5 of the Latest Series to Learn English

So, you might be stuck at home, and during this time you can be watching the latest series while improving your English at the same time. Here are the best Netflix and Amazon Prime Video series to learn English at the moment.

 

While waiting to go on a language study trip, we have selected our top 5 on-demand series for you that will help you work on your understanding of various accents and discover English-speaking cultures around the world.

 

1. Sex Education: Americanized English

 

What's it about?

 

Milburn is 16, his mother is a sex therapist but he refuses to discuss the subject with her. Through a combination of circumstances, he nevertheless finds himself chatting with Maeve, a rebellious and pragmatic classmate, a clandestine "sexology cabinet" within the school.

Accent(s): British

 

If you can't resist an American high school drama and love the British accent, Sex Education is the perfect series for you. Characters speak in a south English accent but feature a lot of American highschool influence including jock-type jackets, American football and vertical hallway lockers. This series offers a mash up of US / UK retro modern.

 

Ready to practice your British English with the actors of Sex Education?

Sex Education is available on Netflix: 2 seasons, 16 episodes, 46-59 minutes.

 

2. You: From N.Y. to L.A.

 

What's it about?

 

Joe Goldberg, a manager of a New York bookstore, falls in love with Beck, an aspiring writer. Obsessed, he stops at nothing to get closer to her; social networks, the internet ... and murders.

Accent(s): American

 

You, is directed and filmed in the United States. The first season takes place in New York, which is filmed all over the city and allows us to discover this enchanting place. Mooney's bookstore ("Logos" in reality) where Joe works is located in the Yorkville district, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Joe's apartment is in Brooklyn and key scenes take place on Staten Island, Long Island and in the village of Nyack, north of the metropolis.

 

For season 2, Los Angeles is the setting. We won't tell you more, no spoilers here!

You is available on Netflix: 2 seasons, 20 episodes of 42-50 minutes.

 

3. Carnival Row: a fantastic universe with Anglo-Celtic accents

 

What is it about?

 

In an intolerant society where mythological creatures try to coexist with men, the human policeman Rycroft "Philo" Philostrate investigates a series of violent murders in the district of Carnival Row - while Vignette Stonemoss, a refugee fairy, could well tip over the established order.

Accent(s): Irish, English

 

Although set in a fictional universe and tackling contemporary societal themes, Carnival Row is set in a Victorian atmosphere with many elements of Anglo-Celtic history. While Philo (Orlando Bloom) and the human people of Burgue talk with a cockney accent (working class accent of London), the magical people of Tirnanoc evoke Irish culture in many aspects of their lives. Vignette (Cara Delevingne) and most of the other fairies express themselves with an Irish accent, and their clothes and hairstyles are reminiscent of the Celtic style and their writing uses the runic alphabet. Furthermore, the precious books that Vignette keeps are reminiscent of the Book of Kells, which is on display today in the library of Trinity College, Dublin.

 

Cara Delevingne, London actress, recounts having practiced her Irish accent in Dublin:

Carnival Row is available on Amazon Prime Video: 1 season, 8 episodes of 50-67 minutes.

 

4. Outlander: time travel in the Scottish Highlands

 

What is it about?

 

Claire Randall, a British Army nurse during the Second World War, finds herself transported back in time from 1945 to 1743. To survive, and while she is already married in her own time, she must marry Jamie Fraser, a seasoned Scottish warrior with a disarming sense of humor but a complicated past.

Accent(s): Scottish, English

 

Because the series is anchored in a precise geography and time, the casting of Outlander is supervised by a dialect coach. Actress Caitriona Balfe, Irish, plays Claire with a very pronounced and slightly more articulated English accent from the 1940s. Sam Heughan (Jamie), although Scottish, had to work specifically hard on the Gaelic accent, just like the other actors performing Highlanders.

 

Outlander's dialect coach lets you discover the many accents of Scotland:

Outlander is available on Netflix: 5 seasons, 55 episodes of 60 minutes.

 

5. The Man in the High Castle: West Coast vs. East Coast

 

What is it about?

 

Loosely inspired by the novel by Philip K. Dick The Man of the High Castle, the series depicts a parallel universe where the Axis powers won the Second World War. In the Nazi-Japanese Empire, a woman searches for the mysterious director of banned propaganda films that seem to show a different world.

Accent(s): American

 

Although some dialogues are in German and Japanese, most of the scenes are of course in English, and The Man in the High Castle has the rarity to stage Nazi characters who speak not with the usual German accent often bordering on caricature, but with an American accent. The decor of the United States is divided between the "Great Nazi Reich" with New York as its capital, and the "Japanese Pacific States" whose capital is San Francisco, the series presents an unprecedented dystopian East Coast / West Coast contrast.

 

The Man in the High Castle is available on Amazon Prime Video: 4 seasons, 40 episodes of 48-70 minutes.

 

Another Classic

 

Friends: re-live the adventures of the six most famous New Yorkers in the world. See our article to learn English with the Friends series.

 

Do you want to know more about learning a language? Why not take our online English test and assess your level in minutes.

Share this with your friends
Related Posts