Just FYI: the US > UK cultural time-warp

Cafe Society
1

To all American Dopers, just for your information… if you happen to live in the UK and only bother to take the five free-to-air TV channels (no cable or satellite), then…

  • the Rachel-is-pregnant series of Friends has just started

  • the second series of CSI (cover girl slashes herself, Grissom discovers he’s going deaf) has just ended

  • the prequel Enterprise Star Trek thingie is about to start some time soon, but we’re not told exactly when

  • Ally McBeal wise, we’re just a little way on from Dame Edna Everage’s brief appearance

  • the final Seinfeld, which you could all see in May 1999, was not shown here until over 18 months later!

Another aspect of the cultural time warp is that we usually see the ‘Christmas’ versions of these shows totally out of season, like the middle of July or something.

I guess I don’t really have a question, as such, and so this may not be a long-lived thread (or even a permitted one). But perhaps my fellow Brits have views as to whether it matters at all, or whether it’s ever irritating to have to wait for these cultural gems to cross the pond? Oh, and can I just encourage American Dopers to take a modest amount of care when kicking off threads about events in TV world… there may be more of a need for ‘spoiler’ warnings than you realise!

2

In your signature, you quote Cervaise as naming you as one of the Top Ten Coolest Dopers.

You may be risking your position by touting Friends as a “cultural gem”.

3

Was on E4 months ago.

Was on Sky One months ago.

Was on E4 months ago.

And did anyone care?

I think all you’re noticing is that-

-a TV series doesn’t get sold by the channel that made it until they’ve shown it first. Amazing, huh?

  • Free-to-air TV channels have to pay a lot more to get first UK screening of a series. Consequently one of the pay channels often has it first.
4

The question is why? Why broadcast something in the US, then sit on it for months before it’s shown in the UK? They’re not in direct competition.

They do the same thing in publishing. Books published on one side doesn’t reach the other for between 8 months to a year. Ian Rankin’s crime novel “Resurrection Men” has been out for months, but we won’t see it in the US until February.

But it’s a good point about being careful about spoilers.

5

The song “Livin’ It Up”, by Ja Rule, was released in the States in August 2001. It’s going to be released here in the UK as a single on July 22. A whole damn year to bring a song over?? I’ve gotten used to the time warp, but this is ridiculous.

6

Well, Britcoms often don’t get here until long after they’ve been shown on the BBC. So, I guess it is quid pro quo for the lag.

7

Well, Britcoms often don’t get here until long after they’ve been shown on the BBC. So, I guess it is quid pro quo for the lag.

8

I did. Seinfeld was the best show ever put on TV (closely followed by Friends, The Sopranos and the first 3 or 4 seasons of the X-Files)

9

Mmm. Seinfeld was one of the best comedies ever produced in the US. I still enjoy the odd repeat on Paramount Comedy.

10

By delaying release to the UK you can negotiate higher prices for the shows - “Make me a better offer, this is already a hit in the US”. You sell to the pay channels first. Finally you sell it again to the free channels, after a delay (no-one will pay for programmes that can see for free, unless they really can’t wait).