British TV versus American TV~
 

So ... lately.. I've been watching more and more British TV shows. I find that I like the storylines, the actors,the writing/dialogue and the overall interactions between the characters to be ever the more appealing to me. xD;

For example, the show Being Human. Originally, it was aired in the UK. America decided to make its own, and compared to the original, its terrible!

So what do you guys think?

Have you watched any British TV shows? If you have, how do they compare, in your opinion, to some of the American shows you've seen?

I'm moving this to the Television section, as this clearly belongs there. (:

Same thing with Skins originally aired in UK, then America took it and it battled with the parents and it was on the borderline of being banned by the FCC (Federal Censorship Corporations). I've seen them both and the American Skins seemed a little bit more darker than the British version.

The reason I think why when Americans takes foreign shows and make it their version but keeping it in the original plotlines are very difficult since the two Censorship corporations are very different from each other in their morals and values.

In American, it's alright if we disembowled someone, decapitate them, blow their brains out, all of those violent acts but God forbid if a postion other than missionary can affect a child life negatively. So open about violence, restriction on sex.

In Europe, it's alright if the postions are out of the terms we live by like doggy styles, blowjobs (I'm not listing them all, but you know what I mean), and God forbids if someone gets shot out of revenge. So open about sex, restriction on violence.

English shows are more open to the real world type of things like teens will go out partying, get drunk, have sex, take drugs, etc. It's a rebellion process that kids go through at some point.

American shows are the more glamorized worlds and WOULD think that the world is perfect, expecting that their teens will be in their rooms, studying, go to school, and be a good child when in the underworld part is the drinking, drugs, and sex; and that what makes parents fear for is if their children watch a show like Skins they'll end up be junkies later on which isn't the case at all.

American parents are really fearfull and don't blame themselves for letting your child to watch (British-gone-American) Skins they blame the corporartions for their problems. Show are based on to entertain us, not teach us about the norms and what you should do in public and how to act.

Johnny;; Thanks. xD; I'm clearly absent minded tonight. ><;

Holy hell, Echo. Quite a rant, there! xD;

I agree with a lot of that. But, heres the thing--- Some British TV shows are EXACTLY like the ones we have here, in America. Yes, sex is over exploited, so is death, and violence. But heres the thing. Some British TV shows are EXACTLY like the ones we have here. I mean, take Torchwood.

The SECOND episode was about a being that survived off orgasmic energy. They showed the woman who was possessed by said being, Shagging the hell out of all these men and women. Sometimes, the UK has no shame. xD And I absolutely love it. But its done in a... tasteful.. fashion?

I guess I was gearing the discussion to be more about effects, how the shows differ in style. Which people think has more.. gyahhh.. whats the word... uhm.. personality? Like, which would you rather watch?

I got that info from a doctumentary XD

No problem at all. xD

Now that my modly duties are finished with in this thread, I can post an actual response!:

I do wish I'd seen these shows that are direct adaptations of the British versions, like Skins and Being Human, but I haven't. So my opinion comes from the experience I have with British shows in general:

For some reason - and I can't begin to tell you why this is - I find that British shows do have more personality and originality that American shows. I guess I could theorize that shows/networks have to pander to viewers because they rely entirely on commercials, so the status quo never changes. With the success of CSI, suddenly every show on American networks is murder/mystery-styled. Doesn't matter if it's a murder, a bank robbing, a disease, a court case... there's still that element of mystery, because that's what networks assume people want to watch. They don't take chances anymore.

On the other side, British shows are allowed to be more creative, take more chances, and push more envelopes because they don't quite have the "pander to the viewer" mindset that TV in America does.

I don't even watch British shows that often, but I hate it when we do American remakes. If the original was so great, why not just show that here? Why the Hell do we have to take someone else's idea and do it all over? It's lazy, I think. But that could just be me.

I never watched much British television but with the way I've been becoming a bit bored with American TV, I might start. O=

My mom and I watch piles of the older shows. We both like murder mysteries but since so much of the north american shows are fixated on action and suspece and drama it gets tiring. We instead go with the Brit stuff like "Midsomer Murders" and occasionaly "New Tricks." Not to mention the situational comedy stuff like "Keeping Up Appearances." :D

The theme to Midsomer Murders is played on a theramin. That's funky. ;)

The only british show I've ever watched was Britains got talent. I guess that counts for something. :P

The only shows I watch at BBC was "You Are What you Eat" and on occasions "How Clean is your House?"

I prefer British TV series SO much more than American ones. Mostly because of the way they pronounce the words, and the feeling you get by watching the series. Micfits and Skins are the favorites c:

I like British TV better, too. xD;

I'm getting so sick and tired of American crap. ><

mehh, the only thing i've watched is animes and asian/japanese dramas i have watched before.. lol.

Well, I haven't actually watched story oriented shows before, but I have watch their real reality shows, like How Clean is Your House, Kitchen Nightmares and things like that on BBC when I had it. They were much more entertaining than the one here in America.

I don't really watch a lot of tv in general, but I do watch some things online. What I've seen of British television, I can say I enjoyed more than American television. I really loved a show called "IT Crowd".

I've heard of that! But... never checked it out. xD;

I don't watch a lot of TV either. And I don't even get the BBC channel. So everything I've seen, I've seen online.

American shows seem to be melodramatic, I find it amusing.

We're very melodramatic. xDD; Its great.

Im liking both..but I think British Tv is more awesome I like doctor who... I only watch those over the internet

British TV is where it's at. 8D Doctor Who, Skins, IT Crowd. ♥

Considering I'm British, yes. XD
Honestly, I love both, but I despise remakes.

I tend to prefer British dramas, because they're usually quite humorous, which I don't see as much in American dramas. (But that may be because I don't actually watch very many of them.) I find a lot of British programmes don't take themselves as seriously as others. For example, at the moment I've started watching Life on Mars (another programme America remade) again, which is brilliant but the characters are hilarious sometimes.

By the way, I love The IT Crowd, Alexander. I think they tried to do an American version of it, but still with Richard Ayoade as Moss? Not sure how far that went, but I assume it was limited to the pilot.

One of the stranger English shows I like is The Mighty Boosh; it just suits my sense of humour to a T. Actually, anything that general circle of people has made is amusing to me.

I love Brit TV, mostly Britcoms, never got into the dramas. But there's a lot of good original American television shows too, they just...mmm they don't tend to make it very long. But there IS a difference in humor between our sitcoms and theirs)
Brit humor is more dry and kind of ... well, stuff like the office. it's not big and broad and usually jokes are delivered in this kind of deadpan fashion and it's the absurdity of the situations that make it funny (I think of things like Spaced, Black Books and Young Ones - my fave 3 britcoms - oh oh and Black Adder, the king of just deadpan comedy)
American humor is a lot more broad, with physical comedy happening a bit more, and more...oh I don't want to use this phrase, but, ironic humor xD Repetition is very big! I'm thinking of things like Arrested Development (which is kind of a case by itself), 30 Rock and Community (god I love Community) oh and How I Met Your Mother ...

I will say between the two British TV feels a little more raw and American tv is a lot more slick, I love how messy and dirty things look on Britcoms sometimes x3

I don't like one over the other or think just because something's British it's automatically excellent, I mean...they also have reality tv shows xP and Simon Cowell lol

just sitcoms? or is this all tv, because i don't like either if it is the first but i like the 'reality' stuff from britton, it's really neat and not as fake as here for sure

I can't stand the office. D;
It's.. terrible. The American version of it is just as bad, and I don't get how anyone finds it funny. XD

I've noticed similes are used a lot more in British comedies. (Red Dwarf's a great example there.)

I find American versions of our comedies are horrid but I think thats because our humour seems to be different.

I mainly watch British comedy and American crime stuff. I'm on panel shows at the moment TV wise.

Just finished watching the very-British Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. One of the best programmes I've seen; just a pity there's not more of it. D:
/can't wait until August-ish for more

Benedict is such a good actor. *u*

I've recently started watching programs from UK, the first was Skins.
Then US got their own Skins, which looked kind of crappy.
They've got Jersey Shore, I don't expect much from american television.
Then I watched Misfits, and it's pretty awesome too. I love how they don't censor much but the program still isn't garbage.

america killed torchwood

The American version of Shameless looks surprisingly more rubbish than our version and I didn't think Shameless could get more crap.

I believe the only British show I have watch is Doctor Who and it is amazing ><

america RUINED faulty towers by making there own(called Amanda's).. get your own damn ideas!!

I enjoy television programs from both the states and the UK. It all depends on the show.
More of the animated shows I watch are made in the US (Adventure Time, Regular Show, etc) where as more of the live action/not animation shows are make in the UK.

I also don't really mind remakes all that much if I've never gotten the chance to watch the original. I will, however, be very peeved if the US ever tried to make their own version of Doctor Who. :I

My nephew watches Kipper the Dog (which is a British Kids show) and it's so funny and cute hearing British accents

Tv Types
 

I prefer more of British TV but there are a few American shows I make an exception for. Though if is going to be translated to another language to English I going to watch the British version, American versions have a tendance to butcher names and omit important details. :mad: