Geektown’s Top 7 Most Search For US Shows Which *Really* Need A UK Broadcaster…
With all the tv shows coming out in the US, not everything makes it across the Atlantic to UK shores. Overall, the UK’s television acquisition teams have actually picked quite well over the last 12 months, managing to avoid a lot of the series which were cancelled in last Friday’s cull. However, that also means they have left some shows behind… This got us thinking, what were the most popular shows searched for on our site which had yet to air in the UK? So we went digging through the Geektown’s stats to see which US shows without UK broadcasters were the ones that people most wanted to see, and these are the results.
Now that the US renewals and cancellations are done, could we see some UK broadcasters jump in and pick up these shows?
This list is compiled from the individual tv show pages, without a UK broadcaster, based on the highest number of views over the past 90 days on geektown.co.uk.
7. Miracle Workers
‘Miracle Workers‘ stars Daniel Radcliffe as an angel and Steve Buscemi as God… Really, that should be enough to sell you on the series, but if you want more… Based on Simon Rich’s book, ‘What in God’s Name’, the anthology series turns the perception of heaven on its head while also making the case that humans are worth saving. Radcliffe plays Craig, a low-level angel responsible for handling all of humanity’s prayers. Buscemi plays Craig’s boss… aka God… who has pretty much checked out to focus on his petty hobbies.
To prevent Earth’s destruction, Craig and fellow angel Eliza (Geraldine Viswanathan – ‘Blockers’) must answer a seemingly impossible prayer: help two humans, Laura (Sasha Compere – ‘The Dead Girls Detective Agency’) and Sam (Jon Bass – ‘Baywatch’, ‘Dog Days’), fall in love. Karan Soni (‘Deadpool’) stars as Sanjay, God’s right-hand man.
The series has just been renewed for Season 2, which moves things to medieval times, in a story about friendship, family and trying not to be murdered. It revolves around a group of villagers in the dark ages trying to stay positive in an age of inequality and fake news. Radcliffe, Buscemi, Viswanathan, and Soni all return in new roles and facing new challenges.
6. Deadly Class
‘Deadly Class‘ is a coming-of-age drama set in a high school… except this is no educational establishment. This is Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, the most brutal high school on earth, where the world’s top crime families send the next generation of assassins to be trained. The story is set against the backdrop of late 80’s counter culture, and centres around Marcus Lopez (Benjamin Wadsworth – ‘Teen Wolf’, ‘Dad vs. Lad’), a young boy whose grades suck and is failing ‘Dismemberment 101’. The jocks – who happen to be the children of Joseph Stalin’s top assassin – are hassling his friends, and the girl he’s crushing on has a double-digit body count… At this school, murder is an art, killing is a craft, and the dagger in your back isn’t always metaphorical.
Along with Wadsworth, the cast also includes Benedict Wong (‘Doctor Strange’, ‘Marco Polo’, ‘Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams’) as headmaster of the School for the Deadly Arts, Master Lin. Marcus’s schoolmates include Lana Condor (‘X-Men: Apocalypse’) as Saya, María Gabriela de Faría (‘Yo Soy Franky’, ‘Grachi’) as Maria, Luke Tennie (‘Shock and Awe’) as Willie, Liam James (‘The Killing’, ‘Psych’) as Billy, and Michel Duval (‘Unforgivable’, ‘Queen of the South’) plays Chico.
The series is based on Rick Remender & Wes Craig’s comic book and being shepherded by ‘Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame’ directors, the Russo Brothers.
5. The Twilight Zone
Viewers enter another dimension with Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic. Airing on CBS All Access in the US, ‘The Twilight Zone‘ anthology series brings the original show’s legacy of socially conscious storytelling to modern-day audiences, exploring the human condition and holding a lens up to the culture of our times.
Given the brand recognition of ‘The Twilight Zone’, and the fact Jordan Peele is behind it, you would think someone in the UK would feel the tug of the series, but so far, it hasn’t popped up anywhere. The show did only start airing in April across the pond, so it may still be early days yet.
4. Legacies
‘Legacies‘ tells the story of ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘The Originals’ offspring, and follows the next generation of supernatural beings at The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. It’s here that Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson; Alaric Saltzman’s twins, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman; and other young adults – including political scion MG and the mysterious Landon Kirby – come of age in the most unconventional way possible, nurtured to be their best selves… in spite of their worst impulses. The series stars Danielle Rose Russell, Jenny Boyd, Kaylee Bryant, Quincy Fouse and Aria Shaghasemi, with Matt Davis.
I can see why UK broadcasters are hesitant here. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘The Originals’ both had a dedicated UK following but struggled a little on broadcast tv over here (although, that is arguably due to scheduling in some cases…) ‘The Originals’ was ditched by Syfy after 2 Seasons, before eventually being picked up by Netflix. But unlike some other shows which go out the next day, Netflix held it as a box set to drop it all at once. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ did all get broadcast on ITV2, but it stopped and started a lot, with the final season being aired at midnight… a long way from primetime… The drama was renewed for a 2nd Season back in January, but still no sign of it in the UK. ‘Legacies‘ was the fourth most search for series on the site without a UK broadcaster.
3. Manifest
https://youtu.be/nx7Fx59tfSQ
‘Manifest‘, follows the passengers of Montego Air Flight 828. Whilst it wasn’t the smoothest of flights, everyone lands happily without incident. When the passengers and crew disembark, they discover, what has only been a few hours for them in the air, has been 5 years for the people on the ground. Friends, families and colleagues all believe the plane went down after it disappeared from radar, and have grieved and moved on. As their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible. The drama stars Josh Dallas (‘Once Upon A Time’), Melissa Roxburgh (‘Valor’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’), Athena Karkanis (‘Zoo’, ‘Suits’), J.R. Ramirez (‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Arrow’), Luna Blaise (‘Fresh Off the Boat’), Parveen Kaur (‘Beyond’, ‘Saving Hope’) and Jack Messina.
The series knocked it out of the park when it debuted last year, scoring the best demo number for any scripted series premiere in that US tv season. Those numbers did drop off over the run, but it still was doing extremely well on DVR delayed viewing, so NBC picked it up for Season 2. It is one of the shows without a UK broadcaster we get asked about the most here on the site, so there is definitely interest for it on this side of the Atlantic. This was the third most search for series on the site without a UK broadcaster, so let’s hope the 2nd Season renewal spurs a UK acquisitions team to take the plunge.
2. Doom Patrol (and Swamp Thing… And Young Justice: Outsiders…)
‘Doom Patrol’ is a re-imagining of one of DC’s most beloved group of outcast superheroes: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl and Crazy Jane, led by modern-day mad scientist Dr. Niles Caulder (The Chief). The Doom Patrol’s members each suffered horrible accidents that gave them superhuman abilities – but also left them scarred and disfigured. Traumatized and downtrodden, the team found purpose through The Chief, who brought them together to investigate the weirdest phenomena in existence – and to protect Earth from what they find. Part support group, part Super Hero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of super-powered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them.
When Netflix picked up the DC Universe show ‘Titans’, we here in the UK thought “Great move Netflix! We get to see the DC Universe shows even though they haven’t launched the service here!” Then… nothing… Despite ‘Doom Patrol’ being set in the same universe as ‘Titans’, and having some crossover, the streaming service has yet to pick it up, or any of the other DC Universe series, which is somewhat disappointing. It does still have one episode to air in the US, and it is possible Netflix UK might suddenly announce a pickup once it has completed it’s run, but so far, no news. We also haven’t heard anything about the upcoming ‘Swamp Thing’ series or the ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ animated series, both of which are shows visitors have been asking about. ‘Doom Patrol’ is the second most searched for series on the site which doesn’t have a UK broadcaster.
1. Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
‘Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists‘, is based on the popular book series ‘The Perfectionists’, written by Sara Shepard, who also penned the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book series ‘Pretty Little Liars’. Everything about the town of Beacon Heights seems perfect, from their top-tier college to their overachieving residents, but nothing in Beacon Heights is as it appears to be. The stress of needing to be perfect leads to the town’s first murder. Behind every Perfectionist is a secret, a lie and a needed alibi.
This is the most searched for series this year on the site which does not yet have a UK broadcaster, so clearly there is a UK audience out there for it. The original ‘Pretty Little Liars’ aired on Netflix UK, and we can’t help but think they are missing a trick not picking up this spin-off series.
