EastEnders

Since its debut in 1985, EastEnders has become one of the most iconic shows in British history. Portraying a Britain not often represented on television, it follows the lives and loves, tragedies and triumphs of a close-knit community in London’s historic East End. Far from the wealthy and powerful characters endemic to American soaps, EastEnders is a gritty depiction of working-class Britain. From the mobster Mitchells (based on real-life East End gangsters the Kray Twins) to the feisty Foxes to the close-knit Carters, at its heart EastEnders is a show about family. BritBox offers about three months’ worth of episodes at a time, so in March you can go back to December and work your way to the present day. It’s one of those shows where you can jump right in and figure out what’s going on pretty easily, so novices need not be afraid, and missing an episode isn’t the end of the world—though if you have BritBox, why would you ever need to miss an episode?