In trying times, we always gravitate towards comfort viewing, and so it's no surprise that streamers like Acorn TV, with TV series such as Alicia Silverstone's new series Irish Blood, are growing with dedicated viewers.
The heartwarming Doc Martin and Jane Seymour's detective series Harry Wild are both on the service, which sits under the AMC Network umbrella and specializes in British and international television.
New series Irish Blood follows LA-based divorce lawyer Fiona Sharpe (Alicia) who, after receiving a mysterious package from her estranged father, travels to Ireland to uncover the truth about her estranged family, only to find herself entangled in a web of secrets, lies, and danger.
Director Molly McGlynn, who worked on the first two episodes of Irish Blood has told HELLO! that these TV shows offer a low stakes opportunity for viewers to indulge in the mysteries of the world.
"I think everyone's nervous systems are completely shot, but they also don't want to be watching things that are completely vapid," she told HELLO! at the Televerse Festival in Los Angeles in August.
"I think Acorn strikes such a great balance between beautiful, thought provoking, interesting, dynamics but it never gets really too heavy, and I think a lot of people are responding to that. It's like the perfect comfort viewing."
Molly was looking for a project in Ireland, where she has citizenship, when the call came to work on Irish Blood which she said was "thematically right up my alley".
"It's a beautiful story about families and misunderstandings, but it's also a mystery. It's funny but it has heart as well," she said.
Working with Clueless star Alicia was a dream come true for Molly who "could not believe" that she would get to work with the actress – "the millennial in me was just freaking out".
HELLO!'s TV Writer Abby Allen said of the series: "Crime dramas are everywhere right now, and Irish Blood looks like an absolute must-watch for fans of the genre. Not only does it feature Clueless's Alicia Silverstone – what an amazing casting! – but the six-part series is already drawing comparisons to The Split and Mare of Easttown."
Irish Blood was filmed in and around Dublin, County Wicklow, Bray, and the Causeway coast in Northern Ireland, and Alicia called it a "story of a woman discovering herself and confronting her past after travelling abroad unexpectedly".
"I love how unpredictable the storytelling feels and the combination of drama, humour and suspense my character experiences."