With lockdown seeming endless and a huge question of when the travel industry will recover, foreign TV shows offer an exotic escape like never before. And–bonus!–if learning a new language was one of your quarantine goals, what better way to practice your listening skills? Ditch the passport, throw on some pj’s, and let’s escape through our TV screens, y’all. Here are 5 binge-worthy foreign language shows to start watching ASAP!
The Grand Hotel (Spanish)
Giving off some Downton Abbey-vibes straight out of the gate, we’re introduced to the Grand Hotel when Julio arrives to investigate the disappearance of his sister, a former maid. He soon goes undercover as a servant, toeing the world of the Spanish elite as he digs for the truth. Heiress Alicia starts as his reluctant partner in unraveling the mystery, but soon it grows into something more as secrets (and a deliciously contrived script) bind them closer together. Will they ever learn the truth? What secrets are hidden in the dark corners of the hotel? And how does Julio keep his hair so dang perfectly styled throughout it all?!
Morocco: Love in the Times of War (Spanish)
This series takes you to the frontlines of the Spanish war in Morocco, and is as explosive as you might expect. Follow a group of nurses as they man one of the only hospitals in Melilla, surrounded on all sides by war-torn Northern Africa during the Rif war. Socialite Julia joins the war effort in order to track down her soldier brother who recently went MIA. The handsome (and engaged, uh-oh) Dr. Fidel Calderón–a military surgeon with a strong jaw and an impeccable mustache–soon becomes her ally. But will he do her more harm than good? Full of friendship, love triangles (of course), and bravery, wartime is never predictable. Living on the edge of a knife, will our nurses find love in the time of war? And will they live to tell the tale?
The 3% (Portuguese)
Any show rooted in a dystopian future hits a little hard right now, which is maybe why The 3% is so attention-grabbing. Set in sometime in future Brazil, most of the country’s population lives in poverty, while only 3% earn the right to live in an offshore paradise. Each teenager gets one chance to earn their spot through a testing process, and so we follow a group of teens as they compete in the government’s selection process (think Hunger Games lite). But not everyone agrees with the system that abandons most of the population, and a secret agent of the Revolution wants to take the system down from the inside. Alliances (and love triangles) are formed, but with only a few limited spots in paradise, you never know who you can trust.
Call My Agent! (French)
Call My Agent gives you a behind the scenes look at what it takes to become—and stay—a star in Paris. Centered on a top casting agency in the French capital, follow ambitious and seasoned agents as they try to build their careers, navigate love, and enjoy the glamour that comes with rubbing elbows with the Parisian elite. Perhaps some of the fun is seeing these ordinary people pull the strings of the careers of the rich and famous. Casting celebrities may sound glamorous but in the end it is…just a job. How cutthroat can it get? You’ll have to tune in to see! You can expect clever deals, a trip to Cannes (mais oui), and cameos by many a French celebrity. The glitz, glamour, and steady cynicism will have you saying ooh la la.
Into the Night (French)
Into the Night begins at the end of the world as we know it. Amidst reports of mass unexplained deaths across the world, a man hijacks a plane and desperately insists the pilot keeps flying west, away from the sun. But every passenger has their own secrets, and with those come complications. Will they be able to survive each other long enough to outrun the dawn? Only one thing is for sure: the only way for them to survive is to keep flying west…to keep flying into the night.
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