If you're looking for the best Acorn TV shows, look no further!
Acorn TV specializes in bringing you gripping crime dramas, warm-hearted comedies, and addictive mysteries that are sure to hook you in.
As with any other streaming service, sometimes it can be pretty tough to find exactly what you're looking for; perhaps you're a murder mystery buff and you need to find the next series to pick apart, or maybe you just need a good laugh?
If you're struggling to find your next favorite show, we've scoured Acorn TV's library to track down the best shows available on the streamer at the moment!
Please note: some content may not be available in all regions
The best Acorn TV shows to stream right now
'Keeping Faith'
Keeping Faith is a Welsh legal drama that was first broadcast in Welsh as Un Bore Mercher (One Wednesday Morning).
It follows Faith Howells (Torchwood's Eve Myles), a talented lawyer and mother-of-three whose life is turned upside down when her husband Evan (Bradley Freegard) mysteriously disappears.
Faith cuts her own maternity leave short to launch her own investigation into Evan and begins uncovering plenty of secrets about her husband which suggest that he was not the person she thought he was after all. Her investigation brings Faith into conflict with corrupt police officers, a crime family and puts her children at risk... and that's just what happens in season one!
Number of seasons: 3 (season 3 is only available on BBC iPlayer in the UK)
Number of episodes: 20
Average episode length: 60 minutes
What the critics say: The Observer said: "A toothsome plot, indeed: but what gives it its life force is Eve Myles, in surely a (deserved) breakout role to rival that of Suranne Jones in Doctor Foster."
'Midsomer Murders'
Midsomer Murders needs no introduction. The show was first broadcast in 1997 and has remained a popular British crime drama ever since.
Based on the Chief Inspector Barnaby novels by Caroline Graham, the show sees DCI Tom Barnaby (and his later successor, John Barnaby) tackling an endless stream of murders in the picturesque, fictional English county of Midsomer. Midsomer Murders is well known for being an easy watch as it mixes creative murder methods with mixing a light-hearted nature with dark humor.
Although our UK readers will find the complete collection on BritBox, in the US Acorn TV became the exclusive home of Midsomer Murders season 22, and they can find every single episode from the previous seasons on the platform, too!
Number of seasons: 22
Number of episodes: 129
Average episode length: 89-102 minutes
What the critics say: The Guardian wrote: "Midsomer Murders does murder in an entertaining way. The reasons for the crimes, the acting, the characters and the methods of the deaths are larger than life."
'Whitstable Pearl'
Whitstable Pearl is a crime drama based on a series of novels by Julie Wassmer. Set in the titular town of Whitstable in England, this Acorn Original follows local celebrity Pearl Nolan (played by Kerry Godliman) who runs The Whitstable Pearl, a successful seafood restaurant. She also runs her own private detective agency, but she's primarily used to dealing with small-time problems that are a far cry from the cases she used to work on when she was still a police officer.
When Pearl discovers the body of a close family friend tangled up in his own boat's anchor, the police rule it an accident, but she suspects foul play and begins looking into Vinnie's death herself. The plot thickens when a second body turns up, and Pearl teams with new-in-town DCI Mike McGuire to get to the bottom of things.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 6
Average episode length: 46-49 minutes
What the critics say: The AV Club said Kerry Godliman's performance "makes Pearl one of the most engaging detectives of the current TV landscape."
'Detectorists'
Detectorists is a comfortable comedy series written and directed by Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean) that revolves around the lives and gentle friendship of two amateur metal detectors who live in a fictional town in the county of Essex, England.
Mackenzie plays Andy Stone and stars alongside Toby Jones as Lance Slater. Together, Andy and Lance comb the fields surrounding Danebury, hoping to strike it rich and turn their fortune around. Along the way, they butt heads with rival detectorists and welcome fresh faces into the fold at the DMDC (Danebury Metal Detecting Club).
Detectorists was very well received when it first aired in the UK on BBC, netting the BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy in 2015 and netting Toby Jones a BAFTA for his performance as Lance in 2019.
Number of seasons: 3 (plus one Christmas special)
Number of episodes: 19
Average episode length: 29 minutes
What the critics say: The Independent said: "The BBC4 sitcom Detectorists requires some patience, but...it has turned out to be one of the best new sitcoms of the year."
Agatha Raisin
Based on M. C. Beaton's comedy-mystery novels, Agatha Raisin sees Scottish star Ashley Jensen playing the frustrated PR agent-turned private detective in this light-hearted comedy-drama.
Agatha starts out by moving from London to the sleepy town of Carsely in the Cotswolds... where she swiftly becomes a murder suspect after entering the village's annual quiche-making contest!
Having solved the mystery of the so-called "quiche of death", Agatha begins fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming an amateur detective as she gets to work solving a series of mischievous murders plaguing Carsely and the surrounding area.
Number of seasons: 3
Number of episodes: 23
Average episode length: 45 minutes (series 1), 90 minutes (season 2 onwards)
What the critics say: The Guardian called Agatha Raisin: "Campy, kitsch, silly and very fun... perfect wind-down telly."
'Blood'
Blood is an Irish psychological thriller created by Sophie Petzal (Hollington Drive).
This intriguing series sees Cat Hogan (Carolina Main) returning home to her small town in Dublin after receiving word that her mother— who was living with a long-term illness— has passed away after banging her head on a rock at the family home.
Although her death is ruled as an accident, Cat suspects foul play when she is haunted by flashbacks from her childhood and believes that her father, Dr. Jim Hogan (Adrian Dunbar) must have had something to do with it.
Blood is tightly-wound, full of suspense, and easily one of the best Acorn TV shows. Was Jim responsible for her death? And what other problems will come to light as the family's secrets slowly come to light?
Number of seasons: 2
Number of episodes: 12
Average episode length: 47-76 minutes
What the critics say: TIME Magazine said: "There are plenty of smart twists and the quintessential Irishness of the six-part show— from the emerald landscapes to the readings of Years poems— is a pleasure unto itself."
'Manhunt'
ITV's Manhunt sees Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) taking center stage as DCI Colin Sutton in this true-crime police drama which is available to stream on Acorn TV in the US.
Based on the memoirs of the real police detective, the first series sees DCI Sutton on the hunt for the notorious serial killer, Levi Bellfield.
Manhunt season 2 arrived earlier this year for another shocking season, and there's talk of a third on the way, too.
Number of seasons: 2
Number of episodes: 7
Average episode length: 46 mins
What the critics say: The Independent described Manhunt as "superb, compulsive viewing."
'Dalgliesh'
Poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh has already appeared on TV in the past, but Acorn TV just became the US home to Dalgliesh, Channel 5's new adaptation of PD James' classic detective novels.
This new series sees us joining the detective (this time played by Doctor Foster's Bertie Carvel) in the 1970s where he is still coming to terms with the death of his own wife and grappling with a series of dark crimes.
With three two-part adaptations Shroud for a Nightingale, The Black Tower, and A Taste For Death, Dalgliesh presents unusual, intricate crimes
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
What the critics say: The Telegraph said: "Television executives may consider this kind of straightforward, unflashy whodunit to be old-fashioned, but viewers may disagree."
'Dead Still'
Dead Still is an Acorn Original set in Victorian Ireland that follows Brock Blennerhasset (played by Irish actor and comedian, Michael Smiley), a renowned Irish photographer who specializes in memorial portraiture; that is, he takes photos of the recently deceased.
Although he seems more comfortable around the dead than the living, Brock gets drawn into a criminal underworld after a series of murders begins to threaten his reputation and his livelihood.
Dead Still is part murder-mystery, part period drama, with a good amount of black comedy thrown in for good measure.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 7
Average episode length: 45-54 minutes
What the critics say: Independent.ie said Dead Still 'feels confident and fully-formed from the very first episode.'
'Bloodlands'
Bloodlands is a gripping Irish police procedural executive produced by Line of Duty creator, Jed Mercurio. The series follows veteran Northern Irish police detective, DCI Tom Brannick (James Nesbitt). Branncik is called to a crime scene bearing all the hallmarks of a mysterious assassin codenamed Goliath.
Tom believes Goliath was responsible for his own wife's death, and from there launches a reinvestigation into a case that's been left unsolved for more than 20 years. From there, the show becomes a cat-and-mouse game as Tom tries to close in on the mystery hitman.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 4
Average episode length: 57 minutes
What the critics say: The Radio Times said: "An unpredictable thriller with all the hallmarks of a Jed Mercurio drama
