TV has gotten really good lately
I’ll admit it, I love my TV shows. A few years ago I was proud to say that “I don’t watch TV”, but it’s gotten really good lately - and Finns must agree because each year this country gets flooded with more and more shows from the states. Fantastic shows like: The Simpsons, South Park, Reno 911, The Daily Show, Chapelle’s Show, Family Guy, The Office, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Weeds, Entourage, The Sopranos, Big Love, The Wire, Deadwood…(what else am I missing?) No doubt the heads of Nelonen & MTV3 and using bit torrent like crazy to see which programs to pick up for the next season.
The U.S. is (slowly) getting away from that sitcom garbage, you know, those shows were 90% of the action takes place in the living room, and the other 10% takes place in the kitchen which connects to the living room through that oscillating door. Cable/paid/premium stations like Comedy Central, HBO, and Showtime are now mainstream and since they’re not shown on the public airwaves, they can cover more adult topics and say cool words like shit, fuck, cunt, and cocksucker - they’re stealing viewers so the traditional stations (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX) have to take it up a notch. “Movie stars” turned “TV stars” are no longer considered losers whose careers are coming to an end.
Last night was the Golden Globes, thank god no “reality” shows were even nominated. I can’t stand that Idols, Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race etc… And almost as bad is any show involving a hospital, homicide investigators, or lawyers. There’s only one lawyer and his name is Matlock. Next year on Finnish TV, look out for “Ugly Betty”, “Heroes”, and “30 Rock”, I’m sure they’ll come.
Well, there is a TV-world outside the U.S., too. Try Kath & Kim, on TV2 Sunday evenings. It’s an Australian sitcom (sort of).
Comment by N. Siinistö — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
A bit offtopic, but when I saw a part of one episode of the Office, I started to wonder why are this kind of shows and movies re-made in U.S.? I mean, part of me understands the remakes of Honkong etc. movies (small part, thought), but this just the same jokes, caricatures, language (well, atleast it’s in english) again.
Ahh… Imagine sunday noon, slight hangover, dust slowly dancing in a ray of sunlight coming from window, perfect day for outdoor activities… And you are flat on the couch watching Matlock.
The One Lawyer.
Comment by issi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 1:34 pm
Matlock was great back in the day, but now he comes off as a smug know-it-all. Kind of like McGyver or K.I.T.T., both major childhood crushes of mine.
My TV-watching has actually gone down lately. The only series that I follow regularly nowadays are Supernatural, Veronica Mars, House, and Weeds since The Sopranos is also over for now. I also love My Name Is Earl, but since it is now on at the same time with America’s Next Top Model, ANTM takes precedence because I need my shallow fix. Otherwise I hate and despise reality TV.
Comment by Anzi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
A bit offtopic, but when I saw a part of one episode of the Office, I started to wonder why are this kind of shows and movies re-made in U.S.? I mean, part of me understands the remakes of Honkong etc. movies (small part, thought), but this just the same jokes, caricatures, language (well, atleast it’s in english) again.
Well BBC ended it I think. And Ricky Gervais got a deal in the states. I love both the US and UK shows, but the UK show was better. No one does a better David Brent than Ricky.
Comment by Phil — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
3: Yes, I agree Veronica Mars is excellent. Even TV god Joss Whedon said “Best. Show. Ever.”
At this time my favorite is Heroes. I’m just a sucker for superheroes, I guess. Another favorite of mine is The Dead Zone.
I have also a shameful confession to make: I like both Medium and Ghost Whisperer.
I watched about 10 episodes of House and then got bored. I can’t believe I got bored watching Hugh Laurie. It has never happened before. Bernie Wooster rules! I’m going to give House another chance, though.
From the topical shows the number one for me is Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! BBC’s Click is geat too.
Comment by Fat Bastard — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 2:00 pm
Canal+ seems to have dropped the Daily Show. Bad move. Fortunately the relly good clips are usually put on YouTube.
Does any channel in Finland show Family Guy? I recently spent a pile of money on four seasons worth of FG DVDs while I was in England.
I agree completely with Phil on the “reality show” issue. What a complete misnomer for a totally contrived genre!
Both the British and American versions of The Office are fine. However, the American version of the British sitcom Coupling a total travesty of the original: the same scripts placed in an American context with acting that could not hold a candle to the BBC version.
Comment by Kimmo W. — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 2:27 pm
Th thing about House for me is that it’s a show that I can watch whenever I’m home, but that I do not need to tape if I miss it. Veronica Mars and Supernatural are full-blown addictions, so I need a show like House to balance things out. I wouldn’t watch it if it weren’t for Hugh Laurie and it’ll probably get old really soon, but for now I like it.
Nelonen has bought the rights for Ugly Betty already and it is in their spring schedule.
I’m actually kind of surprised that a Sex and the City -hater like Phil likes Desperate Housewives. Or let me guess: Edie Britt is your favorite character?
Comment by Anzi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
I want Battlestar Galactica on tv! Season 3 has been the greatest thing ever.
And season 2 for Rome has also started, can’t wait.
Comment by Jani Kuusisto — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 2:52 pm
Yep, ROME is a great series..!
Comment by FinnFreak — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:07 pm
Sorry, I’m still here steaming:
http://www.eskimo.com/~rkj/weekly/aa102500a.htm
Men behaving badly? I’m glad I haven’t seen the american version.
Comment by issi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
I’m actually kind of surprised that a Sex and the City -hater like Phil likes Desperate Housewives. Or let me guess: Edie Britt is your favorite character?
Those two shows are polar opposites! One is for chicks, all about dating and fucking in New York, and it’s starred by a woman whose face looks like a foot. The other is drama/comedy myster full of turns and twists.
Comment by Phil — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
#6
“Does any channel in Finland show Family Guy?”
MTV3 did a few years ago. Personally I can’t stand the show as it’s looked like a bad and unfunny rip-off of The Simpsons.
Comment by Blah — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:21 pm
#7 “I’m actually kind of surprised that a Sex and the City -hater like Phil likes Desperate Housewives. Or let me guess: Edie Britt is your favorite character?”
Here again, I agree with Phil. DH is a satire of suburban upper middle class values - or lack of them, while SITC is a pseudo-realistic celebration of yuppie shallowness.
There are some similarities - in both cases the ladies are generally very hard to epathise with. The difference is that part of the premise of DH is that more often than not, you’re not supposed to. With SITC you are. About midway through the first season the charm wore off: the Carrie Bradshaw character ultimately differs very little from Peggy Bundy - the main exception being that the former actually has a job, and can therefore more or less afford her compulsive shopping.
For me, Sex in the City totally jumped the shark (see http://www.jumptheshark.com/ for an explanation of the concept) in the episode when Charlotte was shocked and horrified upon seeing something that she had never seen before: an intact foreskin.
By the way, how does Carrie ever get laid? Only an extreme compulsive exhibitionist would want to date - or even talk to -someone whose job is to write a column about her sexual experiences and those of her friends.
As for Desperate Housewives, last night’s episode (on Channel 4 here in Finland) was something of a shark-jumping episode as well. Nevertheless, Edie is a very interesting character. I wonder if we’ll ever find out if the carpet matches the drapes.
Comment by Kimmo W. — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
I get your point about the differences between Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. It’s just that a lot of women I know watch DH for the relationship-aspect and because they relate to the main characters’ life situations.
Besides, I know a ton of heterosexual guys who used to watch Sex and the City “because of the educational aspect”. Personally, I loved Sex and the City, but hated the character of Carrie Bradshaw. I loved the first season of DH and watched the considerably more boring second season about halfway through, but since it is now opposite Supernatural, alas! Two hot guys with the best sibling relationship I have ever seen on TV, riding around in a smokin’ 1967 Chevrolet Impala (the hottest TV car since K.I.T.T. and the Gran Torino) shooting monsters in the face with rock salt beats Wisteria Lane hands down in my book.
Comment by Anzi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:27 pm
By the way, how does Carrie ever get laid? Only an extreme compulsive exhibitionist would want to date - or even talk to -someone whose job is to write a column about her sexual experiences and those of her friends.
You’d be surprised.
I remember the “foreskin” episode of SaTC going totally over my head when it first aired. I did not understand what was going on at all until someone explained the cultural differences between Europe and the US when it comes to male circumcision to me. Live and learn.
Comment by Anzi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
6#
I think you can find almost all daily show clips from http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml
Comment by J — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 4:36 pm
I agree completely with Phil on the “reality show†issue. What a complete misnomer for a totally contrived genre!
What he said.
I want Battlestar Galactica on tv! Season 3 has been the greatest thing ever.
This statement is quite true. Season 3 has been nothing short of fantastic. But the way it seems to go here, I don’t think we’ll be seeing season 3 on tv here for a couple of years.
Personally, I loved Sex and the City, but hated the character of Carrie Bradshaw.
She was quite annoying, along with Charlotte. Samantha rocked.
Comment by gopha — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
Ugly Betty and 30 Rock and House are all terrific shows. Rome is so well done it’s a crime to call it TV and not a serial movie. Galactica is good, but I missed season 2 and am still rather lost on season 3…and keep an eye out for “Extras”.
Finland should also get TiVo
But, yeah, I’m glad for decent TV shows since there isn’t much else I can do with a velcro baby in my arms almost constantly. I think I’ve watched more TV in the past few months than I have in 20 years.
Comment by hfb — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
I love the re-runs of Men Behaving Badly (the uk version of course) and Love and Marriage (pulmuset). Prison Break, Rescue Me and L-word gets my time too.
Comment by Anonymous — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
She was quite annoying, along with Charlotte. Samantha rocked.
See, I hated Charlotte in the beginning but grew to love her towards the end. I think the character matured a lot during the show where as Carrie regressed (from being mentally 16 to being mentally 12 years old). Miranda and Samantha also grew and matured during the course of the show, although not as visibly as Charlotte. In any case, there was a lot more to SaTC than simply screwing and dating in NY. To me, it offered an interesting peek into the mentality of certain types of people and some interesting parallels in my own life, too.
Comment by Anzi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 6:19 pm
You’re missing 24 and Amazing race!
Probably the best TV series ever and the only ones I’m watching.
Comment by Mikael — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
What? You did not mention Late Night with Conan O’Brien! Conan is the Golden God in Finland.
There are also good documentaries on Yle Teema. For example, check out Jimi Hendrix documentary on Mondays.
Comment by T — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
The US versions of the Office and Coupling are horrible. However, the sheer volume of quality programming that comes out of the US is extraordinary. They made the office because Gervais only wrote twelve episodes and that’s half a season in the US. Fawlty Towers is only twelve episodes as well. Blackadder was also only 24 episodes. By contrast the yanks made over 150 episodes of the West Wing. They have made around a thousand of the Simpsons. And so on.
By the way, I would advise anyone with Bittorrent and a brain to download Studio 60. It’s like the first couple of seasons of the West Wing, which is to say some of the best Tv ever.
Comment by finnsense — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
Yeah. Heroes returns 22nd. Can’t wait!
Comment by Keksi — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Well, there is a TV-world outside the U.S., too. Try Kath & Kim, on TV2 Sunday evenings. It’s an Australian sitcom (sort of).
Kath & Kim is the Desperate housewives of the suburban lower middle class.
Comment by Erik — Tue, Jan 16th, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
24 is the best so far.
Last night they exploded a nuke. It was not the big crowd pleasures, but just a little suitcase nuke.
Also a left wing liberal on the show really showed her stupidly, when the FBI showed up to ask cooperation. She said no and then deleted all the files, when they showed up again with a warrent. When she realized that she just helped the terrorists get away, she was well, not upset. Just standing there with a stupid look. It was great. She had the identity of a common European, hard on words, but stupid on action.
Comment by winter — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 2:47 am
winter: “She had the identity of a common European…”
Well… Identity theft is quite common these days.
Comment by Kristian (in Espoo) — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 5:11 am
No big surprise that winter enjoys 24. It provides just the right kinds of political masturabation fantasies for the American far right whose real-world hubris is rapidly morphing into a ghastly nemesis.
Comment by Kimmo W. — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 8:41 am
As far as great shows go, here in Finland Nelonen has All in the Family on weekday mornings at 8:00.
The episodes that are running now are some of the later ones that aren’t quite as good as the earlier shows, but it’s still magnificent!
Comment by Kimmo W. — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 8:44 am
“hard on words, but stupid on action”
I didn’t know president Bush is a common European.
As for reruns, watching Twin Peaks again after 15 years or so was a slight disappointment. It hasn’t aged well. On the other hand, Married with children from about the same time still rocks.
Comment by N. Siinistö — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 10:29 am
My current favorites are Heroes, Torchwood and Dexter, though the last one feels really creepy. The Lost Room, a 3 part miniseries was also really good…
Comment by pxd — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 10:34 am
“I want Battlestar Galactica on tv!”
Battlestar Galactica season 2 starts 26.1 on Nelonen.
Comment by aatu — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
I’m hooked on “the Shield”, though the ever best was “Hill Street Blues”. Anyone notice ISS(?) had a telly advert recently ‘playing’ the start of Hill Street with the ‘roll call’ and the cars leaving the garage + appropriate sounding music?
Comment by Hank W. — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 2:03 pm
Pining for the Sex And The City?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bly9v9RbXWY
Comment by Ã…boy — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
..and for the Desperate Housewives:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA64e6pIwpg
Comment by Ã…boy — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Pining for the Sex And The City?
Good one! “Sex and the Matrix” is even better, though. It’s a parody of SaTC and The Matrix, done for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000 I think.
Comment by Anzi — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
Any of you ever seen “Bodies” on Sub TV on Fridays ? Wow if you think Gray Anatomy is good, you obviously have not seen this gem. Too bad the last episode is this Friday
Comment by unlce sam — Wed, Jan 17th, 2007 @ 11:47 pm
If you use bit torrent: Heroes and Dexter! And also for Finnish tv-viewers: Scrubs (mis-translated as Tuho-osasto)! The Scrubs-guys are my friends for life…
Comment by Andreas — Tue, Jan 23rd, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
It’s not a mistranslation. They’ve just translated it into something funny(ish) for the finnish viewers, resembling the finnish name (”Teho-osasto”) for the tv series ER. The name of that show was mistranslated, from “Emergengy Room” to “Intensive Care”. ER in finnish would’ve been “Ensiapu”.
Comment by Ã…boy — Tue, Jan 23rd, 2007 @ 6:17 pm
Or to put it more correctly, they’ve renamed the show (so as to have more relevance for finnish audience), not translated the original name.
Comment by Ã…boy — Tue, Jan 23rd, 2007 @ 6:20 pm
I watched the first two episodes of “Entourage” on SubTV on Thursday. All I can say is: whaaaaat a pah-thetic bunch of loser morons! I wouldn’t give a single one of those loser-ass moocher dudes the time of day. And seeing as I’m not 21 and my boobs are natural, they’d leave me alone, too. Thank GOD!
Comment by Anzi — Tue, Jan 23rd, 2007 @ 11:59 pm
I watched the first two episodes of “Entourage†on SubTV on Thursday. All I can say is: whaaaaat a pah-thetic bunch of loser morons!
You could guess from the way Entourage was hyper-advertised and shoved in your face at every opportunity that it was bound to stink. Personally I got fed up with the hype a long time ago and decided not to bother with the show.
Comment by Ã…boy — Wed, Jan 24th, 2007 @ 1:24 am
House M.D. and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation are the only series I watch on regular basis.
Comment by Anonymous — Wed, Jan 24th, 2007 @ 6:44 am
I’m trying to find out if there are any differences between Supernatural in the US vs the UK, before I purchase season 1. If anyone has seen both versions and can provide a supported opinion of which is better, please take the time to email me: angel4peace@hotmail.com
A big thanks to those who can reply.
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