6 International Tv Shows That Will Help You Mentally Leave America

For some reason, a lot of Americans have been thinking about leaving the country.

Some have been more serious about this, going so far as to buy Tinder Gold and search for husbands in France, while others have stuck to daydreaming about evenings in Venice and having guaranteed healthcare. If you’re one of the latter, then it might suffice to simply mentally escape the United States for a bit, and to that end, we’ve assembled some great international series for you. In addition to being entertaining, enlightening, and edifying, these series provide uncommon windows into the cultures and countries that produced them. Take notes, just in case you decide to move to Denmark one day! 

Midnight Diner

Netflix

Country: Japan

Premise: In this anthology comedy-drama series, every episode focuses on a new customer in a late night diner. Along with their culinary preferences, you’ll learn about their struggles and backstory. The show often hits you in the feels.

What you’ll learn from it: In addition to learning a lot about Japanese comfort food, you’ll have a window into everyday life in Tokyo, where social etiquette, communal dining culture, and willful forgetfulness play a major role in society. 

Where it’s streaming: Peacock and Prime Video

Delhi Crime

Netflix

Country: India

Premise: Based on the horrifying real-life gang rape of Jyoti Singh in 2021, this series turns an unflinching eye on the police officers assigned to her case. It won an International Emmy for Best Drama Series in 2020.

What you’ll learn from it: In addition to being an excellent representation of the true crime drama, Delhi Crime offers insights about India’s modern-day criminal justice system, as well as how it has failed women in the past.

Where it’s streaming: Netflix

Borgen

Country: Denmark

Premise: This political thriller follows Birgitte Nyborg, a principled and whip smart politician who becomes Denmark’s first female Prime Minister. It’s sharp, realistic, and gripping. Think a Nordic West Wing.

What you’ll learn from it: Scandinavian countries have problems, too! Not that you’ll dwell on them too much, considering this show focuses more on the country’s fascinating political system rooted in work-life balance and pragmatism. 

Where it’s streaming: Netflix

Dark

Netflix

Country: Germany

Premise: This drama about time travel, secrets, and a missing boy is addictive sci-fi with a dash of class. The complex, unfurling mystery will have you hooked throughout, and the layered and precise storytelling will blow your mind. 

What you’ll learn from it: This show harbors plenty of lessons about Germany’s relationship with history and fate, while its motif of intergenerational trauma speaks to the country’s complex past. The show is steeped in existential dread while still being entertaining. 

Where it’s streaming: Netflix

The Kingdom

Mubi

Country: Denmark 

Premise: This surreal medical horror show was created by Lars Von Trier, the avant-garde filmmaker behind Melancholia and Nymphomaniac, so you can imagine how wild it is. Based around the patients and doctors of a haunted hospital in Copenhagen, The Kingdom magnificently blends satire with supernatural thrills.

What you’ll learn from it: First of all, it provides an introduction to Danish humor, which is dry, dark, and eccentric (and, to some Americans, potentially offensive). However, this show also exposes Danes’ innate skepticism towards bureaucracy and superstition, leading to exquisite tension that frequently involves satanic nurses.

Where it’s streaming: Mubi

Pachinko

Apple TV+

Country: South Korea

Premise: This critically-acclaimed series has netted so much acclaim that you’d think it would be Emmy-nominated by now. However, this intricate show about four generations of a Korean family has only one Creative Arts Emmy nom, for Outstanding Main Title Design. That said, it deserves all the Emmy noms! Exploring themes of identity and resilience, this epic and absorbing show shines an extraordinary spotlight on one family as they emigrate from occupied Korea and ultimately grapple with modern American life. 

What you’ll learn from it: You’ll learn about Korea’s dark past when it was occupied by Japan. You’ll also learn about the challenges that modern Korean immigrants face in America, which … Ok, well now that I think about it, this show doesn’t offer much of a distraction from the issues our country faces today. But it has Anna Sawai from Shōgun in it! 

Where it’s streaming: Apple TV+