Due to not wanting to step on NBC's sports coverage of the Winter Olympics, American TV has more or less shut down for the past two weeks. But for viewers hungering for new and different scripted TV, there's another place to look: across the pond.
The United Kingdom has a history of prolific television production. It produced "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969−1974) and then John Cleese's "Fawlty Towers" (1975−1979), both of which are generally regarded by critics and experts as some of the best television comedies ever made. But not everything the UK has to offer lately is as polarizing and British as "Are You Being Served?" (1972−1985). The BBC and other British networks have many intriguing and unique series easily available to eager, TV−loving American audiences.
These shows come in all shapes and sizes. On and off since 1963, the BBC has been churning out different incarnations of the family−friendly sci−fi adventure show "Doctor Who," a series that has now seen 11 different actors playing its protagonist. With its low−tech, low−budget special effects and heartfelt storytelling, "Who" has a reputation in Britain and around the world as a family institution that has won over multiple generations of audiences.
A new season, featuring 27−year−old Matt Smith as the Doctor, will premiere on BBC and BBC America later this year. Episodes from the series since its 2005 revival — including those featuring doctors Nine (Christopher Eccleston) and Ten (David Tennant) — are available on iTunes.
"Doctor Who" has recently inspired two spin−offs, including "Torchwood," a more adult−oriented, salacious chronicle of a division of alien−fighters, starring Scottish song−and−dance man John Barrowman. Last summer, Syfy aired "Torchwood: Children of Earth" (2009), a five−part miniseries that earned critical acclaim from both British and American critics.
For teens (and teens at heart), BBC America also offers "Skins" and "The Inbetweeners," shows with attractive teenagers (like The CW's "Gossip Girl") frankly discussing serious problems (as in Canada's "Degrassi High," 1989−1991). The second series (season in American speak) of "The Inbetweeners" premieres Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. on BBC America.
Last summer, BBC America broadcast the first series of "Being Human," a horror−dramedy that follows three friends living together in Bristol: Mitchell (Aiden Turner), a moody, century−old vampire, George (Russell Tovey), an uptight Jewish werewolf and Annie (Lenora Crichlow), a bubbly, recently−deceased ghost.
The first full series of "Being Human" runs only six hour−long (i.e. 60 minutes, with no commercials) episodes, which were all filmed on location in Bristol over about a month. In the U.S., a season typically runs between 13 and 24 episodes, paving the way for narrative fragmentation and necessitating a handful of subpar "filler" installments.
For many British series, including "Being Human," the small episode order lends itself to a cohesive story arc that functions more like a serialized film. Creator Toby Whithouse structures a salient story arc for the show's first series. By closely following only three or four story lines, hitting a climax in episodes four and five and ending strong, the series leaves audiences satisfied in the end.
The show does a fantastic job of concentrating on the realistic, though supernatural, friendship between the three leads, while furthering a well−plotted and surprisingly intense story. Because of Britain's more forgiving standards and practices regulations, "Being Human" is not forced to shy away from fairly graphic violence or nudity, but the excess of blood and brutality feels honest and earned.
Though the central conceit of "Being Human" sounds gimmicky, Whithouse's examination of the realities behind the three types of creatures is more sincere than that of "Twilight" (2008), for instance. The show is extremely engrossing, surprisingly smart and very fun to watch. "Being Human" Series One is available now on iTunes, and Series Two, currently airing in the UK, will begin on BBC America in July.
Bolstered by the continued success of NBC's version of "The Office" (based, of course, on the Ricky Gervais BBC series) and the foreign formatting trend in general, both "Being Human" and "Torchwood" have been secured for American remakes. Fox has ordered "Torchwood," which will also be written by the original series' creator, Russell T. Davies. Star Barrowman may also be following the series over the pond, perhaps because he already speaks with an American accent. The US version of "Being Human" will air a 13−episode season on Syfy as that network's first original series since its name change (from Sci−Fi).
It is difficult to predict what the outcomes of these experiments will be. Because one of these shows is often very sexual (Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness is proudly bisexual) and the other is often very violent, it seems likely that American neutering will at least hamper some of these shows' impact. But since both of these British series are now available to Americans via iTunes and other means, they are definitely worth checking out while American television is taking a breather.
