British TV is toilet

gmloki

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Don't know how much TV you guys watch so this might not be relevant to you. I watched the first couple of episodes of Lost on Channel 4 and on the whole I was impressed with it. I firmly beleive the quality off programming coming out of America at the moment is far superior to the dross being served up on the UK screens over the course of the last few years. As such I very rarely watch anything on ITV 1,2 or 3

If there is any flex in the ITV programming schedule it is another excuse to put yet another dumbd down episode of The Street on or some god for saken "I'm a B list celebrity get me on an island with some other cretins and help my flaggin career" or some garish reality home decoration show. I really do fear for this Xmas and what kind of schedule they will put on.

Some of the excellent programmes shown on our screens from across the pond;

* Lost
* Vegas
* The Sopranos
* CSI
* Nip/Tuck
* The Apprentice
* Desperate Housewives
* The Shield
* 24
* Six Feet Under

All of the above have a mix of comedy, drama, good storylines and good acting. I just don't see anything like that over here. Maybe im doing the BBC a dis-service as they do try and put some good programming out. It's like going full circle now.

[/rant]
 

Meatballs

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The problem is that theres a much bigger market in america, so they have much larger budgets. Therefore they do some very decent dramas. However, most of their comedy sucks, which is where we come out on top, as you don't need a large budget for a good one. :)
 

Louster

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Almost all of what you've listed there is formulaic, bullshit hollywood-esque trash, and would be more convincing in an argument as to why US TV "is toilet".
 

Mazling

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As usual, I find myself agreeing with the ever-wise Louster.

Green wing, Garth Marenghi, Absolute Power, Shariah TV, most BBC2 stuff that has been about England recently, Still Game, C4's science/life docu's, and ADAM-HART DAVIS! Loads of great British TV, unless you're a chav.
 

DaGaffer

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America has just as big a proportion of utter crap in its schedules as the UK (if not bigger). You generally only see the best stuff get over here, and a big proportion of what arrives here is from one channel, HBO; which is subscription-only in the US and not really reflective of most (absolutely dire) US TV. Also, we see it in a way that's not as mauled by ads as Americans see it. Trying to watch an episode of say, Scrubs, with four or five ad breaks is fucking torture.
 

gmloki

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Louster said:
Almost all of what you've listed there is formulaic, bullshit hollywood-esque trash, and would be more convincing in an argument as to why US TV "is toilet".

I disagree. The Sopranos is a classic. End of
 

Deadmanwalking

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Ash said:
I disagree. The Sopranos is a classic. End of

Gangsters and stuff innit mate.

While i don't hold an opinion either way on The Sopranos, most of the rest of the stuff you mentioned is utter shit.

The only thing i can think of off the top of my head that is worth a mention is Scrubs, and ... erm ... nah i'm all out of ideas.

We only get the "best" of American TV over here, and then it is aimed at the cesspit of the genepool. Gangsters are funneh mates!11one innit.
 

throdgrain

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Yeh I agree with Louster too, most of it is the usual stuff.

However, the Sopranos is imo one of the best things Ive ever seen on telly, seriously .
 

Trem

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We have Top Gear and Extra's though.

I rest my case.
 

gmloki

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Trem said:
We have Top Gear and Extra's though.

I rest my case.


Top Gear means nothing if you only see a car as way to get from A to B ;)
 

Ch3tan

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HBO will never top Oz. No matter what they pay stupid money for next.
 

Marc

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British TV produced shameless, the greatest TV show in history. How can it be shit?
 

Tom

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The Sopranos rocks, as does 24 (less so) and Lost.

Lets also not forget Battlestar Galactica, which wouldn't have happened were it not for Sky.

Terrestrial TV in this country is still fab, the BBC produces some really good quality documentaries, and how can you forget stuff like The Royle Family, Top Gear, The Bill, Match of the Day, The Wright Stuff, theres loads of good telly here. The american stuff is cherry-picked.
 

Ukle

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Not just cherry picked most of American TV is crap apart from HBO and the odd bits of Sci-fi channel, we have it great in the UK we have great 'free' BBC / C4 channels which provide quality entertainment and Sky / E4 for the good US / HBO shows.

The only thing we fail on is big scale dramas aka all the US shows that have been quoted, and the reason is nobody in the UK can afford them. Its the reason why the BBC wants to get rid of so many staff so that they can start to fund programs with multi-million pound per episode budgets, so hopefully in a few years you will start to see programs of the scale of 24 and the Soprano's made in the UK.
 

Calaen

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Done quick search and couldnt find anything about TV licenses.

What are your views on it?

I personally think its crap. I rarely watch normal TV because there is pretty much nothing on but absolute shite. But I have to pay over 100 pounds.
 

Calaen

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Ukle said:
Not just cherry picked most of American TV is crap apart from HBO and the odd bits of Sci-fi channel, we have it great in the UK we have great 'free' BBC / C4 channels which provide quality entertainment and Sky / E4 for the good US / HBO shows.
.

erm see above post we get charged by the BBC so we can watch Eastenders over and over and over with the same shit over and over. They could always grow some balls and drop the show and think of something new but I doubt that will ever happen in my life time.

Not to forget only fools and fucking horses, its like we are living in the past.
 

Cdr

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heh, you fellas wanna get yourself down here - then you'll really find out what bad TV is.

Lets take what we'd consider the 'normal' TV channels - 1,2,3 and 4.

Here, from about 10am onwards (till around 2:30pm), 2,3 and 4 all have infomercials. Channel 1 has real bad dramas on, the kind of stuff that they take the piss out of on Family Guy or The Simpsons.

Thank god for Sky and the History channel - else we'd be fucked.
 

PLightstar

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Ash said:
Top Gear means nothing if you only see a car as way to get from A to B ;)

well not 100% true, its still a great show for people who like to see Clarkson having the pi** taken out of him.
 

Tom

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Calaen said:
Done quick search and couldnt find anything about TV licenses.

What are your views on it?

I personally think its crap. I rarely watch normal TV because there is pretty much nothing on but absolute shite. But I have to pay over 100 pounds.

Do you also hardly ever listen to BBC radio? Or use the BBC website?

The alternative to no license is paying through advertising. I dread to think what fraction of a shopping bill is attributable to advertising in commerical television and radio. I bet its more expensive tbh.
 

DaGaffer

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I used to work at the BBC, and when I joined I had a pretty ambivalent attitude towards the licence fee - "not fair, blah blah", and at first, the way I saw money being wasted by hordes of oxbridge wankers and management consultants, it reinforced my opinion. But then, after dealing with commercial channels for years I've realised the licence fee is a very good thing. It not only ensures the BBC's output is half-decent, but because it's ad-free, it puts a check on the commercial channels. Although the number of ad-breaks is legislated in the UK, without the BBC this would gradually be eroded and we'd end up with American style telly. So the BBC isn't only a good thing in its own right, its good for TV overall. Plus it gives us Radio 4 which is one of the great cultural benefits of living in Britain. The only thing I'm still ambivalent about is their online output; while the BBC news site is a fine thing, it does represent unfair competition, especially as a substantial part of its audience is outside the UK and doesn't pay for it.
 

Mazling

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Nice to hear from you cdr, but where exactly is 'down here' ? :D
 

Calaen

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Tom said:
Do you also hardly ever listen to BBC radio? Or use the BBC website?

The alternative to no license is paying through advertising. I dread to think what fraction of a shopping bill is attributable to advertising in commerical television and radio. I bet its more expensive tbh.

In all honesty I never listen to BBC radio and if it came down to having to pay to view the BBC web site I wouldnt bother for the few times I get a link on FH to view some news story. I have no problem paying for something that I use and value, a choice would be nice.
 

Aada

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Tom said:
The Sopranos rocks, as does 24 (less so) and Lost.

Lets also not forget Battlestar Galactica, which wouldn't have happened were it not for Sky.

Terrestrial TV in this country is still fab, the BBC produces some really good quality documentaries, and how can you forget stuff like The Royle Family, Top Gear, The Bill, Match of the Day, The Wright Stuff, theres loads of good telly here. The american stuff is cherry-picked.

The Bill? oh please its about time Sun Hill was nuked.

I agree with OP british telly isn't that good there is too much reality TV happening and America is starting to realise that people are getting bored with reality TV. Hence why some genius made Lost and now every network in America wants decent writers.

Bring on Joss Whedon.
 

SawTooTH

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I think the quality of British TV is at its lowest point for years. I can remember watching high quality documentaries on BBC1 at peak viewing time. Now we get pseudo science...erm this is me swimming with an extinct shark crap. Braniac ffs...and all those women orientated dress like this, look younger, eat this, decorate that load of crap that occupies all channels now.

As for US tv there are a few gems, Band of Brothers (I know HBO/BBC) and the new HBO series Caeser (same producers as BoBs).

Im not for slating US tv as we lap it up when we get it so we have ourselves to blame for watching it.
 

Wij

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Brainiac rocks :)

It's junk telly on the cheap. I don't have to watch quality stuff all the time. Sometimes I wanna know if it takes longer to eat a load of crackers than dried Pot Noodle :)
 

Skyler

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I see Lou's point on the whole American TV being not so great side...

But I really do enjoy watching a lot of it. It's great without the ad's too ;)
 

Embattle

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Mazling said:
Nice to hear from you cdr, but where exactly is 'down here' ? :D

New Zealand....a country I so much want to visit for its natural beauty.
 

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