15 under-the-radar US TV shows you can stream right now

American TV has a long tradition of workplace sitcoms. In the past couple of decades, it has produced some all-time classics: Parks And Recreation (local government), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (police precinct), Scrubs (hospital), 30 Rock (TV show) and The Office (paper merchant) – even if they do, ahem, borrow some of their ideas from us. We can now add St Denis Medical to that list, the mockumentary set in a small-town hospital, which is back for season 2 in Apps > BBC iPlayer and on BBC One HD (CH 101).

As always in workplace comedies, the characters are trying to get through the day while maintaining their sanity, despite the quirks of their colleagues and the trauma of dealing with customers, contractors and the general public. At St Denis, we see this mainly through the eyes of senior nurse Alex (Allison Tolman, Fargo), a harassed working mum who’s far too invested in the job for her own health.

As well as the patients, Alex has to deal with unpredictable chief executive Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey, Bridesmaids), cocky surgeon Bruce (Josh Lawson, House Of Lies), old-school doctor Ron (David Alan Grier, The Colour Purple), sarcastic nurse Serena (Kahyun Kim, Cocaine Bear) and naïve Matt (Mekki Leeper, Jury Duty), who’s newly qualified and trying to figure everything out as he goes along.

Justin Spitzer, the executive producer who co-created the series, cut his teeth as a writer and producer on the US version of The Office and it shows. Like The Office, St Denis Medical is shot in documentary style, with an in-show camera crew capturing the action around the hospital and the characters giving interviews that add witty commentary to the plot.

With a late-night TV slot here in the UK, St Denis Medical flies under the radar a little. But with its relatable people, deftly constructed storylines, believable performances and a style that perfectly captures the chaos of a busy workplace – plus big laughs in every episode – it’s well worth seeking out. And a third season is coming!

On Friday 1 May, all episodes of St Denis Medical season 2 will be in Apps > BBC iPlayer (season 1 is already there). Alternatively, watch it from 11.10pm that evening on BBC One HD (CH 101).

There are lots more superb under-the-radar shows from the US you can stream right now on Virgin TV. Our family of streaming apps on our Stream box, Virgin TV 360 and our V6 box feature premium award-winning dramas, inventive comedies, quirky period pieces and plenty more besides, often with big-name stars.

So, press play and get streaming right now (app availability depending on box) and read on for 14 more under-the-radar US TV shows.

1. St Denis Medical

Stream season 2 from Friday 1 May in Apps > BBC iPlayer. Season 1 available now

With a third season coming soon, now is the time to catch up on this brilliant workplace mockumentary.

2. Better Things

Stream seasons 1-5 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Pamela Adlon created and starred in this soul-baring semi-autobiographical show about an actor raising three daughters (one of whom is Anora’s Oscar-winning Mikey Madison).

3. DMV: Department Of Motor Vehicles

Stream it in Apps > ITVX

Harriet Dyer (Colin From Accounts) is a driving examiner with a big heart and no boundaries in this new workplace comedy, also starring Mean Girls’ Tim Meadows.

4. Documentary Now!

Stream seasons 1-4 in Apps > ITVX

An ingenious series of spoof documentaries created by ex-Saturday Night Live types including Bill Hader (Barry), with impressive guest stars including Helen Mirren, Alexander Skarsgård and Cate Blanchett.

5. Lodge 49

Stream seasons 1-2 in Apps > ITVX

In this acclaimed dark comedy, a bereaved surfer (Wyatt Russell, Thunderbolts*) tries to get his life back on track by joining the mysterious Order Of The Lynx.

6. Nurse Jackie

Stream seasons 1-7 in Apps > Channel 4

It’s The Sopranos’ Edie Falco in her other signature role in this Emmy-winning razor-sharp black comedy about a nurse with a messy personal life, including addiction problems.

7. Slip

Stream all episodes in Apps > ITVX

Zoe Lister-Jones (The Miniature Wife) wrote, directed and starred in this bizarre comic sci-fi series about a woman who travels through dimensions as she tries to find her way back to herself.

8. Superstore

Stream seasons 1-6 in Apps > U

Amy (America Ferrara, Barbie) and Jonah (Ben Feldman, Mad Men) navigate customers, eccentric co-workers and their feelings during supermarket shifts in another workplace comedy created by Justin Spitzer.

9. The Alienist

Stream seasons 1-2 in Apps > U

Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning and Daniel Brühl investigate a string of gruesome murders in this quirky period drama set in 19th century New York.

10. The Copenhagen Test

Stream season 1 in Apps > Channel 4

Simu Liu (aka Marvel hero Shang-Chi) plays an intelligence agent whose brain has been hacked by corrupt operators in this fast-paced sci-fi spy thriller.

11. Instinct

Stream seasons 1-2 in Apps > 5

Before he hosted The Traitors US, Alan Cumming starred in this smart procedural as an idiosyncratic psychologist helping to solve unusual murders.

12. Long Bright River

Stream all episodes in Apps > Channel 4

A Philadelphia police officer realises her sister’s disappearance may be linked to the murders of three local women. Amanda Seyfried (The Housemaid) stars in this dark drama.

13. Minx

Stream seasons 1-2 in Apps > ITVX

A feminist and an adult entertainment mogul join forces and the results are eye-opening in this 1970s-set dramedy starring Ophelia Lovibond (W1A) and Jake Johnson (New Girl).

14. Twisted Metal

Stream season 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

An amnesiac (Anthony Mackie, Captain America: Brave New World) is charged with delivering a strange package in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Based on the video game.

15. Under The Bridge

Stream all episodes in Apps > ITVX

A cop and a writer investigate the death of a teen girl and uncover some unsettling secrets. Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon) and Riley Keogh (Daisy Jones & The Six) star.

All episodes of St Denis Medical season 2 will be available in Apps > BBC iPlayer from Friday 1 May, and the season begins on the same day at 11.10pm on BBC One HD (101). All of season 1 is also on BBC iPlayer.

The BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, 5 and U apps are available to everyone who watches Virgin TV on our Stream box, Virgin TV 360 or our V6 box. Find out more about Virgin TV streaming apps.

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