What Makes American TV Much Better Then It"s British Counterpart
Being a Brit I naturally prefer American TV shows over British shows.
I don't think it's a matter of money revenue to make better programs either.
The reality is the British are brilliant at Situational comedy.
Well, Mostly.
Cult classics like Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and The Office not only made it to American Television, They were successes there.
They were a success throughout the whole world.
A fact I was surprised to find out, to my own naivety, when a Hungarian friend of mine was quoting Monty Python sketches.
What the British lack at however is Drama.
Don't get me wrong there has been some very good drama programming in recent years.
Shameless is a great example of something that has worked.
In my opinion the reason Shameless worked is because of the grounded life on the lower end of society.
Being from a Council estate myself (Government owned housing); I have grown up around various scenes of crime.
I have been unwillingly involved in it and I know how the communities of these places work.
Paul Abbot got the feeling of this community and nailed the personalities associated.
The Personalities themselves are what holds the show together, each character has something to offer to a demographics and this is what most British TV lacks and what American Television has grasped and ran with.
American Television has a show for everyone.
Whether you like Crime Drama, Shows like CSI or the now cult classic The Wire.
Science Fiction fans have Stargate and Battlestar Galatica's Prequel; Caprica.
A plethora of Comedy Shows hit every crevice of humor.
South Park touches on the dark humor of life.
30 Rock and The Office explore comedy within life and the work place.
There are also the fantastic shows that bridge the gaps between genres.
Great Examples are Castle and Bones, then meld Crime drama with touches are great comedy to soften a climax which works brilliantly.
The characters on most of the shows are fairly easy to relate to whether it's a Pregnant Girl who's scared of how she'll cope, Teen Drama programs like Secret life of an American Teenager.
Or a socially inept college student who's trying to fit in with the college party lifestyle in the form of Greek.
A viewer likes characters they can relate as a form of immersion and it allows them to enjoy the shows more, much like a good book.
I do personally think British Television shows will get better.
But as TV companies buy up the rights to show American shows, the question we have to ask is.
Do we need to waste money on producing TV shows when American TV companies produce such high quality television that it seems fairly pointless?
I don't think it's a matter of money revenue to make better programs either.
The reality is the British are brilliant at Situational comedy.
Well, Mostly.
Cult classics like Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and The Office not only made it to American Television, They were successes there.
They were a success throughout the whole world.
A fact I was surprised to find out, to my own naivety, when a Hungarian friend of mine was quoting Monty Python sketches.
What the British lack at however is Drama.
Don't get me wrong there has been some very good drama programming in recent years.
Shameless is a great example of something that has worked.
In my opinion the reason Shameless worked is because of the grounded life on the lower end of society.
Being from a Council estate myself (Government owned housing); I have grown up around various scenes of crime.
I have been unwillingly involved in it and I know how the communities of these places work.
Paul Abbot got the feeling of this community and nailed the personalities associated.
The Personalities themselves are what holds the show together, each character has something to offer to a demographics and this is what most British TV lacks and what American Television has grasped and ran with.
American Television has a show for everyone.
Whether you like Crime Drama, Shows like CSI or the now cult classic The Wire.
Science Fiction fans have Stargate and Battlestar Galatica's Prequel; Caprica.
A plethora of Comedy Shows hit every crevice of humor.
South Park touches on the dark humor of life.
30 Rock and The Office explore comedy within life and the work place.
There are also the fantastic shows that bridge the gaps between genres.
Great Examples are Castle and Bones, then meld Crime drama with touches are great comedy to soften a climax which works brilliantly.
The characters on most of the shows are fairly easy to relate to whether it's a Pregnant Girl who's scared of how she'll cope, Teen Drama programs like Secret life of an American Teenager.
Or a socially inept college student who's trying to fit in with the college party lifestyle in the form of Greek.
A viewer likes characters they can relate as a form of immersion and it allows them to enjoy the shows more, much like a good book.
I do personally think British Television shows will get better.
But as TV companies buy up the rights to show American shows, the question we have to ask is.
Do we need to waste money on producing TV shows when American TV companies produce such high quality television that it seems fairly pointless?
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