The 8 Best TV Shows From 2014 You Can't See In The U.S.

Thanks to the proliferation of digital TV channels and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, American audiences are in the midst of an explosion of opportunities to see the best of what the international television world has to offer. But despite the near-glut of choices, there are still plenty of great shows that haven't made it into the U.S. Sometimes it's a distribution problem, but also it's a matter of America's reluctance to watch anything with subtitles.

Here is a look at eight shows that you deserve to have the opportunity to see. And it speaks to the strength of the international television community that I could have easily made this list two or three times as long.

Us & Them (TV One: New Zealand)

Originally set to premiere in the spring of 2014 as a mid-season fill-in in the U.S., Fox shut down production before premiering the show. But the seven episodes that were produced have been airing in places like New Zealand and South Africa. An Americanized version of the U.K. comedy hit "Gavin & Stacey," the show stars Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel as a couple who decide to meet in person after carrying on a six-month online romance. The comedy is brash, sometimes crude and often unexpectedly sweet. It's one of my favorite shows of 2014 and the fact that it isn't available to American audiences is a real puzzler.

Coverband (TV One: New Zealand)

Have you ever wondered what happened to the band that was left behind after the lead singer goes off to chase a successful solo career? That's the premise behind this single-camera comedy, which follows the painful reforming of a local band after their female singer becomes an international sensation. The band ends up playing a series of increasingly uncomfortable gigs as a cover band and it's a show that accurately captures the soul-sucking experience of trying to make a living playing other people's music.

Eights (Ceska Televize: Czechoslovakia)

If I'm going to watch a local-produced television series, I would prefer one that reveals a life that wouldn't be that well-known to an American viewing audience. That's certainly the case with this fascinating drama that's set in Czechoslovakia in 1980. Richard is a listless civil servant whose mundane life begins to quickly unravel. He signs the Charter 77 document by accident while drunk (a move that was considered treasonous in communist Czechoslovakia). But he also learns that his 15-year-old son is going to be a father, his office fling wants to be his wife and a leaky pipe at home contains a rusty gun hidden inside. I haven't seen a lot of television produced in Czechoslovakia, but this one shows that great television can come from just about anywhere. BTW, the title of the show refers to an upcoming trip to the dentist, during which Richard will get his molars (known as the "eights") removed.

Detectorists (BBC4: U.K.)

There is a certain type of gentle and wry TV comedy that the British do better than anyone else. Created and starring Mackenzie Crook, the show follows the lives of a couple of quiet and often mundane friends who spend their spare time roaming around England with their metal detectors. While the show derives some of its comedy from the spectacle of these detectorists battling with the egos of their rivals, it's primarily a show about how very disparate souls can become the best of friends. Season two of the show will be premiering in the U.K. in the summer of 2015.

The Day After (CTC: Russia)

Ten people wake up in a bunker with no idea how they got there. They don't seem to have anything in common and as they explore the bunker, it seems to have been the site of some unsettling scientific experiments. As they try and escape, they don't realize that a plague has broken out in Moscow and it will be up to them to try and find the cause. A taut and well-acted drama, it's an idea that is perfectly suited for an American TV adaptation.

Angel Of Death (TV Asahi: Japan)

Japanese dramas have this weirdly awkward acting style that can make them difficult to watch if you're used to the less-stylized American style of TV dramas. But sometimes that over-the-top presentation suits the role and that was the case in this show about the daily life of a grim reaper. Ohno Satoshi plays the role of a newbie reaper #413. Dressed entirely in black, he greets those who are going to die with the line: "Congratulations! I have come to fetch you." It's an odd and very Japanese show, which might be the reason I enjoyed it so much. Satoshi's acting is restrained and while he can't stop the death of the people he is assigned to "reap," he does his best to bring their lives some sort of closure. It's a novel concept that is very well executed.

Ramses (Avro: Netherlands)

Thanks to shows like "The Killing," American audiences have become familiar with the trademark gloomy and intense crime shows that are a trademark of Dutch television. But there is much more to see than just some murders and this four episode mini-series is a perfect illustration of that TV industry's creative breadth. Maarten Heijmans portrays Ramses Shaffy, a Dutch singer who had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s. He also had a monumental drinking problem, one so bad that he ultimately ended up incapacited in a nursing home. The film is a fascinating look at his life but what's really compelling is the way the series shows the Dutch cabaret scene of the era.

Utopia (Channel 4: U.K.)

If you did a mash-up of "The X-Files," "Pulp Fiction" and "The Leftovers," you'd get a TV show that looked a lot like this jarring and violently obtuse drama. Created and written by Dennis Kelly, the show follows a group of sad sacks who discover a previously unknown sequel to an infamous graphic novel entitled "The Utopia Experiments." That book was rumored to have predicted all sorts of disasters and for whatever reason, the group find themselves being hunted down by an organization called The Network. The show is graphically violent, often puzzling and after watching two seasons of the show I'm left with more questions than when I had after seeing episode one. Still, it's an ambitious and jarring show and one that HBO has optioned for an American adaptation directed by David Fincher.