When it comes to PBS shows you should watch, always bet on the British. Long before streaming and cable networks raided the United Kingdom for its best series, PBS helped these dramas find new fans in America. Some of them rank even among the best PBS shows of all time. This month’s batch of the three PBS shows you should watch in September may not be as great as the classics, but they’re still pretty good in their own right.
All three of this month’s picks are British crime dramas, but only one is a new series. And if you’re looking for some variety from Public Broadcast Service, you can always check to see the other new shows on PBS in September. You can even go back and revisit the great PBS shows to watch in August as well. If you want more mysteries in your life, then these three shows fit the bill.
Ridley
Ridley actually has some aspects in common with Monk, minus the comedic touch of Tony Shalhoub. In this series, Alex Ridley (Adrian Dunbar) is a former police detective who suffered a nervous breakdown after the death of his wife and child. After reinventing himself as a jazz club owner and musician, Alex’s former protégée, D.I. Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), convinces him to consult on some of her most challenging cases.
So far, all we know about Ridley season 2 is that his current batch of cases “will take him from the atmospheric moors to the pulsating beats of an illegal rave.” But it’s got a prime slot on PBS’ schedule in September.
Watch Ridley on PBS.
Moonflower Murders
The Crown‘s Lesley Manville headlines Moonflower Murders as Susan Ryeland, a former crime novel editor who just wants to settle down with her fiancé, Andreas (Alexandros Logothetis). While the couple struggle to run a hotel in Crete, they are approached by the parents of Cecily Treherne (Amy Griffiths), a woman who has gone missing in Britain.
Cecily was convinced that a novel written by Alan Conway (Conleth Hill) had the answers to a confounding cold murder case before she disappeared. And since Susan edited Alan’s novel, Cecily’s parents convince her to return to the United Kingdom to locate their daughter and solve the murder that confounded the police.
Watch Moonflower Murders on PBS.
Van der Valk
It’s ridiculous to claim that British crime dramas are all the same. Take Van der Valk, for example. Instead of a standard detective show set in the United Kingdom, it’s a standard detective show set in the Netherlands. Shall we call it a win for diversity?
As with the previous seasons, each installment of Van der Valk‘s three episode fourth season is 90 minutes long, which is essentially the length of a TV movie. Marc Warren is once again back as Piet van der Valk, with Maimie McCoy as his partner, Lucienne Hassell. This season, the duo and their teammates are going up against a crime family led by an older woman while trying to unravel puzzling murder cases that may bring up some uncomfortable memories of the past for Piet.
Watch Van der Valk on PBS.