To Love TV From Afar...

Of all the complaints I may or may not have about the United States, one thing is for sure: we make great television.  From writing, acting, execution, location, down to the general look we have definitely set the standard of TV.  Don't misunderstand (or is that 'misunderestimate?') me.  I like television from other countries, BBC America for one, has shown some of the best of British TV (Life on Mars, Dr. Who, Coupling, etc).  I certainly don't like American TV at the expense of other TV...I am an equal opportunity television watcher.  

But, what's difficult, is trying to watch that great, well-made American television when you are in a foreign land, without actually owning a TV. Yes, my friends,  a (new) television blogger without a TV.  I swear it is not because I'm one of those people (you know the kind) who say, "I don't watch TV" or "I have no need for a television."  No, it is because I am a poor graduate student living in London, who can't afford that TV.

So, I've been forced to be creative in how I watch television--and it generally involves watching it on my 13" Mac computer.  I was able to watch all of Lost, for example, thanks to iTunes.  I downloaded each episode as soon as it was available (which was never as fast as I liked). Unfortunately, that has been the exception to my general experience here.  I would be more than happy to watch episodes streaming from network websites like NBC, ABC, etc, but those are, sadly unavailable to customers outside of the US. Oh, what about Hulu you say?  Again, I'm still waiting for Hulu to allow people outside of the United States use it. But, it looks cool.  [I can't even watch clips posted on other websites from Hulu!] I would have also gladly paid to get my Battlestar Galactica fix on iTunes this season. But, thanks to Universal/NBC yanking all their shows from iTunes, I couldn't do that.  I even tried Amazon Unbox, but what do you know?  You not only have to have a PC (which I could have worked around as annoying as it is), but you guessed it: you have to be in the United States.

My point being: I have explored all the known legal ways to watch these shows, outside of watching them on a regular television. And, since at this point I can not only not afford a television here in Britain, but I can't afford the cable it would require to watch American-network TV imported, I have had to resort to the more "gray area" of streaming video. Honestly, I don't know all the copyright rules, if they are valid in different countries, or if what I am doing is actually shady; frankly I'd rather not know--I figure if it works it's fine, and if it's not fine, it will stop working.  

This route is frustrating. Often times links are dead, or don't load, or only work on this browser or that browser.  I just think it is kind of weird that someone who wants to watch TV , has tried to do it in an up and up legal fashion, and is even willing to (sometimes) pay has to even worry if he or she might be in a legal gray area.  There seems like there must be a happy medium between honoring the right to sell a product, having things be a bit more available. At least one would think there could be. [And the studios claimed they make no money from the internet when the were fighting with the Writers Guild.] 

On the plus side I now have access to the BBC iPlayer, so I get to watch lots of new television that has been previously not only unavailable but unknown to me. So, um, don't be surprised if I blog about a lot of British TV.   

Despite all the troubles I have managed to watch a fair number of the shows I love; not all of them, but I am trying to catch up.  I do wish there was a way for me to do it right, so to speak, but I'll just have to make due.  So,  don't worry come fall I'll be watching and commenting on all the great TV.  (Just don't ask me how i watched it.) 

Reality of Summer TV

The summer season brings a whole 'nother creature to t.v. programming. Although Big Brother made a late winter/spring appearance, summer is home for the king of reality! BB 10 started this week with a bang and another slew of reality stars. The oldest reality star ever, great-grandpa Jerry, is a nice change of pace to the back-stabbing young bombshells. BB is always a rollercoaster of good and bad tv, but I will be the devoted fan, watching all three episodes a week. Renna and the early player Brian are nominated for eviction. Will the house carry through their plans to evict Brian, or will his BB skills be put to the test, and succed? Guess we we'll know on the next episode.

The mainstream giant of the summer season, in my opinion, is So You Think You Can Dance? I love everything about this show, except for Mary's screams and ear-popping voice. This show catapolted the art of dance to the general public and brings multiple styles and genres into living rooms. How many average people knew about West Coast Swing, Mia Michaels, Lyrical and Cat Dealy? I love Mia Michael's routines week after week; their power and artistry pull emotions through the tv onto my couch.

On the cable front, two popular shows are Design Star on HGTV and The Next Food Network Star, on duh...the Food Network. Both are great, dramtic competitions that showcase talent and skill that most wish to have. Design Star has a Kansas City local, Jennifer from Olathe, so I definately watch the home girl. She is in the top three, and I hope she continues!

Television programming used to take a break during the summer, but with the birth of reality, it is alive and kicking!

About Sara

Sara has loved TV as long as she can remember. From early morning viewings of Romper Room and The Muppet Show she was hooked on the 'idiot box'. As a kid she audio-tape recorded shows (no VCR for her family in the 80s) like Bewitched and Little House on the Prairie and then, listened to them over and over, much to the bemusement and dismay of her family. Thankfully, her tastes have gotten much better over the years (though she still loves Bewitched and Little House), but some things never change. She has been known to watch episodes of Sports Night and Arrested Development over and over, much to the bemusement and dismay of her family (and friends!). Her current favorite show on TV right now is Lost, followed closely by Battlestar Galactica (which is the best show you're not watching because you're afraid of sci-fi), and generally thinks her taste in television is not only excellent, but always right. Except when it's, um, you know, not.

Sara also blogs at http://issarainteresting.blogspot.com/

About Jen

Everyone that knows me, knows that tv is my altar. As I am not a religious person, I worship each night to the lighted box in my rec room, on my comfy couch with my pug Lulu curled up beside me. (note, I am married, with a personal life...so I am not a total hermit) I am a devoted fan of the DVR and have owned one since they first came out. Now, not only can I watch a tv program, I am no longer responsible enough to know when it is actually on tv, what channel or if it is a dreaded re-run. The DVR puts the "L" in lazy! Once you have one, I dare you to go back.

I have been a tv junkie since the days of Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, Full House, Smurfs and The Cosby Show. Whenever I was in trouble, I was the kid that was grounded from tv, because that was really the only thing that hurt.

My spouse and I have "conversations" regarding my tv lifestyle and how it will affect our future children. (we are in the fertility process..not fun) My theory is with the DVR, I will watch my shows when the kid(s) goes to bed. I have to admit, I do not want my children to be tv junkies, and I will have to lead by example, or so they will think! Maintaining a tv lifestyle can at times, be stressful. (don't laugh) There is only so much tv a girl can watch in a week, and then trying to maintain upkeep of a house, job (yes, I work full time and watch tv full time), family, etc. it can be overwhelming. But, my tv is here to stay, I will be try my hardest to provide commentary and some mild entertainment.