(Photo: Acorn TV)

If you're feeling the winter chill, we have just the thing for you – a guide to eight great series set in warmer climes. This list includes detective dramas, spy series, and even a Spaghetti Western, but each takes place somewhere hot enough to offer some temporary respite from the January blues.

1. Signora Volpe

This Acorn TV Original is set in the stunning Italian region of Umbria. Silent Witness favorite Emilia Fox stars as Sylvia, a disillusioned British intelligence officer who travels to Italy for her niece's wedding and ends up investigating a series of murders in the local area. There are three 90-minute episodes to check out, so it's a very manageable binge-watch; the cast includes Game of Thrones' Tara Fitzgerald and Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber.

2. The Good Karma Hospital

Filmed in beautiful Sri Lanka, this British medical series is a sight for sore eyes. Amrita Acharia stars as Dr. Ruby Walker, a junior doctor from the U.K. who seeks a fresh challenge at an overstretched cottage hospital in southern India. British TV mainstays Amanda Redman (New Tricks) and Neil Morrissey (Line of Duty) co-star in a soothing sunbeam of a series that ran for four seasons until last year. You can stream the entire run on Acorn TV.

3. The Ipcress File

Joe Cole and Tom Hollander star in this Cold War spy series based on Len Deighton's novel. Stepping into a role made famous by Michael Caine, Cole portrays Harry Palmer, a petty criminal offered a fresh start as a secret agent investigating the disappearance of a nuclear scientist. It's a mission that takes him first to sunny Lebanon, and then to a remote Pacific island where atomic weapons are being tested. You can binge it now over on AMC+.

4. The Madame Blanc Mysteries 

Co-created by and starring Coronation Street alum Sally Lindsay, this Acorn TV Original follows a British woman navigating a new life in the South of France. When Jean White is left penniless following her husband's death, she visits the French village where he was killed to find out what happened. Further mysteries follow as "Madame Blanc" teams with the local police chief (Alex Gaumond) and becomes an integral part of the community.

5. Mystery Road

This hit Australian crime series, available on Acorn TV, is a spin-off from the movies Mystery Road and Goldstone. Aaron Pedersen reprises his role as Detective Jay Swan, who is sent to different locations in Western Australia to help local officers investigate unsolved murders. The first season co-stars two-time Oscar nominee Judy Davis, while the third and most recent season is a prequel set in the late '90s.

6. Riviera

Created by Oscar winner Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), this glossy drama unfolds on the super-luxe French Riviera where champagne is always the order of the day. Julia Stiles plays Georgina Clios, an American art curator drawn into a world of double-dealing and duplicity when her billionaire husband dies in a yacht accident. There are three seasons to binge on AMC+; each features great guest stars including Will Arnett, Juliet Stevenson, and Iwan Rheon.

7. That Dirty Black Bag

Dominic Cooper leads this Spaghetti Western series available on AMC+. He plays a principled sheriff whose determination to bring law and order to a new frontier is hampered by the arrival of a bloodthirsty bounty hunter (Douglas Booth). It was filmed in Morocco, Italy, and Spain – all of which really evoke the American West – and the cast includes Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen,  A Discovery of Witches' Anna Chancellor, and The Leftovers' Paterson Joseph.

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8. Darby & Joan

Do you like the idea of driving across the vast Australian outback in a RV? If so, you'll probably love this eight-part Acorn TV Original about an English nurse (Greta Scacchi) who teams up with a retired Aussie detective (Bryan Brown) to solve the mystery of her husband's death down under. It's high-stakes stuff infused with just the right amount of comic relief and sun-dappled escapism.

Do you have a go-to series on cold winter nights?