2013 Smart AwardsShows or movies that premiered in 2013 – The Smart Awards are for shows or movies that aren’t dumbed down, that force you to use your brain. And the acting is subtle rather than over the top or playing to the camera.
An 11-year-old boy is murdered in the fictional town of Broadchurch in southern England. Two detectives take on the case. This British version is much better than the American version (Gracepoint). The three leads shine.
Creator: Chris Chibnall
Cast: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker
IMDb: 8.7
Where: Netflix, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
Unbeknownst to their children, Elizabeth and Philip Jennings of suburban Washington, D.C. are actually Russian spies. This show continued to bring the drama in every season. The 2018 final season was another corker. A smart show.
Creator: Joseph Weisberg
Cast: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Holly Taylor, Noah Emmerich
IMDb: 8.3
Where: FXNOW, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
With a near-perfect British accent, Gillian Anderson plays Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, who is hot on the trail of a serial killer. Anderson’s acting is considerably stronger here than on The X-Files.
Creator: Allan Cubitt
Cast: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch
IMDb: 8.2
Where: Netflix,Amazon On Demand, Vudu, Google Play
A sassy gangster family that runs a gambling empire is hunted by a detective dispatched by Winston Churchill. Set in Birmingham, England after the end of World War I.
Creator: Steven Knight (Taboo)
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Helen McCrory
IMDb: 8.8
Where: Netflix, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
Influenced by Nordic noir, Season 1 follows a detective’s (Elisabeth Moss doing an Australian accent) investigation into the disappearance of a pregnant New Zealand teenager.
Creators: Jane Campion, Gerard Lee
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan, Nicole Kidman (Season 2)
IMDb: 7.6
Where: Hulu, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Vudu
Australian actor Antony Starr intensely plays a small-town sheriff forced to deal with an assortment of bad guys and bad groups. The catch: he’s not really a sheriff, and often doesn’t follow the rule of law. I found this show to be very non-cliché. It felt new, fresh. But be warned: it has some really graphic violence.
Creators: Jonathan Tropper, David Schickler
Cast: Antony Starr, Ivana Milicevic, Ulrich Thomsen, Lili Simmons
IMDb: 8.4
Where: Amazon Prime, Max Go, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Google Play, Vudu