h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why only concentrate on American telly shows and ignore original and interesting programmes from other countries.

Some of the imports are nothing but poopulist rubbish like Buffy created to cash in on peoples interest in the occult, nothing more than a soap opera with demons and potions. Shows like Charmed and Angel are the quivalent of TV dinners prepackaged artificial ingredents bang it into the schedule and reheat.

Yet some imports are worth seeing because they are truly interesting, inspired and original programming. Why remake M*A*S*H, (for the why not see the US version of Fawlty Towers) when its a classic, it'd be like asking for a copy of "Electric Lady land" but played by a brass band so its sounds more British. The perfomances of the cast are sometimes irreplaceable. "The Bill" works like a soap, the tension is all plot lead, while its American precursor "Hill Street Blues" played out more like a feature film each week. The pathos and intensity of the performances carrying the story, rather than just being expositions of ever more absurd plot twists as in "The Bill".

Talking of which "24" is a great programme inspite of this. If we want to see the *drama* of love rivals, secret babies, and struggles with loded guns I can turn on any British soap. Only "24" gives you nuclear bombs in Central LA, coup d'etat, really big explosions and the perenial captive Kim. "Monkey" one of the best non US imports is a shinning example of the fact that you can be as good or as bad as the rest just do it in an interesting way and folks will love you for it. Rouhgly the same sub-plot every week, Pigsy is lazy and greedy, Sandy is miserable amd Monkey is as mad as a sackfull of...well...monkies. They meet a powerful demon get their butts kicked, argue amongst themselves, then Tripitarka tells them to pull their fingers out, they win the return match and plod on to wherever it is they are headed for. Both works of genius.

In short I think an import can be justified if it has an original idea or performance that cant be matched elsewhere in it. "The man from atlantis" was a run of the mill superhero show in the vain of "Wonderwoman" (woman), "Spiderman" (regular young mans problems) it did not have an original quirk to really set it apart> Neither did it have the scope of drama that "the Hulk" managed to cram into the genre. Its only quirk was the hero's style of swimming (which during the early eighties accounted for 90% of infant motality round my way as kids tried to emulate it.) so it soon disapeared and is barely remembered.

I love some imports, but recognise that some are just their as a cheap way off padding out the schedules. To compare it to music i will put up with Justin and Britney as long as it means we also get Kelis and the chilli peppers.