Score for the Small Screen
D'you know what's great? Do you?
BBC television. That's what's great.
Now, I know that I'm a little behind on what the UK considers regular programming. Not only am I an American, I'm an American in a cultural desert. Things take a while to trickle down out here, when they trickle down at all. But whenever I see BBC programs (or programmes), I just get this warm, happy feeling inside.
Yeah, it's not all tea and crumpets. Occasionally, I watch something and either don't get it, don't like it, or just really think it's bad. But this happens hardly ever. Even television that by all rights and reason should be bad somehow...isn't. I mean, Merlin, anyone? Even the most die-hard of fans has to admit, the plot kind of never changes, and the legends are more or less beaten senseless and left in a puddle of historical inaccuracy to die a slow and painful death. Here's the thing, though: I FREAKING LOVE IT. Same thing goes with Robin Hood. (Which, while we're on the subject, Robin baby, when the nice lady says you can trust her? You can't. Just...heads up there, prince of the forest.) And trumping even the it-hurts-so-good bad/good shows are the OMGWHEREHASTHISBEENALLMYLIFEIWANTTOHAVETHISSHOW'SBABIES stuff. Interestingly enough to me, my favorites are all about old people. (Here in the U.S. of A., our protagonists are young, muscled, and have bone structures you can cut yourself on. Most of the time, they're also boring, annoying, or just flat bad actors.) Last of the Summer Wine? That is what good comedy looks like, kids. Foyle's War? One of the incredibly rare thrillers that I can't figure out fifteen minutes in. MI-5 (Spooks in the UK, I believe), Mock the Week, all of the epic classic literature mini series, Life on Mars, Top Gear... WHY SO AWESOME, BBC?
American television? Meh. Oh, we have our moments. Joss Whedon lives here, as does good ol' J.J. Abrams. But seriously, by and large, American T.V. is either reality (gag), rehashed plots and characters (hello, Days of Our Lives 1997), or, and here's the great part...stolen from the BBC. Yeah, they had The Office and Life on Mars first. And those are only two on a long, long list.
My mom and I went DVD hunting the other day, looking for a few gifts. She picked up a case of a show I'd never heard of, passes it to me, and says, "This looks pretty good."
"Really?" I said. "It looks kinda..."
"It's BBC," she interrupted.
And that's pretty much all the proof we needed.
Stay awesome, BBC. Stay awesome.
BBC television. That's what's great.
Now, I know that I'm a little behind on what the UK considers regular programming. Not only am I an American, I'm an American in a cultural desert. Things take a while to trickle down out here, when they trickle down at all. But whenever I see BBC programs (or programmes), I just get this warm, happy feeling inside.
Yeah, it's not all tea and crumpets. Occasionally, I watch something and either don't get it, don't like it, or just really think it's bad. But this happens hardly ever. Even television that by all rights and reason should be bad somehow...isn't. I mean, Merlin, anyone? Even the most die-hard of fans has to admit, the plot kind of never changes, and the legends are more or less beaten senseless and left in a puddle of historical inaccuracy to die a slow and painful death. Here's the thing, though: I FREAKING LOVE IT. Same thing goes with Robin Hood. (Which, while we're on the subject, Robin baby, when the nice lady says you can trust her? You can't. Just...heads up there, prince of the forest.) And trumping even the it-hurts-so-good bad/good shows are the OMGWHEREHASTHISBEENALLMYLIFEIWANTTOHAVETHISSHOW'SBABIES stuff. Interestingly enough to me, my favorites are all about old people. (Here in the U.S. of A., our protagonists are young, muscled, and have bone structures you can cut yourself on. Most of the time, they're also boring, annoying, or just flat bad actors.) Last of the Summer Wine? That is what good comedy looks like, kids. Foyle's War? One of the incredibly rare thrillers that I can't figure out fifteen minutes in. MI-5 (Spooks in the UK, I believe), Mock the Week, all of the epic classic literature mini series, Life on Mars, Top Gear... WHY SO AWESOME, BBC?
American television? Meh. Oh, we have our moments. Joss Whedon lives here, as does good ol' J.J. Abrams. But seriously, by and large, American T.V. is either reality (gag), rehashed plots and characters (hello, Days of Our Lives 1997), or, and here's the great part...stolen from the BBC. Yeah, they had The Office and Life on Mars first. And those are only two on a long, long list.
My mom and I went DVD hunting the other day, looking for a few gifts. She picked up a case of a show I'd never heard of, passes it to me, and says, "This looks pretty good."
"Really?" I said. "It looks kinda..."
"It's BBC," she interrupted.
And that's pretty much all the proof we needed.
Stay awesome, BBC. Stay awesome.