@DRDMovieMusings said:

@bratface said:

@JustinJackFlash said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

If you're in the UK that likely explains it. We don't all get the same shows. There's lots of UK TV we never got/get here in Canada. I remember my mom used to watch "On the Buses" and we thought it was hilarious. And I loved Benny Hill. But there's lots of shows you guys have over there that I've never heard of, so it's not a surprise if I'm mentioning shows that simply didn't make it across or weren't popular it they did.

No worries.

You haven't been missing much. American tv has always been much better than British. British tv has always been mostly bad (although we have been getting better recently). America has always produced good stuff from things like The Twilight Zone to The Simpsons and X-Files through to the constant stream of HBO type shows we get today. Though we have always been more innovative at comedy with shows like The Office and Monty Python. Does Canada get it's own tv shows or is it generally just US stuff?

I forgot to add, Canada has it's share of stinkers (one that immediately comes to mind is 'Flashpoint'), just like any other country!

I so wanted to like Flashpoint. While it wasn't terrible, it could have been so much more. That said, it's theme song is my main ringtone!

I personally thought it was goofy & the acting (especially Hugh Dillon) was just abysmal., even Colantoni couldn't save it!

@bratface said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@bratface said:

@JustinJackFlash said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

If you're in the UK that likely explains it. We don't all get the same shows. There's lots of UK TV we never got/get here in Canada. I remember my mom used to watch "On the Buses" and we thought it was hilarious. And I loved Benny Hill. But there's lots of shows you guys have over there that I've never heard of, so it's not a surprise if I'm mentioning shows that simply didn't make it across or weren't popular it they did.

No worries.

You haven't been missing much. American tv has always been much better than British. British tv has always been mostly bad (although we have been getting better recently). America has always produced good stuff from things like The Twilight Zone to The Simpsons and X-Files through to the constant stream of HBO type shows we get today. Though we have always been more innovative at comedy with shows like The Office and Monty Python. Does Canada get it's own tv shows or is it generally just US stuff?

I forgot to add, Canada has it's share of stinkers (one that immediately comes to mind is 'Flashpoint'), just like any other country!

I so wanted to like Flashpoint. While it wasn't terrible, it could have been so much more. That said, it's theme song is my main ringtone!

I personally thought it was goofy & the acting (especially Hugh Dillon) was just abysmal., even Colantoni couldn't save it!

I loved that it was (not just shot in but) set in Toronto.

@bratface said:

The first (& best IMHO) is Luther. I'll have to think on the rest. But if you could give me a clue about what you don't like that would help.

Sorry, I did give Luther a try once and it's one of the prime examples of why I think British TV isn't very good. I recognise it's well regarded so it's possible I might be missing something but I found it very cliched. Idris Elba's performance is great and the reason I stuck out the first season. But the character he plays is your typical maverick cop haunted by a dark past. He breaks the rules, he broods a lot. Much of the story has him chasing after the wife who's left him which leads to more scenes that we've seen a million times before. Ruth Wilson acts like she's in panto as the bad guy. And it's all shot with the typical unambitious UK tv aesthetic. I was confused as to why it was so well liked.

I see recycled tropes a lot in British TV, which is why I've never really been a fan. And I tend to get the impression that because our tv is generally run of the mill that when something that isn't terrible comes out, such as Luther, it gets acclaimed as amazing simply for not being terrible.

Not that I'm saying you're wrong for liking it. It seems to be me that's in the minority on that one.

But an example of groundbreaking UK tv that I really liked and isn't recent was a 90s show called This Life. It was a simple set up but realistic and way ahead of it's time. It felt like some of the high quality tv we get today in the ways it handled complex themes in a mature way.

The Protectors: If you think that's cheesy, what about "Cover Up": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXgIIp29RJ8

Salem/UK: It used to be on Netflix, but I think it's gone.

UK vs US: As a fellow UK dweller, I can see where you're coming from. Most of what I watch isn't UK produced, as they seem to major on soaps, period dramas and "cosy" crime. Also, there was a long period when everything was incredibly cheap. It wasn't until the BBC and other channels started farming out to outside production companies that production values seemed to improve. This is probably the only instance I've seen of outsourcing working. Some UK shows I would recommend, depending on your tastes, would be Humans, Utopia, Zomboat!, Black Mirror, Misfits, Yonderland. Does Penny Dreadful (the original) count as UK? Going through my ratings shows that maybe I've watched more than i realise!

@M.LeMarchand said:

The Protectors: If you think that's cheesy, what about "Cover Up": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXgIIp29RJ8

Haha, that looks like a home video.

UK vs US: As a fellow UK dweller, I can see where you're coming from. Most of what I watch isn't UK produced, as they seem to major on soaps, period dramas and "cosy" crime.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought. For a long time they played it very safe. And "cosy" crime is a good description.

Also, there was a long period when everything was incredibly cheap. It wasn't until the BBC and other channels started farming out to outside production companies that production values seemed to improve.

That does explain a lot.

This is probably the only instance Ive seen of outsourcing working. Some UK shows I would recommend, depending on your tastes, would be Humans, Utopia, Zomboat!, Black Mirror, Misfits, Yonderland. Does Penny Dreadful (the original) count as UK? Going through my ratings shows that maybe I've watched more than i realise!

Yeah, I've watched all of Humans, Utopia, Black Mirror, Misfits and Penny Dreadful and all are good examples of risk taking tv. I particularly loved Utopia and it sucked so much that it got cancelled. I've never heard of Zomboat! though.

Two very recent UK TV shows which absolutely blew my mind and I recommend everyone should give a go so you can see what we are truly capable of were Gangs of London and Normal People. Gangs of London was showrun by The Raid director Gareth Evans and he also directed many of the episodes. We are definitely on the up!

@JustinJackFlash said:

Yeah, I've watched all of Humans, Utopia, Black Mirror, Misfits and Penny Dreadful and all are good examples of risk taking tv. I particularly loved Utopia and it sucked so much that it got cancelled. I've never heard of Zomboat! though.

Two very recent UK TV shows which absolutely blew my mind and I recommend everyone should give a go so you can see what we are truly capable of were Gangs of London and Normal People. Gangs of London was showrun by The Raid director Gareth Evans and he also directed many of the episodes. We are definitely on the up!

What's extra-annoying about Utopia is that it was cancelled for David Fincher's proposed US remake that never happened. The current incarnation's trailer and comments from the showrunners aren't filling me with hope. I'll give it a go, though.

Zomboat! has 2 girls joined by 2 guys to escape the Zombie Apocalypse in Birmingham on a canal boat that goes slightly faster than the zombies following them.

I did consider Gangs of London due to the Gareth Evans link, but I really don't like stuff where the protagonists are gangs/crime families. Normal People looks well-produced, but not really my sort of thing.

@M.LeMarchand said:

What's extra-annoying about Utopia is that it was cancelled for David Fincher's proposed US remake that never happened. The current incarnation's trailer and comments from the showrunners aren't filling me with hope. I'll give it a go, though.

Whoa! John Cusack is in it. I had no idea they were still doing it. I thought they just cancelled the UK version because it wasn't getting enough viewers and they wanted to clear the schedule for another of their big shows. I read something to that effect at the time. I don't think the trailer looks too bad, we'll have to see. It is written by Gillian Flynn who was attached back when Fincher was doing it. I've read Gone Girl and can attest that she is a very capable writer. But, yeah, I would have much preferred to see the rest of the UK version.

Zomboat! has 2 girls joined by 2 guys to escape the Zombie Apocalypse in Birmingham on a canal boat that goes slightly faster than the zombies following them.

That does sound like a funny concept.

I did consider Gangs of London due to the Gareth Evans link, but I really don't like stuff where the protagonists are gangs/crime families. Normal People looks well-produced, but not really my sort of thing.

Yeah, I do realise how both those shows look. But they're actually quite different to what you would expect. Gangs of London does obviously involve gangsters and I was initially weary of it because I'm pretty tired of the whole gangster genre. I was swayed because I love Gareth Evans and it didn't turn out to be the general Guy Ritchie or Peaky Blinders fair. There is a fairly early twist in it that changes that perspective. And the action in it is some of the best you will ever see.

Normal People may look like a typical romance story but it's far from Sleepless in Seattle or Pretty Woman. And yeah, it also is technically a love story but it is far more than that. It's very realistic and grounded. More of a character piece and psychological exploration. If that's still not your thing then a guess that one's not for you.

@JustinJackFlash said:

@bratface said:

The first (& best IMHO) is Luther. I'll have to think on the rest. But if you could give me a clue about what you don't like that would help.

Sorry, I did give Luther a try once and it's one of the prime examples of why I think British TV isn't very good. I recognise it's well regarded so it's possible I might be missing something but I found it very cliched. Idris Elba's performance is great and the reason I stuck out the first season. But the character he plays is your typical maverick cop haunted by a dark past. He breaks the rules, he broods a lot. Much of the story has him chasing after the wife who's left him which leads to more scenes that we've seen a million times before. Ruth Wilson acts like she's in panto as the bad guy. And it's all shot with the typical unambitious UK tv aesthetic. I was confused as to why it was so well liked.

I see recycled tropes a lot in British TV, which is why I've never really been a fan. And I tend to get the impression that because our tv is generally run of the mill that when something that isn't terrible comes out, such as Luther, it gets acclaimed as amazing simply for not being terrible.

Not that I'm saying you're wrong for liking it. It seems to be me that's in the minority on that one.

But an example of groundbreaking UK tv that I really liked and isn't recent was a 90s show called This Life. It was a simple set up but realistic and way ahead of it's time. It felt like some of the high quality tv we get today in the ways it handled complex themes in a mature way.

The reason I watched was Idris Elba. I'd watch him reading the phone book.

@JustinJackFlash said:

@M.LeMarchand said:

What's extra-annoying about Utopia is that it was cancelled for David Fincher's proposed US remake that never happened. The current incarnation's trailer and comments from the showrunners aren't filling me with hope. I'll give it a go, though.

Whoa! John Cusack is in it. I had no idea they were still doing it. I thought they just cancelled the UK version because it wasn't getting enough viewers and they wanted to clear the schedule for another of their big shows. I read something to that effect at the time. I don't think the trailer looks too bad, we'll have to see. It is written by Gillian Flynn who was attached back when Fincher was doing it. I've read Gone Girl and can attest that she is a very capable writer. But, yeah, I would have much preferred to see the rest of the UK version.

New trailer is an improvement: https://youtu.be/dFSKBllxRIw

@M.LeMarchand said:

@JustinJackFlash said:

@M.LeMarchand said:

What's extra-annoying about Utopia is that it was cancelled for David Fincher's proposed US remake that never happened. The current incarnation's trailer and comments from the showrunners aren't filling me with hope. I'll give it a go, though.

Whoa! John Cusack is in it. I had no idea they were still doing it. I thought they just cancelled the UK version because it wasn't getting enough viewers and they wanted to clear the schedule for another of their big shows. I read something to that effect at the time. I don't think the trailer looks too bad, we'll have to see. It is written by Gillian Flynn who was attached back when Fincher was doing it. I've read Gone Girl and can attest that she is a very capable writer. But, yeah, I would have much preferred to see the rest of the UK version.

New trailer is an improvement: https://youtu.be/dFSKBllxRIw

Yeah, I think it looks like it could be fun. They do seem to be racing through the story a lot quicker though. I like how the original was quite slow build. And the guy who looks to be playing the Neil Maskell character doesn't look right. He looks too dweeby whereas Maskell was more of a menacing thug. But I'll definitely be giving it a go.