A comedy drama, yeah. It certainly wasn't a sitcom!
British television & its critics delude themselves Page 2
I don't know much about the politics of it all, but I have always thought it was because in America they have shed loads of writers making these things.
And again I don't know much about how many people wrote what sitcom, but maybe in America they have sussed out how to collaborate better in a big team to bring the big bucks in.
I don't know, just my thought
Some of the shows mentioned come from the same networks, HBO,Showtime, whatever. The case maybe that they just have damn good commissioners over there, whereas ours have their interests elsewhere, much in the same way commercial stations in the US pump out mostly if not more shit than we do.
It also comes down to the fact that TV no longer commands us, instead it has to try and catch our attention from more shinier things. But instead of considering the way we consume in the past few years as healthy competition, it wimps out and goes for the lowest commondenomator and doesn't challenge us anymore, not with anything that has real depth anyway.
TV is a sinking ship. Quick Tim, and you other "young" aspiring writers. Jump on the Google Box, Netflix your ideas and create (on) demand for your talents before the market becomes too saturated.
Quote: Ben @ 28th December 2013, 11:32 PM GMTSherlock is, to me, the most entertaining British show we have and has ambition - beautifully shot and cleverly written. Even this, though, pales into insignificance next to Breaking Bad.
I think American writers rend to wear their hearts on their sleeves more. It's the same with American standups. They're brutally honest compared to British standups who, instead, prattle on quite politely. Maybe it's the lack of a class system there that allows for more freedom and creativity.
I bought Sherlock on DVD and binned it after failing to get through the first episode. Then again, I also stopped watching Breaking Bad after the first scene. But I didn't bin it - I'll make the effort when my kindle breaks and I have a day off work.
Class system? All I saw in the UK were people of different intellects, incomes and residences. It is fatuous to suggest that a "class system" in the UK today is inhibiting freedom and creativity. Unless the people who commission shows are toffs who were not appointed on merit and should be in different jobs.
Quote: T.W. @ 28th December 2013, 11:17 PM GMTDoctor Who
Ecclestone great, Tennant (era) good but later the rot set in and Smith (era) unwatchable shite. Schmaltz not only triumphs over story. Schmaltz is the story. And that's not what I want from Doctor Who.
Quote: Lee @ 29th December 2013, 2:44 AM GMTIt also comes down to the fact that TV no longer commands us, instead it has to try and catch our attention from more shinier things.
True. I got my kindle about the time my TV broke and I've not bothered to replace my TV yet. Quite happy without it. Although I wouldn't mind watching some cricket and Australian football a few times a year.
Quote: Kenneth @ 29th December 2013, 3:57 AM GMTUnless the people who commission shows are toffs who were not appointed on merit and should be in different jobs.
You got it.
I'm not sure about the so called superiority of US TV, I've glimpsed a couple of these smart arse sitcoms they do and I think they're pretty terrible viewing, personally. Insanely verbose and as busy as ever, plainly overwritten. The yanks do love to overwrite. Erm, ahem. 
I don't watch these new US drama shows either, erm, unless you call the repeats of Kojak new? 
The trouble with current British drama is we've totally lost the plot. You've listed already Sherlock, Dr Who, Misfits, LOM as our current best. These are escapist fantasy shows, with hardly a glint of real life drama in them. And our unstoppable passion for period soaps is more escapism really. US are doing far more gritty modern drama shows but what little I've seen of them, they're over rated and a bit forced, imo. Still, have these flash yanks made anything as good as GBH or Blackstuff? No, of course they haven't or ever will.
And they still can't touch us in comedy drama.
Are the Americans really better at comedy and drama? Not really. They've borrowed The Office, got Stephen Merchant to do a sitcom and Hugh Laurie roped in for House. I think that says they rate British comedy, but some British people have a habit of poo pooing their own.
The English Office was far better, Merchant works better in an 'English' setting, Hello Ladies was not what it could have been.
Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Middle were great. Also Frazier and Friends in it's time but but that was years ago.
Britain has had tons of good comedy and drama in the last ten years; Sherlock, Downton, crime dramas, detective shows like Lewis, the one offs like the Great Train Robbery one not so long ago with Sheridan Smith and the Morecambe and Wise bio pic. Comedy; we've had Spy, Moone Boy, Not Going Out...etc.
But America I salute and thank you for: The Muppets.
British TV is crap because we've copied America
Instead of only have 3 or 4 channels to fill
We now have about 200
And guess what?
Most of them are full of utter shite
I watch DVDs 90% of the time now
More choice = more garbage
"...& its critics delude themselves"
What's the question got to do with them? I find they are usually the ones who are the most critical...
Bear in mind that we tend to only see the good stuff from the US. Having lived over there for a while I can testify to them having a fair amount of dreck on TV as well. That said, US networks are brutal. If a show doesn't get the ratings it is dropped - maybe after as little as three or four episodes. Over here, the view seems to be, we made and we have another five weeks of the slot to fill, we're dam we'll going to show it. (Last Torchwood series springs to mind as something that should have been quietly put down but it wasn't.). Can anyone give an example of a UK show being dropped because of ratings?
Another thought I'd throw into the mix is that there's been a drift away from the movie business in the last 10/15 years. A lot of writers and actors that would stuck around Hollywood have moved to TV because they're better served by the medium. Not an option in the UK.
However, I think creativity is still with us, but I'm in the camp which places the problem with the commissioners. Too timid to try new talent. Just turn out the same old, same old by the usual suspects.
Edit
Torchwood stayed amazing all the way through in my opinion.
Quote: KLRiley @ 29th December 2013, 3:04 PM GMTCan anyone give an example of a UK show being dropped because of ratings?
The Shane Ritchie resurrection of Minder leaps to mind. The original Minder was also nearly canceled after its first series, but I think it was Verity Lambert who so rightly demanded it be given more time.
And I think falling ratings was one of the excuses (along with the Myrka) given for axing Doctor Who.
And the Mrs Noah show with Mollie Sugden and the one with John Inman, Take a Letter Mr Jones and no doubt many others.
The Persuasionists was put in such a late slot it might as well have been cancelled.
Quote: KLRiley @ 29th December 2013, 3:04 PM GMTCan anyone give an example of a UK show being dropped because of ratings?
They tend to be moved from their time slot for the remaining episodes. Obviously usually the whole series has already been made, so they get shown somewhere, otherwise it's a waste of money.
Quote: KLRiley @ 29th December 2013, 3:04 PM GMTCan anyone give an example of a UK show being dropped because of ratings?
Not entirely because of ratings, but this car crash remains vivid in the mind:
An episode was intended for each of the deadly sins. Apparently there are only three...