It’s a week light on big network sets that still has a few gems tucked away. Head of the class, and pick of the week, is the OG Life On Mars. If you never caught this one, it is well worth a look. The UK original is widely regarded as being superior to the US remake in every aspect. Also from across the pond, four more Doctor Who sets and the complete Touching Evil. Stateside, the final seasons of ER and The Game are available. And for classic buffs, look for Have Gun Will Travel, Dragnet, and Rhoda.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Jul 06, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
I don’t know when, or even if, it’ll make it to the States, but if you ever get a chance to watch the 6-episode cop show “Luther” by all means do so. It was one of my favorite shows ever and I really hope the BBC gives it another 6 next year (or next month!), although the way it ended makes it wholly satisfying as a miniseries. That’s one of the great things about a lot of British TV, they write series with conclusions…at least it seems they do so far more often than American TV. I’m always upset when a show only has 6 or 7 episodes a season/series, but the plus side is there are no filler episodes and I think that makes the quality of some increase exponentially.
*POST AUTHOR*
Thanks Tom. I’ll keep an eye out for Luther. And I do agree, in part, with your thoughts on the way British TV works. Of course, the down side is that the short seasons and iffy production schedules can make the wait ridiculous. Or… you can end up with something silly like Oliver replacing Jeff on Coupling.
True about the waiting. Some shows are off the air for a number of years before making a surprising return. Then some shows like the remake of “Survivors” which I thought was excellent get the axe after one series. The show couldn’t have cost much since there weren’t many people in it and few special effects, if any. Well, that makes it sound more like American TV!
I should’ve checked before saying something about “Luther.” I went to BBC America’s website, plugged in “Luther” to do a search and it says they’ll be airing it “later this year” so you’re in luck. At least I hope you like it as much as I did.
https://www.bbcamerica.com/comingsoon.jsp
Agree, Luther is really really good. Hope it’s back for a second and maybe longer season. Don’t know if it was ever shown in the US, but there was a superb drama in the late 90s called This Life. If it was an American drama, chances are it would still be running now, but because it was British, it ran for two seasons, but it did have a great finale. Try and get it on dvd if you can. It starred Jack Davenport (Flashforward) among others, but the actress to really look out for is Daniela Nardini…she’s not only incredibly sexy, she’s a brilliant actress. Her character is a superb combination of sassyness, brashness, intelligence, and ruining her life effed up-ness. Such a great drama.