American Television

It’s been exactly 2 years to the day I landed in Bermuda still skeptical if I had made the right choice in moving out of my comfort zone – Pattamal Street. I have been rather lucky and I say this with the utmost modesty and nicest way possible – I have always had the privilege of being the first among equals. It is probably one reason why I never tried to expand my close friend’s network beyond the wonderful 10 people I lived with. Let me go one step further and say this at the risk of offending my mom and mapppiya- When I was kid my mom let me do things that she would never ever let my sister do.

I am digressing- It’s been 2 years and am very glad that I no longer have to watch the likes of Metti Oli, Kolangal et all when I am having dinner (completely involuntarily). I have always considered the quality of Indian television to be appallingly poor. I have never liked those long “Mega Serials” with the over-dramatic mother in law always plotting to kill the lead protagonist who interestingly had the sympathy of one and all even my patti of all people who wouldn’t give a flying fuc* about anything that did not involve our family. I have never been able to get my head around how the guys producing these shows came up with the idea of selling something as stupid as this. But I am wrong – this kind of TV sure sells in India.

But nobody can sell television like the Americans do. Whilst they have come up with absolute beauties like F.r.i.e.n.d.s, Seinfeld and the like they can also come up horror shows like “The Jerry Springer Show”- The show generally deals about illegitimate affair, incest and what not. They have people coming on television to discuss the dark secrets of their lives in front of live audiences- these are people who are not even sympathetic, they boo and taunt the participants and have a field day at someone’s expense. The worst part about the show is not any of the above, they have a short window where Mr. Springer actually allows the participants to exchange blows to vent out their frustrations only to be “refereed” by some ex-cops whose role is to prevent things from going out of control.

Then, there is the “Maury show”- which focuses on the proving or disproving a child’s parentage through paternity tests. The mother of all these shows in my opinion is the “Moment of Truth”- a show where contestants are made to face a lie-detector upon giving answers to some of their darkest secrets in life (The Americans borrowed the Moment of truth concept from the English). It is absolutely incomprehensible to even think what people will be willing to do if they are told they will be offered some money. As Alan says the “depth of such degeneracy continue to astound me”. All they are doing is exploiting dysfunctional families and selling it to the public at large. I have no words to describe what is says about the producers of these shows or the viewing public.

What is even more annoying is these are the same American people who are criticizing Bollywood movies for being too over-dramatic and stereotypical. The phrase pot-Kettle-black comes to mind. The day when we will see Shah-Rukh hosting a Jerry Springer show equivalent on Sony TV with Mr Sharma exchanging blows with Mr Patel over the alleged relationship the former had with latter’s wife is not far off given that Indian television has been aping everything the Americans have been doing.

Cheers
S

PS: Here is wishing R a smashing birthday and a wonderful year ahead! Here is hoping you get everything you want (most of which you deserveJ-) in the coming year.