Comments on: British Shows Make Me Feel Stupid: Only Connect

By: Aaro

Aaro — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:13:33 +0000

Don’t forget that, difficult, though this show may seem, it may be not quite as hard as it looks because of the British bias of the questions. I think that this wasn’t made with a foreign audience in mind, and sticks pretty much to the upmarket British quiz curriculum, as an American version would stick to its American equivalent.

And Victoria Coren is a poetry-quoting, poker-playing goddess with a sense of humour drier than a foxhole in Iraq. Be in no doubt of that.

By: Lyndon Carson

Lyndon Carson — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:52:32 +0000

I agree with CarShark. I enjoy game shows that you can really get into, and while it is indeed interesting to attempt the connections made in Only Connect while simultaneously being informed, I cannot get into a show that has no excitement factor regardless of whether you get the answer right or not. Intellectually stimulating? Yes, I would say so. But is it interesting? Quite the opposite, in my honest opinion.

In addition: I’m a huge fan of the Ca$h Cab and Japanese game shows, as you can probably tell.

By: CarShark

CarShark — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:42:25 +0000

I don’t really see what you all like about this show. I watch game shows because of the play along factor, myself. When there’s a show about something I don’t know very well or I don’t do well at, it doesn’t hold my interest long. That’s why I’ve never really liked Name That Tune, because I’m not a big music fan. Game shows IMO are supposed to be fun, and it’s not fun to struggle and feel dumb. If that makes me “The Ugly American”, then so be it. The low production values aren’t too impressive, either. I guess the British way of doing things doesn’t appeal to me.

By: KBGUY09

KBGUY09 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:13:57 +0000

In responce to illiniwatcher: I am 16 and I take the most difficult classes at school. When I watch Jeopardy, I can usually get 1/4-1/2 or so of the answers right an episode. Only Connect was wayyy harder, but if it was on the air in the US (or if i could get access to the UK versions) I would probably learn something from the show and eventually be able to answer questions like that.

The problem is, like everyone else said, if it was brought to the US it would be dumbed down or very few people would watch it. Unfortunately, I doubt there are people in the 18-25 demographic that does care enough and would watch a show like this.

I have a question for people on this site: When u watched this clip, what were u thinking about/what did u get out of it?

See, if I were to watch this show and I never knew any answers ever, I would probably stop watching. I watched this show in hopes that I would pick up on the way to answer the questions and then be able to do it myself. I did it to learn which is why DOND is the biggest show in America today. Americans don’t want to learn, they want to choose numbers.

It bothers me when I see these great shows and have no access to them. I will try to get on that UK torrent site but I doubt it will happen. Until then I’ll just watch some of the videos on youtube.

By: Anton Spivack

Anton Spivack — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:14:49 +0000

Well said, illiniwatcher! I agree with you about the decline in intellectualism and how game shows appeal to getting rich quick while disenfranchising older viewers. But how exactly do you propose that members of the younger generation with greater concerns than getting rich, famous, and laid “speak up”?

Anyway, when I think about how the public didn’t want sitcoms and game shows on their beloved PBS, even if they enjoy them on other channels, and how other countries have public broadcasting systems full of sitcoms and game shows (the British have elevated both genres to almost an art form), I conclude that if the US took some tips from the Brits they would have something there. Otherwise, I’ll be converting my money to pounds and ending my alphabet with Zed.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:17:35 +0000

FriarSimon: UKNova.com has a torrent with the complete seres. Membership to UKNova is capped, so it might be tough to get in.

I have all 15 episodes. The previous episodes are tough, but not nearly as brutal as the final.

By: illiniwatcher

illiniwatcher — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:18:28 +0000

A follow-up thought: one of the reasons that it’s harder for game shows to “work” in the U.S. is the whole instant gratification thing. Everyone has to be telegenic, young and perfect, and every show has to offer huge amounts of money. Intellectualism has experienced a long, slow, agonizing decline in the U.S. for decades. It seems that very few people are impressed by book smarts anymore (unless it can get ‘em laid or make ‘em filthy rich). As long as the networks continue to gun for the so-called 18-49 demographic (I really suspect they’re after 18- to 25-year-olds) who, en masse presumably want to be superficial and laid, game show offerings will be dumb, dumb, dumb.

Those of you 18-25 who disagree, for F’k's sake, speak up!!!

By: illiniwatcher

illiniwatcher — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:14:24 +0000

The UK is the new center of the game show universe. That was made complete when the G-T library went to FremantleMedia. GSN has a handful of hits to point to, but the Brits demonstrate that a show can be entertaining without giving away a zillion pounds. American game shows used to be very entertaining to watch, but network suits got so greedy, that pretty much killed game shows as a form of quaint entertainment.

And yes, it would be wonderful if there was a British version of GSN to watch on these shores!

By: Anton Spivack

Anton Spivack — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:07:25 +0000

PBS did have a few game shows, such as “We Interrupt This Week,” “Top of the World,” and “Think Twice,” in addition to the two “Carmen Sandiego” shows. I enjoyed Think Twice, because no other game show had the “Imagination” round, where you had to improvise a story that disguised nine clues to the identity of a person, place, or thing. Also I enjoyed the “Intuition” round, which was like Hot Potato with the twist that one team would vote on whether to accept or challenge their opponents’ answers. And I’d rather see Think Twice on the air. It’s a shame that it didn’t get the respect it deserved because critics thought game shows didn’t belong on PBS (it debuted in 1994, possibly in response to Newt Gingrich’s attacks).

By: Anton Spivack

Anton Spivack — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:02:12 +0000

I can relate to “lobster” because I tried out for Password and too was informed that they were looking for contestants based not on ability but for “sympathy.” Because I’m an aspiring playwright, I got concerned when they said that they weren’t looking for showbiz types, even if my improv comedy skills would be useful in giving clues, because they expected “showbiz” people to become rich and famous. Don’t performers need to eat, too? They must not have heard this joke: What’s the difference between a musician and a stuffed turkey? A musician can feed a family of four.

I also understand why this country does not favor intellectualism. It’s why politicians refer to the public as “folks” instead of people, drop the “g” off words ending in “ing,” and attribute lack of knowledge to the fact that they’re not “privileged.” Sarah Palin is a prime example, who said that she neglected to obtain a passport after her VP nomination because she couldn’t afford prep school or expensive vacations, as if only the privileged do their job. And people actually voted for her.

This is why my favorite game shows come from the UK, where it is all about the gameplay, as in most cases the only prize to be had is a trophy for the year’s winner. And people have no qualms about rooting for the wealthier contestants because they might actually be better players. But on the other side of the Atlantic, “elitist” has a nasty aftertaste. Doesn’t elite mean the best? Don’t we want the best doctors performing our surgery, or the best pilots flying our planes? It’s a pity that “may the best man win” has given way to “may the average Joe we can relate to win.” Until the US realizes that there do exist people within its borders who prefer big challenges to big prizes, I’ll stick to imports.

P.S. Speaking of British game shows, have any of you seen the new Krypton Factor? It’s on youtube, if you wish to look.

By: James D.

James D. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:59:04 +0000

Very interesting show. Definitely one of the most academically-intensive shows I’ve ever seen, and the difficulty reminds me a bit of modern U.S. collegiate quiz bowl.

IIRC, BBC4 is typically home to “niche” programming such as this, while BBC1 and 2 is more likely to broadcast more general fare.

Would a format like this work in the U.S.? Maybe. You would have to pitch it to the right network — I could see Discovery picking a U.S. version to pair with Cash Cab. And what about PBS? It doesn’t do game shows often, but games they do are generally strong (such as the “Carmen Sandiego” games).

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:38:03 +0000

I know we’re probably not about random links, but you might want to try looking up UK TV torrents on google if you’re looking for the full season.

This show has bumped ahead of both Countdown and University Challenge as must-watch-asap shows. The writing is brilliant, the host is excellent (don’t judge her on one joke, you can see her hitting her stride near the end of the quarterfinals), and the format is solid. It sounds like it got good ratings, and I’m sure with no prize money and very little fanfare, that the show is cheap as chips to produce, so I’m expecting a second season, at the very least.

In addition, it’s in tournament format. I don’t know what it is, but tournament formats just always were way more interesting to watch.

Speaking of ways the British are better than us – the new Countdown set looks awesome, and they’re about to have a Champion of Champions tournament coming up next week. Hint, Hint.

By: lobster

lobster — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:32:20 +0000

Friar — but you raised a great point earlier nonetheless that I really think deserves addressing to not only the producers of game shows but the network heads as well… Jeopardy! is the gold standard, the one game show still in existence (in the US) that weighs intellect over contestant excitability.. All the time you’ll see very drab unexcited people (and even people who are presumed to be well off, doctors, etc) who run the board and makes exciting television. You can’t say Ken Jennings is exactly exciting or charming for television but what made people watch was watching his supreme knowledge explode for 76 episodes. I would hope people care much more to see that than they care about how loudly and wildly they call out consonants on Wheel of Fortune.

By: Friar Simon

Friar Simon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:18:50 +0000

By the way….

Has anybody found any more of this show online

By: Friar Simon

Friar Simon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:12:13 +0000

Didn’t plan on making this a culture war… I mean, I’m an American with my degree in English Literature and History…who happens to teach Broadcasting. So, there’s a bit of a culture war going in my head all the time. :-)

ANYWAY….

I came in to mention the great line from the film, QUIZ SHOW…

Martin Scorcese is playing Martin Rittenhome, the president of Geritol, the sponsor of “21″.

He says: “But even the quiz shows’ll be back. Why fix them? Think about it, will ya? You could do exactly the same thing by just making the questions easier. See, the audience didn’t tune in to watch some amazing display of intellectual ability. They just wanted to watch the money.”

I’m not sure where that takes this discussion…but there it is. I just wish I would have thought of it yesterday…