Travel Through Europe with the Best of Walter Presents

If you’re like me, sometimes you just want to get lost in a compelling drama or a mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Discovering a new clue that leads the main characters closer to a culprit or a romance destined to become a scandal for a powerful family, there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa with my favorite beverage or snack and delving into a new show to stream on GPB Passport. This spring, we at GPB hope you’ll do the same, using your Passport account to take a trip around Europe for some of the best foreign language dramas and mysteries from Walter Presents.

For those not in the know, Walter Presents is a curated collection of award-winning international television shows hand-picked by Walter Iuzzolino, a TV connoisseur who is known for selecting compelling hits. In short, you can’t go wrong with any of Iuzzolino’s picks, each one presented in their original languages with English subtitles. With that in mind, here’s a few of my favorites as well as suggestions from my colleagues at GPB to fill your Passport to-watch list, including how some of Walter Presents programs have inspired a few of your British TV favorites.

Astrid

If you’re a fan of Walter Presents already, you likely already know Astrid. But if you’re new, this is a great place to start, especially if you’re a fan of the PBS mystery series Patience: Astrid is the original! Astrid Nielsen, a young woman with Asperger’s syndrome, works in the library of the judicial police, but her brilliant memory for analyzing files isn’t put to the fullest until the district commander, Raphaëlle Coste, notices and begins to entrust her with unsolved, complex investigations. The two women begin to lean on one another for help, as Astrid offers Raphaëlle a methodology and Raphaëlle offers Astrid behavioral help in return.

In French with English subtitles, five seasons of Astrid are available to stream now.

Velvet

Fans of Mr. Selfridge, take note: there’s a whole world of department store-based historical dramas to peruse on Passport, partially due to Walter Presents. One of our favorites is Velvet, a fashion-forward love story of Alberto Márquez, the young heir of Galerías Velvet, one of the most prestigious Spanish fashion houses of the late 1950s, and Ana Ribera, a childhood friend who lives and works as a seamstress at Velvet. After returning home from studying abroad in England, Alberto is prepared to run away from the family business with Ana in tow, the pair eager to marry despite their families’ wishes. But when Alberto’s father suddenly dies, he and Ana are faced with new responsibilities that will push their love to its limits.

Alongside Velvet, the series continues with its spinoff Velvet Collection. And if you’re loving shopping-centric dramas, we also recommend Paradise, an Italian series with English subtitles inspired by the French novel “Au Bonheur des Dames” by Émile Zola.

In Spanish with English subtitles, four seasons of Velvet are available to stream now.

Munch

Described as a “maverick” French lawyer, Gabrielle ‘Munch’ Munchovski shows genuine concern for her clients, often resorting to helping them using somewhat unorthodox methods and creating complications in her cases. She’s pragmatic in the face of administrative and judiciary absurdity, leaving everyone around her learning something new from Munch, including members of her private law firm. 

In French with English subtitles, four seasons of Munch are available to stream now.

La Favorita 1922

When a runaway Marchioness and her maid flee Seville in order to reinvent themselves, you know it’s going to be an adventure. That’s what happens to Elena and Cecilia, who leave their restrictive lives behind in favor of the big city and the opportunity to open their own cafe, La Favorita, in Madrid. With Elena’s passion for cooking, they turn an abandoned restaurant around while still being fugitives on the run from Elena’s authoritarian husband.

In Spanish with English subtitles, one season of La Favorita 1922 is available to stream now. 

French Roulette

In the 1970s French Riviera, Renée Le Roux is preoccupied with plenty of problems: she runs the city’s historical casino, the top destination in the region for gambling, and new competition puts her own business in peril. But when she stands against mafioso Jean-Dominique Fratoni, who has not only opened a competing casino but attempts to acquire her establishment, her daughter, Agnès, disappears. Based on a true story, French Roulette tells the tale of a 40-year game of cat-and-mouse as a mother battles to uncover the truth, discovering who she can and cannot trust. We especially recommend this one to fans of The Gold.

In French with English Subtitles, one season of French Roulette is available to stream now.

Inspector Ricciardi

It’s not an easy life for Police Commissioner Luigi Alfredo Ricciardi: he’s trying to survive in 1930s Naples in the height of Mussolini’s dictatorship, he’s got a crush on the young woman who lives in the apartment across the street (whom he’s never spoken to before) and he must solve mysteries while in possession of a unique talent: he can see the ghosts of people who have died violent deaths, listening to their final thoughts. Based on the popular novels by Maurizio de Giovanni, Inspector Ricciardi is an historical mystery series with a supernatural twist and a conflicted protagonist at its center. Because most often, the culprit that’s easiest to tie to the crime isn’t the true murderer, whose victims won’t leave Ricciardi alone in their apparitions until he’s correctly cracked the case. 

For fans of Lino Guanciale, who plays Inspector Ricciardi, you can see more of his acting work in one of MASTERPIECE’s latest releases, The Count of Monte Cristo, as Luigi Vampa. 

In Italian with English subtitles, two seasons of Inspector Ricciardi are available now with Season Three arriving April 17 on Passport.

Sisi: Austrian Empress

While we included this show in our top romances to stream on Passport, it’s worth another mention for Walter Presents: it’s a sweeping drama full of lush scenery, lavish costumes and plenty of surprises and scandals, all from the perspective of Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s closest confidants. Modern, honest and authentic, Sisi: Austrian Empress takes a new look at the empress’ life, revealing a complex, multi-layered woman who is challenged by family, love and war throughout.

In German with English subtitles, four seasons of Sisi: Austrian Empress are available now on Passport.

Mademoiselle Holmes

What if you were shy and timid by nature, working as a French police officer with an ancestor famous for his brilliant deductive reasoning? That’s what Charlie has to contend with after an accident awakens the bold spirit of her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes, spurring on her own brand of astute analysis, solving crimes with ingenuity that her great-grandfather would be proud of alongside her own Dr. Watson, Samy Vatel.

In French with English subtitles, Season 1 of Mademoiselle Holmes is available now with Season 2 arriving April 10 on Passport.

One Step From Heaven

When Francesco Neri, the new commander of the forestry corps, retreats to the Italian village of San Candido in an attempt to find peace and hide a tragic past, he finds anything but the tranquility he desires. Instead, he meets Vincenzo, a former cop from Naples who has traded big city life for serving as the local authority in the small mountain village with plenty of mysteries to uncover. Francesco and Vincenzo must team up to solve cases together as friendship, drama and love work in mysterious ways in San Candido. Part drama, part western and part police procedural, One Step From Heaven is sprinkled with magic and is completely captivating.

In Italian with English subtitles, four seasons of One Step From Heaven are available to stream now on Passport.

Promethea

After accidentally hitting a mysterious teenage girl on a deserted road, Charles and Caroline Lasset discover she has no memory except her unusual name: Promethea. Taking her in, they soon realize something is wrong when she begins experiencing visions connected to a murdered high school student. As the visions intensify, Promethea develops extraordinary powers linked to the people and events she sees. Now she must uncover the truth behind the murder and the secrets of her own mysterious past. Described by The Guardian as “stylishly creepy,” this one is a must-watch if you’re a fan of contemporary mysteries with supernatural elements.

In French with English subtitles, one season of Promethea is available now on Passport.

 

Did we forget your favorite? Let us know on our social media pages and by email at ask@gpb.org what you’re loving from Walter Presents: this blog might need a sequel. And if you're not a Passport member yet, we encourage you to donate today and activate your Passport subscription: your favorite programs from GPB and PBS are waiting, available to stream whenever you wish.