British v American TV

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by peepcreep

The above channels, and others like Nat Geog, make inferior tabloid documentaries mutilated by over-editing and annoying upbeat music. PBS makes the only US documentaries I can watch.

The quality of the shows on channels like Discovery and History can vary widely. Some are highly "popularized" quickies for people who don't know when WWII was, others are pretty good. None are going to be scholarly works for experts in the field (whatever the field is) simply because they do want an audience of more than about 500, but there is some good stuff on them.

[brianwp]

I think the difference between British and American tv is...that most of the British tv's are in England, innit? And we've got a lot of American tv's here, in America, no doubt. Thank you.

[Oswald]

We have programmes such as 'Top Gear' where if the presenters don't like a particular car they'll tell us - I doubt whether this policy would work on US TV where advertisers' take a high priority - and that'll include motor car manufacturers.

[Ace1965]

Originally Posted by Oswald

We have programmes such as 'Top Gear' where if the presenters don't like a particular car they'll tell us - I doubt whether this policy would work on US TV where advertisers' take a high priority - and that'll include motor car manufacturers.

There was a idea for an American version of Top Gear last year with Adam Carrolla, drift car driver Tanner Foust, and somebody else who's name escapes me.

It was supposed to be on NBC and they even did a pilot episode but it never went anywhere past that.

You hit the nail on the head in that advertisers, especially auto manufacturers would not take kindly to having their products slammed on such a review show.

[Rangerdave]

It may not be the most intellectual program or the air, but I simply must have my weekly dose of Top Gear.

[eelcat]

I once thought America had the monopoly on sh*thouse television shows but I think the UK has taken that crown or close to taking it. On cable tv here we have these lifestyle channels and at first I thought they were predominantly American shows, but in reality they are British shows.....CRAP British shows....shows about rich people doing up their houses....rich people buying and selling houses....rich people selling their antiques to pay for a new conservatory....fat rich women being taught how to dress properly....rich people pretending to be poor....rich people doing up the gardens etc etc. Bargain Hunt is the only half decent show amongst the lot and even then that has it's moments.
I will say I do enjoy the real life British and American crime shows

[squigg58]

Originally Posted by eelcat

I once thought America had the monopoly on sh*thouse television shows but I think the UK has taken that crown or close to taking it. On cable tv here we have these lifestyle channels and at first I thought they were predominantly American shows, but in reality they are British shows.....CRAP British shows....shows about rich people doing up their houses....rich people buying and selling houses....rich people selling their antiques to pay for a new conservatory....fat rich women being taught how to dress properly....rich people pretending to be poor....rich people doing up the gardens etc etc. Bargain Hunt is the only half decent show amongst the lot and even then that has it's moments.

I know the ones you're talking about, eelcat, and as a UK TV licence-fee payer, I end up funding this crap! You've now inspired me to add another thing to my list of "What annoys me the most"!

[goofy]

As a visitor to Great Britain in 2006, I found the best thing about British TV was the commercials!! I'm not kidding, the commercials are generally witty and well done, as opposed to the TV shows, excepting the crime dramas.

Goofy

[Navvet]

As an American, I have to say that there have been several British shows that I've loved over the years. The Avengers (the Diana Rigg episodes), was a particular favorite of mine. As for comedy, the Benny Hill show always put me in stitches. Generally, Monty Python wasn't my taste, but there WERE a few bits that I found hysterical. Lately, one of my favorites has been Foyle's War. I only wish that all the episodes of that series would be re-broadcast, so I can enjoy the ones I missed.
Unfortunately, there are more reality-based shows on US TV than any other type (so it seems). That's why I watch mostly cable (pay) TV.
I was last in London in 1989. I was wondering. Are there still only three television channels in England? Do you have pay TV?

[imracerx]

Originally Posted by jawbone

In every era, including today, there are always excellent shows that people will remember, there are a fair number of good shows but given the time that needs to be filled there also was & still is an awful lot of rubbish. Our brains are very good at filtering out that rubbish so our memories of TV in bygone eras are always better than we felt at the time. There is a whole nostalga industry based on this premise.

You know what I always say- Nostalgia ain't what it used to be....