Television viewing in the 21st century is an embarrassment of riches. But why is is so hard to find something to watch?
I’ve got 34 channels in my cable package, Netflix, Apple TV+, CBC Gem, Amazon Prime and Disney, plus Tubi and Pluto. And still, I can spend almost as much time looking for something to watch as actually watching something. I know I’m not alone on this, so as a service to Bill’s loyal reader(s), may I offer up some somewhat obscure suggestions?
First, let’s go to the vast wasteland of network TV.
I became hooked on a reality show called Extracted last year, and I’m genuinely excited that a new season starts Monday, Jan. 26, on Fox.
The concept: amateur survivalists are deposited into the wilds of deepest, darkest British Columbia with absolutely nothing: no food, no extra clothing, no tents. And they are alone, miles from the closest competitor. Cameras follow their every move – and record every sentence – the images of which are beamed back to their two team members at the Extracted compound. While the team members can hear the contestants, it’s all one-way communication; the team cannot communicate with the survivalist.
One key twist makes Extracted compelling viewing: the decision to extract the survivalist is entirely in the hands of the team members. No matter how much the survivalist might beg to stay or be extracted, it’s not their choice. My favourite moment of season 1 came in the first week. A younger contestant, supremely arrogant and clearly doted on by his adoring parents, almost immediately begged – demanded, even – to be extracted. When he was, his mother gave him a loving hug, while the look on his dad’s face was a combination of anger and shame. I loved it.
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Survivalists and their teams participate in various competitions to win survival packages delivered via drones. The top prize is $250,000, which seems barely enough for everything the survivalists and their families go through.
While some viewers might find it cruel or exploitative, everyone involved knows what they’re getting themselves into. The survivalists and their families/friends struggle for real. It’s Survivor on steroids, and worth checking out.
Looking for a comedy? How about one set in a funeral home in Madrid?
OK, maybe that doesn’t sound like a formula for funny stuff, but Death, Inc. on Netflix proves you can find humour in the darkest places.
Death, Inc. centres on the comings and goings (permanent goings, actually) of the Terregrosa Funeral Home in Madrid. When the company’s founder dies, control of the company seems certain to fall to his right-hand man. But the widow of the founder decides she wants to run the place, with the help of her idiot son-in-law. Meanwhile, the widow’s two daughters want to sell the home, and conspire against her. While all this is going on, Terregrosa still has to deal with the deceased.
While Death, Inc. has the usual crew of sitcom characters all speaking Spanish at lightning speed (you’ll have to use subtitles as it is not dubbed). It finds the funny in funerals, which is no small accomplishment. Three seasons are available, and a fourth is in production.
Amazon Prime is a bit of a dumping ground for TV that nobody else wants, but it occasionally stumbles upon some that are worth watching.
A recent arrival is Queen of Oz, a comedy from the BBC, created and starring Catherine Tate (best known on this side of the pond as Nellie Bertram, the truly awful character in the truly awful season 8 of The Office), Tate plays a member of the British royal family who is so spectacularly awful, her very presence threatens to destroy the monarchy. The solution: make her Queen of Australia. Tate, who is so much better in her natural environment than she was in The Office, is excellent as the boozing, smoking, spoiled-to-the-core royal. Queen of Oz, from 2023, aired for just one season before the BBC pulled the plug.
Still with the BBC, The Goes Wrong Show will either make you laugh out loud – a lot – or find yourself wondering ‘Who would think this is funny?’
The Goes Wrong Show concept is frankly ridiculous. An amateur drama society, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, is allowed to present live half-hour dramas, broadcast across the nation. Things, well, go wrong, sometimes subtly, but most often in spectacular fashion. It’s slapstick, highly physical comedy, and I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I laugh at it. Along with the two seasons, there is a stand-alone special, The Goes Wrong Christmas Carol, where the cast invades a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol, which is hilarious. Again, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but those who like it will really like it.
