US TV Shows That Still Don’t Have A UK Broadcaster – 2022 Edition
As we head towards the end of the year, I thought it might be a good time to take a look at some of the US tv series which still haven’t found a home in the UK. There are, of course, a lot of series which don’t land here, however, we’ve picked out a few which we really would love to see get picked up on this side of the Atlantic.
For this article, we’re just looking at which have already aired multiple seasons in the US, along with some newer shows we’d really like to see land here. We are not including shows which have previously had a broadcaster in the UK but have since lost them, or shows that have already been cancelled (as opposed to “ending”.)
Quantum Leap (1 Season – Renewed)
It’s been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the ‘Quantum Leap‘ accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it. Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it.
At Ben’s side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She’s a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job. At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won’t be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit “Ziggy,” and Jenn Chou (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.
As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben’s leap and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.
Why hasn’t this been picked up yet? That is a very good question… As a continuation/reboot of the 80s/90s original starring Scott Bakula, it’s a well-known and beloved brand. It also has been renewed for season two and has been going great in the ratings for NBC. Couple that with the fact that NBCUniversal produce and distribute the show, and NBC has the same parent company as Sky (i.e. Comcast), you would think this would have shown up on a Sky channel by now. However, the wonderfully bonkers ‘La Brea‘ was also in the same situation, and that randomly popped up on Paramount+ here, so who knows what is going on with this!
A Million Little Things – ABC – (5 Seasons)
They say friendship isn’t one big thing, it’s ‘A Million Little Things‘, and that’s true for a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life. After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way, they discover that friends may be the one thing to save them from themselves.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? Another year passes and still no sign of this show. Despite having some well-known faces, such as ‘Grimm’s David Giuntoli, ‘Hawaii Five-0’ star (and Cylon) Grace Park, and ‘The Walking Dead’s Chandler Riggs, I think the main problem for UK buyers is the type of drama it is… It seems to be similar in tone to something like NBC’s ‘This Is Us’, and whilst that show was a juggernaut hit in the US, it really struggled to find an audience in the UK. Although it airs on Disney-owned ABC in the US, it is co-produced by ABC Signature and Kapital Entertainment. In those situations, it’s possible Kapital has the international rights, whilst Disney retains the US rights for it, meaning it doesn’t automatically go to Disney+. With a fifth and final season incoming, it is possible one of the streaming services may pick it up as a boxset when it concludes next year, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Fire Country (1 Season)
Bad choices don’t make a bad man. At least that’s what Bode Donavan’s been told. Midway through a five-year prison stretch, he’s been trying to convince himself of it, too. He gets the chance to prove it, signing on to an unconventional prison-release program: in exchange for reduced sentences, convicts are paired with firefighters battling Northern California wildfires. The heat is turned up when Bode’s assigned to the program in his rural hometown, the place where all his troubles began.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios, the series was created by ‘SEAL Team’ star Max Thieriot, alongside Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, and was inspired by Thieriot’s experiences growing up in Northern California fire country. Thieriot stars as Donavan, alongside Billy Burke, Kevin Alejandro, Diane Farr, Jordan Calloway, Stephanie Arcila and Jules Latimer.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? ‘Fire Country‘ did only premiere back in October 2022, so it may just be a little early for a UK pick-up. Although not yet officially renewed for Season 2, the series has been a ratings winner for CBS in the USA. We do have Paramount+ in the UK now, and both Paramount+ and CBS are owned by the parent company Paramount… However, in the UK, Paramount seem to be selling off many of the CBS series to the highest bidder, rather than holding them for Paramount+ UK. It may appear on Paramount+ UK in the new year or could be sold to someone like Sky Witness… or may not air at all… We’ll have to wait and see.
Kung Fu (3 Seasons)
A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang – ‘Legacies’, Grey’s Anatomy’), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption and her own parents (Tzi Ma – ‘Wu Assassins’, ‘Veep’, and Kheng Hua Tan – ‘Marco Polo’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’) are at the mercy of a powerful Triad.
Inspired by the original 70s series created by Ed Spielman, ‘Kung Fu’ is from Warner Bros Television in association with Quinn’s House and Berlanti Productions, with writer/executive producer Christina M. Kim (‘Blindspot’, ‘Lost’) and executive producers Martin Gero (‘Blindspot’), Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (‘Arrowverse’, ‘Riverdale’).
Why hasn’t this been picked up? ‘Kung Fu‘ is a WB series airing on The CW in the USA. Whilst the superhero shows do get picked up, for some reason UK buyers seem reluctant to touch many of the other WB/CW series. Coming from the people behind ‘Blindspot’ and the Arrowverse, you’d think this would have been a shoo-in for someone, but apparently, it has failed to pique any interest from UK broadcasters so far.
The Winchesters (1 Season)
Before Sam and Dean, there were their parents, John and Mary. Told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles, ‘Supernatural’) ‘The Winchesters‘ is the epic, untold love story of how John Winchester (Drake Rodger, ‘The In Between’) met Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly, ‘American Housewife’) and put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world. When John returns home from fighting in Vietnam, a mysterious encounter sparks a new mission to trace his father’s past. In his journey, he crosses paths with 19-year-old demon hunter Mary, who is also searching for answers after the disappearance of her own father.
Together, the two join forces with young hunter-in-training Latika (Nida Khurshid, ‘Station 19’) and easygoing hunter Carlos (Jojo Fleites) to uncover the hidden truths about both of their families. Their investigation leads them to a rare book emporium whose owner Ada (Demetria McKinney, ‘Tyler Perry’s House of Payne’) takes an interest in the occult and could provide the missing pieces to their puzzle. But secrets run deep for both the Winchesters and Campbells. Despite the best efforts of John’s mother Millie (Bianca Kajlich, ‘Legacies’) to protect her son from pursuing a dangerous life of demon hunting, John and Mary are both determined to work together to uphold their families’ legacies while beginning to form a family of their own.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? You’d think a prequel to the long-running hit series ‘Supernatural’, produced by Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles, should be something which would easily find a home in the UK. However, given how badly the main show was treated here, with delayed airings and behind bounced from broadcaster to broadcaster, we can see why that may give UK buyers some pause for thought. It’s also been a particularly turbulent year for US broadcaster The CW, who axed many of its shows following the sale of the network, so there is possibly concern this might not make it past season one, regardless of how good the ratings are.
Walker (3 Seasons)
Jared Padalecki (‘Supernatural’) stars in this “reimagining” of the 90s action series ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’, which follows Cordell Walker, a man finding his way back to his family while investigating crime in the state’s most elite unit. The broken widower and father of two returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years for a high-profile case, only to discover that there’s even more work to be done at home. Lindsey Morgan (‘The 100’) plays his female partner, Micki, one of the only women in Texas Rangers’ history.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? Moving from one Winchester brother to the other, Jared Padalecki’s post-Supernatural show has been going well, with three seasons of ‘Walker‘ under his belt. Whilst Padalecki may draw in some ‘Supernatural’ fans, I wonder if the setting of the drama has put off some UK buyers. Would a cowboy-esque procedural work for a UK audience? Really hard to say. There is also the spin-off prequel ‘Walker Independence‘, which I doubt would get picked up without the main show finding a home first.
The Cleaning Lady (2 Seasons)
Based upon an Argentine series, the series stars Élodie Yung (‘Daredevil’s Elektra) as Reyna, a whip-smart doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. But when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? Hard to say with this. It’s an interesting premise and has been a ratings hit for FOX in the USA, but apparently still no interest from UK buyers. It could be that the international rights are complex, as it is a co-production between Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment. Neither of those broadcasters have “sister” broadcasters in the UK (such as ABC/FX/Disney, NBC/Sky/Comcast or CBS/Channel 5/Paramount), so it would be sold to the highest bidder.
Interview With The Vampire (1 Season)
Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, the series follows Louis de Pointe’s epic story of love, blood, and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat De Lioncourt’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? It’s an AMC show… Although we do, technically, have an AMC channel in the UK (buried under a deal with BT so few have access to it), they rarely air new AMC shows. In fact, over the last year, ‘Interview With The Vampire‘, and ‘Tales of the Walking Dead‘, both of which should be flagship shows for AMC, have not aired on the UK channel or been sold anywhere else. There has also been no announcement for the other ‘Walking Dead‘ spin-offs, or the other Anne Rice series, ‘The Mayfair Witches‘. Although there has been no official confirmation, there have been rumours of AMC launching their own UK streaming service at some point, based on the US’ AMC+. Given how they appear to be hoarding shows right now, it does feel like they are preparing to launch something, but we’ll have to wait and see what 2023 brings.
EDIT: As a couple of people have pointed out, ‘Interview With The Vampire’ the tv series is available to buy per episode on Amazon, but is not on Prime Video. So there is a legal way to watch it in the UK if you’re prepared to pay for it.
Those are just some of the shows still looking for a UK home. There are a lot more, and you can see a full list on our Not Yet Scheduled & Unknown UK TV Air Dates page. For shows which do have UK premiere dates, you can find them on our UK TV Air Dates page. If you want to keep track of these or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
