Everything British Streaming on PBS for July 2026
Our monthly rundown of everything British coming to PBS and PBS Passport for July 2026.
We’ve reached July, the halfway point of the year, and one of the most awkward points of the PBS schedule. Public Broadcasting is, at heart, an educational endeavor, which means it follows the academic calendar year, July 1 to June 30. This might not seem that bad, except that the TV calendar runs one month off, from June 1 to May 31. PBS splits the difference by launching all its June premieres, including its British shows, in the back half of the month, which, on paper, is a very reasonable way of handling it.
However, the currently favored 6-8 episode format for television shows puts July in an awkward spot. PBS achieves decent viewership by filling its first month of the year with the back halves and finales of popular programming; however, it means there are very few British and Masterpiece shows that actually debut in July. This year, new episodes of Patience Season 2 and Grantchester Season 11 (and the Downton Abbey Season 2 re-air) will air on Sundays; the premieres were in June, and the finales are in August, leaving no Masterpiece shows to grace the July 2026 PBS list.
On top of that, the 250th anniversary of American Independence occurs on July 4, so almost everything worth watching coming in at the top of the month is U.S.-focused.
Thankfully, Walter Presents is still here for us, with an entire month of nothing but brand-new-to-the-U.S. series; plus PBS Passport has one new first-of-the-month acquisition. It’s not the longest list of monthly debuts, but it’ll do. Let’s run down everything British streaming and airing on local PBS stations for July 2026.
Diana’s Decades
This month’s series, coming out from behind the BritBox paywall and onto public broadcasting, isn’t a drama but a documentary. The three-part docuseries were originally released as a lead-up to mark the 25th anniversary of Diana’s passing in 1997. It might seem like an odd choice, but it’s an understandable offering from BritBox, which is still working on promoting its addition of the BBC Select library for BritBox Premier subscribers.
All three episodes of Diana’s Decades will debut on select PBS linear channels and PBS Passports starting Wednesday, July 1, 2026. As always, check your local listings and streaming services.
Call Me Levi (Levi Strauss und der Stoff der Träume)
Walter Presents goes wall-to-wall this month with brand new miniseries and the first seasons of several new shows. July kicks off with Call Me Levi (Levi Strauss und der Stoff der Träume), the 2024 German ARD miniseries that tells the story of the invention of the wardrobe staple we now refer to as “hard pants” since the pandemic: blue jeans. Vincent Redetzki (Das Boot) stars as Levi Strauss, with Anton von Lucke (All Quiet on the Western Front) as Jacob Davis, the Latvian tailor with whom he partnered in 1873 to patent denim trousers reinforced with rivets, an article of clothing that remains a western wardrobe staple 150 years on.
All four episodes of Call Me Levi will debut on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Friday, July 3, 2026.
Sunset Grove (Ehtoolehto)
Post-July 4th, we’ve got an interesting treat, as Walter Presents debuts a brand new Finnish series, Sunset Grove (Ehtoolehto). Based on Minna Lindgren’s best-selling series of books, three little old ladies living in a retirement home – Siiri, Irma, and Anna-Liisa – investigate mysterious disappearances and their cook’s suspicious death while navigating friendship and aging. It’s a little Nordic Noir, a little Thursday Murder Club, and a whole lot of old ladies being super real about how much aging sucks.
All eight episodes of Sunset Grove will debut on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Friday, July 10, 2026.
The Noble Detective (Von Fock) Season 1
A brand-new series out of Estonia, The Noble Detective (Von Fock), is a 1820s-set mystery, centered on the titular Paul von Fock. Newly appointed court assessor and the youngest of three brothers, Von Fock has just inherited Sagadi Manor, and he quickly finds his new role has him solving murder mysteries, fake identities, and stolen fortunes and futures with the help of notorious femme fatale Maria von Nottbeck, who helps him succeed in becoming a seasoned detective. There have been two seasons thus far, but each is only 4 episodes, so “Season 1” here means “Seasons 1+2” to make an eight-episode run. (Season 3 has not been confirmed.)
All eight episodes of The Noble Detective will debut on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Friday, July 17, 2026.
The Negotiator (Le Négociateur) Season 1
Originally planned as a miniseries, only to have a Season 2 added on when it became a massive hit, France’s TF1 series, The Negotiator (Le Négociateur), follows Antoine Clerc (François-Xavier Demaison), a father who keeps such a cool head during a hostage crisis he gets caught up in with his daughters, that he gets hired by RAID. Now a professional negotiator in high-stakes situations, he’ll have to learn to keep his chaotic life from ruining everyone else’s. Season 2 was already released overseas in 2025, so there’s at least one more season to go.
All six episodes of The Negotiator will debut on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Friday, July 24, 2026
Coastal Unit (À Priori) Season 1
The final brand-new series premiering on Walter Presents is the recent France 3 hit Coastal Unit (À Priori). The series isn’t anything groundbreaking – set in the South of France along the gorgeous Mediterranean coast, it’s the traditional “odd-couple crime-solving pair who learn to work together” police procedural. He’s Victor Montagnac (Bruno Salomone), grizzled, embittered veteran; she’s Iris Villeneuve (Lucia Passaniti), rookie cop determined to make a difference. Isabelle Candelier (Call My Agent) co-stars as their boss, Capt. Christine Janvert. There have been two seasons so far – Season 2 just finished airing in May 2026 – so keep an eye out for more.
All eight episodes of Coastal Unit will debut on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Friday, July 31, 2026
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