7 Born to Kill

     BBC Worldwide

Born to Kill is a British drama with four episodes. The main character, Sam Woodford, hides his psychopathic tendencies under the guise of being a ’normal’ teenager. The show explores his mind as he is on the verge of possibly leaning into the whims of these tendencies, all because of a new girl moving into his school. He’s fascinated with death, and might even end up taking things a little too far at one point. As the series progresses, the tension grows and Sam must be more and more cautious if he wants to get away with everything he’s been doing and remove any suspicion that may be on him.

6 The Living and the Dead

     BBC One

The horror miniseries The Living and the Dead has six episodes set in the 1890s that revolve around the lives of Nathan and Charlotte Appleby, who live on a haunted farm. The Appleby’s move to the farm in the first episode, and from there start having supernatural experiences along with the rest of the nearby town. Each new episode features a different occurrence, but they all work together towards the plot and towards Nathan Appleby slowly losing his sanity. He’s desperate to stop the ghosts from appearing and let himself and the town live in peace.

5 And Then There Were None

     BBC

Based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, And Then There Were None tells the mystery thriller story in three tense episodes. Ten strangers are invited to a small island, but upon their arrival, find the manor is only occupied by two servants, and their hosts are absent. After sitting down for dinner, a record put on accuses everyone of being a murderer, and one of the guests dies from poisoning shortly thereafter. Now, those who remain must hurry to find who is actually the murderer and stop them as they slowly pick the group off, one by one, killing in accordance to a poem displayed around the house. Though the original 1945 film is a classic, this modern miniseries version is a dark, brooding masterpiece.

4 Thirteen

     BBC Three

The drama Thirteen focuses on Ivy Moxam, a woman who was kidnapped at 13 and imprisoned for 13 years since but managed to escape. These five episodes cover the aftermath of what happened, starting off with Ivy arriving at the police station, giving a statement on what happened, and reconnecting with her family. However, what the police find at the house and what Ivy said don’t seem to add up, so pressure grows on her to reveal the truth of what actually happened, especially once her kidnapper manages to take another girl hostage after her escape.

3 The Night Manager

     IMG

The Night Manager is also based on a book by the same name, this one written by John le Carré. The six episode show focuses on Jonathan Pine, a hotel manager and former British Soldier. He is recruited to join a task force investigating illegal arms sales, and they want him to infiltrate the inner circle of one of the most notorious arms dealers they know of, Richard Roper.

Late one night on one of his shifts, he finds Roper is checked into his hotel, bad experiences from the past leading him to try and call someone who might do something about him but doesn’t want to be involved past that. He’s convinced otherwise, however, and now tries to gain Roper’s trust without getting himself killed. The series was nominated for many awards and won some of them, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes, and features an incredible ensemble cast, including Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, and Tom Hollander.

2 Pride and Prejudice

     BBC1

The 1995 Pride and Prejudice series is a well known classic, and one of many adaptations. In six episodes, the show brings Jane Austen’s book to life. The main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, have a complicated relationship. Though they initially seem to despise each other upon their first meeting, Darcy decides that he is in love with her and proposes their marriage. Elizabeth rejects it at first, but as they both overcome the titular issues, their pride and their prejudices, she begins to realize she has feelings for him too. The series was nominated for and won several BAFTA and Emmy Awards, among others. This BBC version of Pride and Prejudice is often considered the pinnacle of Jane Austen adaptations.

1 River

     Shine International

The police procedural River spans six episodes and follows Inspector John River as he deals with guilt over the loss of his recently murdered colleague. He is not allowed to work on the case because of how close he was with it, but he still tries to solve her murder anyway, wanting to preserve her memory and make up for it. As he begins looking into it, following several wrong leads at first, he begins to piece together the case she had been working on before her death and finally begins to overcome her loss.