ITV Playhouse

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, ITV Playhouse is available on streaming right now. 14 seasons of it means there is plenty to get through without ever feeling padded. 3 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. The ensemble never overplays its hand. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, ITV Playhouse earns its spot. The writing in ITV Playhouse treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. ITV Playhouse is a British comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a format that would inspire Dramarama. Actors appearing in the series included Leslie Anderson, Gwen Nelson, Ricky Alleyne, Pat Heywood, Michael Elphick, Ian Hendry, Edward Woodward, Margaret Lockwood, Jessie Matthews and Lloyd Peters. The series ran for 14 seasons (1967–1982), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

ITV Playhouse is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. The tonal similarities to Tyler Perry's The Oval are real, though ITV Playhouse carves out its own identity quickly. 14 seasons is a lot, but the quality holds all the way through. The writing gives every character enough weight that no single performance has to do the heavy lifting. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.

ITV Playhouse wrapped up in 1982 — and 14 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.