26 years ago today...

Not sure how I missed it at the time. Thanks for another informative post.

I think ITV try to push off all its US sitcoms overall to Ch4. Also Many US dramas were not network and were broadcast at different times. I dare say that because certain dramas did not rate well in certain parts of the UK. TVS and UTV pushed Whizz kids to different time slot, while Crazy like a fox was either given Daytime or peaktime depending where you lived. Yet other US drama were like rockets in some parts of the UK.

Seaquest that was given the 6.30pm on a SUNDAY, not a Saturday. only the 90min first episodes got a 6pm Saturday slot.

What about Dr. Quinn that did alright for years.

US Drama is going through a golden period at the moment but, for whatever reasons, British audiences just don't seem to want to watch it on linear TV. It started with The Sopranos which was largely ignored on Channel 4 but, through word of mouth, kick started the "Box Set" culture. More recently Breaking Bad, also largely ignored on TV, pretty much single-handedly put Netflix on the map.

The flow of any drama US or otherwise is destroyed by commercial breaks, I can just about cope with watching Fargo at present on C4 by buffering it on 30 mins delay, then skipping the ad breaks, but quite honestly for 5-10 quid a month you're far better off watching such stuff on-line, where of course no one tramples all over the end credits, and the often carefully arranged and selected playout music. Treat avid viewers of these sort of multi-layered cinematographic pieces with contempt, and that's what will happen.

You've never seen ER? Law & Order? CSI? Everything on Universal, FiveUSA? Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Angel?

Most US drama other than premium cable is made with commercial breaks in mind, and generally twice as many as we get here. As long as breaks are taken at their intends point that isn'the really an issue.

The really good stuff is now being made with on-line in mind, not linear TV

So you say that TV channels ruin the dramas by putting ad breaks in, even though we have less breaks than in the US, but then say that the "really good stuff" (whatever that means) doesn't have breaks anyway. So what's your point?

I know not directed at me, but I do have to say the number of breaks is higher in the US but the overall time of number of adverts per hour is near to each other.

Ie UK have 4 3mins advert
while USA 8 1-2 mins adverts

At least in the UK you can get a decent run of drama.

Yes, the advantage of watching an American show over here is that you don't have to put up with the seasonal breaks, which can last several weeks, and instead watch on continuous weeks (perhaps with a break around Christmas time here). When Sky1 attempted to show programmes "days after the States" a few years ago, most notably with Glee, it annoyed people who didn't realise that this means there will be several breaks within a series (or season). So that idea was quickly dropped.

I don't understand how interrupting any drama with breaks (regardless whether it has pauses to insert breaks or not) is A Good Thing ? We do have fewer breaks than US TV, but surely it's better to watch without interruption ?

Sky1 also treated the simpson in two blocks aswell, there manged to do this by holding over a couple of the last series episodes, to help bridge the gaps.

E4 Does this rather well, there have 10 week run Late Oct to Dec to stop the troubles and then restart the other 14 odd show in Late Feb.



At least someone who like the BBC