Television viewing...
Oct. 4th, 2003 08:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fajrdrakoI just read ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lmondegreen's entry regarding the Canada Gazette item on Canadian television.
Ouch. I have some catching up to do.
Then the addendum: and most of it is American TV.
Yeah. No surprise. But a lot of it is sort of half-Canadian, like Highlander or Stargate, or filmed in Canada so we call all pretend we're seeing New York or Kansas when we're seeing Toronto or Vancouver. That really doesn't count when it's American money that makes it, Americans who are the stars, American writers who write it, American sensibility and outlook that goes into it, and they all pretend it isn't set in Canada but in Cascade or Seacouver or wherever. A handful of familiar faces might be Canadian actors,usually in the background. Let's not even mention Kristen Kreuk; I'd rather forget her.
There have been good Canadian shows. I have fond memories of Seaway, an obscure show lost in the mists of time. Due South has reached a sort of classic status, I think, and it's the only Canadian TV show I can think of that's famous internationally, though I've yet to figure out why anyone thinks it should be included on BBC Canada when there's not a British character in the whole show.
Are there other internatially known Canadian TV shows? There must be. Red Green? I know some people in California who watch that. Reboot - now, that was a good one. Then there's the so-famous-it's-embarrassing Anne of Green Gables. And (following a train of thought) Jalna - I'd forgotten all about Jalna till just now, maybe because I never watched it. But I knew it as part of my ambient culture.
When I think of Canadian TV, I think of stuff from my childhood, when American TV was much less accessible - causing me great frustration. There was Don Messer's Jubilee and Front Page Challenge and kid's shows like Razzle Dazzle, Chez Helene, and (my favourite) The Friendly Giant - "look up, look waaay up".
Excuse me while I wallow in nostalgia.
lmondegreen's entry regarding the Canada Gazette item on Canadian television.the average Canadian spends over 26 hours per week watching television.
Ouch. I have some catching up to do.
Then the addendum: and most of it is American TV.
Yeah. No surprise. But a lot of it is sort of half-Canadian, like Highlander or Stargate, or filmed in Canada so we call all pretend we're seeing New York or Kansas when we're seeing Toronto or Vancouver. That really doesn't count when it's American money that makes it, Americans who are the stars, American writers who write it, American sensibility and outlook that goes into it, and they all pretend it isn't set in Canada but in Cascade or Seacouver or wherever. A handful of familiar faces might be Canadian actors,usually in the background. Let's not even mention Kristen Kreuk; I'd rather forget her.
There have been good Canadian shows. I have fond memories of Seaway, an obscure show lost in the mists of time. Due South has reached a sort of classic status, I think, and it's the only Canadian TV show I can think of that's famous internationally, though I've yet to figure out why anyone thinks it should be included on BBC Canada when there's not a British character in the whole show.
Are there other internatially known Canadian TV shows? There must be. Red Green? I know some people in California who watch that. Reboot - now, that was a good one. Then there's the so-famous-it's-embarrassing Anne of Green Gables. And (following a train of thought) Jalna - I'd forgotten all about Jalna till just now, maybe because I never watched it. But I knew it as part of my ambient culture.
When I think of Canadian TV, I think of stuff from my childhood, when American TV was much less accessible - causing me great frustration. There was Don Messer's Jubilee and Front Page Challenge and kid's shows like Razzle Dazzle, Chez Helene, and (my favourite) The Friendly Giant - "look up, look waaay up".
Excuse me while I wallow in nostalgia.
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no subject
Date: 2003-10-05 05:00 am (UTC)The show I was thinking of was set in Manchester, but the point is the same. (g)
Filming companies choose Toronto because it's cheaper. The mind boggles. And though I don't know, I suspect the Toronto gay scene is bigger than the Pittsburgh gay scene - just because it's huge, for various reasons - though I haven't seen statistics. Not that I think that influenced them. What is the overall size of Pittsburgh?
Lana Lang as Death? Naw, doesn't work for me. Death is perky and bright. I just can't picture Lana being perky.
Anne of Green Gables isn't embarrassing per se, but it isn't new. I was thinking that I'd like Canada to be known for something dynamic and new and forward-looking, rather than something written before World War I, and rural at that. It would be like the U.S. being known for cowboy movies: fair enough, and a depiction of an era of reality, but removed from the present relevancy.
On the other hand, I think "Ann" nicely encapsulates the Canadian attitude to life rather the same way that westerns encapsulate the American character so maybe it's relevant (and revealing) after all.
Not that I mean to descend to stereotypes here: I know both nations are complex. I'm talking about international images here.