Top 10 Foreign Language Dramas On Streaming

The Time In Between is a spectacular soap opera that weaves together heartbreak, globe-trotting, high fashion, gun-running, and spying on Nazis. Adriana Ugarte plays the irrepressibly charming Sira, a young seamstress from 1930s Madrid who loses everything when she gives her heart to the wrong man. After leaving her at rock bottom, she must rebuild her life in Morocco — and later she must face death using her skills to spy on Fascist scum. It’s bananas. [Watch The Time In Between on Netflix]

You can’t talk about prestigious foreign dramas without tipping your cap at Borgen. This ground-breaking political drama burst out of Denmark and captivated audiences worldwide. In fact, you could almost say it helped spark the Golden Age of Television. Since its debut, its helped reimagine the political drama and head up a new wave of Danish talent. Two of the shows stars have since popped up on a little American show called Game of Thrones. [Watch Borgen on iTunes]

Deutschland 83 is an exuberant and tightly wound spy thriller about Cold War Germany. Jonas Nay plays Martin Rauch, an imminently likable East German spy and Soviet supporter who is snuck into West Germany for a secret mission. As the stakes get higher, Martin finds himself torn further apart from the life he left behind. The truth is he might kind of like the enemy — and he might kind of like being a spy. [Watch Deutschland 83 on Hulu]

This creepy French drama follows what happens when scores of dead people come back to life. It’s a supernatural horror tale that focuses on how humanity is worn down by loss. (And, yes, if it sounds familiar, A&E totally did make an American version.)[Watch Les Revenants on Netflix]

La Reina del Sur became a steamy international phenomenon a few years back and it’s easy to understand why. It follows one gorgeous woman’s rise to power as a Mexican drug lord. The show stars Kate del Castillo as Teresa Mendoza. Of course, you might remember del Castillo from some of her other work, as the woman who accidentally helped authorities nail El Chapo. [Watch La Reina del Sur on Netflix]

Oh man, people love remaking The Bridge! FX cast Diane Kruger and Demian Belchir in an American version of the border patrol drama a few years ago and Stephen Dilane (aka Stannis Baratheon) and Clémence Poesy (aka Fleur de la Coeur) appear in the Anglo-French adaptation called The Tunnel. All three versions are high-stakes thrillers about a serial killer crossing global borders, but we recommend you start with the original version. (It takes place between Sweden and Denmark). [Watch The Bridge on Hulu]

Watch the show that inspired Homeland! The dark Israeli drama Prisoners of War focuses more on the titular prisoners and less on the Carrie Matheson-esque character. The show follows three soldiers who get to return home to Israel after being held as prisoners in Lebanon for 17 years. It’s not considered as explosive as the Showtime version, but far more emotionally devastating. [Watch Prisoners of War on Hulu]

This Netflix Original series is a delightful soap and engaging satire. Atelier was originally produced for Japanese Netflix under the name Underwear. That racier title nods to the show’s subject matter: lingerie. Before you get all excited, the show really follows one young lingerie designer’s quest to conquer the fashion world. Standing in her way? An Anna Wintour-esque boss. [Watch Atelier on Netflix]

South Korea is a secret goldmine of brilliant teen dramas and spellbinding soap operas — and DramaFever is the leading streaming service for K-dramas. If we’re being completely honest, you could watch just about any show on this service and find yourself swept away to a giddy and glamorous world of romance. However, we’d recommend you start with Heirs. The series is literally the most popular drama in the service’s history and plays out like a more high-stakes Gossip Girl. [Watch Heirs on DramaFever]

Next to Heirs, Boys Over Flowers reigns supreme as the créme de la créme of South Korean soaps. The addictive series follows one plucky girl as she deals with the rigors of fitting in at an elitist school. She has more than mean girls to contend with as the school is literally ruled by four captivating bullies. [Watch Boys Over Flowers on DramaFever]

(Can I level with you: I like Boys Over Flowers. I really do. However, I enjoy the Japanese version, Hana Yori Dango, a little bit more. Unfortunately, you can’t legally stream the Japanese take on the same tale. I, uh, own it on DVD. Shut up. But this version is also really good!)