Reasons to Turn On the Television at Last?

From my teens onwards, I've never been a big television person. It's not hard to see why.

Something about getting a numb arse, watching shows that have already given away the key scenes in their 'Coming Up!' segments just before another agonising commercial break hits, doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I'd much rather read a good book, as I can choose my own breaks and I don't have to read the ending before I've even started.

What's more, it seems to me that as more television channels crop up, the more the quality of the programming has to dilute itself to cover that extra programming space. As a result, people have been stuck to watching programs that are more of a social experience than an actual artistic or thought provoking one. 

Shows such as The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Big Brother (I can hear a collective sigh of relief now that's finished) fit this criteria perfectly - Nobody will really care who wins in the end (Can you name the first winner of Strictly Come Dancing? How about the fourth winner of Big Brother? Didn't think so.) as long as there's something in each show that can form a talking point during your lunch break at work. So everyone tunes in to make sure they don't look like a total berk in front of their acquaintances when they realise that without this crap they actually have nothing in common after all. And as new seasons of The X Factor and Strictly are already underway in time for Christmas, I feel sorry for anyone standing in a work lunch queue right now.

Just stop. For the children. Please.

This type of television is repetitive and lazy, a simple cash-in on people's time and money. And it works. In many ways it chillingly reminds me of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the plot of which revolves around the destruction of anything that could challenge an individuals conscience or morals, instead replacing it with bright lights and loud noises. The shows are nothing, so they offend no-one. Everyone is happy.


Shows like this are O.K. in moderation, but ever since the turn of the millennium we've been lumped with them on an almost constant basis. If not the show itself, then another spin-off show that recaps all of the missed 'action' e.g. Big Brother's Little Brother. If you're anything like me, you would have turned the television off back in the year 2000 and never looked back.


However.

There are reasons to be optimistic, two in fact. In fact, there probably always was, but I've been too slow on the uptake and too self-righteous to try out the alternatives.

The first ray of hope is a sitcom that has been smashing viewer records on the channel E4 for around 2 years now, called The Inbetweeners.  It's such a hit that a film has been discussed as well as an American remake. They are currently two six-episode seasons completed, and the final season is currently showing on E4 every Monday at 10pm. 

I've always felt that the British sitcom has been on the downturn for a long time. Here, my faith has been restored. The premise in each episode is simple. Four friends, Will, Simon, Jay and Neil are in sixth form at a state comprehensive school, stuck precariously between the 'cool' group and the 'nerdy' clique. They are obsessed with girls, sex and with trying to bolster their images amongst their peers, but they almost always fail at experiencing the success of either due to their own stupidity and naive behaviour, often with hilariously disastrous consequences. The 25-minute shows run from bad-to-worse, almost in the vein of Fawlty Towers, as the situation they are in grows ever more dire until they are usually left alone, dumped or shamed, with only themselves to blame.

From left to right: Will, Neil, Jay and Simon, the Inbetweeners

The simplicity of the shows format is rivalled by the true-to-life characters and themes that the show captures superbly. As I was watching for the first time, just a fortnight ago, I realised that each of the 4 main characters in some way corresponded with some of my old friends from sixth form: Will, the bright kid who comes from a private school and believes himself too good for 'common' work, Simon, obsessed with his unrequited love Carli, Jay, serial bullshitter with a grotesque fixation of sex as a result of his lack of, and Neil, the slighter slower member of the group who rounds off the other three perfectly with his gullible nature. 

The actors on screen have a superb chemistry and the script is so well tapped into the 17-year-old male psyche that it feels as though you are actually watching four mates just being themselves at school. And with that, the show recreates and exaggerates all of the crushing humiliations and insecurities that made up every teenager's high school experience. Laugh out loud entertainment and fantastic observations, it's knocked any other sitcom in the last decade out of the ball park. My girlfriend and I always make time to watch it, no matter what's going on.

The other reason to keep your eyes on the set is coming in the near future: HBO's adaptation of George R.R.Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, beginning with A Game of Thrones. The books are gritty, multi-perspective fantasy novels which are more interested in the politics of warring feudal societies than of wizards and trolls and swords of +1 Intelligence (although the fantasy elements grow more prevalent in each installment of the series). There are no inherently good or evil characters, only real people with different motives, loyalties and weaknesses - although of course every reader has their number one favourite and number one hate figure. 

Readers of the series will undoubtedly have already heard the rumours and speculation about the show and it's current filming in Ireland thanks to superb fan websites such as Winter is Coming. There are a few photos and trailers doing the rounds on the internet right now, and all in all it looks like it's going to be an incredible feast for the eyes, ears and mind, so make sure you catch it when it finally comes around next Spring!


So, The Inbetweeners and Game of Thrones, restoring my faith in the box. Maybe if I can make time to watch The Wire as well, I'll never have an excuse to complain again! Eat that, Simon Cowell.