British TVbears some similarities to American TV, yet there are two major things that separate the two industries. In the UK, networks aren’t as trigger-happy as those in the US. Showrunners are usually granted ample time to build their stories. Interestingly, these showrunners aren’t normally interested in stretching their shows for too long either. The majority of them prefer to end things on a high, so it’s rare for any TV series to jump the shark.
Fans who enjoy getting immersed in a single story for weeks or months might thus struggle to find something to satisfy their appetite. Thankfully, there are a fewBritish small-screen projectsthat have been (or were) on air for a long time. Those that ended mostly did so on their own terms, while those still running haven’t lost their appeal.
Take the High Roadtakes viewers away from the city chaos and plants them into the rural village of Glendarroch, Scotland. As quiet as everything seems, there are plenty of sinister characters, so fans are treated to common soap opera issues like infidelity, sibling rivalry, and career struggles, though the money-making schemes all revolve around agriculture.
The ITV series frequently dives into parish pump politics too, with the locals always fighting for their interests and the politicians doing their best to patch the cracks to not lose any elections. Additionally,Take the High Roadhas a catchy Scottish folk band theme tune whose accordion and banjo tones are guaranteed to get the viewer humming right before the events begin.
19My Family (2000 to 2011) – 11 Seasons
Disciplined parents and children can be boring, especially on TV, soMy Familyaims to provide the same kind of entertainment as thepopular movies about dysfunctional families. The story centers around the Harper family, whose members keep getting on each other’s nerves from episode to episode. Still, they always know when it’s the right time to team up and stop the nonsense.
Viewers are likely to appreciate the character development that each of the family members is guaranteed. For example, one of the children (Jane) morphs from a teen carver to one of the most responsible fictional moms. Another (Nick) turns from a slacker to an industrious young man. The parents, on the other hand, are both villainous. The father is a misanthrope, while the mother is a control freak whose cooking the family hates so much that they keep sneaking meals into the trash bin.
18Minder (1979 to 1994) – 11 Seasons
There are manyunderrated British crime dramas, butMinder(the title, “Minder,” refers to UK slang for right-hand-man) managed to appeal to audiences both in and out of the UK because of its likable antihero, Terry McCann. A former boxer, Terry spends most of his time in the series as a henchman for the influential criminal Arthur Daley.
Unlike men of his kind, Terry is obedient and loyal. He even chooses to serve more time rather than give up an associate when he gets arrested. He is also shown to be much more streetwise than his boss; hence, situations that might have escalated into violence end up getting defused rather easily. Besides that, there are always intriguing conflicts between Arthur and Terry’s love interests because they all keep urging the former boxer to get away from his boss’ shadow and be his own man.
17New Tricks (2003 to 2015) – 12 Seasons
BBC One’sNew Tricksis a distinctive procedural because it strictly focuses on unsolved crimes. Logically, the active police force can be presumed to have a lot on its plate, so members of Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) – a fictional division of the London Metropolitan Police Service – consist of retired officers who are bored with their new lives. The title is plucked from the proverb, “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.”
RELATED:Best British TV Shows of All Time
Because the focus is on elderly lawmen, fans don’t get to see love triangles or foot chases. Instead, the protagonists bear age-appropriate challenges like illness, memory loss, and solitude stemming from family estrangement. Despite the personal struggles, these officers are shown to be much wiser, often seeing hidden clues that younger officers couldn’t.
16Red Dwarf (1988 to 2017) – 12 Seasons
It isn’t common for sitcoms to expand into major franchises, so theRed Dwarfcreators ought to be lauded for making something special that had so much potential for growth. Today, the show’s events – which center around a man’s misadventures after he discovers he is the last surviving human – have spilled into books, video games, and movies.
The majority of events inRed Dwarftake place inside a spaceship. Interestingly, the series has no aliens. All the life forms that the protagonist Dave encounters are said to have evolved from Earth’s living creatures after the planet was destroyed. The sci-fi project also has one of the best story setups, as Dave is said to have only survived an accident that killed all the other 168 crew members because he had been placed in a stasis state as punishment for smuggling a cat.
15Z-Cars (1962 to 1978) – 12 Seasons
“Z-Car” is the term that British tabloids use to refer to police cars, and through to the title,Z-Carsis all about patrol officers. It doesn’t feature some ofthe coolest detective cars, but it has arguably way more law enforcement characters than most procedurals. That’s because different episodes focus on different officers who have been assigned patrol duties during that week.
It’s the kind of show that real-world officers are likely to hate because most of them are depicted as highly flawed individuals. Some are incompetent on the job, while others aren’t angels at work but devils back home. Nonetheless, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable small-screen project that offers plenty of thrilling chase scenes and a wide variety of both petty criminals and influential hoodlums.
14Not Going Out (2006 to Present) – 13 Seasons
InNot Going Out,British comedian Lee Mack plays a fictionalized version of himself. True to the title, the main character is a slacker and lodger who is happy to spend his days drinking and watching TV in a London apartment owned by his best friend. Apart from beer, picking up women is normally the only other incentive for him to get out of the couch.
For about half of the series, Lee works hard to impress his crush, Lucy, but finds no success. His failed schemes make up a huge chunk of the show’s comedy, so viewers rarely feel compelled to pity him. Apart from the captivating arcs,Not Going Outis packed with numerous pop culture references as well as links to real-world events. The dialogue is also clever because it’s mostly based on double entendres.
13London’s Burning (1986 to 2002) – 14 Seasons
London’s Burningcan be described as the UK version ofChicago Fire. In this particular fictional world, there is no shortage of fire incidents in London. Thankfully, members of the London Fire Brigade’s Blackwall fire station are ever ready to step up and save the day. At times, they fail, but that’s part of what makes everything much more enjoyable.
The ITV series also happens to be one of theshows based on movies, as the story all started with a TV film. However, there was a change of genre while expanding the story. The film was a black comedy, yet the show takes a procedural/drama format. Judging from the millions of ratings, it’s clear that fans didn’t have a problem with the switch at all.
12A Touch of Frost (1992 to 2010) – 15 Seasons
Events inA Touch of Frostwere initially faithful to those in the Frost detective novels by author and radio dramatist R. D. Wingfield, but with time, the writers began coming up with series-exclusive stories. The main character isthe weird DetectiveWilliam Edward “Jack” Frost, whose unimpressive habits include drinking other people’s beverages and leaving his belongings in a mess.
Rule-breaking is also part of the fun for Frost, so he often plants evidence and gets into buildings without warrants. His behavior causes him to be reprimanded several times, but because he has a George Cross award (the highest honor for acts of bravery), his superiors often find it difficult to fire him. The show’s other interesting character is Superintendent Stanley Mullett, who dishes out threats to Frost several times per episode and sees his law enforcement as nothing but a bridge to a more lucrative career in politics.
11Byker Grove (1989 to 2006) – 18 Seasons
Byker Groveis reputed for featuring the first-ever gay kiss onUK teen televisionand for its creative use of the fourth-wall-breaking technique. The events center around the members of a youth club and the numerous challenges they face as they try to lay proper foundations for themselves in order to have better lives when they become adults.
In each episode, the teen drama tackles complex themes, touching on topics like abortion, drug abuse, homophobia, racial discrimination, and homelessness. Most importantly, it avoids the cliché plot format of teenagers facing education-related challenges. Here, the characters are rarely seen in school.Byker Grovealso heavily relies on theGrey’s Anatomy-ish trop of bad things happening to good people. From fan favorites suddenly getting diagnosed with terminal illnesses to others missing out on opportunities, there is never a shortage of sad moments.
