solosater

So I’ve been thinking about how different TV is around the world, in the comments on sheftali52’s
http://www.thinkdraw.com/picture.php?pictureId=37402
Baldur made a reference to a Canadian comedy The Red Green Show, which is fabulous btw. I started thinking of all the shows over the years that we here in America don’t get to see on a regular basis and of what we have missed entirely, and I’m sure that is true of people around the world.

I had the thought that the quality from Canadian, Australian, and British TV (I’m sure there are more but these are the ones I’ve seen) is so far beyond our comedies here. I’m not saying we don’t have good TV here, we have some really great programs I love to watch but very few that make me laugh until I hurt. We seem to have a lot of “Goofy/Stupid” comedies whereas ya’all seem to produce the rare “Goofy/Hysterical”.

For just a few examples of what I’m talking about, The Kids in the Hall, The Red Green Show (CAN) Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Absolutely Fabulous, Red Dwarf, Coupling (UK) and the only one I’m real familiar with in Australia, Farscape (more sci-fi than comedy but still funny). Now these are all older shows but that’s when we get them here so please bear with me, I’m sure you’ll have many to add if you are at all interested in my post.

I find it’s true of movies as well, have you seen Danny Deckchair, how about Muriel’s Wedding or Strictly Ballroom? I believe these are all Australian. I can’t off the top of my head think of any from Canada but The UK of course had all the Monty Python movies, The Holy Grail, The Meaning of Life, and my personal favorite, The Life of Brian and there are more. “Bollywood” apparently puts out some good stuff too though I’ve missed it.

I also love to watch the mysteries on British TV, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (oddly enough, based on books & characters written by an American author), Second Site, Prime Suspect, Touching Evil, and Wire in the Blood. On Canadian TV I’ve seen De Vinci’s Inquest and some show about cold cases both are pretty good though I don’t think they stack up against the Brits’.

As for American TV we do have some great dramas and mysteries past and present, all of the CSI franchises, Criminal Minds, Prison Break, ER, The West Wing, Bones and a whole host of others I can’t think of now. And we seem to do very well in sci-fI - The X-Files, Firefly, all of the Star Trek franchises, Stargate SGI & Atlantis (both filmed in Canada as was The X-Files, I believe), Threshold was great but got canceled, and there have been many more in this genre as well.

What absolutely kills me is when some idiot decides to bring over a show from somewhere else. They, for the most part, completely miss the mark. For example, one of the cable networks decided to remake Touching Evil, it was terrible and did you see their attempt at Coupling, it was a disaster! I have never watched The Office, either the UK’s or the American version (just not my thing), but apparently they’re both good.

So what’s my point? I want to know what some of your favorites are on your local TV stations. I get netflix; they carry almost everything from everywhere. I’m guessing there are other DVD rental companies around the world that do the same, perhaps we could all see something we may have missed out on.

Also, do you agree/disagree with my take on this? What’s your favorite genre? Why do you think it is that there is such dissimilarity in the programming? Do you like foreign or domestic (to wherever you happen to be)? Or have you, like me, decided that there’s just nothing on worth watching and gone totally DVD all the time. Mind you, I don’t have cable or satellite TV in my home so I’m missing a lot on that score.

Let me know what you think.

Baldur

I never miss BBC's ' Keeping Up Appearances', Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced 'Bouquet') is truly amazing.

solosater

I love her! I feel so much pity for her poor beleaguered husband. And how about that brother in law of hers, he’s fabulous!

She’s in some other show too, some mystery I think, but I can’t take it seriously, I keep expecting her to swipe some piece of chipped crockery off a shelf and hide it behind a huge, glamorous, “ancestral” portrait or something.

solosater

So you are Canadian, yes? What else am I missing from there? I know a lot of shows are filmed there so I get to see great Canadian actors often but not so much the writing and directing and such.

solosater

Sorry, that was directed at Baldur, though I guess anyone who knows could certainly reply.

Baldur

No, I'm not Canadian but I have been there often enough. I would love to move to Fredericton, New Brunswick when I retire.

lynnspotter

I used to watch "Are You Being Served" (British) & always LOL!

solosater

I grew up on "Are You Being Served" and always thought it was a hoot but having seen it more recently I realized I hadn't really understood a lot of the humor, the interplay in the characters and all. I think I'd enjoy it now too but on a totally different level.

solosater

Baldur, Why do I think you are Canadian? Was it the Red Green thing? I feel sure you live in the north east, am I off my rocker? It's ok, you can tell me I've been called worse.

Baldur

I live in RI, a small rural town in the Northeastern part, Actually this area was heavily populated by French Canadians at the end of the 19th century. Nearby Woonsocket, RI had quite a few textile mills and the Canadians came for the jobs.
I don't have that in my bloodline though, my family all came from Lithuania early in the 20th century.

That being said I've been to Canada at least 20 times, mostly to the Maritimes. Also been to Toronto twice, and bought my kilt there.

Baldur

-eastern +western, Baldur should really learn his geography

Dragon

Red Green (especially the older ones) was always one of my favorites and I honestly do know people who think duct tape is God's gift to home renovation - I lived in a house once and the last guy who lived there thought that if you couldn't fix it with duct tape you could just use silicone (or both in the case of pool repair). Kids in the Hall was also classic comedy before it got a little gross.
One of my favorite current ones is Corner Gas. So full of people who would swear you know from your own life.
If you want a good laugh from a Canadian movie try Men with Brooms. It helps to understand that Canadians have a national obsession with curling (almost as big as our obsession for hockey - one of our curlers from the Womens Olympic curling team died of cancer a few years back and flags flew at 1/2 mast all over the country in honour of her).
For an old Canadian classic you can't go wrong with Strang Brew (Bob and Doug MacKenzie at their best - Ku-ru-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku Koo)

Dragon

Forgot to put in the best of Britain. Absolutely love Red Dwarf and Fawlty Towers just about makes me laugh hard enough to pee myself. (Hmm, maybe more info than you really wanted)

solosater

Baldur, I knew you lived in Rhode Island, you’ve said so. I’ve no clue what I was thinking.

Dragon, I’ve met only one other person who had ever even seen Red Dwarf. I had to get it on netflix because it showed out of order and very sporadically on PBS (I can’t stand that). I saw every episode and was never disappointed, until it ended of course.

Fawlty Towers is/was great too but I only saw like 2 episodes I think, perhaps I’ll see if it’s available on netflix. There was another one I saw an episode of, I want to say My Hero, there’s a “super hero/alien” and his earthling wife and halfling child, looked really funny.

I saw part of an episode of Corner Gas (I immediately thought of The Red Green Show [btw, I’m with you, the older ones are better]), I was all into it but my friend had the remote and so all the power. She’s not about quirky.

I love that stuff. I swear I’m related to these people! She thinks I’m related to those people too.

solosater

As for too much information, go read my post in the "next on you reading list" thread, I'm sure you'll feel completely ok about you're comment here.

Dragon

I missed the last couple of seasons of Red Dwarf, I always liked to watch it on PBS when they did their pledge drives they'd often do whole weekend marathons and would show them in order. Somewhere along the way it seems they stopped doing that. I was so happy to see that someone else enjoys it too.
As for Red Green, I always loved Adventures with Bill and the brief moments of poetry called 'The Winter of our Discount Tent' Fondly remember an Ode to The Roof which ended "We have a lot in common, that roof and I. We both leak, we both have shingles, and we both end in the gutter."
How can you go wrong with Possum Lodge Poetry.

solosater

I missed that! FUNNY!!! I'm like you are with Red Dwarf on the Red Green, very hit and miss after a while, I'll have to check out Netflix & see if they have it. I love Pat McKenna (Red’s nephew, Harold) and got to see him in Stargate SG1, that made my day! He guested a couple of times as a super smart scientist, LOL! If you are into that sort of thing check out an episode of SG1 called “The Other Guys” in which he co-stared with John Billingsley, very funny.

You’re in Canada, yes? I’ve been wrong on these things before;-) Isn’t there a Canadian “Netflix” or somesuch? They may have the Red Dwarf you missed.

Dragon

I am in Canada, I'll have to check if Netflix is up here, I've heard of it but never really looked into it. Actually I have the first 5 seasons of Red Dwarf on DVD. Got it on E-Bay and I'm still planning on getting the rest.

There used to be a show here in Canada called Traders that Pat McKenna was on. He played a really cut throat stock trader. I never actually watched it but I always saw him in the ads being very sarcastic and mean and I'd always think, God does he ever look like Harold.

solosater

It’s funny isn’t it to see people so out of context, I sometimes won’t watch a show because I just can’t take it seriously, I mentioned the one with “Hyacinth” from Keeping Up Appearances but there have been others as well.

Then other people do it so well, Tom Selleck, George Clooney and Robin Williams can play comedy and drama equally well and others too, Joan Cusack is good at both though she’s not so proliferate and Bette Midler is good that way too, more with the singing and acting though.

That’s becoming something you see more and more these days actors singing and dancing. It used to be that way for all of them but for a long time, at least the American’s, didn’t seem to do that. I think the Brits are all so versital in their parts and venue they have to be multi-talented. Anyway it’s a trend I’m enjoying.

anotherronism

Let me weigh in on US TV. We do have some gems. (And I am NOT a fan of the DSI franchise - it's techno-babble with no possibility of solving the cases yourself).

My all-time favorite, even with the schmaltz is M*A*S*H. To run that long and never ever jump the shark - well, wow!

Then there's The Soprano's. What can I say - sure - they jumped the shark but... There's always seasons one, two and three...

And - for comedy - there's always the first and second season of Malcolm in the Middle. They DID jump the shark but still produced good stuff afterwards. I always thought this show should've recycled the kids and started over. It was so much less interesting when the boys all got older. Their age differences were so relevant in the first seasons and not so much later.

And one of my all-time favorites - one measly little season but - Freaks and Geeks. Hello Seth Rogen, nice to meet you. There was no question at all that you would go on to do what you've done.