21 Underrated Non-English Language Shows You Can Stream Now

Because one tiny line of subtitles shouldn't stop you from enjoying terrific television!

Do you feel like you've already watched every single show available to stream, and you've run out of options? That's okay!

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Here are 21 seriously underappreciated shows that, thanks to the magic of subtitles, you can enjoy even though they aren't in English.

Language needn't be a barrier!

1. La Casa de las Flores (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Spanish (Mexico)

Genre: Comedy-drama

What it's about: After her husband's mistress kills herself at his birthday party, a woman tries to maintain her family's appearance of perfection despite all of their secrets becoming common knowledge. The show subverts a lot of telenovela stereotypes and features many LGBTQ characters.

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2. Dark (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: German

Genre: Science-fiction thriller

What it's about: As children start vanishing from the (not real) German town of Winden, the secrets of and hidden connections among four estranged families come to light as they discover a TIME TRAVEL CONSPIRACY that has been going on for several generations.

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3. Versailles (Netflix)

Ovation

Language: French

Genre: Historical Fiction

What it's about: French monarchy, palace intrigue, and loose historical accuracy — Versailles has it all. During the construction of the Palace of Versailles, King Louis XIV tries to keep control over the nobles who surround him.

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4. 3% (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Portuguese (Brazil)

Genre: Dystopian thriller

What it's about: This series is basically a somewhat more adult Hunger Games. Lower-class 20-year-olds are given the chance to compete to be integrated into high society. Only 3% of the candidates are actually successful, hence the show's title.

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5. Gran Hotel (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Spanish (Spain)

Genre: Drama

What it's about: Set in 1906 in Cantaloa, Spain, Gran Hotel follows Julio as he takes a job at a fancy hotel to secretly investigate the recent disappearance of his sister. He and Alicia, the daughter of the hotel's owner who is betrothed to the hotel's manager, develop feelings for one another even though she has no idea who he really is. Together, they investigate the strange things that are happening all over the hotel.

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6. My Hero Academia (Hulu)

Funimation

Language: Japanese

Genre: Superhero manga

What it's about: Izuku Midoriya is the only person without superpowers among the people around him, but he still wants to be a hero. Lucky for him, All Might, who is Japan's greatest hero, sees his potential and gives him some of his own power and helps him enroll in superhero high school.

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7. Kingdom (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Korean

Genre: Political period drama, horror

What it's about: During Korea's Joseon period, Crown Prince Lee Chang discovers a life-threatening political conspiracy against his family while investigating the spread of a mysterious plague that is turning people into zombies. It's up to him and some allies he meets along the way to stop the disease and keep his family from being overthrown. If that sounds like a show that's doing too much, don't worry. This show is the political period horror drama of your dreams.

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8. Nicky Jam: El Ganador (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Spanish (Puerto Rico)

Genre: Biographical drama

What it's about: This miniseries about the life of reggaeton star Nicky Jam (who plays himself in the show!) tells the story of how his difficult childhood led him to a life of drugs and crime and almost cost him his career.

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9. Terrace House (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Japanese

Genre: Reality television

What it's about: Terrace House follows the lives of six strangers from very different walks of life who move into the same house and get to know one another. Contrary to many popular reality shows, there is little to no manufactured drama to raise the stakes.

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10. Queen Sono (Netflix)

Netflix

Languages: English, Swahili, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Yoruba, and Xitsonga (among others)

Genre: Action, crime drama

What it's about: Queen Sono is about a South African spy who balances her intense work responsibilities while dealing with crises in her personal life...like you do. A lot of the show is in English, but it features lots of dialogue in other African languages.

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11. Trapped (Amazon Prime)

Amazon Prime

Languages: Icelandic, Danish

Genre: Murder mystery

What it's about: A tiny Icelandic town's three-person police force has to solve a murder while remaining cut off from the rest of the country because of a storm. As the number of dead bodies keeps mounting, so does the tension among the community. AKA, the modern Western you didn't know you were missing.

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12. Aggretsuko (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Japanese

Genre: Anime musical comedy

What it's about: Retsuko is 25, single, and doesn't love her accounting job. After a long day of frustration thanks to her coworkers, she releases her emotion at a karaoke bar by way of death metal. Oh, and she's an anthropomorphic red panda, so the whole thing is pretty adorable.

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13. Babylon Berlin (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: German

Genre: Neo-noir, thriller, period drama

What it's about: During the Weimar Republic in Berlin, police inspector Gereon Rath is on a mission to take down an extortion ring. He meets Charlotte Ritter, a police clerk by day and flapper by night, who is herself aspiring to become a police inspector. The chemistry between these two is unreal, and you'll have a great time watching them solve crime in Germany's version of the roaring twenties.

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14. Ekaterina: The Rise of Catherine the Great (Amazon Prime)

Amazon Prime

Language: Russian

Genre: Fictional historical drama

What it's about: This one is pretty self-explanatory. It's the story of Sophie Friederike Auguste, who became the woman known as Catherine the Great. The show is in Russian, so you know it's at least a little more realistic than the new Hulu version (which was also great).

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15. Pakt (HBO Max)

HBO

Language: Polish

Genre: Thriller, crime drama

What it's about: Piotr is a journalist from Warsaw whose world turns upside down when he discovers that his brother, the financial director of a huge company, has been engaging in some pretty serious criminal behavior. Piotr's investigation leads to multiple deaths and exposes the corruption in high Polish society, and comes at great personal cost to the journalist. Intense stuff!

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16. Club de Cuervos (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Spanish (Mexico)

Genre: Comedy-drama

What it's about: After their father dies, Salvador and Isabel argue over which one of them should manage the soccer team that they've inherited from their dad. It's Netflix’s first original Spanish-language series, and the perfect mix of workplace comedy and family drama makes this show totally binge-worthy.

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17. My Brilliant Friend (HBO Max)

HBO

Languages: Italian, Neapolitan

Genre: Coming-of-age drama

What it's about: This show, based on an acclaimed series of books, tells the story of the close but often contentious friendship between two girls in a working-class Italian neighborhood in the 1950s. Lina and Lenù grow up, grow apart, and come back together as the show explores the complexities of female friendship.

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18. The Hook Up Plan (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: French

Genre: Romantic comedy

What it's about: Elsa is about to turn 30, hates her job, and is still not over her ex from two years ago. In order to help her out a bit, her friends decide to hire a male escort to take her on a few dates...and you can guess what happens next. This is classic rom-com hijinks, which might not be your thing, but Elsa and Antoine (the escort) make a nice couple. If you like rom-coms, this'll be right up your alley.

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19. Inside Edge (Amazon Prime)

Amazon Prime

Languages: Hindi, English

Genre: Sports drama

What it's about: Inside Edge is the story of the Mumbai Mavericks, an Indian cricket team. The intensity of the behind-the-scenes machinations of the team owners, along with the interpersonal conflict among the team members — like the rookie ingenue, the cocky star player, and the team captain who just wants everyone to get along — makes for a really gripping sports drama. Plus, you'll finally understand the difference between cricket and croquet.

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20. It's Okay to Not Be Okay (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Korean

Genre: Romantic K-drama

What it's about: First of all, if you've never seen a K-drama before, what are you doing? Korean dramas are a sort of mix between teen drama and soap opera, to put it in stateside terms, and a lot of them focus on romantic relationships. It's Okay to Not Be Okay is about Moon Gang-tae and Ko Moon-young, two people who, despite their differences, form a loving relationship and help each other navigate their past trauma and mental health issues.

Once you're done with this one, there are lots of K-dramas on Netflix, and even more on Hulu.

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21. And finally, Cable Girls (Netflix)

Netflix

Language: Spanish (Spain)

Genre: Period drama

What it's about: Four women start working as phone operators at a telecommunications company in Madrid against the wishes of their fathers, husbands, and society at large. As they become friends and learn to navigate a male-dominated society, the women learn about why each of them wanted to join the company...and some of them have less noble reasons than others.

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