SIX THINGS TO WATCH LIKE BRITBOX’S ‘COOPER AND FRY’
A new detective duo is loading, and if you like good crime drama procedurals, you’ll enjoy this one. The series is ideally atmospheric and just overall, really quite good and of course, it has a solid cast which is always part of what makes any international drama good. The accents never hurt either! As BritBox’s Cooper and Fry continues to build, and likely to unravel its stories and characters, let’s look at see what else there is to watch like this latest drop. From procedurals with strong partner bonds to ensemble pieces, I’m quite hopeful there will be a good collection of stories.
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SIX THINGS TO WATCH LIKE BRITBOX’S ‘COOPER AND FRY’ Share on XFirst though, allow me to introduce Ben Cooper and Diane Fry. The pair become partners when she decides to transfer to this smaller team after being a DC in a bigger city. Despite the conflicting investigative skills, they have to solve a case that involves more than one body and a crime scene where everyone is averse to talk about anything. From here, we are likely to see these two learn how to work together confidently and hopefully both be able to recognize that they are good together.
That’s the premise of this show, so let’s see what else you can watch like or similar to Cooper and Fry.
WHAT to WATCH like COOPER and FRY
ANNA PIGEON
Not really sure why I’m including this show on the list, but here we are. A USA Network crime drama, it has a heroine who is suffering under the weight of a loss (which is true of one of our Cooper and Fry characters) and is more of a loner (also true of our subject show). Anna works as a park ranger who encounters scary and unpredictable criminals in her pursuit of protecting the place she works.
Synopsis: Anna Pigeon flees city life for the solitude of America’s stunning national parks following a devastating loss; while Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds. – USANetwork.com
See Anna Pigeon weekly on USA Network or stream episodes (at publication) on USANetwork.com
INSPECTOR ELLIS
These mysteries from Acorn TV are very interesting. They create unique atmospheres, move a bit slower and are developing a unique connection between the two lead investigators, after getting off to a rougher start. The cast is good and like anything you see from international drama, the cases are unique, sometimes dark, but usually always with some emotional tie.
Synopsis: DCI Ellis (Sharon D Clarke) is the last hope for failing investigations. She takes over tough cases across northern England, often with resistance from local police. But her formidable demeanor disguises deep empathy fueled by her complicated past. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Acorn TV
LYNLEY
Never watched this, but it’s another BritBox original that’s synopsis says it’s about partners who come from contrasting backgrounds leading me to believe this one has a detective partnership that perhaps doesn’t get off to the smoothest start. Like I said, it sounds really good though and is set to return for a second season, likely next year. If I remember correctly, this is also a kind of remake. It is also the synopsis that, at least to me, seems like the most ideally matching Cooper and Fry title to watch.
Synopsis: Two mismatched detectives from different worlds create a unique duo in this fresh adaptation of Elizabeth George’s murder mysteries. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with the Prime Video BritBox add on or with a BritBox subscription
MARBLE HALL MURDERS
This is a Masterpiece on PBS show, and Marble Hall Murders marks its third season. This is also reportedly the final season that is set to chronicle the final mystery that book editor Susan Ryeland solves.
While this show is way cozier than Cooper and Fry, I decided to include it because it’s about a duo, albeit an unconventional one, solving cases decades apart. Susan solves cases in modern times guided by the book of a former client while Inspector Pünd solves cases inside the fictional world where they live and through her reading, she relies on Pünd to help her with her case. It’s a solid concept and tends to “reset” each season since new characters make up the majority of the cast each year.
Synopsis: Susan Ryeland is thrown back into the world of Atticus Pünd when she reluctantly begins a new novel. The great detective investigates a fiendish crime in Corfu in 1955, but Susan has her own mystery to solve in the present day with the monstrous Crace family. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, seasons one and two, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders with the PBS app or the Masterpiece PBS Prime Video add on; see the third and final season Marble Hall Murders on the weekly Sunday night PBS broadcast or new episodes weekly on the same apps and Prime Video add on.
MURDER in a SMALL TOWN
A U.S. drama, this one is really good. It’s also a darker version of the small-town mystery and moves slower than most. Its characters are endlessly fascinating, and I love that it has given its small-town police chief a relationship with the librarian he meets and falls for rather than dancing around a will they or won’t they scenario. That ship is way overused, and we should leave it more often in the past.
Synopsis: Karl Alberg moves to the idyllic coastal town of Gibsons to become the new police chief and soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, seasons one and two with Hulu
PATIENCE
This is a solid atmospheric drama that is “darker” and not as cozy as so many others. It follows a woman who is recruited by the police to help on investigations where her keen sense of detail and recall is useful to the department. It also digs into Patience as a character and the unique things that make her who she is. There is also a tiny little romance that’s pretty cute too.
Synopsis: Patience Evans’ quiet ordered world changes dramatically when she comes to the attention of Detective Bea Metcalf, an intuitive policewoman with an impressive track record but a chaotic private life. Bea recognizes Patience’s unique powers of deduction and wants her on her team. Patience, who has always been fascinated by crime and mystery, finds herself drawn into a new and unpredictable world. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with the PBS app or the Masterpiece PBS Prime Video add on
Stream, at publication, Cooper and Fry episodes one and two with BritBox (standard) and watch for weekly episode drops throughout October. Or stream the show entirely now on BritBox Premier.
MORE to watch like Cooper and Fry
- THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE
- THE CORONER, 2016 British Drama
- HINTERLAND
- VERA
- WHITSTABLE PEARL
Photos: BritBox (Cooper and Fry) | PBS Masterpiece, Eleventh Hour Films (Marble Hall Murders) | PBS / Eagle Drama Limited (Patience) | Acorn TV (Inspector Ellis)
Ok, let’s hear from you all! Which would you recommend as titles that would fit a what to watch like the BritBox original Cooper and Fry? Have you seen any of these? Which did I neglect? Comment all of your thoughts below!
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Thank you for these recommendations. Have a fabulous week.
Hope you have a great week, too!