Smallscreen News

Acorn TV streams U.S. debut of Lynda La Plante's Above Suspicion, more

By April MacIntyre Dec 1, 2011, 7:34 GMT

11/20/2011 - Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory - 57th Annual Evening Standard Theatre Awards - Arrivals - Savoy Hotel - London, UK © Landmark / PR Photos

On Monday, Dec. 5th, Acorn TV, the first streaming service specializing in British television - has the U.S. debut of "Above Suspicion",the newest series from Prime Suspect (UK) creator Lynda La Plante available.

The new, ongoing British detective series hasn’t aired in the U.S. and won’t be available on DVD until March, so this will be the first time U.S. audiences can see the series, starring Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes movies) and Ciarán Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter).

Additionally, The Forsyte Saga, Series 2 offers the second season of the classic PBS miniseries starring Damian Lewis (Showtime’s Homeland, Band of Brothers), Ioan Gruffudd (Horatio Hornblower), Gina McKee (Notting Hill) and Rupert Graves (Mrs. Dalloway). For press access to the 60+ hours of programming, please email me.

Acorn TV offers a full season of 10 critically acclaimed, classic and contemporary British series to watch online.

Streaming now are Hugh Laurie in Fortysomething, universally acclaimed Canadian series Slings & Arrows, public TV hit Doc Martin, as well as Acorn’s top-selling detective series Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, and Agatha Christie’s Poirot, among others shown below.

The first episode of each series is available for free. The annual fee is only $24.99. Acorn TV launched in July 2011, to serve as the first streaming service that curates the best of British television for American audiences.

To meet consumer demand, it expanded to 10 series in September. Programming is refreshed weekly, with each season available for five weeks. Each week content will rotate with two new seasons added.

Website: acornonline.com/TV

Acorn TV is accessible on computers, iPhones, iPads, Apple TV and Google TV. It is also available on any portable device with a browser that runs Flash 10 or higher, with additional devices and applications to be offered within the next year.

Acorn/Athena January 2012 DVD Calendar

January 3: Joanna Lumley in Dr. Willoughby, Richard Bradford in Man in a Suitcase, Set 2, and The Windsors: From George to Kate

January 17: Bill Moyers: Amazing Grace and George Gently, Series 1 (Blu-ray)

January 31: Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Series 1 and 2 (DVD and Blu-ray) and Poldark: The Complete Collection

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media U.S. distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British TV. 2011 releases included Upstairs, Downstairs: 40th Anniversary, Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Early 2012 releases include a bonus packed collector’s edition of I, Claudius starring Derek Jacobi; the Blu-ray debuts for the first three series of Agatha Christie’s Poirot; the first Blu-ray of Acorn’s top-selling series with Midsomer Murders, Set 19; the U.S. debut of Lynda La Plante’s Above Suspicion; complete collections of Poldark, The Brief, Northern Lights, and French Fields; and more episodes from Single-Handed, New Tricks, and Murder Investigation Team. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.