|
Post by Claire on Mar 24, 2010 14:03:25 GMT 1
For years British dramas were very highly acclaimed and exported all over the world. What has happened? Nearly all the best and most popular shows seem to come from America now. We still manage great costume dramas (Lark Rise to Candleford, Cranford) but in other areas we are lagging behind. Most of our dramas are still the old crime/serial killer/forensics type of thing which has IMHO been done to death. The American dramas are far more original. For example Dexter took the serial killer show and turned it on its head!
Just wondering what other folk think. Do you prefer British or Americam dramas? Are there any good British ones you have seen lately?
I think I'll put up poll too.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2010 14:38:48 GMT 1
The only British dramas I've seen lately are the costume dramas you mentioned. I must admit I don't watch huge amounts of tele these days as It just seems to me to be endless soaps and reality stuff.
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Mar 24, 2010 16:07:27 GMT 1
Claire, you think the best shows are coming to from the US? Really? Tell me what they are for heavens sake, I can never find anything to watch here!
Seriously, if you asked me, I'd say the state of US tv is the same as Rosie is describing UK tv....endless reality shows (which I avoid like the plague).
I had been watching House, but they kind of lost me at the end of last season when House went mad. You could argue that that was sort of British inspired too....House is Holmes, right down to the name, and of course Hugh Laurie is British. (Actually, you could go back further than that and connect House, MD to the original Holmes inspiration, Dr. Joseph Bell).
Anyway, the only thing I've found of late that's interesting is a series that started last year called The Mentalist, which is a crime drama....if it's made it over to the UK, I'd recommend giving it a try.
|
|
|
Post by haffyfan on Mar 24, 2010 22:42:06 GMT 1
Sorry don't watch a lot of tv bar dancing on ice at the minute
|
|
|
Post by kunuma on Mar 24, 2010 23:19:15 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Mar 25, 2010 0:26:02 GMT 1
kunuma...giggle, I think you're safe, I don't think there are any Canadians on the board at the moment (they really DO take offence at being thought of as the 51st State, and really you can't blame them!).
Re tv...I think you're right, it really is a matter of the older shows being better, regardless of where they're from. Ah, the old days, when they hired writers and directors and professional actors, instead of what they do now: haul some people in off the street, point a camera at them, and say "ok, act like idiots!!!"
btw, does Hulu.com work in the UK? Tons of great old tv and movies for free there....even things that aren't on dvd...I was THRILLED to find the first three seasons of Lou Grant on there. (It was a drama spin off from the comedy Mary Tyler Moore show, about the workings of the city room of an LA newspaper)
|
|
|
Post by darkhorse on Mar 26, 2010 21:59:34 GMT 1
I think it depends on what sort of drama you like watching. We British do really good costume dramas, classic book adaptations and crime dramas but not much else. If you like sci-fi shows the USA does much more, like Lost and Heroes and Flash Forward. I don't think I can think of any British made sci-fic dramas except for Dr. Who, which is really a kid's show, and Torchwood. I LOVE Dexter btw!!!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Mar 26, 2010 23:02:54 GMT 1
I dont have a TV and tend to watch TV series that I have otherwise acquired on the laptop or whatever is on the 'on demand' services from the British TV channels. Just about everything I have been watching in the last few years is American. Dexter, Lost, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, Life, Defying Gravity (altho I think that was a collaboration with other countries). There are more but my memory fails me! I am not saying they are all brilliant (and some of them have deteriorated after the first few seasons), but at least the American networks are trying to come up with something original. I do like sci-fi/anything out of the ordinary and there's precious little like that being made by British TV. Yes, I do watch the costume type dramas from British TV but apart from them I think I have only really watched (in the drama line) Being Human and Hustle in the last few months. We did try and do a flash forward rip off a while back but it was terrible. The absolute best thing I have seen lately was Defying Gravity but sadly this ended after only 1 season Its a shame that American TV is being over-run by reality TV show too. It is just getting beyond a joke here. We have about 6 different reality shows for dancing alone (even one in wheel chairs!) and Jordan seems to almost have an entire channel devoted to her goings on! I hate all the soaps too, altho like kunuma I did used to watch Neighbours when it first came on, but then again I think everyone here did. It used to be on at teatime when you cme in from school/college/work and people just used to put it on to watch when they were having their tea!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Mar 27, 2010 22:21:47 GMT 1
Oh forgot to say susan, sadly hulu does not work over here - I've already tried! Oh yes and The Mentalist is on our TV too, its one I havent started watching yet.
|
|
|
Post by garej on Apr 2, 2010 18:54:22 GMT 1
Apart from the Simpsons, I dont watch any American stuff. I hate Diagnosis Murder/Murder She Wrote with an passion, and anything good seems to be poached by Sky (House, Lost etc) which I cant afford (I only have Freeview). Foreign drama/tv does not appeal to me (the only other foreign thing I watch is Neighbours).
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Apr 2, 2010 19:32:30 GMT 1
I liked Murder She Wrote in the earlier seasons, but had lost interest by the end.....give Angela Lansbury credit though, she (and Hugh Laurie) are the two Brits who do the best American accents! Claire....that really stinks about Hulu.....I just hate that they make it impossible to see things from one country to another
|
|
|
Post by garej on Apr 2, 2010 19:49:11 GMT 1
I liked Murder She Wrote in the earlier seasons, but had lost interest by the end.....give Angela Lansbury credit though, she (and Hugh Laurie) are the two Brits who do the best American accents! I used to like it, but the BBC (and the same goes for Diagnosis Murder) has an awful habit of every single weekday (and most Sundays) of putting them on continous repeat. In a year you can watch every single Diagnosis Murder episode at least once (barring the TV movies). With Murder She Wrote they do the same, but only have about 8 series (the BBC dont have the rights to Murder She Wrote TV movies however). The only time you dont get Diagnosis Murder/Murder She Wrote is either Christmas or when Wimbledon (a major tennis tournament) is on. They have been doing that since at least 2002. So consequently you get sick of them. Dont get me wrong: I have nothing against Angela Lansbury (I have The Last Unicorn on DVD, where she does an very good voice) and I have seen other stuff with her in (National Velvet; Bednobs and Broomsticks; Beauty and the Beast; Mrs 'arris Goes to Paris) and liked her in that, it's the BBC policy of repeating them to death that I hate. I just wish that the BBC would find something else decent to put in the Murder She Wrote/Diagnosis Murder slots. As for Dick Van Dŷke, other than Mary Poppins (where he does a terrible accent) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I have not seen him in anything else. {edit} Seems the filter doesnt like him either!
|
|