Acorn TV may not be as well-known as other similar streamers like BBC America and BritBox, but it’s just as good at making the best television the Commonwealth has to offer available to the world.
That’s certainly true this May, as Acorn TV is streaming some high-quality shows worth watching. Some standouts include Best Interests, a family drama about two parents who have to consider what’s best for their ill child. There’s also a captivating Australian mystery about a journalist trying to understand what drove a priest to commit mass murder.
There’s also a new season of Harry Wild to enjoy for those who like their television light and fun. Acorn TV has it all this month, so check out Watch With Us’ list for several must-see shows on the streamer right now.
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.
Nicci (Game Night‘s Sharon Horgan) and Andrew (Michael Sheen) love their 13-year-old daughter Marnie (Niamh Moriarty), but they are soon faced with a decision no parent wants to make — save her or let her die? Their daughter has a rare form of muscular dystrophy that requires constant care. When a life-threatening chest infection forces Marnie into an intensive care unit, her doctor questions whether she should continue treatment. Her life expectancy is short, and what time she has left will be filled with unbearable pain.
Best Interests is a heavy show with serious themes, posing a moral dilemma few viewers have experienced or considered. Known mostly for her comedic work in shows like Bad Sisters, Horgan is a revelation as a mother who instinctively fights for her child’s life. Sheen is just as terrific as a father who loves his daughter unconditionally, but questions whether Marnie’s continued suffering is what’s best for her. The show asks hard questions and doesn’t offer any easy answers, but it’s a compelling watch that will stay with you.
Bad things don’t happen in Riversend. But when a priest, Father Swift (Jay Ryan), guns down five parishioners after church service, the sleepy Australian village is changed forever. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) wants to know what drove a man of God to do such an unspeakable act, interviewing several residents in an effort to uncover the truth. What Martin discovers, though, is a small town that isn’t quite as innocent as everyone believes it to be.
Scrublands is a mystery that reveals its killer right away. There’s no question Father Swift is the culprit, but it’s the reasons behind his actions that fuel the show’s story. Scrublands’ first season is only four episodes long, but it packs enough drama and revelations to last triple that amount. The show recently returned for season 2 and focuses on Martin’s return to his hometown, which also holds secrets no one wants uncovered.
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. Season 4 just premiered in early May, so there’s more wild adventures with Harry for you to enjoy.
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.
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.
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.
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 that 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.)
