Quote: chipolata @ May 31 2011, 7:59 PM BSTIf it distracts the viewer, it's important.
That's just it. It's not distracting. Their names aren't really Georg, Olafur and Daniel in real life and they probably don't actually work in a petrol station in real life either. They're acting. If you're focusing on their hair then you've missed the point a bit.
I'm fairly familiar with the concept of acting. I've watched one or two TV shows in my time! 
A bad and obvious wig is distracting. Obviously not to you, but to some of us.
I'd say if you can't afford decent ones don't use them.
Quote: zooo @ May 31 2011, 8:20 PM BSTThere must have been foreign sitcoms before The Office came along!
Even if they were rubbish...
Of course there are, you just don't hear about them. How many people on this forum for example can name a sitcom in Welsh?
Quote: Jayms Oldfield @ May 31 2011, 8:21 PM BSTThat's just it. It's not distracting. Their names aren't really Georg, Olafur and Daniel in real life and they probably don't actually work in a petrol station in real life either. They're acting. If you're focusing on their hair then you've missed the point a bit.
If you're striving to create a world you try to keep to a minimum anything that detracts from that world. It would be like Ricky Gervais deciding to play David Brent with a false hump on his back. But as they're from Iceland and new to this TV lark I'll forgive them. 
Quote: zooo @ May 31 2011, 8:23 PM BSTI'm fairly familiar with the concept of acting. I've watched one or two TV shows in my time!
A bad and obvious wig is distracting. Obviously not to you, but to some of us.
I'd say if you can't afford decent ones don't use them.
I don't think the wigs are that obvious. I can tell that it's not their real hair, but I still find the show very enjoyable inspite of that. Not really worth moaning about, as far as I'm concerned.
I'd also say that Oli's hair is quite important to his character. He is into rock music and wants to try and look like a rock star. However, I'd imagine that Georg wouldn't have let him grow his hair really long or dye it a crazy colour because it would be unsuitable for work, so he's doing the best he can by just dying it black and having it a little bit spikey etc.
Yes, I agree that it suits his character to have silly hair.
I didn't say I didn't find it enjoyable apart from the wigs, though.
If you don't find it worth moaning about then don't moan about it, but we are all free to do so.
Quote: Ian Wolf @ May 31 2011, 8:27 PM BSTOf course there are, you just don't hear about them. How many people on this forum for example can name a sitcom in Welsh?
"Pobol Y Cwm" is on S4C at 8pm weekday nights. and "Machair" is a Scottish Gaelic show on BBC Alba on Fridays I think. They're both more soaps than sitcoms, and neither is very good, though.
Quote: zooo @ May 31 2011, 8:38 PM BSTYes, I agree that it suits his character to have silly hair.
I didn't say I didn't find it enjoyable apart from the wigs, though.
If you don't find it worth moaning about then don't moan about it, but we are all free to do so.
I think we'll just have to agree to disagree here.
Quote: Jayms Oldfield @ May 13 2011, 5:22 PM BSTAlso, if you enjoyed The Night Shift, you may also enjoy a film called 101 Reykjavík, which is an Icelandic comedy, but is also partly in English, so people who don't like reading subtitles too much won't get tired.
I love 101 Reykjavík. One of the few films in my DVD collection, and the only foreign one.
Quote: Aaron @ May 31 2011, 8:52 PM BSTI love 101 Reykjavík. One of the few films in my DVD collection, and the only foreign one.
I love it! have you read the book?
I have not, no.
I've written about Naeturvaktin for this article for Giggle Beats about comedy in foreign languages.
A very funny Finnish comedy from the 80s is "Tankki Täyteen" (= fill 'er up, literally "tank to full") which is also set in a petrol station. Not a modern station as in Næturvaktin, but a rather dilapidated family run garage, which has been isolated by the construction of a by-pass. It has some great comedy characters.
The writer (or co-writer, not sure) was an English guy named Neil Hardwick.
Thanks for the info sulo, and welcome to the guide.
It's just been announced that BBC Four looks set to get rid of most of the station's comedy and drama programmes, focusing on the arts. If this is the case, it would appear that the follow-ups to Næturvaktin won't be shown.
They don't count as arts?
What exactly are they going to concentrate on then?