License to Watch TV??

[jfellrath]

Not really I pay and additional $50 a month just so I can watch anything decent. BBC prime and Discovery etc

The non commercial channels not bad the other national channel is just full of cheap American reality programs (or Norwegian copies)Sorry about that...But Don't you Americans have decent TV ? I'm just wondering.

I hope you don't take offence . It's just when I see these programs on occasion I get to wondering about the American viewing public. Don't you ever complain about the rubbish on your tele's?

When they show a new American program over here they say "The most seen program in America" or some such It's usually rubbish.

Sorry about the rant. I wouldn't mind some answers.

Ah... so with your cable it's similar.

No, your impresssions of American network television are largely correct. We do have a few shows that break out and do something different once in a while, but those are few and far between. And when they do break out, they are so widely emulated that they become parodies of themselves after a while. Hence the popularity of cable TV here.

[bubba]

David, I hate to admit it but the vast majority of American TV is aimed at low grade morons. As if the programs themselves aren't bad enough, commercial time is increasing and those are another horror for anyone with living brain cells. Just to add insult to injury Phillips is developing a chip to be put in video recording devices that would prevent fast forwarding through the commercials, forcing the viewer to suffer through the interminable beasts. I don't want to get into a rant here, but American entertainment is probably some of the most mindless and pathetic in the world.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Thanks for the input lads . As I say I've never experieced American TV in America so only have what they show over here to go by however I'm a fan of:
Lost
I like 24 for a good laugh (So much in so little time )

NYPD Blue Sipo' must be the ultimate anti hero

Always been a Star Trek Fan

A new series of Battlestar Gallactica starts this evening (What ever happened to Lorne Green ?Yep I watched Bonanza with my Dad when young)Should be interesting..we'll see

Thanks for not taking my earlier comments the wrong way

[Sylvain]

What ever happened to Lorne Green ?

Dead Sept 11th, 1987.
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001296/

[jfellrath]

Thanks for the input lads . As I say I've never experieced American TV in America so only have what they show over here to go by however I'm a fan of:
Lost
I like 24 for a good laugh (So much in so little time )

NYPD Blue Sipo' must be the ultimate anti hero

Always been a Star Trek Fan

A new series of Battlestar Gallactica starts this evening (What ever happened to Lorne Green ?Yep I watched Bonanza with my Dad when young)Should be interesting..we'll see

Thanks for not taking my earlier comments the wrong way

Lost is one of those breakout shows I was referring to. It's one of the few network shows I watch, honestly...

24 is also one of those shows, and if I'd caught it from the beginning I'd probably be addicted to it.... but I didn't so I haven't tried to catch up.

For the most part though, you have four or five different genres of American TV, and they're all getting tired:

1. Crime/Lawyer dramas
2. Medical dramas
3. "Watch people get stuck in dumb situations" Sitcoms
4. Reality shows

Recently we've also been hit with a large number of variety/competition shows that are all clones of American Idol (which, of course, is a clone of the BBC's Pop Idol).

[Freelander Sporrano]

Dead Sept 11th, 1987.
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001296/

Thanks for the link

[Freelander Sporrano]

Lost is one of those breakout shows I was referring to. It's one of the few network shows I watch, honestly...

24 is also one of those shows, and if I'd caught it from the beginning I'd probably be addicted to it.... but I didn't so I haven't tried to catch up.

For the most part though, you have four or five different genres of American TV, and they're all getting tired:

1. Crime/Lawyer dramas
2. Medical dramas
3. "Watch people get stuck in dumb situations" Sitcoms
4. Reality shows

Recently we've also been hit with a large number of variety/competition shows that are all clones of American Idol (which, of course, is a clone of the BBC's Pop Idol).

Yes I forgot to mention the Norwegian Idol (Real rubbish)
we get that Greys Anatomy over here too (One for the wife that)

[ronstew]

A new series of Battlestar Galactica starts this evening ... Should be interesting..we'll see

There is very little in common between the two shows. The situation is similar and some of the character names are recycled. That's about it.

The new show is dark, intense and well-written. You'll like it.

Boy, we are wandering in this thread, aren't we?

[Freelander Sporrano]

Yep we are ..and I'm a mod
I apologise for the hi jack I just got to wondering when I wrote a reply

[ronstew]

I wrote

I am told that specially equipped trucks roam through British neighbourhoods looking for the electromagnetic emissions of unlicensed TVs.

Moose McLennan replied

I think that one falls under the category of 'urban legend'.

So I looked into it. The UK TV Licensing authority claims that they do use the vans. Link.

This wikipedia article states that evidence from the vans has never been presented in court.