British television is incredibly entertaining, and yet at the same time the most incredibly frustrating thing in the world. Probably more so to me because I am an American. Here I am used to the annual 21-22 episode season, allowing me sheer entertainment for a little over a third of a year. In England, not so. Their shows, although absolutely brilliant, operate on much much shorter seasons. I shall provide with examples of what I am currently watching. First is Hyperdrive. An absolutely hilarious science fiction parody starring Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead fame. The premise is that humanity has finally reached the stars, but with one slight complication. We’ve never managed to form a united world government. So Nick Frost’s character, Commander Henderson, commands the HMS Camden Lock and his mission is to protect Britain’s interests in an ever changing galaxy. Hilarity ensues. Trust me. But I digress, this show only lasts for a total of twelve one hour episodes. Split up into two six episode seasons. This kind of sucks. Next up is Black Adder. That’s what, five six episode seasons? And then Top Gear, that often varies from 6-8 episodes a season, but they seem to do a season every 3/4ths of a year. And then there’s the IT Crowd. Six episodes a season. Half hour episodes to boot, not full hour episodes. And then The Office. Two seasons of six.
Anyhow, if you are going to get into Britcoms, be prepared to be delighted. And oh so ever frustrated.
