On the awesomeness of your scriptwriters and your production values.
Lost, Heroes (before it became shit), BSG, Prison Break, the pilot of Caprica (which I am now fairly convinced is going to be awesome)
To name but a few.
I think we do better comedy. But you guys have drama absolutely nailed to the wall.
All of those mentioned TV shows are like a drug. I am abso-fucking-lutely addicted to them. And it’s only a shame that they end. The only consolation is that Lost and Caprica have more to come.
For drama, if you haven’t watched them already (and be forewarned they’re both quite violent) check out The Sopranos and The Wire - nothing like the SciFi type stuff you mentioned, but both consistently ranked among the best TV shows of all time by critics.
I think you guys do rather well with cop dramas, too. I’ve seen some fantastic shows on BBCA.
What I really like about UK shows (most of what I’ve seen, anyways), is that they end. I mean, they END. They don’t drag on for years past the last good episode. Well, I’m sure you can come up with numerous examples of shows that did drag on, just to spite my posting this, but what I’ve noticed is a definite end to some very good shows. The UK versions of Life On Mars and The Office come to my mind. Of course, many of the shows that came over on our PBS (as opposed to BBCA) did seem to last beyond their prime. Sometimes well beyond. So I guess I should really say that I like it when shows have a set time to run and that’s it, which I’ve noticed is much more common with UK shows than with USA shows (B5 is an exception, some others probably exist), as far as I’ve actually seen.
I do like how USA shows tend to spawn spinoffs, some of which are better than the originals (imho). Are spinoffs common for UK shows?
Production values are high here, yes. I really appreciate that. Even with a show that has lousy actors, no plots, and shite4brains writing (which happens more than you see sent over for your TVs), as least we know we can actually SEE what isn’t happening.
Sorry for the longish ramble of a post, but I am talking to good ol’ Lobbersangarrilia here.
Last of the Summer Wine has been on TV since the reign of Queen Victoria. I’ve barely ever made it past the schmaltzy opening theme.
Doctor Who (another very long-running BBC show, if you consider the current revival a continuation of the classic series) has two successful spin-offs that I know of, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, each skewed to a different demographic.
It’s true. Entertainment Weekly commented about the golden age of TV not that long ago…and how we might be leaving it(BSG is gone and Lost leaves this year).
We may not do everything brilliantly hear, but let it be said:
Cable TV has really allowed some risky, high-quality, entertainment. I’d argue BSG is the best show ever, actually.
The rise of great cable TV dramas has coincided with the decline of American movies into just utter crap. Now, you have directors like Lucas actually going back and crapping on their earlier masterpieces.
ETA: NoClueboy mentions how series on BBC end, and that is also true of the really good American dramas like BSG, the Wire, etc. They have a true story arc and don’t drag it on and on.
The flip side to this is that seasons don’t always have enough episodes and who the hell knows when they’ll be getting around to doing another season. Personally I don’t think British comedy shows are any better than the ones we produce here in the U.S. There are plenty of British comedy shows that I certainly like and many that I do not.
Odesio
The thing to remember in US/UK television conversations is that each country tends to see only the best of the other one’s output. Ninety per cent of both British and American TV is dross, but most of the real rubbish remains confined to the domestic market.
Amen, brother. “The Office” “Ally McBeal” and “Buffy” are just three that I can think of off the top of my head that would have been far better served had they had a well planned beginning, middle and (most importantly) END.
The 22-24 episode requirement is a killer for creativity. The great thing about cable shows such as “The Sopranos” and “Dexter” is that they could work out a non-formulaic timeline and focus on telling a good story rather than stretching 10 episodes worth of meat into 24 episodes of meat and filler.
BSG is the new edition of Battle Star Galactica.
Thanks, Duke. I couldn’t remember the name of that dreadful show. Those actors must be related to Lazarus Long.
“We apologise for the reduction in quality of the show Heroes. Unfortunately it was out of our control and was due solely to the user Kyla, a member of “The Straight Dope Message Board”. We hope that Kyla will restore quality as soon as possible”
Do give it a try. The premise is simple; the writing and acting (and set/costume design) are what truly make it shine.
Though I fear that they’re moving away from what worked so well in the first two seasons, realistic small victories and little tragedies that show a larger character but can stand alone, and going to the always unnecessary escalation, where every episode will end with a world-shattering cliffhanger that has to get resolved in the next, piling on and piling on until every character has some stupid no-win failure to confront.
