Everything British Worth Streaming in November 2023

Perhaps it is only right that a month where British culture tells us to "Remember Remember" the date, November of 2023 is the first time in many months that we have the first major across-the-board arrival of U.K.-produced movies and TV series on nearly every streaming service available. Since last spring, British premieres have felt a little like "PBS" and "all the rest," with the second group being "Netflix and a couple of others when they get around to it." But this month, we have what might be viewed as a balanced amount of British titles arriving around the streaming apps, with everyone bringing a little something to the table.

Of course, there are a few services sitting out this month. Despite building its original reputation on Outlander, Starz has really moved away from expensive costume dramas in the last few years. And while MGM+ will most likely come around again with more British fare, it's been slow out of the gate since launch, and the delay of Rogue Heroes Season 2 until 2024 has put it on the back foot.

However, we do have one new service who is in the game for the first time and throwing down in a big way. Let's run down the arrivals for November 2023.

Planet Earth III

If the Life series was David Attenborough's stunning triumph of the 20th century, then the Planet series is his triumph of the 21st. The flagship Planet Earth trilogy goes out with a bang with a final eight-episode run starting on Saturday, November 4, 2023, on BBC America and AMC+, streaming with weekly episodes through the end of the year.

Hidden Assets Season 2

After dropping a totally fresh take on the Irish police procedural in early 2022, Hidden Assets disappeared for 18 months only to return with a new lead detective for Season 2. Belgian actor Wouter Hendrickx and Irish actor Simone Kirby reprise their roles from Season 1 alongside new star Nora-Jane Noone as DS Claire Wallace. The series debuts on Acorn TV exclusively with two episodes starting Monday, November 13, with one a week to follow through December 11, 2023.

The Long Shadow

AMC Networks has two true crime dramatizations with stellar casts this month. The first, The Long Shadow, is an all-star BBC cast led by Toby Jones, David Morrissey, and Lee Ingleby about the five-year hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, WAS going to premiere on November 16 but got pulled less than a week before it was scheduled to begin. It will now debut in 2024.

Steeltown Murders

The second true-crime drama is Steeltown Murders, about failed hunt for the Saturday Night Stranglerin the 1970s and the resurrection of the case in 2002 by the original detectives after technological advances allowed them to use the long held evidence in new ways to finally find their man. The four-episode series arrives as a binge on Acorn TV on Monday, November 27, 2023.

The Flatshare

Hey, remember that weird little romantic comedy, The Flatshare, that Paramount put into production way back in 2022, when it was first making British TV series to bring over to Paramount+ here in the states? Starring Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown Findley, we had high hopes for it. Well, it turns out that it was silently deposited on Amazon FreeVee without telling anyone. As the name indicates, FreeVee is Amazon's FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) streaming service. It's there now! Go watch.

007: Road to a Million

Meanwhile, over on the subscription part of Amazon, Prime Video, there's 007: Road to a Million. It's a reality TV series based on the James Bond franchise, where nine pairs of everyday people go through an Amazing race-style set of Bond-inspired challenges for a shot at winning a life-changing £1,000,000 prize. While that may sound a bit trashy, it's hosted by Brian Cox, and let's face it, the Brits are good at editing their reality shows—the show streams weekly, starting Friday, November 10, 2023.

The Buccaneers

Apple TV+ gets in on the lavishly-budgeted historical-romance period-piece game with a brand new adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Buccaneers. The trailer definitely suggests Apple TV+'s version is all about making this a bit of a modern American bop take on the historical novel, but the real reason most of us will tune in is to see how the dresses stack up against The Gilded Age and Bridgerton. The series premieres with three episodes on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, with one a week to follow.

This England

Our review of This England is already up, as all episodes of the limited series about the early days of COVID-19 are out today, Wednesday, November 1, 2023. As our reviewer Janet Mullany, texted me afterwards, "I have PTSD after watching that. It's still too soon. However, Boris Johnson was the role Kenneth Branagh was born to play." I'm not sure she meant it as a compliment. All episodes streaming now, if you can stomach them. Godspeed.

Irving Welsh's Crime Season 2

I love the fact that BritBox calls ITV's Crime "Irvine Welsh's Crime," just in case knowing the Trainspotting scribe co-wrote it will get you to watch. Personally, all I needed was Dougray Scott starring as DI Ray Lennox and Dougray Scott's accent co-starring in every scene along with him. Your mileage may vary. Season 2 sees Lennox return to the precinct only to discover the crime is coming from inside the house. All episode debut Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

Hope Street Season 3 Part 1

Hope Street recently started streaming on PBS Passport for members, and it's been a big hit, so hopefully that will translate back to BritBox, which streams the series as it airs in the U.K. The Northern Ireland set police procedural airs in chunks across the pond, so BritBox gets it in pieces parts, with the first eight episodes arriving as Season 3, Part 1 on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. The other seven are expected in early 2024.

Shetland Season 8

Shetland is currently undergoing a bit of a reboot with a new lead actor taking over the role after the exit of Douglas Henshall as DCI Jimmy Perez at the end of Season 7. Ashley Jensen will move in as DI Ruth Calder, a native Shetlander returning to the isles after 20 years working for the Metropolitan Police in London. The series airs weekly, starting Wednesday, November 29, 2023.

Obituary

Hulu's continuing co-production relationship with Ireland's RTE has produced a new offbeat romantic series of a sort, in Obituary. This time, however, there's a bit of murder involved, as the leading lady, Elvira (Siobhán Cullen), has discovered a need to off a few residents faster in order to file her weekly column on time. Things get complicated when the crime reporter hired to investigate the rising death toll in the tiny town is super cute. All episodes debut on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special Part 1

It took four years from Disney+'s November 2019 debut, but finally, The Most American Streaming Service is adding British content, plunking down serious cash for the exclusive right to air all-new episodes of Doctor Who from the 60th anniversary onward. To be clear, that's all; there's no Whoniverse coming to DisneyWorld. But Whovians, if you don't have Disney+. now's the time. The first episode of the 60th Anniversary trilogy streams two days after the actual anniversary date on Saturday, November 25, 2023.

The Artful Dodger

In other long-running franchises, Hulu has also picked up The Artful Dodger, the Australian semi sorta sequel to Charles Dickins' Oliver Twist, starring Thomas Brodie Sangster as Jack Dawson, now all grown up and trying to live a life of non-crime. Unfortunately, Fagin (David Thewlis) is not far behind on the boat to Australia and has other ideas for his former protege. All episodes arrive Wednesday, November 29, 2023.

Julia Season 2

Yes, Julia Child was an American. Yes, HBO's Julia is made by Americans. Yes, Julia Seasons 1 and 2 have been set in America. But listen! First of all, we are a product of WETA, and Julia Child started out on WETA. We are proud to be associated with public television, and Julia Child is a symbol of Public Television. And if Sarah Lancashire isn't something we should cover at Telly Visions, I will personally bake a hat cake and eat it. Julia Season 2 premieres on Thursday, November 16, 2023, and streams weekly on Max.

Locked In

Rose Williams's first project post-Sanditon, a movie called Locked In, got buried entirely by Netflix. The film takes its name from "locked-in syndrome," a medical condition characterized by the complete paralysis of voluntary muscles. Williams plays an unhappy newlywed whose maybe-evil mother-in-law, Katherine, suffers from the disease in question. Or is Katherine the one to blame? Hmmm, I wonder why this got buried. Already streaming now, starting Wednesday, November 1, 2023.

Robbie Williams

Wham's not the only one getting documentary films, but at least Wham can claim George Michael was a bonafide hitmaker on both sides of the pond. Robbie Williams was one of those British stars that everyone was convinced Americans were about to swallow hook, line, and sinker, and then completely confused when we did not. Too bad, "Millennium" was a total bop; real ones know. Robbie Williams debuts on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

The Crown Season 6 Part 1

After Netflix swore up and down that dividing Stranger Things Season 4 was a total accident and they were never going to do that again, despite it being supremely effective, they totally did it again. The Crown Season 6 will arrive in two parts, one month apart, three guesses where the split falls, and the first two totally don't count. Part 1, reportedly the first four episodes, arrives on Thursday, November 16, 2023.

Colin From Accounts 

While Paramount is dumping its perfectly good romcoms like The Flatshare on Amazon FreeVee, it's importing other, far less serviceable ones from Australia like Colin From Accounts to Paramount+. Remember that when Paramount+ gets sold to Warner Brothers Discovery for pennies on the dollar. It's not a spoiler for you to know that Colin is the dog or that it doesn't actually make the show better. Anyway, Australia's already renewed it for Season 2, and it streams weekly here starting Thursday, November 9, 2023.

Genie

Late breaking on the first of November after this post originally went live, Peacock added their own entry, Genie, a previously untitled holiday film from the British studio Working Title and Love Actually scribe Richard Curtis, that had been kicking around the rumor mill. Starring Paapa Essiedu as a man on the brink of losing everything and Melissa McCarthy as the titular wish granter he finds just in time for the holidays, this romantic comedy streams starting November 22, 2023.