From 'My Brilliant Friend' to 'Babylon Berlin,' American TV went global, and that's good news for all

One of my favorite television shows of 2018 is the 2015 French dramedy "Call My Agent!" (called "Dix pour cent," or "10 Percent," in the original), about a Parisian talent agency. I was slow to find it, but a friend, an ordinary, TV nonprofessional friend, told me about it. (Thanks, Nina.) I find that interesting in itself and part of what seems to be a trend: American TV viewers are increasingly watching foreign-language series and talking about them.

You may have lately watched, discussed or read about HBO's "My Brilliant Friend," co-produced with a pair of Italian networks, much of it played in an antique Neapolitan dialect that required subtitling even in Italy. Or "Babylon Berlin," a Weimar Republic crime