Why I love American TV

Have you ever wondered why is it that we are more inclined towards American television than our Indian programmmes? Of course, the prompt reply will be that all that Indian TV has to offer is the evergreen ‘saa-bahu’ drama with some women shedding galloons (Not kidding!!!!!!!!!) of tears and some villians and vamps smirking and plotting to make their already complicated life a living hell; and in such a situation American shows give us the much needed change and break this monotony. What I think is that whatever may be the content of Indian shows, we youngsters as viewers have a taste towards foreign shows beacuse we can ‘connect’ to them. By this, I do not mean to say that I am Carrie Wells (That is next to impossible, I cannot remember what day of the week it was on 30th March 1994) or I want to be Kate Beckett (I cannot run in heels and grab criminals…).

I feel that the diveristy of American TV is so vast, that it can provide us with shows for all moods and occasions. Whenever I feel homesick in the hostel, I turn to ‘Modern Family’; a show that is bound to leave you in splits of laughter. When I have a ‘not-so interesting’ day in college (All days cannot be interesting considering the fact that you have classes from 9 in the morning to almost 4 in the afternoon, trust me), a race against time like ’24’ gives me the adrenaline rush. For some reasons unknown to me, when I get a depressing feeling, I watch some of the most emotional episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and end up in tears ( Yes,I know, and I am trying to work on it). Whenever the violent streak inside me starts showing its effects, I content myself with grave, but interesting shows like ‘Dexter’ or ‘Criminal Minds’. Of late, American TV has been churning out game-changers like ‘The Blacklist’- a show with layer after layer of mystery, that keeps you on the edge of the chair.

Sometimes, more is less. So, when I need an ‘all-in-one’ kind of show- the kind where you get drama, romance, comedy and mystery in one episode (Such ‘packages’ do exist!!!!), I can choose between ‘Castle’, ‘White Collar’ and ‘Unforgettable’. American shows are so diverse that you can pick a show according to the profession you want to pursue!!!!!! For a law student like me, I can choose from among ‘Boston Legal’, ‘Suits’ and ‘The Good Wife’.

In no way am I saying that Indian television is without substance. Indian television has been undergoing a makeover for the last couple of years with shows like ‘Comedy Nights’, ‘Maharana Pratap’ and ‘Mahabharata’. The genre of mystery/adventure has also made progress with shows like ‘CID’. But the prime time shows have failed to provide us with something new and are still focusing on the high-voltage drama, with people dying and returning back from the dead.

All I am saying is that there is something ‘magical’ with the American shows-  they lighten your mood, they pacigy you, they make you cry. You are so crazy that you are willing to wait for 2 years for the next season of ‘Sherlock’ without losing inerest. You can watch them over and over again, and never get tired…….

Kudrat Agrawal

An avid writer who loves reading and listening to music. An amateur photographer and at the same time a movie junkie!!!

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