Is the UK trying too hard for America’s love?
| FEATURES - TV |
Caleb's not looking to close up the Brit/USA cultural divide anytime soon...
For many years, the only way you could see British programming in America was on Public Television. WGBH in Boston was one of the first stations that set out to culture we savages, by bringing us comedy programs like Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Are You Being Served?, and well as dramas, and established programs like Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! PBS helped establish my long love of Doctor Who, and made me a fan of a whole new slew of actors that my contemporaries had never heard of (although now, many of those actors are quite popular with Americans). I soon found myself laughing at Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in Jeeves and Wooster, and then in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, as well as loving them with Rowan Atkinson in the various Blackadder series. A small group of my friends started watching these imported shows, and soon we were all calling each other “smeg heads” and going on about how we wanted to be lumberjacks (and we were okay).
Cable stations like A&E soon started showing more of these programs, and I couldn’t get enough. Finally one day in the mid-nineties, my satellite provider added a new station to our package that made my life a little brighter: BBC America. Suddenly, I was handed even more British programming that I had never seen, as well as some old favorites. It was nice to have so many alternatives to regular television viewing. And it has paid off. Suddenly, my fellow Americans are finally getting it. In the last year, several programs have made Doctor Who references, the most recent being the Dalek-inspired “Funny-Bot” on South Park, and both Matt and Karen have been guests on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Today Show anchor Meredith Vieira has even filmed a cameo for the sixth series of the long-running sci-fi show. However, I fear that maybe programmers are trying a little too hard for the American audience.
There are some who have questioned the decision to film episodes of Doctor Who in America. I thought it was a great decision, as it allowed for The Doctor and company to check out new locations and environments. The new settings for the two-part opener of the series accentuated the storytelling in amazing new ways. But the cynic in me has to ask the obvious question, which is simply did they do it to expand the universe of The Doctor, or was it merely a ploy to get more American viewers?
Steven Moffat is a brilliant writer, and has done great things since taking over as executive producer. I thought it was a brave new challenge to bring the crew of the TARDIS across the pond, and made a larger world for them to explore. It wasn’t the first story to take place in America (William Hartnell actually visited Tombstone). But it was the first time they did any substantial filming here. So was it more for publicity than for the story? I don’t believe so, but that doesn’t mean that others aren’t trying to cater to more American sensibilities.
Russell T. Davies is no stranger to American television. His popular series Queer as Folk was re-invented as a program for American cable, and more recently, he has been working here in the states to produce the fourth series of Torchwood with John Barrowman and Eve Myles joining an American cast. RTD has explained that it was an effort to make Torchwood feel more universal, but we also know that he loves working in America. And you really can’t blame him, because our television producers have more money to throw at programs, and here we can afford to have a group of writers, which makes for less work on his part.
To his credit, RTD has written some fantastic stories, and I have no doubt that the new series – due to hit Starz next month – will be some of the best television that we’ve yet seen. But as has been pointed out by some fans of the series, there’s a certain charm that the first series had. Basing it in Cardiff and giving it a very Welsh feel made it an original show, and very entertaining. I would certainly hope that the show will still capture much of the magic that made it worth watching in the first place (although, former cast members will of course be missed, because their characters were a big part of what made it special). Even still, I get that feeling of dread thinking that the show will be Americanized to the point of being nothing more than another sci-fi action show. I’ll still watch every episode, and I’m certain it will be better than a great deal of what television has to offer, but will it still be Torchwood, or simply a pale shade of what it once was?
"I want a station that will continue to show the programs that I can’t otherwise watch without spending an arm and a leg to order on DVD"
Which brings us to BBC America, that wonderful station that brings programming with a little something different. Over the last year, their programmers have started showing American-made shows, like Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, and coming soon, Battlestar Galactica. All fine series in their own right, but not exactly what I have in mind when I want to watch British programming. Even re-runs of Kitchen Nightmares have given way to the American version. They still make my list of stations I watch more than others because of Doctor Who, The Inbetweeners, Being Human, Demons, and seeing Graham Norton make an ass out of himself (still, I dig the guy’s show).
But they seem to go out of their way to show American movies (recently showing Batman and Superman II), and avoid showing much that might alienate the casual American viewer. I say bollocks (which I’m not sure I’m allowed to say being an American, but since I’m fighting for British programming, I’ll go with it), because I want a station that will continue to show the programs that I can’t otherwise watch without spending an arm and a leg to order on DVD. I don’t know whether or not the BBC has much influence on what happens at their US base, but I beg for someone to listen. Give me more of those Britcoms I’ve grown to love. Give me period dramas and historical costume pieces. Hell, I’d take Mr. Bean if it means that I can watch something that is even a little different from the ordinary.
Time and again, I have heard my foreign friends say that they love the programming they get from America. Why is it so difficult, then, for us to accept their programming? It doesn’t need to cater to us, because it’s great as it is. Exploring other aspect of storytelling is fine. Let the TARDIS land in America, and have the Torchwood gang fight aliens here. But don’t lose sight of what made those programs so magical to begin with. They were original, and in a time of cookie-cutter reality shows and run-of-the-mill sitcoms and too many doctor/cop/lawyer shows, it’s nice to see what else is out there.
See also:
I Was A Teenage Doctor Who Fan In America
Are Americans afraid of everything foreign?
Colin Firth wants a Doctor Who role
Sherlock Makes Television Worth Watching Again
Picking apart the Doctor Who season six trailer
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Comments
I loved them anyway. They don't have to try too hard.
Which is why I am disappointed with BBC America - both for its commercials (something we never had on PBS) and how it edits content for American consumption. Some British guests are edited out of Graham Norton's shows in favor of the American guests (whom we're not interested in because we can see them on talk shows over here.) Someone also mentioned that the only possible tie of Star Trek and British television would be Patrick Stewart - a tenuous thread indeed.
Where's Red Dwarf, old Blackadder or Blake7? If they're going to put on old series, let's get some that at least are British - that is what makes them unique and unfortunately they are going in the wrong direction, which is to shows that anyone can watch on a local UHF repeat. Next we'll see M*A*S*H on there at this point.
As for Doctor Who and filming in America, I don't see it as pandering to an American audience. We know what the American Southwest looks like. Rather it opens up a huge vista to a global audience - like Torchwood, you can get more varied locations in a short distance from Hollywood. Not that I wouldn't love to see more of Wales in productions, but it certainly doesn't limit the shows to go more global.
Now, however, the U.S. public has broader taste. I've seen the TV guides for BBC America and am not that impressed. Much better British programmes could be shown in the States if the stations took more risks.
Having said that, I still believe that we in Europe - especially the U.K. - are more open to (and understand) American humour, etc, far easier than they get ours.
BBC America needs to go back to it's original format of showing uniquely British programming that isn't already available in the States on other cable channels.
And I'm sad to hear that Torchwood is coming back as a US show, The Cardiff setting was one of the coolest things about it.
I know I used to joke (because it was true) that anything I recorded from BBCA was either preceded or followed by an episode of "Benny Hill", but even BH reruns make more sense than US shows. Ugh.
Bell - I do know that DW has filmed in other locales (they also filmed in Canada for the TV Movie), but they really hyped up the fact that they were filming in the US. Again, I have no issue with it, as long as it's not just a ploy for viewership.
Dinky - I have ranted before about the unnecessary remakes of British film and television. All too often, the original is perfect as it is, but whatever the reason, our producers feel we can improve upon it. Unfortunately, we can't.
Good discussion, folks. I'm always interested to see what others think about these topics.
For a very short period of time they were running Hollyoaks. First, they aired it twice nightly. Then, they moved it to late late night. After that, they rebooted the series back to an earlier episode, essentially putting it into reruns for those of us who had been watching it. Lastly, BBC America pulled it from their channel and streamed it from their website--but only for about a month.
I gave up on BBC America after the Hollyoaks fiasco. (It was a trashy show, but I liked it.) Cash in the Attic doesn't interest me, nor does the home improvement shows that I could watch on any number of dedicated home improvement channels on cable.
But if they could commit to Emmerdale, Coronation, East Enders, Hollyoaks, etc. I would definitely watch. However, BBC America would rather show reruns of Star Trek TNG and The X-Files? That's not British programming, and besides, those series have been in syndication forever.
But whatever. I stopped caring about BBC America a LONG time ago.
And there's so much great British SciFi we could be watching! In addition to Red Dwarf, Black Adder and Blake 7 mentioned by someone else, there's the original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Quatermass, and twenty-something years' worth of pre-Eccleston Doctor Who! I'm afraid it looks like PBS has all the best British programming now.
If BBCA thinks they will get more viewers by showing American content they are wrong. People who love BBCA want UK content. Where are the crime dramas? The UK does them SO WELL!
I can't get enough. I collect all the British television movies and TV shows that are available.
For me Torchwood’ charm was in its "welshness", in team dynamics, in all those details that were lost in the third season and can’t be recreated.
For now it seems that Torchwood: Miracle Day is very similar in format to Children of Earth, but on bigger scale. And I don’t think that CoE’ format was suitable for Torchwood. That’s why I’m close to the opinion that maybe Miracle Day will be good, but it won’t be Torchwood. At least not for me.
Being Welsh Torchwood was unique. Becoming American and loosing important factors of its initial success (not only location but other factors as well) it’s like pale shadow of hundreds other sci-fi/action shows.
For the 2005 onwards series this has been continued with episodes shot in Italy, Dubai, Croatia (which doubled for Venice in Vampires of Venice) and of course the USA.
As a Brit, I loved the recent two parter set in the US. I thought the locations looked fantastic, really added to the story and it never felt like the show was pandering to a US audience.
It's great to hear that some British TV has a real following in the US. There's lots of American shows that we love over here and it's good to know that this is reciprocated in some small way.
That's particularly so in shows such as 'Blake's 7', which were made when the notion of home video was itself just a 'sci-fi' idea. Programmes were then bound by contracts which needed to be renegotiated afterwards. A lot of actors - and particularly composers - used the opportunity to effectively blackmail the original program makers when they later wanted to begin home video releases.
Ultimately the Beeb in particular release a huge amount of 'legacy' DVDs with amended soundtracks, for instance, in order to leapfrog the problem (ironically one needs to buy the R1 release, for instance, of 'Only Fools And Horses' and many other legacy BBC shows in order to get 'uncut' and 'original' versions).
Though Auntie Beeb did have an international licensing arm back in the 60s and 70s, agreements made under it seem likely not to have covered the sheer number of episode showings that are now the norm in rerun-land, or account for the public's ability to 'time-shift' and record.
It could be that the Beeb can buy 'Buffy' by the truckload at a viable price, but would pay a huge premium for re-running 'Hitch-Hikers Guide' on BBC America, without any guarantee of a 'cult hit'.
I think it sucks that they're airing American shows and movies now, but BBCA is a network that relies on ratings and ad revenues. Of course they're going to air content that they hope appeals to the widest audience as possible. Of course they helped the BBC finance Doctor Who's trip to the USA and then promoted the show and it filming in the States to hell and back.
However here in Canada we have BBC Canada, and you should be thankful that the american laws on broadcasting don't require a certain % of homemade content for every channel because here it does which means that BBC Canada spends a significant portion of its schedule showing...Canadian shows. I'd add "and not even good ones" but they're canadian so of course they're not good (not to hate on my own country but we're not exactly known for our mindblowing television. What? Degrassi?). So what's the point of having a channel called BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation if half it's content or more is NOT british?
Though you'd think they have the same laws in america considering the amount of american shows BBC america is now showing...and it almost makes it worse that everything they show always sorta has a tenuous british link, like movies being shot there even if produced in america, or directed by a brit, and Star trek: TNG? oh i suppose because Patrick Stewart is british...I mean come on..
Also BBC Canada doesn't even show torchwood or doctor who (which i'm a huge fan of), and really the only show i watch on it now is Top Gear except that like in america they truncate the show to fit in an hour format (in the UK the show is an hour WITHOUT commecials, so an hour and a half with..not a convenient format for north american tv) but unlike BBC America which has been showing the last two seasons uncut, here they still cut it. The worst is one season they cut ALL the guests from the shows. Reasoning that we wouldn't know them anyway (sorry but i know at least 3/4 of the people they ever had on there and if you watch bbc america/canada they should reason that it means you like british tv or movies in general or that you even might be british and that hence you might know who those people are). One of the guest that was cut entirely that season? Christopher Eccleston, while he was still the Doctor. That pissed me off so much i had to turn to the internet to watch this whole season. At least here we have BBC Kids which i watch a lot more than regular BBC because at night it's anything BUT a kids channel and has great comedy shows like Little Britain and French and Saunders (it's almost like at night they aim to attract the complete opposite of their daytime demographics).
A BBC Science Fiction channel would be a better option for shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation and ST: Deep Space Nine.
What the Doctor Who producers do need to do is to film/record many episodes in the distinct Canadian cities of Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto. That way they can get a fresh look to the episodes.
WGBH was my introduction to all thing British outside of literature and I have fond memories of watching all those wonderful shows. And yes, why in the world is BBC America running scores of American tv shows. If I want to watch Star Trek, I'm sure I can find it here. I want British shows, not regurgitation of old American tv.
BBC America needs to go back to what they were known for quality British tv with no American shows. and drop the American shows,constant showings of "Top Gear" and "Gordon Ramsey" and bring back the comedy,drama apart from "Tudors","Law and Order UK" and "Doctor Who"(which I actually like and watch on Saturdays)
because BBC America is going to lose viewers if they keep this up.I used to watch them all the time whenever I was able,now I only watch on Saturdays to catch new episodes of "Dr.Who"