At the risk of sounding a bit sad, I like watching TV. It's the friend that's always there; company for lonely nights and lazy Sunday afternoons (and yes, I am enjoying them while I can). And although I agree that most of what's on offer is garbage, there are just a few televisual nuggets of gold which glint in the mud of the broadcasting bucket.
But what really annoys me is when you invest three months of your life in a new show, delight in its witty dialogue, empathise with its characters, cheer them on when the two leads finally get together and so on, only to discover that, after all that time and emotional energy, this truly great show has been "cancelled". Television is, after all, a business. Yes points do make prizes, but the only points most broadcasters are interested in are those of the viewing figures. Up: good. New season. Down: bad. End of show.
Recently my wife and I have been enjoying a fantastic new American show called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, thanks to the rather murky world of BitTorrent. It's the latest offering of Aaron Sorkin, of The West Wing fame, and is a "crackling take on the drama behind the humour of producing a popular, late-night comedy sketch show." Imagine the quality of writing of The West Wing, mix it together with a dose of intelligent humour, religious and political comment, and you have one heck of a show. Unfortunately, it seems that most Americans are too dumb to realise how good it is. As a result of poor viewing figures (only an average 8.5 million viewers per week for the first 16 episodes), and despite numerous award nominations (including a golden globe for best actress in a supporting role - Sarah Paulson - and a nomination for best new series by the Writers Guild of America) the show went the way of Britain's chances in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Why NBC why? Why America why? Now all I have to look forward to is another game of Scrabble with my wife, as the TV slowly gathers dust in the corner. And the next time I hear a BBC trailer that says, "This show was only possible because of the unique way the BBC is funded..." I'll say a quick thank you to the Big Fellow upstairs.
