Plus, it stars the actor who played Ranger Gord on The Red Green Show.
I'm just sayin'.
Recommend a non-American TV series
- Thread starter WHF
- Start date
Plus, it stars the actor who played Ranger Gord on The Red Green Show.
I'm just sayin'.
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Vice Admiral
I don't know, in many ways I found Kampf um die Sonne to be the most mature episode of the series. Despite its many, many visual similarities to Star Trek, overall Raumpatrouille didn't really transcend the Buck Rogers camp sci-fi level all too often, whereas the former series fairly consistently aimed for mature drama.
Kampf um die Sonne is different; lots of discussion about the ethics of waging war, lost innocence and the difficulty of re-establishing lost trust, both in the 'war room' and between the Matriarch and the McLane. Sure, there's some sexism in the episode, and it also happens to resolve the romantic tension between McLane and Jagellovsk, weakening the latter's usually strong presence. But ultimately it fits in the episodes 'theme' of resolving the conflict between man and woman.
While I haven't seen Buck Rogers, I totally agree with your overall view of Raumpatrouille Orion. I would even go so far as to say that it never truly transcends the level of camp. Unlike Star Trek TOS, which can be campy at times, it suffers from consistently weak story telling. There's a lot of emphasis on what I would call deliberately incomprehensible pseudo futuristic terms and lines while the actual story is neglected. Take "Deserteure", an episode where people seem to want to defect to the enemy but it turns out they're thought controlled. We spent what feels like ages seeing the crew installing some super weapon with Commander MacLane shouting meaningless combinations of numbers and letters. Instead we could have spent more time building tension until the mystery is solved or concentrated on the mistrust among the crew when one of them is suspected of sabotage or further explored the doubts of General van Dyke, who is sent on a mission to destroy the Orion. And in typical Raumpatrouille Orion fashion, we get a rushed and unrealistic ending. The only things that make the series entertaining are the camp factor and the talented cast.
Mmh. I might have to watch it again, I guess. I've watched it several times and only found it silly, but in a bad way. Basically, I looked like this:
But I agree, that the story line with Jagellovsk somewhat redeemed the episode.
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Vice Admiral
^ I don't think that 'serious' tv sci-fi existed before Star Trek, and I think Forbidden Planet (which obviously inspired Star Trek and perhaps inspired Raumpatrouille) may have been the first movie to treat sci-fi seriously (apart from some Eastern bloc movies that got limited exposure in the West).
Raumpatrouille had a lot going for it; the special effects are often better than those found in Star Trek (particularly the seamless viewscreens are very impressive--Trek invariably 'cheated' by placing the camera perpendicular to the screen, and making sure that no other objects stood in front of it). Amazing when you consider the budget they had to work with. The cast was good (although the decision to cast a German actor to play a Japanese character seems a bit unfortunate in retrospect), and obviously the formula had potential--it's essentially Star Trek's German twin.
Maybe later episodes would've taken a more serious tone, maybe not.
Raumpatrouille had a lot going for it; the special effects are often better than those found in Star Trek (particularly the seamless viewscreens are very impressive--Trek invariably 'cheated' by placing the camera perpendicular to the screen, and making sure that no other objects stood in front of it). Amazing when you consider the budget they had to work with. The cast was good (although the decision to cast a German actor to play a Japanese character seems a bit unfortunate in retrospect), and obviously the formula had potential--it's essentially Star Trek's German twin.
Maybe later episodes would've taken a more serious tone, maybe not.
I dont know what it is called, but it is on the BBC. This show finds some fat person in England and this lady basically forces them to eat right. In the beginning of the show they lay out on the table what they eat in a week and it is disgusting. The lady then weighs them (I still havent figured out what "stones" mean when it comes to pounds) and tests their poo. SHe then shows the fatties how to eat healthy and how to lose weight. After so many weeks she returns to see the results. SOme really are dedicated and lose a ton of weight others still look the same to me.
Some of the junk food they consume before their diet looks sickening anyway and I dont understand how they can stand to eat it in the first place. WHen the camera is slowly panning the table showing all the food they consume in a week, I'm like "I'm glad I dont live in England because I would starve. There is no way I would get fat off of some of the stuff they gorge themselves on."
Some of the junk food they consume before their diet looks sickening anyway and I dont understand how they can stand to eat it in the first place. WHen the camera is slowly panning the table showing all the food they consume in a week, I'm like "I'm glad I dont live in England because I would starve. There is no way I would get fat off of some of the stuff they gorge themselves on."
^ That sounds a lot like the movie The Road To Wellville.
Made in Canada is fantastic. Season One is on DVD and I wish they would release the rest of it.
I think The Border is OK but it's not in the same league as Intelligence.
When I watch The Office I often wonder if Gervais had seen The Newsroom before he made his show. Gervais is half Canadian but I don't think he has ever been to Canada. The first season finale of The Newsroom was a brilliant commentary on political campaigning. BTW all three seasons plus the movie are available on DVD.Delsaber said:
This is the show that made me start this thread. It was advertised by my satellite provider but is only available in eastern Canada. I will not get to see it unless they decide to put it on the western channels.
Another Canadian show I liked was Twitch City. It had Molly Parker (Deadwood) and Callum Keith Rennie (BSG) and Don McKellar who, I think, is only know in Canada. The premise was that the main character watched too much TV and was afraid to leave his home. I've heard this was more polpular in Australia than in Canada. Has anybody in Australia seen this show?
Coupling (United Kingdom)
It's a sitcom, kinda like Friends, except take out all the parts that didn't have to do with sex. It's got some pretty insightful ideas about male/female relationships, although it got kinda stupid in the final season after Jeff left. The show was created by Steven Moffat, who wrote many of the most popular episodes on the new Doctor Who series. Also, Jack Davenport (James Norrington in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) plays the show's nerdy, whiny leading man, Steve.
Red Dwarf (United Kingdom)
I've actually been rewatching my DVDs of this show and I'm still surprised at how well it's held up. It's a sci-fi sitcom about Dave Lister, the last human alive in the universe. Since the entire rest of the ship's crew was killed by a radiation leak, his only companions through the weirdness of the cosmos are Arnold Rimmer (a holographic recreation of his hated dead roommate), the Cat (a lifeform that evolved from Lister's pet cat), Holly (the ship's senile computer), and Kryten (a fussy robot butler). Although the show featured a bunch of outlandish sci-fi plots, the core of the show was the relationships between its lead characters, particularly the constant antagonism between Lister & Rimmer, sort of an outer space Odd Couple.
The Prisoner (United Kingdom)
This is actually an older series, from the late 1960s. It only lasted 17 episodes but it got a proper ending. Patrick McGoohan plays a British secret agent who resigns from the service. After he resigns, he finds himself captive in a bizarre, psychadelic colony known only as "The Village." No one in the Village has a name, only a number. McGoohan is Number 6 and constantly finds himself in a battle of wills with the chief administrator, Number 2. There is a different Number 2 in almost every single episode. The episodes alternate between Number 6 trying to escape from the Village and trying to bring it down from the inside. In some ways, the show was a prototype for Lost. No one can call himself a self-respecting sci-fi fan without having seen The Prisoner.
Made in Canada (a.k.a. The Industry) (Canada)
This Canadian sitcom is one of the funniest shows ever made. It's about unscrupulous Canadian TV producers who make schlocky shows like Beaver Creek & The Sword of Damacles. In some ways, it was ahead of it's time. It had the kind of dry humor & single camera set-up that are used all the time now on shows like Arrested Development, The Office, & Scrubs. (In fact, it predates Scrubs & the original British version of The Office by 3 years.) It ran for 5 seasons. Unfortunately, only the 1st season is available on DVD. Still, it's better than nothing. I wish I could sell this show better but it's just too brilliant for words.
It's a sitcom, kinda like Friends, except take out all the parts that didn't have to do with sex. It's got some pretty insightful ideas about male/female relationships, although it got kinda stupid in the final season after Jeff left. The show was created by Steven Moffat, who wrote many of the most popular episodes on the new Doctor Who series. Also, Jack Davenport (James Norrington in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) plays the show's nerdy, whiny leading man, Steve.
Red Dwarf (United Kingdom)
I've actually been rewatching my DVDs of this show and I'm still surprised at how well it's held up. It's a sci-fi sitcom about Dave Lister, the last human alive in the universe. Since the entire rest of the ship's crew was killed by a radiation leak, his only companions through the weirdness of the cosmos are Arnold Rimmer (a holographic recreation of his hated dead roommate), the Cat (a lifeform that evolved from Lister's pet cat), Holly (the ship's senile computer), and Kryten (a fussy robot butler). Although the show featured a bunch of outlandish sci-fi plots, the core of the show was the relationships between its lead characters, particularly the constant antagonism between Lister & Rimmer, sort of an outer space Odd Couple.
The Prisoner (United Kingdom)
This is actually an older series, from the late 1960s. It only lasted 17 episodes but it got a proper ending. Patrick McGoohan plays a British secret agent who resigns from the service. After he resigns, he finds himself captive in a bizarre, psychadelic colony known only as "The Village." No one in the Village has a name, only a number. McGoohan is Number 6 and constantly finds himself in a battle of wills with the chief administrator, Number 2. There is a different Number 2 in almost every single episode. The episodes alternate between Number 6 trying to escape from the Village and trying to bring it down from the inside. In some ways, the show was a prototype for Lost. No one can call himself a self-respecting sci-fi fan without having seen The Prisoner.
Made in Canada (a.k.a. The Industry) (Canada)
This Canadian sitcom is one of the funniest shows ever made. It's about unscrupulous Canadian TV producers who make schlocky shows like Beaver Creek & The Sword of Damacles. In some ways, it was ahead of it's time. It had the kind of dry humor & single camera set-up that are used all the time now on shows like Arrested Development, The Office, & Scrubs. (In fact, it predates Scrubs & the original British version of The Office by 3 years.) It ran for 5 seasons. Unfortunately, only the 1st season is available on DVD. Still, it's better than nothing. I wish I could sell this show better but it's just too brilliant for words.
That's You Are What You Eat, and it's not a BBC show, it's a Channel 4 show.
There's 14lbs in 1 stone.
^ It's an easy mistake to make. These shows air on BBCAmerica here in the States, and have the BBCA logo all over them and are even sold on DVD as "BBC Home Video."
Don't ask me why.
Don't ask me why.
The upcoming UK version of Law & Order. I hope it will somehow be shown in the US.
Wow, can you recommend a show that hasn't even aired yet? 
We have plenty of crime drama without more, thanks.
I reckon L&O: London is only being made because of the writers strike.
There were rumors of a CSI: London (with 'Eminence Front' as the theme) but nothing came of it.
