That was an enjoyable read but the grass is always greener, Jaybone.
The truth is that since the 2000s, the best of US telly appears to be the best in the world. I suspect it resides in amongst a pile of crap (Real Housewives of Generic Major Conurbation, etc.) but that's the same as here (for every Sherlock and Peep Show, there's EastEnders and Geordie Shore). But there's no denying it - I look at The Wire, House, Deadwood, The Sopranos, Daily Show, South Park, Bill Maher and I've recently been getting into that merry-go-round of depravities, Californication. (And I've been ignoring Breaking Bad for so long now that I imagine next year, I'll engage in an all out binge.) No other country has been doing anything as exciting, but perhaps geniuses like Hugh Laurie and John Oliver allow us to share a little bit of the credit.
Before then the UK used to lead the way - I still think Cracker is the best crime drama I've ever seen. With regards to the series length thing : to be honest, we just don't have the money for 22-24 episodes. Programmes are pitched to a commissioner usually as the singular vision of one or two writers, and then they're given the money to shoot the 6-8 episodes all together before the first is broadcast, like one would a film. So if anyone was asking for constructive criticism this side of the pond, I'd say a good compromise is the cable standard of 12-13 shows. That way you get the consistency of character and story from less writers, with no filler episodes, yet the writers still have room to breathe, and the channel interfere less mid-series. And while I have no solution to this problem, you guys have far too many adverts eating into your programme duration. I don't actually see any of them but I'm unapologetically a fan of The Big Bang Theory, and for a few weeks the *cough cough* TIMECODE ON V.L.C. PLAYER read 19 minutes. That's outrageous for a 30 minute timeslot. And that's ignoring the constant, live action banners that rampage along the bottom of the screen, like some bastard child of the internet.
One last thought : you mentioned the word 'Anglophile' and I really like this site called Anglotopia for reading American perspectives on British culture. Learned a lot too. Apparently supermarket checkout staff usually aren't given a chair? That just seems cruel!
''This is the best bad idea we have, sir. By far.''
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