Five Totally Awesome Shows You Should Watch, But Can’t

The Internet age has brought us many wonderful things, including greater access to global media.  But there is a downside to communicating so easily with people in other countries, and learning about what they’re watching.  What about when we see a show that looks really good, but we can’t find it in our own country?  Today’s list is dedicated to those frustrations: the top five shows we should be watching but can’t, thanks (or not so thanks) to access issues.

A disclaimer: my media preferences are showing in this list.  Everything on it’s from either the U.K. or Japan.  Because so much of my media focus revolves around stuff from the U.K. and Asia, these are the shows I’ve heard about the most.  I’d like to return to the topic in the future, so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

5. Broadchurch

David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Arthur Darvill.  I really don’t need to say any more.  Well, one more thing: David Tennant is allowed his Scottish accent in this show.  Now I’m making grabby hands at my computer screen before I even read what the series is about.  The buzz around the murder mystery series has been extreme, with an overwhelming number of ecstatic reviews.  Its season 1 finale was an absolute smash in ratings, leaving fans in bated anticipation for the next season.

The only reason why Broadchurch is so low on the list is because BBC America has picked it up for distribution.  It earns the spot because so far no American premiere date has been announced.  The big question is when, exactly, we’ll get to see it.

4. Rich Man, Poor Woman

A couple months ago, most of the Asian media blogs I follow lit up with excitement: the two-hour movie sequel to 2012 jdrama Rich Man, Poor Woman had just been released.  Everyone was twitterpated.

The ensuing .gif’s and photosets were all adorable: a lot of hugging and smiling and heart eyes.  Rich Man, Poor Woman has a typical-but-irresistible plot: young, rich, successful male lead, scrappy supposedly plain female lead bicker and banter and fall in love.  There also seems to be a touching subplot involving workplace tension between the lead and his best friend.

Rich Man, Poor Woman makes the list because if it were a Korean or Taiwanese drama, chances are we’d be able to find it online at Hulu, Dramafever, or Viki in a snap.  But for some reason, Japanese drama companies aren’t jumping on the Internet bandwagon.  You can find a ton of anime online, at sites like Crunchyroll or even Hulu or Netflix, but access to Japanese live action dramas is scarce.

That makes me sad, because Rich Man, Poor Woman looks really good.  Its producers also seem to love its fans: the show finished its run in September, a feature-length movie came out the following March, and there are rumors of a second season.  That’d be like a dream come true for many of my favorite kdramas.

3. Miranda

Oh, Miranda.  Clips and pictures from the Britcom are all over the Internet.  The fact that it’s so popular online — and that it first started airing in 2009 — makes it mind-boggling that not even the first season has popped up anywhere for U.S. viewers.  Most puzzling of all, show creator/star Miranda Hart is a frequent topic on BBC America’s blog.  They interview her and promote her books and stand-up tours, but viewers can’t actually watch her sitcom.

Maybe it aired on BBC America once and never again, but unlike other popular similar shows like IT Crowd, Miranda isn’t available anywhere online, not even on Hulu’s or Netflix’s rather substantive libraries of British comedies.  The BBC hasn’t even released any Region 1 DVDs of the show.  I can’t find anything about it ever airing or being available over here.

As for what you need to know about Miranda to determine if you want to watch it: it’s funny.  Just the plentiful YouTube clips allow me to attest to that.  It’s hilarious, it’s written by/starring a woman, it looks like a lot of fun, and I want to know why it hasn’t been given wider distribution.