the killing

[Richctdude]

have it on my tivo... i hope it gets better

[CORVETTEDUDE]

You are watching the US remake. The Danish version was much longer - and by all accounts- much slower. It was however utterly brilliant - and has subtitles. The US programme makers figured that 20 hours of subtitled drama would never play to the mass US market (hence the remake). The qualities of the Danish version are many. For instance, I have never seen as powerful a portrayal of grief as this offered in either the cinema or on TV. It is even better than the brilliant Swedish cop series Wallander. (Did that play in the US? )I suspect that too many americans have short attention spans. You have only to watch things like those CSI or NCIS franchises to see that wholly superficial wham-bam shot-em-up is the genre that wins through. The Sopranos, The Wire, Madmen,Six feet Under, The West Wing - those are among the best things US TV has done in drama in years. But none were huge box office were they. But this is all a matter of opinion.

Yes, it is, like everything else, a matter of opinion. I'm not complaining about the story being told. Rather the production of said story. It's the direction and production that is lacking. It's quite possible I might better enjoy it better in the original package. However, Prospero...your evaluation of The Sopranos and West Wing is out to lunch. Both however, had run their respective courses. It's not Red Skelton or Benny Hill.

[Prospero]

Corvette - what does "out to lunch" mean in this context?

and the relevance of the dreadful Benny Hill?

[CORVETTEDUDE]

Corvette - what does "out to lunch" mean in this context?

and the relevance of the dreadful Benny Hill?

Out to lunch means incorrect. The reference to Benny Hill, as well as Red Skelton, in that both have long-standing properous careers. The Sopranos and West Wing were very popular but, their stories came to an end or, had run their course.

[Quiet Reflections]

You are watching the US remake. The Danish version was much longer - and by all accounts- much slower. It was however utterly brilliant - and has subtitles. The US programme makers figured that 20 hours of subtitled drama would never play to the mass US market (hence the remake). The qualities of the Danish version are many. For instance, I have never seen as powerful a portrayal of grief as this offered in either the cinema or on TV. It is even better than the brilliant Swedish cop series Wallander. (Did that play in the US? )I suspect that too many americans have short attention spans. You have only to watch things like those CSI or NCIS franchises to see that wholly superficial wham-bam shot-em-up is the genre that wins through. The Sopranos, The Wire, Madmen,Six feet Under, The West Wing - those are among the best things US TV has done in drama in years. But none were huge box office were they. But this is all a matter of opinion.

The Sopranos, The Wire, Madmen,Six feet Under, and The West Wing were all hugely successful award winning shows over here. But in a country this size it only takes 7%
of the people to make something successful which leaves hundreds of millions that don't watch it. Shows like CSI, NCIS, hell American Idol are not indicative of Americas attention span. Its indicative of how stupid the producers think we are. Literally only a Fraction of the people here watch it and it seems to be what identifies us. Yet everyone knows only 20 odd million tv sets are tuned in to either of them a week. Thats actually a drop in the bucket. Numbers wise that means less than 1 out of every 10 people has seen the most popular show(s) of the week. Those same numbers over there would translate to almost half your entire country tuned into a show. Its just easier to be popular in smaller countries.

[Jericho]

Its just easier to be popular in smaller countries.

Now lets adjust that for population...or shall we just keep massaging the figures?

[Dino Velvet]

Anybody mention OZ, Deadwood, and The Shield? Some great American TV right there.

[Quiet Reflections]

Now lets adjust that for population...or shall we just keep massaging the figures?

Massage all you like the truth is the truth

[robertlouis]

Ok, I'll just mention the entirely unnecessary (and vastly inferior) US remake of the Swedish film Let the Right One In and rest my case....

[effigyc]

New episide this week was better, I thought.