And you are a Detectorists fan as well! Wonderful! You will love the final episode and every time a Brit finds a cache of ancient coins or artifacts you’ll think ah, a Detectorist at work!
Ah, Detectorists, Most excellent show and a most excellent read. I binged that show HARD. I loved every second of it. There was a sense of loss when it ended.
I think the big difference between American TV and British TV is the BBC. As a state-owned entity, they are working toward a slightly different end. American TV is a wholly capitalist endeavor, and so the decisions made are motivated by the bottom line, enrichment of portfolios rather than enrichment of lives. The BBC has to make money, of course, but when your foundation is for the public, you're going to have a completely different outlook. There are other networks (?) that are not public, but they must be influenced at least in part by the established norm set by decades of the BBC.
In addition to Somebody Somewhere and Life With Beth, I would recommend Everything's Gonna Be Okay which is made by Australian Josh Thomas (Please Like Me, more brilliance) but is an American show.
Oddly perhaps, despite the title, I think Only Murders in the Building on Disney+ has similarly gentle, relationship-anchored humour, although the pacing is a bit different. Better Things was beautifully observed and very funny although the emotional stakes were higher, so I did end up crying quite often :-/ Really liked Platonic and Mythic Quest on Apple TV too which are brasher but still make some lovely observations about friendship. Finally (I’m in the UK, so if you can find them), I think you’d love: Mum, This Country and Staged, if you haven’t seen them... So much good stuff at the moment :-)
I adored The Detectorists and would wait impatiently for word of season 2, then 3, and was joyfully surprised when there was a season 4. I can’t think of anything American that would be adjacent to it at the moment, but another British show, “Flowers”, starring the always wonderful Julian Barrat and Olivia Colman, I would say is adjacent. It ran for two short seasons. Definitely darker in its comedy, but completely worthwhile.
Happy for you that you've discovered The Detectorists! One of my all time favorite shows. I keep rewatching the series so that I can once again return to that world, it's characters and landscape. It leaves me with a feeling of peace. Such a simple concept, but so deep and rich with how it portrays life, relationships, the flaws in all of us, the insecurities, the little triumphs and the simple things we hold dear. It's wonderful.
You're right, I don't think American TV would ever let something like that succeed, or ever give it a chance. It's a wonder it was ever created. I haven't come across anything like it. One of the best.
I came to say this too--it was a thrill to see “Ed” mentioned--it was such a wonderful show that meant so much to me. I’m actually happy someone beat me to it! 😊
Someone here already mentioned this but Somebody Somewhere feels like an American version of some of the same sort of themes. Just regular people dealing with everyday issues and the stakes are relatable to everyday life. Great show. Love the Detectorists btw.
I've long loved the Detectorists! I think the closest American show to that in tone, and maybe my favorite show ever, is Freaks & Geeks. I know they're not actually the same, but they have a similar 'concentrating on the small things' energy. I wish i wish there were more 'small' shows over here!
I watched all seasons several years ago, now in my top five favorite shows. So real, very funny, comforting, all that. I need to watch it all over again!
There is an American series adjacent to what you're describing, though it has no humor at all, which may be its biggest failing: have you seen "Rectify"? It was on the Sundance channel. Subtle, smart, painfully real and ultimately engrossing melodrama (in the best sense of the word). I've never seen anything else quite like it on American television. 25 total episodes.
Another show I probably love even more that's hilarious and sad in equal measure and completely original but not really what you're describing at all is "Patriot," Steve Conrad's series on Amazon that ran from 2015-2018. Only 18 total episodes of that.
Neither were hits, not even close, but I am confident you would love one if not both of them.
Love everything about this show. British TV is far more interesting, to me, than most American made television because the people in it are far more believable. Everyone isn’t young, beautiful, and living in the most stylish, tastefully decorated home (the kind most Americans can’t hope to ever attain) and viewers aren’t spoon fed a story line with predictable outcomes. Sometimes, as you said, nothing exciting happens. But that’s what most people’s lives are like. The only American TV that comes close, in my opinion, are a few on streaming platforms: Reservation Dogs and Ramy on Hulu and Mo on Netflix, all of which also happen to center on non white characters, making them even better. Acorn and Brit Box are both very popular viewing platforms both of which show British (and in the case of Acorn, also Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, and some Scandanavian) shows and movies. I think it’s a good indication that mainstream TV execs are really underestimating what a lot of viewers want.
And you are a Detectorists fan as well! Wonderful! You will love the final episode and every time a Brit finds a cache of ancient coins or artifacts you’ll think ah, a Detectorist at work!
Ah, Detectorists, Most excellent show and a most excellent read. I binged that show HARD. I loved every second of it. There was a sense of loss when it ended.
I think the big difference between American TV and British TV is the BBC. As a state-owned entity, they are working toward a slightly different end. American TV is a wholly capitalist endeavor, and so the decisions made are motivated by the bottom line, enrichment of portfolios rather than enrichment of lives. The BBC has to make money, of course, but when your foundation is for the public, you're going to have a completely different outlook. There are other networks (?) that are not public, but they must be influenced at least in part by the established norm set by decades of the BBC.
In addition to Somebody Somewhere and Life With Beth, I would recommend Everything's Gonna Be Okay which is made by Australian Josh Thomas (Please Like Me, more brilliance) but is an American show.
Oddly perhaps, despite the title, I think Only Murders in the Building on Disney+ has similarly gentle, relationship-anchored humour, although the pacing is a bit different. Better Things was beautifully observed and very funny although the emotional stakes were higher, so I did end up crying quite often :-/ Really liked Platonic and Mythic Quest on Apple TV too which are brasher but still make some lovely observations about friendship. Finally (I’m in the UK, so if you can find them), I think you’d love: Mum, This Country and Staged, if you haven’t seen them... So much good stuff at the moment :-)
I adored The Detectorists and would wait impatiently for word of season 2, then 3, and was joyfully surprised when there was a season 4. I can’t think of anything American that would be adjacent to it at the moment, but another British show, “Flowers”, starring the always wonderful Julian Barrat and Olivia Colman, I would say is adjacent. It ran for two short seasons. Definitely darker in its comedy, but completely worthwhile.
"add a murder"?!! WTF?!!
Happy for you that you've discovered The Detectorists! One of my all time favorite shows. I keep rewatching the series so that I can once again return to that world, it's characters and landscape. It leaves me with a feeling of peace. Such a simple concept, but so deep and rich with how it portrays life, relationships, the flaws in all of us, the insecurities, the little triumphs and the simple things we hold dear. It's wonderful.
You're right, I don't think American TV would ever let something like that succeed, or ever give it a chance. It's a wonder it was ever created. I haven't come across anything like it. One of the best.
You (or someone else) could do it. Nothing becomes a cultural fact until it is demonstrated.
I was happy to see you give “Ed” a shout-out. Loved that show.
I loved Ed too!
I came to say this too--it was a thrill to see “Ed” mentioned--it was such a wonderful show that meant so much to me. I’m actually happy someone beat me to it! 😊
I’m going to to buy your book.
I’ve watched this series a few times. It’s just so lovely. I discovered a couple of weeks ago a new bonus episode and I squealed! :)
Someone here already mentioned this but Somebody Somewhere feels like an American version of some of the same sort of themes. Just regular people dealing with everyday issues and the stakes are relatable to everyday life. Great show. Love the Detectorists btw.
I've long loved the Detectorists! I think the closest American show to that in tone, and maybe my favorite show ever, is Freaks & Geeks. I know they're not actually the same, but they have a similar 'concentrating on the small things' energy. I wish i wish there were more 'small' shows over here!
I watched all seasons several years ago, now in my top five favorite shows. So real, very funny, comforting, all that. I need to watch it all over again!
There is an American series adjacent to what you're describing, though it has no humor at all, which may be its biggest failing: have you seen "Rectify"? It was on the Sundance channel. Subtle, smart, painfully real and ultimately engrossing melodrama (in the best sense of the word). I've never seen anything else quite like it on American television. 25 total episodes.
Another show I probably love even more that's hilarious and sad in equal measure and completely original but not really what you're describing at all is "Patriot," Steve Conrad's series on Amazon that ran from 2015-2018. Only 18 total episodes of that.
Neither were hits, not even close, but I am confident you would love one if not both of them.
I've seen both - I really loved Rectify. Watched some of Patriot and liked it but didn't finish it.
Love everything about this show. British TV is far more interesting, to me, than most American made television because the people in it are far more believable. Everyone isn’t young, beautiful, and living in the most stylish, tastefully decorated home (the kind most Americans can’t hope to ever attain) and viewers aren’t spoon fed a story line with predictable outcomes. Sometimes, as you said, nothing exciting happens. But that’s what most people’s lives are like. The only American TV that comes close, in my opinion, are a few on streaming platforms: Reservation Dogs and Ramy on Hulu and Mo on Netflix, all of which also happen to center on non white characters, making them even better. Acorn and Brit Box are both very popular viewing platforms both of which show British (and in the case of Acorn, also Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, and some Scandanavian) shows and movies. I think it’s a good indication that mainstream TV execs are really underestimating what a lot of viewers want.