Distinctly British

I was really geared up to write another critical piece on a show that’s been driving me crazy this past season but when I mention the idea the first response has always been “Are you going to write about things you like?” I do not want to give the impression that I hate everything. I’m not curmudgeonly. What I am is critical and I don’t find that problematic. I accept that most media I take in won’t be great so I keep my standards high and am incredibly pleased when something really works for me.

I’ve been finding that British shows have a style of production about them that works for me. That’s not a snooty “BBC is better than American networks.” It’s a time-tested pattern that I’ve found emerges. Where US TV tends to focus heavily on a producer who can bring about franchises (J.J. Abrams) British TV tends to follow around writers. That means when a creator works you can follow around projects with a more regular results in varying genres. Example? Steven Moffat. Coupling was a great show for the first three seasons and a good one for it’s final fourth. While my previous post explains why I think he has failed Doctor Who, a lot of what doesn’t work on Doctor Who is exactly what does work on his Sherlock. And while he doesn’t write every episode, Moffat returns to the inkwell often enough onSherlock to keep his involvement a valid point.

Another thing is that shows across the pond run shorter and I believe that gives producers a bit more leeway with risks. A new show doesn’t work out? A whole season down the ratings drain is just six episodes, so carry on and try again. Programs also tend to have shorter lifespans as well. Greats shows can run four seasons and that’s not unusual. Even with longer twelve-episode seasons, that’s still just forty-eight episodes. In America, the bar for higher-priced syndication is 100 episodes, or now 88. I think that illustrates quantity versus quality right there.

Enough of the “why”; how about some “what”? What should you be importing? I’ll keep these current because opening up the past or even borders to the Great White North deserve their own posts.

• SherlockAs I’ve said, the darkness of a man simultaneously striving for post-human efficiency while finding himself in the company of his first true friend is a delight to watch. Benedict Cumberbatch is great and Martin Freeman plays his usual bumbling style with a bit of a sharper edge than usual.
• Orphan Black
  This one is on BBC America so it may not meet your import standards but it’s a fantastic show. Tatiana Maslany (you probably won’t recognize that name) is pretty astounding as all of her clone characters. I was initially turned off as I expected it to be a sci-fi show and, while it technically is, really it’s more of a cloak and dagger mystery. But it’s a great one, filled with crisscrossing allegiances, switched identities and different people fighting for all sorts of family units. Toss in Jordan Gavaris as the main character’s socially dexterous gay foster brother and there’s barely any screen time that is less than enthralling.
• Misfits
  Season 5 is currently filming and the show does get a bit muddled after the third season but it’s still better than almost every season of any American super-powered show. Seasons one and two hold a tight arc and season three holds it’s own with an interesting twist laid on the main group.
• UtopiaI don’t know if you’re ready for this one. The single season that is out is only six episodes long but it will fuck with you. The editing, music, and cinematography are all harsh. The characters are a disparate lot. The conspiracy is both simple and revealed in a labyrinthine manner. And it’s all pretty sick. But it’s about a comic book and the future of the world and if you like it after the first episode you’ll want to finish this in a single sitting. Pace yourself. And despite pretty low ratings another season is on the way, help us all.
• There are also a number of trivia shows that I adore (8 Out of 10 Cats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI) but I figure that I’d stick to scripted shows for now. But given access, try those out as well.