A Bit of the Brits—As A Treat

All roads lead back to Edina Monsoon

I refuse to say I’m as American as apple pie—mostly because the only part I actually like is the crust. And it’s not like I’m so fucking keen on being American but… here we are.

If you know me, you know I was born and raised in Detroit, and I’ll scream that from the rooftops forever. I consider TV my first passport. Through a screen, I got to hop cities, wander neighborhoods, and soak up cultures without ever leaving my bedroom—all because of pop culture

One of the first stamps on that passport? The UK. I still remember the first time I heard a British accent—on Are You Being Served?, a 1970s sitcom about the employees of a fancy department store. I can’t tell you how I even stumbled on it, same goes for a lot of the stuff that molded my taste (shout out to my mom and dad for never monitoring me while watching TV), but it aired on PBS, and I watched it religiously.

I thought the comedy was hilarious—half slapstick, half innuendo I didn’t really get—but laugh tracks don’t lie, so I chuckled right along. And those accents? They only made it funnier. Maybe it was just me being a kid but something about their “funny voices” made everything even more hilarious.

As time went on, I found another ‘70s gem: Fawlty Towers. By then I could actually follow the humor—and the accents—on my own. No laugh track needed to tell me when to giggle anymore.

I loved it. It was the smart kind of stupid and never took itself too seriously; it was awesome.

By that point, I was in love with all things UK. I was listening to BritPop, enamored with The Spice Girls like the rest of the world, and of course, watching more British television. Shows like S Club 7 made it to this side of the pond and became Brit TV for an American palette, and I was even more obsessed.

By then I discovered shows like Coupling, Skins, Spaced, Gavin and Stacey, The IT Crowd, and of course, Absolutely Fabulous, and my affinity went even deeper. Get this: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE SHOWS GOT AN AMERICAN REMAKE…AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM (except the American Skins) FUCKING FAILED.

The American version of Coupling was horrid, and AbFab was so bad (despite having an epic cast of Kathryn fucking Hahn and Kristen Johnston) that it never even made it to air. And when the American homage is good—it’s slept on way too hard and then canceled (I AM LOOKING AT YOU, WELCOME TO FLATCH).

Another thing these shows had in common was how utterly and completely caucasian they were. I mean—rarely a nigga in sight. The IT Crowd is the standout because Richard Ayoade is in the main cast, and Skins comes in at a close second with Daniel Kaluuya, but the rest had just a few Black background players popping in with maybe a deep breath in place of actual lines.

It’s better now, shows like Chewing Gum, Boarders, Timewasters, Supacell, and probably plenty more I don’t even know about (because, hello, I don’t live there). But…..British TV is still overwhelmingly white.

I’ve been thinking about my history with British telly because of my fianće. I was watching season two of Daisy May Cooper’s Am I Being Unreasonable? when they—also a British TV lover— said, “You watch so much British television, I rarely hear you talk about American shows at all”

And they’re right. The day before, they walked in on me watching the latest season of Such Brave Girls (for the third time), and the day before that, we were hanging out together while I watched Mr. Loverman.

I don’t know, the Brits just do television well.

And lately? I’ve been giving the Aussies my little streaming heart too. HEAR ME OUT: I think I love it so much because they both don’t beat a dead fucking horse.

Outside of the long-running shows (Coronation Street, Doctor Who—hey Ncuti!—and EastEnders) most shows are a wrap after three seasons max. Maybe four if they’re feeling generous…then it’s on to the next story.

And the stories? Sooooo well donnnneee.

A lot of them circle around some kind of emotional trauma—which TEW ME is where the best storytelling usually lives. But the way Brits do it hits different. They’re not afraid to tell those stories, even though they’ve got the whole “we don’t do like do emotions” reputation. Maybe it’s ‘cos they separate their stories from their feelings, or maybe they’re just far enough removed from the trauma to tell the story properly

I don’t know. Shout out to them and their therapists. Or maybe these shows are the therapy…Who knowwwwsss!!

So in honor of my love for Brit and Aussie telly, here’s a list of recent (and kinda/sorta recent) faves. Some are wrapped and binge-ready, others are still dropping new eppies. Either way, watch them all and thank me later!!

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Cheeky Brits

Am I Being Unreasonable? – 2 seasons (no season 3 renewal yet)

This is one of 2 Daisy May Cooper shows on this list, three if you include the Welcome To Flatch mention (four if you include This Country, which Welcome To Flatch is based on) It’s a REALLY FUCKING WEIRD show where a reality TV-obsessed mum starts a friendship with another mum who is kinda/sorta psycho and both of them have a secret.

A British show where two white women have secrets is A GREAT GENRE! Also, they are horrible mothers, but that is fine with me because this is both fictional and for my entertainment.

Boarders – 2 seasons, (season 3 coming on TUBI—do not sleep on TUBI I’m telling you)

My high school did this thing where they gave about 20 kids the “opportunity” to switch places for the day with another high school that was very rich and hella white and very superduper privileged. It was weird, I wanted to do it, and this show made me think of it.

In Boarders, a few Black kids who all get scholarships to go to a fancy ass college (college is British for “High School” and university is British for “College” and when I first learned this I was annoyed), and it’s supposed to be the whole fish out of water experience while they deal with micro and macro aggressions from the (mostly white) students.

Such Brave Girls – 2 seasons (no season 3 renewal yet)

A mum (gold digger who is trying to replace the wife of a recently widowed grown man obsessed with his iPad) and her two daughters (Billie, who is actually delusional, and Josie, who is queer, mentally rocky, and just served a stint in the psych ward) are just trying to live.

This show is fucking hilarious because it’s basically a series about how a family of women, their trauma, and the repercussions of not dealing with any of it. They are all delusional but self-aware at the same time. It was written by Kat Sadler (who plays Josie), and another cute fact—Billie (Lizzie Davidson) is her sister in real life!

Rain Dogs – 1 season (another Daisy May Cooper gem)

DAISY MAY COOPER IS A GENIUS. This one is about a hustler/writer/mum and is based on bits of a true story from Cash Carraway. It is one of thee most uncomfortable shows I have ever watched, but in like a really good fucking way. It’s dark and honest and just—really pure good television. It tells really full stories of several characters, and none of their arcs get lost throughout the series. I would not recommend watching in one sitting unless you have like a strong ass mind because, like I said, DARK, but if that’s fine with you, go ahead babes!

This Way Up – 2 seasons

I LOVE AISLING BEA. I love it when she’s on Cats Does Countdown, she makes me laugh, and she is Irish as fuck. The show, like a lot of others on this list, is about mental health and the before, during, and after of it all, after she gets checked into a facility after having a nervous breakdown. We see her rebuilding and reassessing her relationship with her job, her lovers (or lack thereof), and her sister—played by the perfection that is Sharon Horgan.

Famalam — 3 seasons

Before there was A Black Lady Sketch Show, there was Famalam. Think In Living Color but British and Black/African/Caribbean and full of nuanced jokes that took me a short minute to understand, but once I did EYE CACKLED.

I think it’s so cool to see Black folks use comedy to poke fun at ourselves, our upbringings, and our culture. It’s a clever way to show each other peeks into our very layered lives. We do comedy in a way that no one else does, and this is a very Black and British ass way of showing that.

The cast is chock full of talent that has since been in a variety of INCREDIBLE SHOWS THAT SHOW THE RANGE THEY HAVVVVVEEEE!

Big Mood – 1 season (Season 2 coming soon on Tubi, don’t sleep on TUBI)

Another show with some familiar faces (Lydia West was in It’s A Sin, and Nicola Coughlan was in Derry Girls x Bridgerton) and also another show about mental health and friendship—WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS MY FAVORITE TOPICCCCCC.

Maggie (Coughlan) and Eddie (West) have been friends for years, and Maggie has Bipolar Disorder, and it’s rearing its head at this moment in their lives, but this time, Eddie may not be able to be the only one to pick up the pieces.

I loved this show because friendships go through so many ebbs and flows, especially as you get older, and when mental health moments are involved, it can put the friendship to the test. Some become fractured, some get left behind, and some become fuller—this series hits on all three of those, and I’m amped it got another season!

Mood – 1 season

I LOVED THIS FUCKING SHOOOWWWWWWW. I also just really love Nicôle Lecky, who created it. It’s based on a one-woman play she wrote called Superhoe, and it’s about a girl named Sasha, who, after a bit of turbulence with her family, her life starts to spiral.

Sex work, catfishing, racism, fake friends, and social media are all part of this story, and I won’t spoil it, but it won a few fucking BAFTAS sooooo…WATCH IT. Also, Nicôle kills it in another really good British show Sweetpea that was a RIDE.

Speaking of Sweetpea…

Sweetpea — 1 season (renewed for a second)

VERY GOOD, VERY CHAOTIC, BINGED IT ALL IN ONE DAY. I watched this because I am a pretty big fan of Ella Purnell and Nicôle Lecky—but both of them together is killer (literally). This show is basically about the girls who were invisible in their adolescence vs. the ones everybody always looked at.

It all goes too far, too fast, and I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT. Ella has this way of playing the sweet girl with the dark side, and Nicole is perfect at playing the popular girl turned grown-up with a life that may not be as good as it seems. Anyway, watch it all right now!

Extraordinary – 2 seasons (Canceled)

EYE HATE THAT THIS GOT CANCELED. Do you know that one question, “If you could have a superpower, what would it be”? This is a show about that.

This is a world where, when you turn 18, you get a superpower. You don’t know what it will be, it’s not a secret that it happens, you just get it, and the next thing you know, you’re like, idk, flying to work or making yourself invisible and shoplifting from Tesco.

Jen (Máiréad Tyers) is one of the very unlucky few who do not get a superpower; she’s an ordinary girl in an extraordinary world, and it SUCCCCCKKKKSSSS. It’s a fun show, a quick binge, but again—IT GETS A LITTLE DARK!

Queenie – 1 season (Canceled)

Okay—I have issues with this show. EYE WATCHED IT…BUT I HAVE ISSUES. It gave me the same feeling I had with Chewing Gum at first—but at least with Chewing Gum, Tracey’s journey had humor and a self-awareness that made me root for her. Queenie? We’ve got a Black woman chasing the love and validation of white men, degrading herself, and only finding worth when/if they want her back, all while pushing away a Black love interest. Also, the writer is like…kind of a jerk.

Shows where women of color are written to grovel for white male affection make me fucking sick (hiya Mindy Kaling universe, hello Jenny Han universe. It’s fiction, and you wrote it—you could very well pair your lead with another POC (and not someone white-passing), but instead, you go the other way, like over and over again. So I didn’t love this show, but I do love Dionne Brown, so put her in more things, and like go watch it ‘cos the actors are great but the story is meh.

Aussies? Naur! Yes!

Kath and Kim — 4 seasons

THIS IS MY COMFORT SHOW. There is nothing (okay, maybe several things) wrong with the show, and I’ve watched it on repeat for years. Like, please, I promise you it’s so good. It really did turn Australian television around and gave us some of the best wigs in television history. It also gave us Sharon (Magda Szubanski), and for that alone, it is PERFECTION.

Upper Middle Bogan — 3 seasons

I think Netflix suggested this show to me because I was watching Kath and Kim on repeat the moment it got on the platform. It’s about a woman who is low-key neurotic who finds out she’s actually adopted.

Her adopted mom gives Lucille Bluth meets Moira Rose, her birth family gives Shameless, and it’s full of mess and is actually just really cute and playful.

Fisk — 3 seasons (no Season 4 confirmed yet)

This might be the first show about anything legal that is like, a comedy and not a drama where they all wear suits. Helen Tudor-Fisk (Kitty Flanagan) is a lawyer who specializes in estates and wills. This is a very mixed comedy series, and that’s dope. It’s kinda screwball, kinda witty, very literal, and sometimes stupid.

My favorite character is the front desk receptionist/webmaster George played by Aaron Chen, who is fucking funny in a deadpan 2000s kinda way, and I wanna see him live.

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VERY HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

• Rivals is SEW good and very horny in a 1980s British kinda way and Nafessa Williams is everything and David Tennant deserves some kind of award for this role.

• Ja'mie: Private School Girl is funny but Chris Lilley is very problematic.

• I also liked Wellmania. but have mixed feelings on it.

• Obviously Derry Girls, obviously Peaky Blinders, obviously Dope Girls, obviously The Crown.

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Extras:

• Mirrorball is from Jennifer Saunders of AbFab fame. It never went to series, but it’s fantastic and on one of the AbFab DVDs as a bonus, and i remember this because I wore that DVD the fuck out.

• These are some British shows that my fiancé introduced me to that I need you to watch now:

  • Marcella—starring Anna Friel of the ICONIC series Pushing Daisies, btw if you need another reason to watch

  • Bad Sisters—Irish, but it counts AND Sharon Horgan made it so duh

  • Gangs of London—This show is bloody, has an amazing storyline about family ties, IT’S BLACK AS HELL, and also Catelyn Stark and John Shelby are in it so again, lé duh

• Read this conversation between Michaela Coel and Nicôle Lecky RIGHT NOW.

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From the HiShelli Archives:

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Thx4readingokaybi!