All the British Shows That I Have Seen
1. Blackadder.
Uneven historical satire concerning a fictional British nobleman named Edmund Blackadder and his various descendants. When it is off, it is merely mediocre, but when it is on, it's one of the funniest shows on British TV. So I guess it is a good thing it is so often on.
Today it is best known for being the show on which actor Hugh Laurie first got his start. Unfortunately for Laurie fans, he does not appear on it until the last episode of the second season. But he is worth waiting for. And Rowan Atkinson -- who plays the title character -- is pretty funny too. Miranda Richardson and Stephen Fry also make notable appearances but unfortunately, said appearances are rare after the second season.
2. Fawlty Towers.
John Cleese dabbles with the sitcom format and creates a show that produced more laughs in a handful of episodes than most American comedy shows ever produce. One of the few shows which I can forgive for using a stereotypical Hispanic servant since most of the laughs that occur in the show are at the expense of his employer.
3. Nighty Night.
There is undoubtedly a great TV show to be made about the banality of evil and the willingness of good folk to tolerate even the most outrageous behavior but this is not it. Indeed, the first time I saw this on DVD, it was all I could do after the first few episodes to resist pushing the fast-forward button.
The funny thing is that prior to seeing this, I actually looked forward to a British comedy show in which the most villainous character was female. Now I know better. Perhaps evil tends to be most entertaining when there is a chance it might be thwarted. Showing it triumph over and over can get surprisingly boring -- and that is without getting into the moral aspect of whether one would wish to see such a character get away with it on a regular basis. At least on other British shows, there is always a chance that the villain will be thwarted at the last moment.
4. Primeval.
My relatives in Detroit still remember my childhood fascination with dinosaurs and this is the one show I have seen thus far that has come closest to satisfying that fascination. Unfortunately, the show is a bit formulaic after the first episode and the last season ended on a cliffhanger. Plus the show spends way too much time on conspiracy theories and not enough on the prehistoric beasties which are the main reason most viewers tune in. The second season is the best but unfortunately, it will not make much sense unless you watch the first. And I cannot resist giving a special shout-out to actor Ben Miller, who not only has some of the best lines in the series but also does a damn fine job of playing a poor man's Alan Rickman.
5. William and Mary.
A dramedy (part drama, part comedy) about a romance between a middle-aged undertaker and a young midwife. Both have children and both have complicated occupations. The premise sounds like the setup for a very, very awful sitcom but fortunately, the writers did not go that route. Instead we get a stern dose of the type of liberal humanism that we rarely seem to get in an age dominated by the likes of Survivor and Two and a Half Men. The writers love their characters and it shows. Plus the characters appear to develop organically. Even the most outlandish events come across as real to an extent I wish most reality shows could pull off.
It is tempting to compare this show to Six Feet Under but that would be unfair. The show does not emphasize black humor to the same extent as SFU and it does not dwell on the dysfunctional for the sake of dwelling on the dysfunctional. It is probably not for everybody but I liked it more than certain recent movies which also dealt with funerals. If you are tired of shows which blatantly disrespect both their characters and their audience, I suspect you would like it too.
6. Yes Minister.
One of my all-time favorite political satires. Every time I think it is no longer relevant to modern-day politics, I stumble across yet another news story that proves I am being overly optimistic.
7. Yes, Prime Minster.
Another of of my all-time favorite political satires and an obvious sequel to Yes Minister. It is not as inspired as that show but it has its moments.
1. Blackadder.
Uneven historical satire concerning a fictional British nobleman named Edmund Blackadder and his various descendants. When it is off, it is merely mediocre, but when it is on, it's one of the funniest shows on British TV. So I guess it is a good thing it is so often on.
Today it is best known for being the show on which actor Hugh Laurie first got his start. Unfortunately for Laurie fans, he does not appear on it until the last episode of the second season. But he is worth waiting for. And Rowan Atkinson -- who plays the title character -- is pretty funny too. Miranda Richardson and Stephen Fry also make notable appearances but unfortunately, said appearances are rare after the second season.
2. Fawlty Towers.
John Cleese dabbles with the sitcom format and creates a show that produced more laughs in a handful of episodes than most American comedy shows ever produce. One of the few shows which I can forgive for using a stereotypical Hispanic servant since most of the laughs that occur in the show are at the expense of his employer.
3. Nighty Night.
There is undoubtedly a great TV show to be made about the banality of evil and the willingness of good folk to tolerate even the most outrageous behavior but this is not it. Indeed, the first time I saw this on DVD, it was all I could do after the first few episodes to resist pushing the fast-forward button.
The funny thing is that prior to seeing this, I actually looked forward to a British comedy show in which the most villainous character was female. Now I know better. Perhaps evil tends to be most entertaining when there is a chance it might be thwarted. Showing it triumph over and over can get surprisingly boring -- and that is without getting into the moral aspect of whether one would wish to see such a character get away with it on a regular basis. At least on other British shows, there is always a chance that the villain will be thwarted at the last moment.
4. Primeval.
My relatives in Detroit still remember my childhood fascination with dinosaurs and this is the one show I have seen thus far that has come closest to satisfying that fascination. Unfortunately, the show is a bit formulaic after the first episode and the last season ended on a cliffhanger. Plus the show spends way too much time on conspiracy theories and not enough on the prehistoric beasties which are the main reason most viewers tune in. The second season is the best but unfortunately, it will not make much sense unless you watch the first. And I cannot resist giving a special shout-out to actor Ben Miller, who not only has some of the best lines in the series but also does a damn fine job of playing a poor man's Alan Rickman.
5. William and Mary.
A dramedy (part drama, part comedy) about a romance between a middle-aged undertaker and a young midwife. Both have children and both have complicated occupations. The premise sounds like the setup for a very, very awful sitcom but fortunately, the writers did not go that route. Instead we get a stern dose of the type of liberal humanism that we rarely seem to get in an age dominated by the likes of Survivor and Two and a Half Men. The writers love their characters and it shows. Plus the characters appear to develop organically. Even the most outlandish events come across as real to an extent I wish most reality shows could pull off.
It is tempting to compare this show to Six Feet Under but that would be unfair. The show does not emphasize black humor to the same extent as SFU and it does not dwell on the dysfunctional for the sake of dwelling on the dysfunctional. It is probably not for everybody but I liked it more than certain recent movies which also dealt with funerals. If you are tired of shows which blatantly disrespect both their characters and their audience, I suspect you would like it too.
6. Yes Minister.
One of my all-time favorite political satires. Every time I think it is no longer relevant to modern-day politics, I stumble across yet another news story that proves I am being overly optimistic.
7. Yes, Prime Minster.
Another of of my all-time favorite political satires and an obvious sequel to Yes Minister. It is not as inspired as that show but it has its moments.
Labels: Ben Miller, Comedias Británicas, Hugh Laurie, Invasores Primitivos, John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Series de Televisión Británicas I, Sí Ministro, Stephen Fry, Todas las Series de Televisión Que He Visto I
posted by Tonio Kruger at 10:50 PM
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