Yahoo Movies 8 amazing TV shows you can't watch in the UK
With hundreds of broadcast TV channels, plus dozens more streaming services, it's hard to fathom that some television shows are still slipping through the cracks. But believe it or not, some brilliant series airing in the US right now are currently lacking a home in the United Kingdom.
These are the small-screen gems still without a UK home – fingers crossed there's a deal being thrashed out right now to bring them this side of the Atlantic.
1. Mayans MC
Though Sons of Anarchy was broadcast on the likes of 5USA and all seven seasons of the biker saga are now available to stream on Netflix, spin-off show Mayans MC is yet to be officially picked up by any British broadcaster or streaming service.
Charting the exploits of the Sons' rivals-turned-allies, the Mayans Motorcycle Club, and featuring occasional guest appearances from SoA veterans, the series did only launch in September on FX in the US, so fingers crossed it'll make its way to these shores in the not-to-distant future. It has, after all, already been renewed for season 2.
2. Castle Rock
This series, which streams on Hulu in the States, is a dream come true for any Stephen King fan, linking up various of the horror legend's works as one grand and unsettling tapestry.
Castle Rock draws together everything from The Shining to The Shawshank Redemption, and also features a cast drawn from previous King adaptations, including Bill Skarsgård (IT) and Sissy Spacek (Carrie), in new roles.
Other of Hulu's original series – The Handmaid's Tale, Marvel's Runaways – have eventually been acquired by UK channels, so hopefully this Easter egg-packed horror will eventually follow suit.
3. Magnum PI
You might feel personally offended at the idea of Magnum PI without Tom Selleck and his magnificent moustache at the helm, but this 2018 reboot from CBS starring Suicide Squad's Jay Hernandez has actually been met with a pretty warm reception.
If nothing else, we'd like the opportunity to actually see the thing and make our own judgements. The obvious home for the new Magnum would be Sky One, which already airs the modern Hawaii Five-0 – the two shows are from the same team and a crossover has even been mooted (which'll be hella confusing if we can only watch one half).
4. Channel Zero
This horror anthology series tackles a different "creepypasta" (basically, internet urban legend) each season and the two that have aired in the UK - Candle Cove and No-End House - were brilliantly disturbing viewing.
Unfortunately, 5Star have since dropped Channel Zero, meaning there's no news on when or if we'll ever see the third season, Butcher's Block, or the upcoming fourth, The Dream Door. The prospect of missing out? Now that's properly scary.
5. 12 Monkeys
How's this for cruel? Syfy UK used to air 12 Monkeys, a small-screen reinvention of the classic film about a time traveller working to avert armageddon, but dropped the show before airing its fourth and final season, leaving fans in this country hanging. (Or should that be swinging?)
The concluding 11 episodes went out over the summer in the US, but so far, no-one's swooped in to pick up the show. Unfortunately, in the real world, if you get spoiled on Twitter, there's no rewriting history.
6. Take Two
Looking for a light and frothy crime procedural to help you unwind at the end of a long day? Something a bit like Castle? Then Take Two – a series from the makers of Castle that's quite a bit like Castle – is for you.
The OC's Rachel Bilson plays an actress who, as research for a movie where she'll play a detective, teams up with Eddie Cibrian's private investigator to solve crimes. (We weren't kidding – it's literally Castle, except gender-swapped and with an actress instead of an author.)
We'd happily slot this into our personal schedule as a healthy counterpoint to the latest Handmaid's Tale, but it's not available to watch anywhere in the UK. Surely Take Two is begging to be picked up by Alibi or YourTV?
7. Yellowstone
Did you know that Kevin Costner became the latest movie legend to take the leap to the small screen with the Paramount Network's Yellowstone? Well, he did.
Written and directed by Sicario's Taylor Sheridan, the series – about an ailing ranch owner (Costner) caught up in local conflicts, who must defend his land from those seeking to take it from him – was a ratings hit in the US and has already been renewed for a second season.
It's larger-than-life and not to be taken at all seriously, but a top-notch cast – Costner, Kelly Reilly, Danny Huston – hold it all together. No sign of the show making it to the UK, though
8. Mary Kills People
Mary Kills People does exactly what it says on the tin: Hannibal's Caroline Dhavernas plays Dr Mary Harris, who, alongside her work at Eden General Hospital's emergency department, has a sideline in providing assisted suicide.
Dark, witty and provocative, Mary Kills People builds on a unique premise to weave in twists and turns without ever compromising the show's reality. There's a lot going on here: comedy, drama, philosophy. But a stellar lead performance from Dhavernas is the glue that holds all these genres together and the end result is something a bit special.
It's already aired two seasons, with a third and final run greenlit... And we've had not a sniff of it. Bah.
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