I've been watching a lot of TV lately - well, I've downloaded a lot of shows, and watched those - and noticed that American TV is actually getting better. For the first time in a long time there are actually a few shows that I want to watch every week (or, there were, before all the shows went on hiatus for the holidays, being replaced by terrible gameshows and various reality TV shows).
However, every time I think our shows here are getting good, I find something from the other side of the pond that's even better, and puts our programming to shame.
Case in point: Life on Mars. I became a fan - somewhat - of the American show Journeyman. It had an interesting premise - guy goes back in time, but doesn't know how or why, and ends up having to help people back there. Sort of a lazy man's Quantum Leap. Good, easy entertainment, in other words.
Then, I saw Life on Mars, and everything changed. Not only does it feature incredible music from that era (1970's), but it doesn't dumb itself down for viewers - there's no hand-holding here. In Life on Mars, the protagonist gets into an accident, and finds himself in 1973. He - and we - don't really know if he's really back in time, or if the entire thing is his comatose dream. The show goes on to show him solving crimes. It's hard to really describe, but the show manages to make you, the viewer, feel everything he feels - the frustration, the anger, and the simple joy of finding your place. It's the same basic premise as Journeyman, but manages to create a relationship between the viewer and the characters on the screen, while bringing forth issues of morality and justice. By showing the world back then, it creates a contrast to the world we know now - and shines a light on all the successes and failures of our modern society, especially in law enforcement.
The point is, every time our American shows take a step forward, so do the British - so we're always at least a step behind. It's a bit frustrating, but at least entertainment is getting more... entertaining.
Now watch Bowie sing.
