5 TV Shows Worth the Subtitles

L.M. Harter
TV
TV

These days, people absorb content on multiple screens simultaneously: Netflix on in the background, Instagram on your phone, Facebook on a laptop, Reddit on a tablet. Shows that require subtitles can often disrupt this multitasking practice by forcing you to pay attention.

But just because some series require a little extra reading doesn’t mean they don’t deserve your time. Here are five shows with subtitles that are totally worth your undivided attention.

Dicte (Denmark)

If the show Dicte is any indication, everyone in Denmark is effortlessly attractive, including its star, Iben Hjejle. She plays Dicte, a crime reporter who moves back to her hometown in hopes of finding her son — whom her Jehovah’s Witness parents forced her to give up for adoption as a teenager — while teaming up (and butting heads) with the local lead detective.

Iben Hjejle and Lars Brygmann in 'Dicte.'

Guided by her sense of justice and moral fortitude, Dicte’s professional ambitions seem almost reckless, which puts her in trouble often. In the pilot alone, she gets punched in the face — twice!

Hjejle grabs and keeps your attention with her natural charisma, and you’ll quickly find yourself falling in love with her.

The show also touches on issues surrounding a large immigrant population — for better and worse. But with both the villainizing and political grandstanding, American viewers will feel at home with the discourse.

Don’t let the awesome cheesy opening song turn you off, this show feels and looks a lot like Broadchurch or Strike, both in color palette and in having that handsome, brooding detective to pine over.

'Broadchurch's David Tennant: Another brooding, handsome detective.

Where to Find It: Netflix and TV2 Danmark

Taboo (United Kingdom)

If Penny Dreadful had a fling with Peaky Blinders, Taboo would be their secret love child … if that love child had a violent, mysterious past and grunted like Bane.

Tom Hardy as Bane in 'The Dark Knight Rises.'

Starring and created in part by Bane himself, Tom Hardy takes atmospheric authenticity to a new level. The accurate production design makes 1814 palpable in its gritty realism. You can almost smell Hardy’s character, James Delaney, as he strides determinedly across the screen.

Tom Hardy in 'Taboo'

Oona Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin’s great-granddaughter of Game of Thronesfame, co-stars, adding a spark of wistful beauty in an otherwise grim landscape, a great Ophelia to Hardy’s Hamlet.

Oona Chaplin in 'Taboo.'

To be fair, the primary language is English, but if you also struggle to understand the guttural inclinations of Mr. Hardy, subtitles are the way to go. Be prepared to start telling strangers, “You … I have use for you” and creeping them out after viewing.

Where to Find It: BBC One and FX

Dark (Germany)

Known as the sophisticated older brother of Stranger Things, Dark‘s cinematography is simultaneously stunning and haunting, elevating its intricate and weighted story.

'Dark' is the mature version of 'Stranger Things.'

If you’re a sucker for a story about a small community getting busted open by long-held secrets, missing children, and an ominous forest, then this show is perfect for you. It can be a “hard” watch given the dense narrative on top of the subtitles, but it is worth it. Just like Nancy Wheeler is worth it.

Nancy Wheeler. Worth it.

The performances expertly complement the writing and the subtlety of the culture represented in the muted tones and pacing. It sneaks up on you, along with the need to binge the next episode immediately.

Where to Find It: Netflix

Killing Eve (United Kingdom)

Brought to you by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the brilliantly deranged mind that created Fleabag, Killing Eve made a splash in this year’s television landscape. It is unexpected both in tone and story, the narrative taking sharp zigs when you expect a zag. Though also primarily in English, the show skips around geographically, from Paris to Moscow, using the native languages to accent the foreign landscapes and organically immerse viewers.

Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer in 'Killing Eve.'

Sandra Oh deserves all the praise as her character, Eve Polastri, hunts down one of the most engaging and charming sociopaths in television, the delightfully merciless Villanelle.

Their chemistry is off the hook, creating a delicious dynamic last seen with Will Graham and Dr. Lecter in Hannibal — complete with the (possibly negotiable) platonic mutual obsession.

Sanda Oh and Jodie Comer in 'Killing Eve.'

Fixation and fascination abound in this will they/won’t they, spy-vs-spy dark comedy. It will leave you wanting more than the meager eight episodes provided by the first season.

Where to Find It: BBC and Amazon

La Mante (France)

Speaking of Hannibal Lecter, meet the formidable La Mante, the female version of the brutal, intelligent serial killer we know and love. Before turning herself in for the sake of her son, La Mante was a prolific killer. Since her surrender, she has resided in solitary confinement. Like Silence of the Lambs, La Mante is brought into the investigation of her own disciplined and detailed copycat. Her one demand? That her estranged son, now a detective, be on the case.

Carole Bouquet and Fred Testot in 'La Mante.'

Unsparingly bleak, this show is not for the faint of heart. Though gruesome, it is beautifully executed. Its timbre and pacing are similar to Idris Elba’s acclaimed show Luther.

'Luther' will return for Series 5 late this year.

La Mante’s subtle and nuanced mother-son dynamic adds to the narrative without being overbearing, creating a great arc to track amidst the murder and mayhem.

Make sure to watch something friendly afterward just to maintain some emotional equilibrium.

Where to Find It: Netflix

L.M. Harter
An award winning writer living in Austin, Texas: lover of gin, sleep and TV