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-   -   Is USA TV Far Superior To UK TV? (https://www.cult-labs.com/forums/television/10626-usa-tv-far-superior-uk-tv.html)

PaulD 5th April 2013 06:18 AM

American sitcoms are far better than the UK's in my opinion. Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family are far better than stuff we've produced. I know a lot of people won't agree with that but I'd take those shows over Fawlty Towers, The Office, Only Fools and Horses etc any day

Delirium 5th April 2013 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Criterion7 (Post 333157)
Twin Peaks..6great episodes followed by a series that completely fell apart.
Carnivale...never ended.
Battlestar...extremely over-rated.


You could go on but american tv isn't as good. They spoon feed in the sitcoms and programming. It's just not as good nor as intelligent. The structure is what kills it. The longer seasons and the dumbed down scripts.

You realize it's only by doing the shorter seasons like those done in the UK that they have managed to structure some of these shows tighter.

A good show like Carnivale will be either watered down or cancelled. You mention Firefly, a series cancelled after the first season. And twin peaks a show that was so bungled by the channel that he literally killed off his cast.

Firefly may have been cancelled, but it doesn't take away the genius of the first season which many choose to revisit. Think replay value.. after all the question is if US TV is better. As for Twin Peaks - it may have gone all over the place in Season 2, but so what? It endures and has an unprecedented cult following and tons of replay value. And Battlestar may be overrated to you, but many people loved that show. My OH and I had a blast with it and flew through all the seasons.

And as for Breaking Bad and Deadwood which you neglect to comment on - astonishing TV.

Criterion7 5th April 2013 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delirium (Post 333211)
Firefly may have been cancelled, but it doesn't take away the genius of the first season which many choose to revisit. Think replay value.. after all the question is if US TV is better. As for Twin Peaks - it may have gone all over the place in Season 2, but so what? It endures and has an unprecedented cult following and tons of replay value. And Battlestar may be overrated to you, but many people loved that show. My OH and I had a blast with it and flew through all the seasons.

And as for Breaking Bad and Deadwood which you neglect to comment on - astonishing TV.

I didn't mention them because overall I like Breaking Bad and though I own Deadwood I've yet to watch a complete series.

Those few shows do not outweight the idiocy of American television and its far from superior, I haven't seen tv worst than american.

Its a dumbed down ideology. If there is one place and one place only that I find the tv well done it The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Demdike@Cult Labs 5th April 2013 07:27 PM

I think the reason we, as in from the UK, rate US tv highly is the same reason British shows gain a north American audience, and thats because we only see the cream of the crop in each case.

Rik 5th April 2013 08:30 PM

We had a show about dogging on TV last night, this argument is void :coolblue:

Criterion7 5th April 2013 09:40 PM

jerry Springer
Judge Judy
Morton Downey Jr Show
Geraldo
Pink Lady and Jeff
Marvin marvin
Cop Rock
Viva laughlin(yes they actually tried to do Blackpool)
Couplings(American version)
Liz and Dick(worst tv movie ever made)

Checkmate..and thats but a few.

Demdike had the truest post on this thread. We usually only see the best of each others programming.

I'm from canada and we grew up with a mixture of British and American TV and what little Canadian content we had when I was a kid. I never felt my intelligence insulted when watching british tv. The reason American shows that are written even remotely smart get such press is because there are so many very very mind numbingly bad programs.

Demdike@Cult Labs 5th April 2013 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Criterion7 (Post 333497)
Couplings(American version)

The original British series is excellent. The best thing Stephen Moffat's ever done imo.

And he squeezed a Dalek into a few episodes. :lol:

Criterion7 5th April 2013 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demdike (Post 333499)
The original British series is excellent. The best thing Stephen Moffat's ever done imo.

And he squeezed a Dalek into a few episodes. :lol:

One of my favorite..last series was a bit iffy though. Jeff was missed.

Hawkmonger 22nd April 2013 01:11 PM

Does the US have Father Ted? I think not!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD-fPb87mVA

Roughale 22nd April 2013 02:39 PM

Just have a try at the pilot for the TV series version of Zombieland and try to honestly say that US TV is superior :pound:


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