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As Tina Fey famously said in 30Rock – “I want to go to there.” That is my sentiment while staying home and keeping safe during this world pandemic. Many of us have turned to online streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, CBC Gem or Crave (HBO) to access films and series from around the world. There is no question, I have been seduced by the cliffs in Broadchurch, the streets of Paris/Berlin/London in Killing Eve and the Shetland countryside. With so many choices, one wonders what to watch on Netflix when you’re stuck at home but want to travel.
My husband came up with suggestions from Barry Hertz’s Full Stream Ahead series featured in the Globe and Mail, suggestions from CBC Radio programs and of course word-word-of-mouth suggestions from work colleagues. I asked my family, friends, readers and even neighbours for suggestions to add to my list of shows or series they felt were worth a look. I asked for programming which brought entertainment and a sense of otherworldliness as they continue to quarantine at home. Lastly, my most important criteria were shows which made you feel you’d want to travel to the locations just to have a look at the scenery.
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After visiting Girona five years ago, I was so pleased to see that our visit took place the year before filming started in that city for Game of Thrones. It’s become a ‘fan touristy’ thing to do – go to locations seen on GoT. Some areas welcome the fans while others abhor it. My take is I want to be inspired to go to a place I would not have considered before. So the sweeping vistas, heather valleys and terrifyingly high cliffs found in these shows will let you travel to faraway lands.
When wondering what to watch on Netflix when you’re stuck at home but inspire you to travel. Below is a list of series which I personally have watched and which have let me dream about travelling again.
Shetland
- Shetland (really loved) – Netflix – Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) is a widower father to a stepdaughter and is the lead DI covering crime in the Shetland Islands. Trusty (but young) side-kick DS Alison “Tosh” Macintosh (Alison O’Donnell), is a great female character. You will want to travel to any one of the 16 inhabited Shetland Islands to take in the sweeping views of the cliffs and the North Sea. Closer to Norway than to Edinburgh, some of the filming takes place in this barren (but breathtaking) Scandinavian country. Plots are intriguing and often leave you with a “What just happened?” sort of feeling. My favourite detective so far.
Broadchurch
- Broadchurch (loved) – disgraced DI arrives in Broadchurch with few manners and much mystery. His very quirky but so amazing sidekick is Academy Award Winning – Olivia Colman. A young boy is killed and just about everyone in town seems to have a motive. Season two was not as good but very compelling. If you are fans of Dr. Who, David Tennant is the lead detective. Excellent ensemble cast.
Paranoid
- Paranoid (very good) – Netflix – The eight-part series focuses on a group of UK detectives working for the fictional Woodmere police force who are attempting to solve the murder of a doctor who is stabbed at a children’s playground. During the course of their investigation, the detectives discover the murder has links to a German pharmaceutical company and they enlist the help of their German colleagues in Düsseldorf to find the killer. Lead detective DS Nina Suresh (Indira Varma) may look familiar to you if you are a fan of Game of Thrones. She played the devious cunning Ellaria Sand, the mother of the three Sand Snakes.
Gentleman Jack
- Gentleman Jack – CRAVE – is a historical drama series set in the year 1832 in Yorkshire, England. It stars Suranne Jones (of Scott & Bailey and Doctor Foster). Jones portrays real-life landowner and industrialist Anne Lister. The series is based on the collected diaries of Lister, which contain over four million words and are written largely in secret code, documenting a lifetime of lesbian relationships. What is compelling about this series is the strong women leads in the series. The Yorkshire countryside is spectacular and dialogue so very interesting.
Doctor Foster
- Doctor Foster (really good) – A family doctor Gemma Foster (Suranne Jones) suspects her husband is cheating. When he leaves her to wed his very young mistress (played by Jodie Comer of Killing Eve fame) Dr. Foster spirals quickly. As her world falls apart, she tries to keep it together for her teenage son. She doesn’t do a very good job of it and becomes obsessed with the new wife and baby, the ex-husband and the lie which her friends and neighbours kept from her. Lead, Suranne Jones won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 2016 and is the lead in the 2019 period piece Gentleman Jack (see above).
Killing Eve
- Killing Eve – Prime Video – A Canadian detective Eva Polastri (I’m going with that since Sandra Oh IS Canadian) living in London finds herself stalking the Russian psychopathic assassin Villanelle. You will recognize Villanelle (Jodie Comer) as the young adultress/second wife in Dr. Foster. Comer is riveting to watch. Having two strong female leads is almost intoxicating but you will find it hard to change the channel. With locations in London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow, you’ll be compelled to follow Villanelle where ever she goes (and Eve follows).
Years after years
- Years after years (very good) – HBO – Dystopian family drama. This multi-layers series is set sometime in the near future in a world where a financial crisis turns a rich man into a bicycle courier. The strength of this how each family member reacts to a different crisis (financial, refugee, cyber). From a teen seeking to become real-life cyborg to a complex gay relationship nothing in this drama seems completely right but it’s not wrong (or likely implausible in the future). Fundamentally, it doesn’t really matter what era we are in, it is all the same priority: family first. Check out Emma Thompson as an unlikely fascist Prime Minister.
The Crown
- The Crown (fantastic) -Netflix – Chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II, this is a fictionalized yet entertaining drama of the Royal Family and the interpersonal relationships. This has won a Golden Globe for Claire Foy as the young QEII and Academy award-winning Olivia Colman as the middle-aged Queen. You will recognize Ms. Colman in Broadchurch (see #1).
Downton Abbey
- Downton Abbey – (an all-time favourite) – Prime Video – I am watching this series for the third time. In full. Although there is plenty to see, many programs are not senior citizens appropriate. Watching violence or sex-scene with your 86 year-old mother can be just as embarrassing (or mortifying) as when you are watching with young children. Downtown Abbey is the perfect family-friendly show. Full of beautiful clothes, stunning countryside and a grandiose castle.
As you watch the ‘upstairs, downstairs’ saga of the Crawly family and their servants’ lives at the start of the 20th Century. It covers pre-WWI, WWI and post-war lives in the village of Downton. Highclere Castle (the castle used as Downton) is located in Berkshire – southeast England. This show will make you want to tour the English countryside and drop by for a spot of tea or a pint in the local pub.
Hinterland
Hinterland (disappointing but still better than some US productions) – Netflix – Set in Wales, UK, this series is focused on grim murders solved by DCI Tom Mathias, (Richard Harrington) and his sidekick DI Mared Rhys (Mali Harries). The first series was mainly filmed in Aberystwyth and the surrounding county of Ceredigion on the west coast of Wales. (Photo: Devil’s Bridge)
There are plenty of choices for what to watch on Netflix when you’re stuck at home but you want to travel. The suggestions here have been primarily located in the United Kingdom but you can certainly travel to Spain, Italy, Brazil or Germany by just scrolling your favourite streaming service. What have you found on Netflix when you’re stuck at home but want to travel?
Bridgerton
The latest in Netflix this British series is all about the hot male lead and his demure love interest. It has a lot of sex and is pretty good. It is not Pride and Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility but you will come back for the beautiful fashion and the intriguing plot. The best part is it does not see colour and has a few but important POC characters. This should definitely be on your list of what to watch on Netflix when you’re stuck at home but want to travel.
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Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.