BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Since the beginning of film more than a century ago, western genre of films have dominated the industry throughout the United States. Europeans even used this genre in many of its films in Italy, and other countries saw the industry as the life of the average American.
Legends of the old west and the legends of the cowboys were in demand across the United States through the late 1960’s. Featuring the heroic cowboy, these films have made a profound mark and were the most popular genre in the United States film and television industries.
“Right after communism, there was an American show called ‘Dallas,’ and most of us thought that all Americans were rich and lived like that,” Melia Garber said, mother of current student Julia Garber, class of 2025.
Many countries outside the United States are more likely to see soap operas or reality television from the United States, and though other countries have reality television, such as “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and its spin-offs.
“We think that Americans have this edge on the TV, but now you have the Wiggles, or Bluey, and we are watching a lot of stuff that we weren’t then,” Ewan Benjamin said, class of 2025. “Entertainment is kind of like this global unifier.” Benjamin was born and spent part of his childhood in the United Kingdom.
Many Europeans see American TV, such as the news or cooking shows, as overly dramatic. This includes the editing and the background music, which in the United States is meant to be dramatic and thrilling, but is the opposite in many European cuts of the same show.
“A lot of times, stuff is known, but the British made “The Office” first, but it sucked, which is why they made the American one, which is better,” Benjamin said.
Europeans have taken to watching television more often than their American counterparts. While more Americans are visiting streaming platforms every year, many Europeans watch satellite television. Most shows in Europe are from the continent itself, but some channels host some of America’s most popular shows.
“Most Romanians loved American Television because of the multiple choices and great movies,” Garber said. “I always thought acting was great on American TV. People/speakers/actors were more relaxed and natural than actors in Romania.”
One of the most popular networks in Great Britain is the British Broadcasting Corporation, which features mini-series based on classic works, including “Classic Doctor Who” and “New Who,” the news and more.
Many of the most popular TV shows on the European mainland are crime series, including Sweden’s “The Bridge,” about the murder case that occurred on a bridge between Sweden and Denmark, and France’s “The Missing,” about the disappearance of children and the detective looking into the crimes. Other popular TV series are Germany’s “Dark” and “Britain’s Got Talent.”
The most popular modern American TV shows include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Voice” and the National Football League, along with comedies such as “Family Guy” or “The Simpsons.” Dramatic shows like “General Hospital” have been on air for decades.
“In 1989 after communism fell, slowly more channels were available and more TV channels came about, which looked like replicas of American shows but in Romanian,” Garber said.
In recent years, some British shows have begun to copy the American format. Shows like “General Hospital (UK)” and “Geordie Shore” are based on “General Hospital (US)” and “Jersey Shore.”
“The humor is very different a lot of the time,” Benjamin said in regards to the differences between American and British television. “British humor is a lot dryer and sarcastic and can sometimes be a bit obscure. There’s a reason Monty Python is so popular, or Doctor Who.”
