11 Times Brits Ruled Television in 2019 (PHOTOS)
Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Apart from having her hands in various writing projects, Waller-Bridge’s comedy returned for Season 2 and with just six episodes took over the comedy landscape, making “hot priest” a near-household name. Needless to say, the talent has created an even larger group of devout followers from the latest chapter in Fleabag’s story.
The Crown
A new cast ushered in the next chapter to the royal family’s story in Season 3 with Best Actress winner Olivia Colman steering the ship. Thankfully, fans weren’t disappointed with what felt like a fairly seamless transition between the old and new with a continued level of high quality performances and production.
Game of Thrones
Love it or hate it, Game of Thrones bid viewers farewell this year and dominated the internet during the six weeks that it aired. Even with its mixed feelings from fans regarding the finale, there’s no denying Thrones was on top of the entertainment world for part of the year.
Sex Education
Netflix’s refreshing comedy took the streaming platform by storm and was expected to reach 40 million viewers within its first month. according to stats from the service. The “coming of age” tale surrounding Otis (Asa Butterfield) and friends includes wit and heartfelt emotion, made for a sweet treat at the beginning of the year.
Luther‘s Idris Elba
It’s always a welcome sight to see Idris Elba reprise his role as the titular detective and 2019 did just that for fans. Plus, with nearly five years since the previous season aired, Luther’s return was well overdue.
Watchmen
Jeremy Irons’ turn as Adrian Veidt (aka Ozymandias) was one of the many great parts about HBO’s Watchmen. Add Tom Mison and Sara Vickers into the mix and you’ve got yourself one of 2019’s strangest and most intriguing parties.
Jodie Comer in Killing Eve
The actress wowed audiences with her Season 1 performance as psychopath Villanelle and continued to do so when Season 2 aired this year. Sweetening the pot even more? Comer took home the Emmy for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama.
Simon Pegg in The Boys
Sure, Pegg may not have had a large part in the buzzy series as Hughie’s (Jack Quaid) father, but his presence had a major significance for comic book fans — the actor was the inspiration behind the original comic book version of Hughie Campbell.
Servant
If you’ve tuned into Apple TV+’s M. Night Shyamalan series, you may have noticed Harry Potter‘s Rupert Grint in the mix, but he’s only one of many Brits appearing in the psychological thriller. Along with Grint, Toby Kebbell and Nell Tiger Free give such convincing performances with near-perfect American accents, we can’t help but bow down.
What We Do in the Shadows‘ Matt Berry
This quirky TV adaptation of Jemaine Clemente and Taika Waititi’s 2014 film introduced a new set of vampire roommates among which is Berry’s Laszlo. Over the top and near-theatrical, Berry’s performance only served to elevate the high level of comedy being served to viewers.
Ed Sheeran’s Modern Love Cameo
Amazon’s warmly-received anthology series had its fair share of star power, and in an episode that also featured “hot priest” Andrew Scott, Sheeran’s sudden appearance was certainly the biggest surprise. As random as it may seem, the shock value of the cameo is worth checking out.
In a year with great television, there was a recurring theme among some of the most-talked about titles — the British.
From comedy to drama and everything in between, Brits dominated the landscape, whether it was with singular performances or ensemble efforts. It was hard to have a TV-based conversation without discussing the acclaimed second season of Fleabag or the anticipation surrounding The Crown‘s long-awaited third season, as just some examples of the Brit dominance.
In the gallery above, check out just a few of the times the British ruled TV in 2019. Click through the images above for some sure-bets and exciting surprises.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services