5 Ways British and American TV is Very Different
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- Let's face it: Britain and America have both contributed greatly to the history of television. But after leaving the former for the latter, I soon found that their approaches to the industry are far from the same. Here are 5 ways British and American TV is very different.
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“Where the continuity of the show is ru-“
*youtube advert interrupts a word*
“-ined.”
Pay for youtub red, it's not that $$.
@@leeann4900 It's even cheaper to use Adblock Plus.
Or you could watch the ads and help out the CZcams channel creator. ❤
@@christinagray5952 I’ll happily watch the ads if CZcams would fix it so they don’t interrupt single syllable words in the middle of a sentence 😉
@@momogal04 yeah, I totally agree with you there. I heard that the channel creator can pick where the ads go... no idea if that's true.. I saw it in another video. Anyone know if that's a thing? 🤔❤
The reason soap operas were called that was because they were on in the daytime and sponsored by laundry detergents, etc., advertising to the audience of housewives who were watching. This predates TV, back to radio days.
In the 1980s they were HUGE, especially with younger people (which I was one in those days). Also, we had like maybe 4 channels at the time. More if you lived in a big city.
THANK YOU Procter & Gamble😘
I love commercials/ads that are funny. I mean companies pay millions every year for superbowl commercials and those are the ones that ppl want to watch. If they did that all the time (tastefully for the kiddos) then I think they would sell better. Wait..what video am I on?? Oh yeah. Tv. Ok. lol 🙃
Also, daytime Soaps were much more popular in the past. They have fallen off since about 2000.
@@ColorMeConfused29 Luke and Laura 😂😂😂👍🏼
The popular joke on the Facebook Doctor Who groups is that the UK only has 10 actors, and they breed them to get the next batch.
I have an autistic son who gets really confused by the same actor playing a different character.
@@robertpetrovich1923 I'm not autistic but it still confuses me. But I don't watch a whole lot of TV, so I'm not accustomed to seeing the same actors in different roles.
The number of commercial minutes has doubled in my lifetime. Greatest thing DVR’s brought were commercial skip capability
I have a weak spot for the original 1950s-1960s Perry Mason show and have all the DVDs. The first seasons had 39 or 36 one hour episodes, with 5-6 minutes of commercials per show. Later seasons gradually dropped the number of episodes and gradually increased the commercial breaks. Reruns of early episodes trim about 5 minutes to fit the current amount of commercials.
I agree! I do anything to avoid commercials because there's way too many. Seems there's more ads than shows these days
@@MissyFaith1971 I agree with you! Growing up, when an advertisement came on, you knew there was enough time to grab a bag of chips and hurry back to the TV. Now you can practically cook a three course meal during a commercial break and get back in time to watch your show!
Yeah, and I remember when CZcams introduced double ads... Before, it was only ONE AD per ad "break"? Is it even really an ad break anymore, or an ad annoyance?
Now, I don't usually watch cable, but I do on vacation when that's what's free and available, and I've noticed that these ad breaks are so long! And the Disney Channel has all of this extra stuff like a celebration for like, every week and pretty long shorts that are fun the first time you watch them but there aren't too many of them and they get boring if you are forced to watch them while you're waiting, it makes the "cooking a three-course meal " offer sound promising.
The silly 3rd break they now have on commercial TV channels a few years back after it you get about 1 scene of a drama show...then the end creds.Thankfully,the only experience I get of US ad patterns is here on CZcams!...we used to get the US soaps Primetime back in the era of "Dallas",that stopped when that ended.🎩
That was amazing timing. Lawrence said that the out of nowhere approach to advertising ruins the continuity of the show... and then CZcams played an ad.
He probably did that on purpose
Yeah, I noticed that, too.
Purchase youtube red.
I have premium so I don't get ads lol.
@@LindaC616 ... The person who posts a video doesn't apply the adverts, youtube does that.
As a flight attendant I had an English passenger on a flight from Miami to Atlanta. I asked if she enjoyed her visit. She was sad it had rained a lot. I asked what she did and she told me she had watched a lot of tv. I had a feeling I knew what her opinion would be but asked anyway. No surprise, her response was, “Too many adverts.” I cracked up and agreed completely!
I used to love "Are You Being Served?" and "Keeping Up Appearances"
British humor always seemed "tongue in cheek" where American humor is so "in your face"...
It's also smarter. U.S. comedies seem to be afraid of being too smart -- a large amount of our populace won't get the jokes.
The one nice thing about commercial breaks is that it gives a convenient time to go to the bathroom or get a snack without missing anything. When I watch documentaries on PBS, I always feel like I can't go anywhere for two hours or I'll miss something interesting!
I'd always assumed that the low episode count on British shows was a quality control thing, but it seems I was incorrect! Honestly, once a show has run its course it should end, rather than continuing on for another five seasons. Keeps it from going stale. Plus, re-runs and streaming are a thing so it's not like people can't watch it anymore!
2:12 I was really expecting you to say “And viewers like you!”
"Thank you."
Same!! 😂
You missed out. Mr. Rogers was amazing. Forget his show. He himself was awesome.
Right? They got the short end of that stick!
Mr. Rogers and those puppets creeped me out as a kid. I was way more into Sesame St. and Captain Kangaroo. :) Mr. Rogers was a lovely man though. Just not a fan when I was a kid.
@@logicandlaughs the puppets i didn't enjoy as much but I loved his story times and the cool videos of how things were made
"Forget his show" LOL as if anybody would even know who he is if not for his show. smh
@@elgatofelix8917 People in America know who he is without seeing his show though lol. He's a television icon, and his popularity as a person only grows and grows every year, even after his death.
I also laughed waaayyy too hard at “Are You Being Served?”
That & Keeping Up Appearances.. my fav!
Mr. Humphries, are you free?
@@barbararoca6847 “Certainly, Madam, just as soon as I finish with Mrs. Slokum’s new hair color!”
@@Ripplesinthewaters You made me laugh out loud! Will her hair be light blue, green or a lovely lavander hue?
One of my husband's and my all time faves! We have the series on dvd, along w/Grace & Favor (sadly, only 12 eps total on that one :-( ) and we watch it over and over and over. It just never gets old!!
I've noticed that some American documentaries include segments like: "coming up after the break we see how a thing happened" then you get the ads and then once it starts again you get "before the break you saw how previous thing happened" before continuing... removing the breaks and these unnecessary additions and suddenly an hours documentary becomes about 35 minutes of actual content.
Annoyingly these segeents are still included on Netflix etc so you get these jarring after/before interruptions every 10 minutes
To be fair, there are some British shows (on commercial channels) that do that too. It drives me up the wall.
..."the continuity of the show is ruined", video goes immediately to an ad.
But one could say the same of UK series, that wait a year until the next one starts
@@chelseagirl278 or American shows like Westworld that have at least 2 years gap between seasons
@@lewisfilby2394 that is an anomaly. British shows have consistent gaps
The thing that really got me about ad breaks in the US compared to the UK is that in the UK, we will switch to program title still image for a couple of seconds before the ads start and again before the program re-starts. Where as in the US, I noticed that the program simply cuts to the ad. So you get the cop pointing the gun and saying freeze. This cuts to a voiceover saying 'do you suffer from piles? Ask your doctor for Pilex'.
Just like their London Underground.
Soap operas used to be big in the US. Thirty years ago there were 12 daytime soap operas, now there are only 4.
All the women left their responsibilities of home and children and trotted off to work.
@@justme2423 The networks and local affiliates discovered that purchasing syndicated daytime talk shows were cheaper than creating compelling TV.
@@jb888888888 Yes, "Soap Operas" are expensive to make due to the fact they are daily, not weekly like most "prime time" shows. A single soap opera episode might cost less than a ingle prime time tv episode, But they have to make 5 episodes a week. The daytime "talk: shows (or WORSE, daytime "medical" shows) are MUCH cheaper to air than a real, scripted and acted TV show.
I absolutely love Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, As Time Goes By and The Vicar of Dibley.
I adore Vicar of Dibley!
I appreciate the fact that British Shows have a beginning, middle and end and may only last a few episodes. Sometimes I think the problem with American TV and its obsession with syndication is that you get uneven story telling. An American show can be great but then there are periods where it feels like the show is spinning its wheels in place.
Pretty much what I was gonna say. I'd much rather 10 really good episodes over 200 likely mediocre ones with maybe a few good ones thrown in.
@@DrThemoWorm at least for me watching TV or reading a book, the overarching purpose past entertainment is to escape reality and burn time. So even if a show has lower quality, having more episodes means I can spend less time in reality looking for something to watch and more time watching. Although to be fair I watch very little television since I dislike plots focused on interpersonal relations and intrigue and prefer the Shonen style Mc vs enemy getting stronger then defeating ever stronger enemies. I know it seems childish but since I seek to escape reality watching something that mimics reality or even enhances its bad parts (interpersonal drama, political corruption etc) just doesn't fulfill my needs. I don't mind character drama i just don't want it to be the focus or primary driving force of the plot.
When my sons were young, we didn’t have cable. Saturday night we watched PBS for the Brit-Coms: Keeping Up Appearances, One Foot in the Grave, Waiting for God, and As Time Goes By.
"This is a sonic screwdriver it makes a noise I'll turn it off now"
Brilliant!
Lawrence for 14th Doctor?
I was about to post this. Maybe Lawrence will be the next David Tennant?
Oh, cool - a Matt Smith era sonic! ^_^
_"Lawrence for 14th Doctor?"_
BBC casting is little more than a box-ticking exercise these days. Laurence is too white, too male and too heterosexual to get the job.
Totally a doctor line. I'd like to see the doctor stay female for a few regenerations though before we go back to another man
@@caulkins69 there's been literally one doctor who wasn't a cis white straight man. Grow up.
I am an American who doesn’t watch talk shows anymore except for Graham Norton. Just plain fun, funny, and relatively free of American politics. I was originally surprised at the amount of Americans on the show. I love the group format.
when promoting a new hollywood film to an american audience, there are a variety of talk shows to choose from. but for the british leg of the promotional tour, everyone does graham norton.
Foyle's War is the best show ever,IMHO. Michael Kitchen is a marvelous actor who can say so much without saying a word.
I agree entirely. What a complete and utter triumph - absolute perfection. I just wish they had decided to carry on with Foyle further into the Cold War. When Hilda Pearce died, and in such a way, I was as shocked as if she had been a real person.
Graham Norton is the best. That being said, we love anything on Masterpiece.
I'd forgotten about MT!
@J LA seth, conan and colbert are better, they are very knowledgeable and articulate interviewers.
Graham is more show biz in that he has a large and easy in-studio audience (they laugh and cheer at most of the stories and jokes) his show also has a considerable longer turnaround time, multiple days, it seems. american hosts have a couple of hours to edit and air the show.
Norton is a prick! I hate chat shows though!
I've watched his channel several times and think it's hilarious. Tom Hanks was awesome on there.
Love Graham!
The frequency of commercials on US tv was a huge shock to me, it's constant, feels like half of the time spent is watching adverts.
Also the drug commercials, straight up seems like something that would be written for south park as a joke.
Years ago we'd just see commercials for over the counter meds like "Dristan" for allergies, aspirin/pain relievers, Midol etc...but now they've done gone plumb crazy with all the meds and drugs commercials on tv. It's enough to make a hypochondriac weep!
Is it any wonder that the USA which comprises 4.5% of the global population consumes over 50% of all prescribed drugs in the world? The rate for painkillers is even higher.
I would pay 4 bucks a week to not watch commercisls. Hate them usually
In Cyberpunk 2077, there is a channel called "Just Ads" on tv. It shows....just commercials.
@Steve Jakubowski "We explored". you say ? Who is "We"?
"And they're all called jimmy"
I nearly choked on my oatmeal pie
Not having Mr. Rogers would have been a sad childhood indeed.
IKR! He was my favorite.
Mr. Rodgers was a a wonderful man!
Beautiful day in the neighborhood
We had Pinky Lee...I never recovered.
@@haroldwilkes6608 who’s that?
The only good reason for commercial advertisements, on TV, is bathroom/drink/snack breaks!!!!!
Except you'd have to have over active bladder to use as many commercial breaks an hour show has! I personally can't stand it and only watch Prime video or Netflix. If there's something I need to watch on regular TV, I put the show on pause for 20 minutes so I can fast forward through the commercials!
had to laugh at that because, when we first got cable (my first experience with watching no break tv), I had trouble figuring out when to go pee - I'd get an urge, and instinctively start holding it, waiting for the commercial that was sure to happen any minute, or waiting for a pause in action that would be good to stop at lol.
Yeah but most modern cable TV packages have built in DVRs to pause live TV
@@epowell4211 i can understsand that. Imagine being one of the first houses to get HBO. Now that was something.
As an American, I have liked a number of British programmes:
The Good Life (Good Neighbors here), To The Manor Born, Butterflies,
As Time Goes By, Only When I Laugh, Yes Minister, Yes Prime Minister,
Barbara, The Young Ones, The Comic Strip Presents, Monty Python
... and some others I'm not thinking of right now.
Do you have any US equivalent for the Repair Shop? EMA
"Are You Being Served?" and "Keeping Up Appearances" were lovely Saturday evening shows for me growing up. "IT'S BOUQUET!" 😂
My Grandmere, Mom, and I would watch Keeping Up Appearances when I was little. The show is why I fell in love with dry, quickly paced British humor.
Yes, I love the Graham Norton show! The interaction between guests is the best!
First thing that comes to my mind with "Panel Shows" is "Who's Line is it Anyways?" I ordered the UK version just to see the difference, MUCH better over there! I'm still a Dr. Who and "Planet Earth" series guy at heart!
More representative of an average UK "panel show" is _8 out of 10 Cats_ , _8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown_ or _Would I Lie to You_
There are also more specialized versions like _Mock the Week_ _QI_ and _Have I Got News for You_ that more or less break the game show and teams format
@@Markle2k I'll have to check those out, thank you for the info!
@@Markle2k I am a massive, massive fan of "Would I Lie to You?" and "Mock the Week" and am super grateful Britbox allows me to watch those two shows here in the U.S. I love the seasons of "Have I Got News for You" that were hosted by Angus Deayton, though I should be more open to the ones that came afterward. I did see the clip where they showed Ian Hislop's cameo role in that one Greek TV drama, though.
it's true, however Whose Line was at its peak when it was still a british show but filming in america with a lot of american and canadian performers alongside the brits. They really had it down to a science but without it becoming a _formula_ and good lord they would come up with the longest, most perfect SONGS. Josie Lawrence and Mike McShane could give Weird Al a run for his money and they made it up on the spot.
the ABC era was certainly good too, it let its hair down a lot and got a bit meta. some running gags were allowed, it was fun. the original purely-british Whose Line was fantastic and unfiltered, but also a little too stilted in some parts. and the current show... exists, and still makes me laugh.
My favorites from a 43 year old Yank. Faulty Towers, Are You Being Served, Upstairs Downstairs, Steptoe and Son, Man About the House, George and Mildred, Till Death do us Part, Keeping Up Appearances. Red Dwarf, Benny Hill (my wife is Chilean and he is beloved there also) Danger Mouse, Mind Your Language and the Black Adder
Years ago I got hooked on a show called "Waiting for God." I've tried to find it to watch again, but haven't had any luck. I also enjoy "Doctor Who," "Keeping Up Appearances," and "The Vicar of Dibly."
I was able to again watch "Waiting for God" a few months ago, must have been on Brit Box.
@@mssixty3426 I did find it on Brit Box a week or so ago. One of these days I'm going to subscribe!
The Graham Norton Show (UK version, of course) is so good. The guest interaction is key: Mark Ruffalo insulting Josh Widdicombe, and never forget Miriam Margolyes (?) completely dumbfounding Matthew Perry with her Laurence Olivier story. Just a few of the many golden moments on that show.
I LOVE Josh!
Is there a non-UK version of the Graham Norton Show?
@@LiqdPT Yes, there is a terribly edited version on BBC America.
The Graham Norton show is probably the one UK show where Miriam can be as outrageous as she is. Love it when she's a guest.
Those were amazing! Both are some of my favorite episodes
"Vicious" is a program that should have gotten more than 2 seasons. It was GREAT
Also, anything with Lucy Worsley and British history is wonderful.
We had nighttime soaps here in the US for decades: Dallas, Dynasty, Knots Landing were the main ones.
Eastenders and Coronation Street are closer in character to afternoon soaps.
we still do I mean Grey's Anatomy is definitely a night time soap.
Also "Dark Shadows" and "Soap" (tho' that one was a parody)
Probably THE first prime time soap opera on U.S. television was "Peyton Place" in the 1960s. It launched the careers of Ryan O'Neal and Mia Farrow.
Graham Norton is my fav for sure. No one handles an interview like he does!
I've got to be one of the few people that truly appreciates that All Creatures Great And Small shout-out. My dad was OBSESSED with that show, and had them all recorded on VHS. He later bought the entire series on DVD, and he watches them while walking on the treadmill. 🚶🏻😂
My Sister, now a veterinary tech, loved the books. A while back I sent her a CZcams video about the museum around Harriot's home/clinic. In it they talked about the series. My Sister said she never knew it existed. I think she may be searching for it. Oh, I did watch it on PBS.
Nope, I loved it too! But I started my journey by reading all the books first when I was a teen (late 70’s/early 80’s). A new version just started on PBS on Sunday nights.
There is a new version of All Creatures Great And Small now. It starts on PBS soon!!
@@BadHairdayKimmie It started last Sunday.
@@nancyt2848 -After seeing Nancy's post I looked it up ,it's 9 pm EST.(I e-mailed my Sister too).
When I was a kid, every Saturday night tv was, Faulty Towers-Benny Hill - Monty Python
Yes! Dad was a big Benny Hill fan. I prefer the other.
Used to watch Benny Hill & Monty Python here in the US on PBS. Much preferred Monty Python.
My original lineup when I was a kid was Keeping Up Appearances, are you being served?, Allo Allo, and Mr Bean. It was like that for years, and then they substituted a few out. As time goes by replaced Mr Bean and that became a new favorite of mine. And now 20 years later, there are no Saturday night britcoms on my PBS anymore.
We loved them too here in the US
My family watched a ton of British TV and I still love the newer shows such as Father Brown Mysteries.
PBS has always been a great outlet for British shows.My mom loves Keeping Up Appearances. I love Monty Python and Fawlty Towers.The classic Doctor Who even caught my attention for a short time.
When we started streaming from NetFlix I found many British shows to enjoy, everything from "Murder in Paradise" to "Rosemary and Thyme". I watched "Foyle's War" and "Miranda" and a bunch of others. And one thing I really enjoy about British TV is that here in the U.S. no one like Miranda Hart would ever have their own show, and that woman is brilliant; and no one would ever make a program about two middle-aged women traveling around fixing up people's gardens. I've watched enough British drama to know Claudie Blakely is the spitting image of one of my uncles.
After NF started making garbage I gave them up and now have Prime but can't access any of the good British TV now without paying an extra monthly sub and that's not gonna happen.
The Black Adder with Rowan Atkinson is one of my favorite all time TV shows!
Gawd yes. Got all of the DVDs. Knowing what else Tony became involved in, that New Year's time travel episode becomes even more hilarious.
I have a cunning plan....
Blackadder, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Masterpiece, so many brilliant shows!
American here. Loved Inspector Morse!
John Thaw was wonderful. I loved the old jag!
Then you should give Endeavour a go if you haven't already.
Soap Operas were HUGE here.. way back when.
Dave Allen at Large, The Two Ronnies, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (original one from the 70s), The Good Neighbors (The Good Life in the UK). Those are just a handful of British television shows I used to enjoy way back when.
Keeping Up Appearences was my favorite British show. My dad's too.
It's Bouquet!
Sheridan!
Tea, Elizabeth?
It's my sister, Violet. She has a swimming pool and room for a pony.
There you go, I've written an episode for you.
That was really good. They should make a reboot. It would work really well in a modern setting.
I love that show!
@@Zedd7 I think that house with the swimming pool and room for a pony belonged to her boyfriend. Played by an actor who's a friend of mine!
@@jiros00 they did do a one-off reboot thing a couple years ago, but it was hyacinth and her sisters back during the 1950s. I liked it, but since it was only one episode, I watched it and said "why?" I think they probably had enough material for 6 to 10 episodes of it but they didn't make any more
We had a Christmas specials at one time. It had a Star Wars theme. We are very very very very very very sorry. We promised to never do that again.
the star wars christmas special was legendary 🤣
@@lexxieburton6182 legendaraly bad!
@@lexxieburton6182 We watch it every year and giggle madly all the way... ho, ho, ho...
@@planetbroccoli5405 The one good thing that came from that was the introduction of Boba Fett...and also Rifftrax. Okay two good things to come out of that.
That Star Wars Christmas Special--I still alternately cringe & giggle years later! R2D2 fish, anyone?
Soaps like General Hospital were wildly popular in the 70's and part of the 80's in the States. I think our soap operas have just taken a different form now - most of the stuff we follow religiously is historical and British. Downton Abbey, The Crown, and Bridgerton spring to mind.
The US did an adaptation of Whose Line is it Anyway, I think that classifies as a panel show. I still miss it.
I prefer the British Version. It lost something when Drew Carey took over.
@@lyllydd I liked both versions. and its still going with a new host. Can't remember her name off hand.
@@wendelynmusic Aisha Tyler
My and my husband’s favorite: “As Time Goes By”
I love that show. Also Keeping up Appearances
Good show!
I love "Are You Being Served", "As Time Goes By", "Keeping Up Appearances", "Midsomer Murders", "Father Brown", etc, etc....
I have the series on DVD. Every now and then I just need to re-watch it... it never gets old. Geoffrey Palmer was just so good in that..
I much prefer the Graham Norton show. I wish the U.S. had something more like that.
Also loved, Are You Being Served? ...back in the day.
Yes!! One of my favorites too.
Favourite UK TV show in recent years has to be Inside Number 9. It has a Christmas (and Halloween) special and just has some of the most consistently excellent writing from Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. It's a show which really wouldn't work with adverts.
I first learned of the British TV license from a Monty Python skit back in the 70s. The shortness of a series or season surprised me a bit when I learned of that contrast. Both do good (mostly) if differing styles of production.
In the 80s, America did have Dallas and Dynasty, which everyone watched, AND they were on at night.
Who shot JR?
They were incredibly popular too. Dynasty soon became known as Dysentery.
The IT Crowd is one of my favorites. I always seem to go back and rewatch it every 18 months or so.
You will love, Toast of London
@@chelseagirl278 Thanks, I'll have to check that one out.
@@Cetera25624 you will cry it it’s so funny!
Have you tried turning it off and back on?
Check out Black Books.
Keeping Up Appearances! That will always be our favorite show.
Richard Ayoade is the sultan of British panel shows.
Loved him in IT Crowd
Were it not for BBC America and PBS, I might hardly ever turn on my television.
PS: In my area we are blessed with 2 PBS stations: WGTV and WPBS.
I am jealous in my area I only get one and only on clear days
We get the Seattle PBS station here in Vancouver.
We also get the Detroit station as well on cable.
I'm guessing you also love NPR and consider yourself an intellectual.
@@joshhill5932 ah, ha, ha ... you nailed him. Thank you!
@@joshhill5932
Yes, I enjoy NPR, and I would hope that I am intelligently informed, though being intellectual is not a bad thing, however much some people seem to view the term as a pejorative.
Thank you people from the UK for Are You Being Served.
yeeeeeeeeep
As an American, I actually prefer British shows sometimes like Keeping Up Appearances and Doc Martin. I appreciate the fact that they hire real humans that look and act like real humans, not scripted, plastic ones like we do here. There's a very honest factor. Also, Americans tend to be heavy-handed and over the top when it comes to drama or humor. I appreciate the simplicity of British shows and the dry humor. Another thing, despite what my wife and son say, Thomas the Tank Engine is NOT the same without an English accent. I wish they kept Ringo.
One thing I found to be VERY noticeable after I moved back to Canada after living in the states for over 20 years, is that in Canada, ads for attorneys/law offices are not allowed. At first I didn't notice right away when I moved, but when I went back to the states to visit some family, all of a sudden the change hit me. Because, especially depending on your location, the amount of ads for lawsuits, legal insurance claims, law offices, filing suits, and all that, both on TV and open-air advertising, is TREMENDOUS and EVERYWHERE!!!! Going back to Canada after that realization was like walking around and realizing the absence of a constant buzzing sound. While you had become numb and accustomed to it over the years, it's still a major relief once it's finally gone.
So many British shows to love! I grew up on Monty Python, and Blackadder graced my teens. I was addicted to Upstairs Downstairs for a while. I think my current favorites are Call the Midwife, Father Brown, and Doctor Who.
I absolutely love Upstairs Downstairs I just discovered it a month ago and watched it every day until the end I couldn't stop
Yes! Upstairs, Downstairs! I watched that on Masterpiece Theater as a kid. So cool that people are still discovering it just now. :)
Slack Bladder! Dogs Body!
My favorite show by far is Doctor Who. I’m American, but have been obsessed with Dr Who for years and have seen every episode. I own a Tardis mug and sleep with a Dr Who blanket. I use a Dr Who lunch box and carry a Tardis purse. People never know what they are. I quit explaining. Maybe I was British in another life? BTW- favorite movie : Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I love Mock the week and Red Dwarf. And for what we PAY for cable in the U.S. there should be NO commercials. If they do run commercials T.V. should be free like it was in the old days.
My favorite British tv shows: Are you being served? ... Keeping up Appearances ... Call the Midwife ... IT Crowd .. and of course, Benny Hill ( I am American )
Love BritBox. We even learn a lot of British Speak. Midsommer Murders - A Touch of Frost and many more.
Taskmaster is the best thing ever to grace my screen.
LOVE that show!!!!!
Yes!
Yeah I've been binging that on CZcams lately. It's fantastic.
Hands down my favorite show ever is Call the Midwife. So well written and they are so good about making it fit the Period. I love the Christmas gift of an special episode. I just wish they would make more episodes per season.
I love Call the Midwife!!! Sister Monica Joan cracks me up most episodes.
My husband and I watch Antics roadshow,Bargain hunt,Vera,Hinterland and others.Enjoyed them very much.Thankyou too all who download these great programs on CZcams.
I feel like the biggest difference is that British shows have much more brutal finales. In the US when a show is ending, we marry off the two leads and have them move away together. Brits are like, "The show is ending? KILL. THEM. ALL!"
I think in Britain, the one or two people who wrote the show sometimes want to avoid the possibility of execs nagging them to bring it back, so they kill characters off. In the US, the team of writers might be instructed by the network to keep the possibility of reboots open by keeping them alive.
@@trickygoose2 and then Bobby Ewing walks out the shower...
After the Blake's 7 finale and the Robin of Sherwood finale, someone wrote a fanfic called "Miserable Depressing Endings" that did a hilarious run through of possible British-style endings for then-popular American shows.
Don't forget, Doc. Martin and Are you being served.
Carrot in a Box (8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown) is the best five minutes of tv in history.
I have to say that I agree, Sean and Jon were very funny in this
Holy cow yes. It is perfection. To be honest, the five best TV moments I've ever seen are all on 8oo10CDC.
@@jasonremy1627 I also really love all the "Big Fat Quiz of", especially when Richard Ayoade is on.
Facts! Sean and Jon at their best.
Ohmigosh...this is so true. I can still watch that and laugh.
Many of us record virtually everything and then watch the show while fast-forwarding through commercials. I become quite annoyed if I find myself watching something with the commercials. So then I channel surf during commercials, start watching something else (especially if I hit any Star Trek) and never get back to what I was originally watching. Which is usually not a loss.
My favorite British TV show is Blackadder (especially Blackadder II), followed fairly closely by Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
American here... Besides obvious favorites like Top Gear and Doctor Who, I also love QI, Mock the week, Big Fat Quiz, and of course, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (a show with a premise that would make a US TV producers head explode)!
When I watch episodes on CZcams, I skip past the inevitable Joe Wilkerson bits.
But he doesn't even work there any more! I like him, mostly, but the naked fat suit from this year's special was just...too much.. much too much.
I absolutely miss “IT Crowd.”
It's available online. That's how hubby and I stumbled onto it.
It's on Netflix.
There are so many lines, and the show started out with them in episode 1... but this one makes me laugh the most:
Bomb Disposal : [referring to the bomb disposal robot] I'm just having a couple of problems with it.
Moss : What kind of operating system does it use?
Bomb Disposal : It's er... Vista.
Moss : We're going to die!!!!!!
I love this show!!
Some of my favorite UK shows, excluding shows that are already well-known/mainstream here in the US like Peaky Blinders, Sherlock & Great British Bake-Off, include:
- Would I Lie to You?
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
- Gogglebox
- Taskmaster
- Only Connect
- Travel Man
- Peep Show
- Have I Got News for You
- Derry Girls
Blackadder, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Masterpiece, so many brilliant shows!
"The Good Life" BBC sitcom from the '70s about urban homesteaders, was my favorite!
My favorite thing about British TV is they are not afraid to kill off the lead characters
I was crushed when they killed off Victor Meldrew on One Foot In The Grave !
One of my favorite British shows was “Mulberry.” It’s a shame it was canceled before wrapping up the story. I also enjoy “As Time Goes By,” “To the Manor Born,” “The Good Life,” “Time Team,” and all of the gardening shows, especially those with Monty Don. I like “Dr. Who,” but I’m more Trekkie than Whovian. You might have a sonic screwdriver, but I have a tricorder, a phaser, and a combadge!
Way late reply: I was going to say that the BBC made me unhappy with the canceling of Mulberry, I did really like that show.
And being an old fogy, I remember when there were only about 10 min. or less commercials on US TV. That's why if you see older shows in syndication they are either edited or speed up to fit in the current ad scheme.
I am an American that loves British TV. Some of my favorite British shows are Mr.Bean, Are You Being Served?, Last Of The Summer Wine, Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours, Paddington, Wallace and Gromit and Planet Earth. As you mentioned most of these shows where shown on PBS.
I wait for Call the Midwife’s Christmas special every year!
Call the Midwife is amazing. I can't really think of any other TV show so focused on female and reproductive history.
Did the lead from the first season ever come back?
I love Call the Midwife. I can’t wait for the 10th season.
Me too! I heard we don’t get the newer season until September or October when it’s usually March/April.
There are many British shows I love. Some of them include Mr. Bean, Red Dwarf, Monty Python and Keeping Up Appearances. Also thanks to hulu, I was able to see the original UK “Shameless.”
I forgot about "Keeping Up Appearances!"❤
Don't forget about Doc Brown Death in Paradise and the one that I can't name with the old priest!
I found Black Books hilarious. And I love seeing whatever clips or episodes of Q.I. on youtube
@@flamingpieherman9822 father ted? If you like that watch The IT Crowd.
@@flamingpieherman9822 Was it Vicar of Dibly?
I interned at my local PBS station and know all too well how much work goes into the pledge drives. To paraphrase Bill O'Reilly, they "do it live." You have to keep on your toes in between pledge drive segments. Also, the station's news producer and weekly TV news discussion host is a BBC-trained Welshman.
You're absolutely right about commercials on US TV. I stopped watching network television 3 years ago, largely because of the commercials. And i haven't missed it for one minute.
All I can say is that Fawlty Towers alone is worth more than 90% of US television.
Fawlty Towers is OK but it has nothing on Seinfeld or Friends or Curb your enthusiasm and so on. Especially if you lived in those cities and know how real the situations can actually be.
yeah Friends
Why do people love crap so much? Fawlty Towers is unwatchably terrible, like almost everything John Cleese touched.
I've been rewatching it this week. Love it!
British comedy is so far above American comedy it's not funny. .....wait.....
When I visited Liverpool in 2019, my aunt (who got both the British and American shows on her station) commented that the actors/actresses in American shows are traditionally handsome/beautiful while a lot of actors/actresses in British shows look more like average people that you’d see on the street. Just a strange thing that I noticed after that.
British shows seem to be much more likely to cast people who are more or less the age of the character they're playing. I haven't forgotten "Once and Again" having a mother, supposedly 40-something, supposedly having a teen daughter, being played by an actress who looked like she was in college. It was okay for the guy to have a few laugh lines though. Sheesh.
This is true, which is one thing I like. If I lived there, maybe I could actually be an actor. Here, maybe I could be a rock or the troll under the bridge.
That is why I prefer British shows. We can't all be beautiful, you know! And we don't all live in Los Angeles!
Canadian 🇨🇦 here. Just discovered your channel today. I love British shows! I prefer their sense of humour over shows in North America. Coupling was one of my favourites.
You never got Mr. Rogers in the UK, because that much love and care would cripple the primary export of the UK - Dry Sarcastic Wit.
Favorite British show: BBC Sherlock!!!! It is so well done!!!!
Favorite American show: Lucifer (a British actor, hmmmm, interesting)
Sherlock took me by surprise. I was Holmes purist who felt that the only honest portrayal was Jeremy Brett's back in the 80s. But Ben Cumberbatch (with Martin Freeman's superb comic timing) sold me on the new series. AC Doyle's characters are far more robust than I gave them credit for!
I remember Johnny Carson used to keep guests on throughout his shows, & them interacting. I of course loved the episodes w/ Joan Embry (the animal expert, who brought all sorts of critters to the set) the best! There was even 1 time when my mom woke me in order to watch her (yup!). But yeah, I remember when there was more than guest at a time on late night talk shows.
Joan Embery.
When Carson's show was shortened from 90 to 60 minutes, a lot of the interaction between guests disappeared(a major exception was when Rod Hull's Emu attacked Richard Pryor at the end of the show).
Carson was and still is the best.. his reruns are more fun to watch then what's on these days
Jay Leno killed that tradition.
@@Markle2k Letterman killed it first. (And I say that as a person firmly in the Dave corner re the Dave vs Jay debate.) Johnny had his couch and Dave had two chairs, the second of which was really only used when the "guest" was a double act such as Siskel & Ebert.
All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Three's Company, and a few other shows that were hits in the USA were based upon British TV shows
Hands down my husband’s favorite British TV show is Dr. Who. Along with “The Doctor,” I favor Masterpiece when a period piece like Downton Abbey is on.
We used to have more Christmas specials but they didn’t air on Christmas, just in the weeks before Christmas.
Money was the reason. Airing Christmas specials before say December 21st would ensure advertisers could get money from the viewer who would then go out and finish their Christmas present shopping. Airing a Christmas special on Dec 24th would be a waste of money.
We also get the 2 day bank holiday at Christmas. Plus a lot of businesses close down between the Christmas and New Year bank holidays. So we tend to think of Christmas as lasting for a week.
All creatures great and small was one of the best series ever.
My favorite British show is the Young Ones...but I also like Are You Being Served, Fawlty Towers & Absolutely Fabulous...
One of the local channels in Maryland would always run shows like Last of the Summer Wine, Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances. Absolutely loved them as a kid
I like Graham Norton. Back in the 70's on American talk shows they would keep adding guests to the show.
Back in the 1970's the guest knew how to contribute to the show, by aiding the host setting up jokes, helping the other guests in different ways, nowadays I'm not too sure some of these A-Listers are the type of team players needed to help carry this out.
Yeah, he’s cool
Have you done or thought about doing a video on how British and American science fiction differs. I'd love to see you tackle that!
The individual approaches are merging to an extent.
There is no American SF - only Space Westerns. It is painful to watch how great novels are butchered into some crap with Keanu Reeves or Will Smith. Asimov, Herbert, Dick and others are spinning in their graves.
@@seytanuakbar3022 OP didn’t specify science fiction movies. You could compare both countries’ science fiction literature.
Most of the Sci-Fi filming is done in the UK and the talent on the last Star Wars films was mostly but not solely British. And funding for the big budget films come from China...
@@jjlasne What is your point? It is still a Hollywood production. There is no difference between Stars wars, Rambo or Die Hard, not to talk about superhero films. All are just western films with no regard to science.
We love Red Dwarf, Dr Who, and for sure Keeping Up Appearances. Oh, and Death in Paradise. Oh, and... You know what, too many to remember and name. Britbox is one of our favorite things.
I watch the soap opera GENERAL HOSPITAL every weekday, and I have for 37 years. I love my soapy soap!