British Shows: Watch all the hot new television before it comes to America!

Bogart

I have seem, over the past few years, Ian Mckellan, Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Gillian Anderson, Toby Stephens, Christopher Eccleston, Tara Fitzgerald, and a bunch of other big names do theatre. I missed Jude Law, Ewan McGregor and many more when they were doing it.

SpongeCake

Mojo_Jojo wrote:

If you want boobs in Doctor Who I'd look to Torchwood, Billy.


Anyhow, ages ago I watched most of the first series of Misfits. It was a weird concept but strangely enjoyable. I rounded it off last week (the joy of British TV is that you tend not to get filler with just 6-8 episodes) and started on the second. My word, series 2 is a huge improvement. It's heavily flawed for a bunch of obvious reasons, but I'm really getting in to it.

I love Misfits. Season three is pretty wonderful and contains one of my favourite pre-intro-music lines ever:

JebusUD

I need two shows to come to America. QI, which appears to be totally awesome from youtube clips, and That Mitchell and Webb Look, which I can only get 2 seasons old on netflix right now..

SpongeCake

JebusUD wrote:

I need two shows to come to America. QI, which appears to be totally awesome from youtube clips, and That Mitchell and Webb Look, which I can only get 2 seasons old on netflix right now..

You made me do this:

Deebaser

Also, general question: im not a big doctor who fan, but is David Tennant some sort of massive cockbag worthy of contempt? He always seems so nice and friendly on the BBC America commercials.

Bogart

No, everything I've heard about him says he's a great guy.

AJC delle Marche esq

I know that actors go from television or film to theatre. But I still contend that it's an indication that their career is in decline. Big, hot actors aren't deciding between doing another movie or doing theatre.

It's like American bands who tour Eastern Europe. It's not the big, hot, now bands doing that. It's bands who peaked twenty years ago. American audiences won't go to their shows anymore, but it'll be big news in Estonia. It will be Megadeth or something in Estonia. Not Justin Bieber.

As for David Tennant, I'm sure he's a jam up guy.

Drez

Some actors really enjoy/prefer theater.

Bogart

Jude Law is in the new Sherlock Holmes movie and just got done playing Hamlet on stage. Al Pacino was just in The Merchant of Venice.

Bogart

Your opinions are just odd. Are you a new Fast Show character?

The Fourth Estate

I asked if he was Alan Partridge.

Anarchy Rules!

Oh man, why did you have to show THAT clip of Mitchell and Webb? Such a great sketch(?), but such a gut punch.

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It would have been better if they'd been less blatant about setting it up.

Although over the course of weeks it would be easy to forget their missions statement.

And it was still pretty good.

AManFromEarth

AJC delle Marche esq wrote:

I know that actors go from television or film to theatre. But I still contend that it's an indication that their career is in decline. Big, hot actors aren't deciding between doing another movie or doing theatre.

It's like American bands who tour Eastern Europe. It's not the big, hot, now bands doing that. It's bands who peaked twenty years ago. American audiences won't go to their shows anymore, but it'll be big news in Estonia. It will be Megadeth or something in Estonia. Not Justin Bieber.

As for David Tennant, I'm sure he's a jam up guy.

Al Pachino does theatre.

Lots of people get their start on the stage before moving onto the screen, even in the States. Every big name comedian? Chances are they started out at Second City in Chicago. Hell, Rainn Wilson started in the world of theatre. It's not a sign that their career is in decline at all. That's appearing on the SyFy channel. Especially not for British actors.

You're telling me that Gandalf can't get work? No dice, sir.

There's a bit of a stigma in the public about stage work, but in acting there's no difference. It's cool if you don't like the theatre, but it's unfair to say it's a sign that their career is in decline.

Deebaser

Another thing, Tennant is an actor from a sci fi televsion show. In the US the next logical career move is to do conventions until you put a gun in your mouth.

Glad to hear he's not a dick. I don't really know why it matters, but it does. Thanks @Bogart !

AManFromEarth

Bogart wrote:

Your opinions are just odd. Are you a new Fast Show character?

I'm fairly certain that if he isn't a troll, he hangs out under bridges for funsies. No one knows that much about Doctor Who from just seeing one episode.

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David Tennant is a struggling actor?

yotes

Maybe Tennant should just tits or GTFO.

AManFromEarth

yotes

Well, that's something, to be sure.

Alistair Hutton

Wait, sorry, I'm confused, being an award winning Shakespearian actor indicates a career in decline?

Bogart

The Fourth Estate wrote:

I asked if he was Alan Partridge.

Any minute now he'll demand a show called Monkey Tennis.

Jacobkosh

AJC delle Marche esq wrote:

I know that actors go from television or film to theatre. But I still contend that it's an indication that their career is in decline. Big, hot actors aren't deciding between doing another movie or doing theatre.

It doesn't sound like you actually know very much about big actors and what they do with their time, which is kind of a major handicap when discussing this subject!

Redcoat-13

The Mitchell and Webb (which if people don't know, started as a radio show) look sort of lost its way with season 2. It however got back on track in season 3.

With regards to panel shows, Nevermind the Buzzcocks has completely lost its way. The fact you've got people from the X-factor turning up as guests and not getting ripped apart, and James Blunt of all being the guest host. I don't know.

Also, do people remember Big Train?

Ego

I had no idea there were more than two seasons of That Mitchell and Webb Look, having watched it on netflix. Damn. Guess I'll be ordering DVDs or something.

It's not a show, but I'd highly recommend Cabin Pressure to anyone who likes British comedy.

On a mild tangent, is sketch comedy less popular in America than in the UK? There's Saturday Night Live, and I don't know if Mad TV is still a thing, but it seems like sketch comedy is a lot more popular in the commonwealth nations. I was thinking of this the other day while watching Picnicface (if you're in Canada, it's on the comedy network website, and is surprisingly good) and thinking about Kids in the Hall.

Mojo_Jojo

The end of the second series of Misfits seems to have a pretty hefty continuity error.

Spoiler:

Barry doesn't know he becomes the masked free-runner, that happened inside the little timeloop that was undone. And yet, the next episode opens with him practising his jumping. I suppose that's the nature of including time travel in a story as a regular device, it just leads to annoying mistakes

darleysam

AJC delle Marche esq wrote:

I know that actors go from television or film to theatre. But I still contend that it's an indication that their career is in decline. Big, hot actors aren't deciding between doing another movie or doing theatre.

It's like American bands who tour Eastern Europe. It's not the big, hot, now bands doing that. It's bands who peaked twenty years ago. American audiences won't go to their shows anymore, but it'll be big news in Estonia. It will be Megadeth or something in Estonia. Not Justin Bieber.

As for David Tennant, I'm sure he's a jam up guy.

Yes, they absolutely do. They just do, and claiming that's false is just stupid. Stop stating your opinions as fact, please.

edit: and hilariously, the bigger bands get the further afield they go. To tour Eastern Europe you'd need to be pretty big. The smaller you are, the closer to home and safer venues you play.

AManFromEarth

Ego wrote:

I had no idea there were more than two seasons of That Mitchell and Webb Look, having watched it on netflix. Damn. Guess I'll be ordering DVDs or something.

It's not a show, but I'd highly recommend Cabin Pressure to anyone who likes British comedy.

On a mild tangent, is sketch comedy less popular in America than in the UK? There's Saturday Night Live, and I don't know if Mad TV is still a thing, but it seems like sketch comedy is a lot more popular in the commonwealth nations. I was thinking of this the other day while watching Picnicface (if you're in Canada, it's on the comedy network website, and is surprisingly good) and thinking about Kids in the Hall.

Aside from SNL I can't think of one that's still on. And even that goes through phases of popularity.

darleysam

Ego wrote:

I had no idea there were more than two seasons of That Mitchell and Webb Look, having watched it on netflix. Damn. Guess I'll be ordering DVDs or something.

It's not a show, but I'd highly recommend Cabin Pressure to anyone who likes British comedy.

On a mild tangent, is sketch comedy less popular in America than in the UK? There's Saturday Night Live, and I don't know if Mad TV is still a thing, but it seems like sketch comedy is a lot more popular in the commonwealth nations. I was thinking of this the other day while watching Picnicface (if you're in Canada, it's on the comedy network website, and is surprisingly good) and thinking about Kids in the Hall.

Picnicface are brilliant.

BobCesca

Bogart wrote:

You don't seem to get that doing theatre on a regular basis is just something a lot of actors, especially British actors, do, whether they're famous or not.

And Radio 4 stuff, which Tennant, happily, continues to do a decent amount of.

darleysam

BobCesca wrote:

Bogart wrote:

You don't seem to get that doing theatre on a regular basis is just something a lot of actors, especially British actors, do, whether they're famous or not.

And Radio 4 stuff, which Tennant, happily, continues to do a decent amount of.

Oh my goodness, radio? You're basically better off killing yourself than descending to the pit of misery that is radio. I mean, you can't even see the face.

edit: I dare any man who says theatre is where you go to die, to express this opinion in the vicinity of Brian Blessed.

Lucid

AJC delle Marche esq wrote:

I know that actors go from television or film to theatre. But I still contend that it's an indication that their career is in decline. Big, hot actors aren't deciding between doing another movie or doing theatre.

It's like American bands who tour Eastern Europe. It's not the big, hot, now bands doing that. It's bands who peaked twenty years ago. American audiences won't go to their shows anymore, but it'll be big news in Estonia. It will be Megadeth or something in Estonia. Not Justin Bieber.

As for David Tennant, I'm sure he's a jam up guy.

You appear to have a somewhat narrow/ignorant concept of what a 'career' entails. Do you have some omniscient perspective that tells you how satisfied every actor is with the direction or focus of their working life? If an actor transitions from the spotlight of a very popular program or film to continuous(yet less widely popular) success in some other area, is that somehow less valuable?

Not every performer has some extreme desire to maintain a massive ego that comes from being really famous or something.

What makes foreign success so much less valuable to you than that of being popular in America?

Bogart

Kenneth Branagh directed Thor last year, has starred in a bunch of movies, does theatre all the time and just got done starring in an adaptation of Life And Fate for Radio 4.

I don't think this kind of variety projects a career arc of success and failure. It shows a guy doing ten different things in ten different formats, all of them good.

BobCesca

I think some of it is the differences between British and US actors. For one, the theatre continues to be extremely important, especially if you want to be considered a "proper" actor. Secondly, a lot of British actors have a love of, and a strong relationship with the BBC, and it seems that Radio 4 (and sometimes Radio 3) get the benefits of this (I assume because one can go in and record in a day, maybe two at the most, whereas TV takes weeks).

Deebaser

Bogart wrote:

Kenneth Branagh

was the bad guy in Wild Wild West.
It starred Will Smith.
Will Smith doesn't do theatre.

Deebaser

I would like to see Shia LeBouf do 12th Night...

...no wait... I would hate that.

Bogart

Kevin Kline was in that movie as well. He does a ton of theatre.

YOUR MOVE, DEEBASER.

Daxon

I think one or two years ago I saw Phèdre at the National Theatre in London with Helen Mirren and Dominic Cooper (the husband in Mama Mia and also a load of other things.. like uh Stark in Cpt America)

It was excellent. They are excellent.

They continune doing excellent things.

Uncle_John

The first episode of This is England 88 was fantastic. I think This is England is my favourite thing ever, I love it so much.

Deebaser

Bogart wrote:

Kevin Kline was in that movie as well. He does a ton of theatre.

YOUR MOVE, DEEBASER.

Touché, I concede defeat.
I just can't think of Kenny B without thinking of that terrible movie. I'm sorry. I owe him so much too. His version of Hamlet helped me out so much in HS English Lit.

That movie was bad. So bad. That fucking song too...
FUCK YOU WILL SMITH!