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shadowkat1. I think I may have had an allergic reaction to something I ate this week - but I can't figure out what it is. So am going off all recent additions.
2. Marathoned the last three episodes of Revenge - the good news it is less convoluted than last year, the bad news it's starting to remind me of a bad 1980s night time soap operas. Personally, I'm enjoying Nashville a lot more - it's not as soapy and has more likable characters, plus better writing and great music. (Considering I've never considered myself a fan of country music, this is saying something.)
3. US TV vs. UK TV - eh, it's a toss-up.
* I think we have more channels and more programming? We have over 1000 channels. And it's complicated. Some are cable (which you need to pay a cable provider to access), some are subscription (which you have to pay a cable provider and that channel to access), some are internet broadcast (pay internet cable provider to access) and some are broadcast - which you can get for free yet with horrid reception via an antenna. Although more tv shows, doesn't necessarily mean better tv shows. I still think Broadchurch is amongst the best things I've seen this season. It, Breaking Bad and The Good Wife.
* We produce more tv series (mainly because we have more media outlets and channels). But they are shorter in length - 43 minutes as opposed to 60. I know this because of Farscape which had two versions, one 43 minutes for the US audience, and one 60 minutes for the European/UK audience. Also Dowton Abbey has 15 minutes shaved off of it for US. Personally, I find this highly annoying.
* We have commercials, hence the shorter hourly length. You have to make room for 15 minutes of commercials. Even if they are just ads for other tv shows on the same network. I don't know how people watch football games - those have 100 minutes of commercials. Every five minutes, commercial.
UK TV to the best of my knowledge does not have commercials or not that many.
* UK Series are shorter - ie, there are 6-10 episodes as opposed to 10-22. The shortest an American Series can be is 10-13 episodes, because DVD's in US must have at least 10 episodes, apparently? Also a full tv season for advertisers to be interested - must be 22 episodes. (Although Mad Men, American Horror Story, and Breaking Bad have gotten away with much shorter seasons...so this may change.)
At any rate the only series that are less than 22 episodes in length in US are either cable channels or premium channels. If it is on one of the five broadcast networks? It's 22 episodes, because again, we cater to the evil advertising people.
* US TV has lots of breaks in its season. For various reasons. They are:
1) Neilsens - which advertisers and marketing folks use to gauge which tv shows to place ads with. More expensive ads go with tv shows that have biggest ratings in specific demo. (ie. a Car ad will go with NCIS, while a soap ad will go with Reign.) There are three Neilsen Sweeps periods, where the Neilsen company tallies the shows watched - these are November, Febuary, and May. (The Neilsens do it only during these three months, because people with the boxes aren't willing to keep a detailed television diary for longer than that, and it's easier to do a statistical survey for one month at a time.) So TV shows try to put their best episodes and cliff-hangers in Nov, Feb and May. This why, traditionally speaking, the 7th episode of a lot of tv series is the game changer - because that episode is the second to third episode of the all-mighty November Sweeps. If a show does well during Sweeps - it will last, if it tanks, it will get yanked.
This of course is changing with the changing television viewing habits. The Neilsen's no longer rule. People now watch tv on their own schedules, via DVR, DVD, streaming (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu) or illegal file sharing. Neilsen's track those but differently.
But if you ever wondered why your favorite show is suddenly in reruns the last week of October or from Dec 10-Jan 14, that's why. Blame the advertisers.
2.) Holidays - for some reason marketing people and ad people assume no one watches television during the holidays. Or during the summer (although that has changed a bit with the popularity of Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and Game of Thrones).
3.) Sporting Events.
*Bowl Games (College Football and NFL Football Finals, plus Superbowl takes over the end of December and beginning of January, also Thanksgiving. It's annoying to those of us, apparently in the minority, who find watching football on tv the equivalent of watching grass grow.)
* March Madness (College Basketball takes over March)
* The Olympics
* The World Series - Baseball. (And I have no idea why they call it the World Series. The only teams that ever play in it are US teams. Yes, there's Japanese and Canadian teams - but they don't play in it, except for the Orioles and it's been a while. Should just call it the US Series.)
* US Open and Wimbeldon
4) Awards Shows
That's why they go on hiatus. I'm not sure if any other country does this or if it is just a US thing. If you don't, count your blessings.
4. Horror films or Top Horror Films that I can remember off the top of my head:
* Night of the Comet (which apparently Joss Whedon stole the idea of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from.)
* Shaun of the Dead
* Zombieland (it drags in the middle, but the beginning and end are great fun)
* Psycho (Hitchcock version)
* The Birds (which I actually found creepier than Psycho, but then birds can occassionally creep me out. Particularly seagulls and ravens. There's a great scene of a bunch of ravens sitting on a Jungle Gym waiting for school to be released and the kids to come out to play.)
* Halloween (John Carpenter's 1970s version and hands down the best slasher film)
* Nightmare on Elm Street (the most creative slasher film and known for Johnny Depp being eaten or rather ground up by his bed, or rather the great meat grinder scene - which I've never been able to get out of my head, damn it.)
* JAWS (the original 1970s movie)
* The Haunting (the Robert Wise film)
* The Andromeda Strain (also Robert Wise - who was a minimalist)
* The Lost Boys (influenced Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it takes place in Sunnydale, California and has hot teen punk vampires)
* The Exorcist
* The Innocents (with Deborah Kerr)
* The Sixth Sense (best twist - which has now become a cliche)
* The Shining
* Carrie (first version with Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, John Travolta, and Piper Laurie)
* Let the Right One In (Swedish Version)
* The Vanishing (Swedish Version)
* Mulholland Drive
* The Tenant (Roman Polanski)
* Rosemary's Baby
* Aliens
* Terminator (Arnold Swazzernegger as an unstoppable robot programmed to kill you.)
* Poltergiest (everything but the last fifteen minutes)
* Gremlins (except for the last fifteen minutes)
* Cabin in the Woods (send up of horror films)
* Don't Look Now (creepy film about loss)
* The Omen
* The Naked Jungle (based on a Dauphne Du Maurie short story about a plantation being overrun by army ants)
* Nosfertu (1922)
* Deliverance
* Duel (short 1970 film based on Stephen King short story, by Stephen Spielberg)
* The Hitcher (Rutger Hauer film)
* Nightmare Before Christmas (Tim Burton)
* The Island of Doctor Moreaux -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_Dr._Moreau_%281977_film%29 (1977 film with Michael York and Burt Lancaster)
* The Dead Zone (David Croenberg)
* Dead Ringers (David Croenberg) (I know he did Videdrome, Scanners and The Fly but I can't watch them)
Best Horror TV Series that I can remember:
* The Walking Dead
* American Gothic
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer
* Angel
* Brimstone
* Nightmare Cafe :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_Cafe
* Twilight Zone
* Friday the 13th (a much scarier Warehouse 13 - they hunt cursed artifacts, and far more cultish, Croenberg wrote and directed an episode)
* The Outer Limits
* Space 1999 (it scared the hell out of me as a kid)
* Night Gallery
* Dark Shadows (the original)
* American Horror Story (which I can't watch)
* The X-Files (also had episodes that I could not watch)
* Fringe
* Lost
* Vampire Diaries
* Being Human (UK)
* Dexter
* True Blood
* Tales from the Crypt (King and Clive Barker wrote a few)
* Twin Peaks
2. Marathoned the last three episodes of Revenge - the good news it is less convoluted than last year, the bad news it's starting to remind me of a bad 1980s night time soap operas. Personally, I'm enjoying Nashville a lot more - it's not as soapy and has more likable characters, plus better writing and great music. (Considering I've never considered myself a fan of country music, this is saying something.)
3. US TV vs. UK TV - eh, it's a toss-up.
* I think we have more channels and more programming? We have over 1000 channels. And it's complicated. Some are cable (which you need to pay a cable provider to access), some are subscription (which you have to pay a cable provider and that channel to access), some are internet broadcast (pay internet cable provider to access) and some are broadcast - which you can get for free yet with horrid reception via an antenna. Although more tv shows, doesn't necessarily mean better tv shows. I still think Broadchurch is amongst the best things I've seen this season. It, Breaking Bad and The Good Wife.
* We produce more tv series (mainly because we have more media outlets and channels). But they are shorter in length - 43 minutes as opposed to 60. I know this because of Farscape which had two versions, one 43 minutes for the US audience, and one 60 minutes for the European/UK audience. Also Dowton Abbey has 15 minutes shaved off of it for US. Personally, I find this highly annoying.
* We have commercials, hence the shorter hourly length. You have to make room for 15 minutes of commercials. Even if they are just ads for other tv shows on the same network. I don't know how people watch football games - those have 100 minutes of commercials. Every five minutes, commercial.
UK TV to the best of my knowledge does not have commercials or not that many.
* UK Series are shorter - ie, there are 6-10 episodes as opposed to 10-22. The shortest an American Series can be is 10-13 episodes, because DVD's in US must have at least 10 episodes, apparently? Also a full tv season for advertisers to be interested - must be 22 episodes. (Although Mad Men, American Horror Story, and Breaking Bad have gotten away with much shorter seasons...so this may change.)
At any rate the only series that are less than 22 episodes in length in US are either cable channels or premium channels. If it is on one of the five broadcast networks? It's 22 episodes, because again, we cater to the evil advertising people.
* US TV has lots of breaks in its season. For various reasons. They are:
1) Neilsens - which advertisers and marketing folks use to gauge which tv shows to place ads with. More expensive ads go with tv shows that have biggest ratings in specific demo. (ie. a Car ad will go with NCIS, while a soap ad will go with Reign.) There are three Neilsen Sweeps periods, where the Neilsen company tallies the shows watched - these are November, Febuary, and May. (The Neilsens do it only during these three months, because people with the boxes aren't willing to keep a detailed television diary for longer than that, and it's easier to do a statistical survey for one month at a time.) So TV shows try to put their best episodes and cliff-hangers in Nov, Feb and May. This why, traditionally speaking, the 7th episode of a lot of tv series is the game changer - because that episode is the second to third episode of the all-mighty November Sweeps. If a show does well during Sweeps - it will last, if it tanks, it will get yanked.
This of course is changing with the changing television viewing habits. The Neilsen's no longer rule. People now watch tv on their own schedules, via DVR, DVD, streaming (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu) or illegal file sharing. Neilsen's track those but differently.
But if you ever wondered why your favorite show is suddenly in reruns the last week of October or from Dec 10-Jan 14, that's why. Blame the advertisers.
2.) Holidays - for some reason marketing people and ad people assume no one watches television during the holidays. Or during the summer (although that has changed a bit with the popularity of Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and Game of Thrones).
3.) Sporting Events.
*Bowl Games (College Football and NFL Football Finals, plus Superbowl takes over the end of December and beginning of January, also Thanksgiving. It's annoying to those of us, apparently in the minority, who find watching football on tv the equivalent of watching grass grow.)
* March Madness (College Basketball takes over March)
* The Olympics
* The World Series - Baseball. (And I have no idea why they call it the World Series. The only teams that ever play in it are US teams. Yes, there's Japanese and Canadian teams - but they don't play in it, except for the Orioles and it's been a while. Should just call it the US Series.)
* US Open and Wimbeldon
4) Awards Shows
That's why they go on hiatus. I'm not sure if any other country does this or if it is just a US thing. If you don't, count your blessings.
4. Horror films or Top Horror Films that I can remember off the top of my head:
* Night of the Comet (which apparently Joss Whedon stole the idea of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from.)
* Shaun of the Dead
* Zombieland (it drags in the middle, but the beginning and end are great fun)
* Psycho (Hitchcock version)
* The Birds (which I actually found creepier than Psycho, but then birds can occassionally creep me out. Particularly seagulls and ravens. There's a great scene of a bunch of ravens sitting on a Jungle Gym waiting for school to be released and the kids to come out to play.)
* Halloween (John Carpenter's 1970s version and hands down the best slasher film)
* Nightmare on Elm Street (the most creative slasher film and known for Johnny Depp being eaten or rather ground up by his bed, or rather the great meat grinder scene - which I've never been able to get out of my head, damn it.)
* JAWS (the original 1970s movie)
* The Haunting (the Robert Wise film)
* The Andromeda Strain (also Robert Wise - who was a minimalist)
* The Lost Boys (influenced Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it takes place in Sunnydale, California and has hot teen punk vampires)
* The Exorcist
* The Innocents (with Deborah Kerr)
* The Sixth Sense (best twist - which has now become a cliche)
* The Shining
* Carrie (first version with Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, John Travolta, and Piper Laurie)
* Let the Right One In (Swedish Version)
* The Vanishing (Swedish Version)
* Mulholland Drive
* The Tenant (Roman Polanski)
* Rosemary's Baby
* Aliens
* Terminator (Arnold Swazzernegger as an unstoppable robot programmed to kill you.)
* Poltergiest (everything but the last fifteen minutes)
* Gremlins (except for the last fifteen minutes)
* Cabin in the Woods (send up of horror films)
* Don't Look Now (creepy film about loss)
* The Omen
* The Naked Jungle (based on a Dauphne Du Maurie short story about a plantation being overrun by army ants)
* Nosfertu (1922)
* Deliverance
* Duel (short 1970 film based on Stephen King short story, by Stephen Spielberg)
* The Hitcher (Rutger Hauer film)
* Nightmare Before Christmas (Tim Burton)
* The Island of Doctor Moreaux -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_Dr._Moreau_%281977_film%29 (1977 film with Michael York and Burt Lancaster)
* The Dead Zone (David Croenberg)
* Dead Ringers (David Croenberg) (I know he did Videdrome, Scanners and The Fly but I can't watch them)
Best Horror TV Series that I can remember:
* The Walking Dead
* American Gothic
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer
* Angel
* Brimstone
* Nightmare Cafe :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_Cafe
* Twilight Zone
* Friday the 13th (a much scarier Warehouse 13 - they hunt cursed artifacts, and far more cultish, Croenberg wrote and directed an episode)
* The Outer Limits
* Space 1999 (it scared the hell out of me as a kid)
* Night Gallery
* Dark Shadows (the original)
* American Horror Story (which I can't watch)
* The X-Files (also had episodes that I could not watch)
* Fringe
* Lost
* Vampire Diaries
* Being Human (UK)
* Dexter
* True Blood
* Tales from the Crypt (King and Clive Barker wrote a few)
* Twin Peaks
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Date: 2013-11-03 02:50 pm (UTC)If you watch US tv series on DVD - you can sort of tell where the breaks are, because writer's write their series in such a way that each break is written into the script. Buffy in particular was written in this manner. Each act is set up around a break.
Approx 5-10 minutes of commercials after the credits (tv shows have abbreviating their credits so they can put in more content and make the show longer). Then 15 minutes show. Then 10 minutes commercial. 10 minutes show.
Commercials. 15 minutes show. Commercials. 20 minutes show. Commercials.
Conclusion. End credits, previews for next episode, commercials and next show. It's very choppy. (And that's an educated guess, I haven't done the math or timed it.)
Yours sounds less choppy.
Also no legal limits on commercials or advertising. Only legal limits are based on content - ie. offensive content that is unsuitable for children may be censored - but it has to be REALLY offensive, or it will be considered a violation of the First Amendment.
We do count off-air video downloads/recordings within seven days - so that is similar. But we are also still paying attention to the Neilsens - which tabulate during a few weeks per year. So the US is basically doing it both ways, depending on which channel you are on.