitive professor, the actress shows a good sense of humor when Harry encounters resistance to her newfound hobby from a police force reluctant to accept her help to her caring but dismissive son. Harry Wild’s first three seasons are streaming now, and a fourth one is on its way.
Can you go home again? That’s what Anais Mallory (Chelsie Preston Crayford) is about to find out as she returns to her native Queenstown to help her mother after the mysterious demise of her sister. Now a local detective, Anais has to solve the occasional crime, comfort her mother, avoid an ex-boyfriend now married to her best friend and also investigate her sister’s death. It’s a lot for anyone to handle, let alone someone as confident and intelligent as Anais.
A Remarkable Place to Die is more solemn than most of the shows on this list. It treats murder and death seriously, so its tone is appropriately broody. That doesn’t mean it’s a downer, though, and the series is not unlike Mare of Easttown in how it balances exploring the lead character’s messy personal life with her impressive skills as a detective.
You’ve heard of Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Sherlock Holmes, but do you know of Adam Dalgliesh? The British detective is fairly popular in his homeland but is still relatively unknown in America. That will hopefully change with Dalgliesh, a new crime series on Acorn TV. Acclaimed stage actor Bertie Carvel plays P.D. James’ cerebral sleuth as he investigates a series of mysteries set in the 1970s.
A brutal murder at a seminary, a politically-motivated crime among an upper-class family and a mystery involving an unusual hospital are just some of the cases Dalgliesh has to crack, and Carvel provides enough appeal to make you invested in the detective’s investigations. Like the novels it’s based on, Dalgliesh is more highbrow than your average crime show, but it provides the same thrills viewers expect from the genre. The show just aired its third season in 2024.
Leo (Iain Glen) is a celebrity chef who owns a hotel business in Cornwall, England, has a beautiful wife, Sam (Emilia Fox) and two children who actually like him. Heck, even his ex-wife Gina (Dawn French) can’t resist him — literally, since they’re having an affair. Things get even more complicated when Leo suddenly dies, leaving his business to Gina and all his money to Sam. When both women find out the business is failing and there’s not much money left, they are faced with a dilemma: team up to survive or go their separate ways and fail.
It’s no surprise to reveal Sam and Gina become business partners in an attempt to forge a life after Leo. Delicious has some dramatic elements, but it functions more as a lighthearted comedy. As the two enemies-turned-frenemies, French and Fox are superb at capturing each woman’s gradual reluctance to accept and respect the other. The show’s Cornwall setting is gorgeous and frequently distracts from all the drama that’s going on. (We’re not complaining.)
