In Oz we have a broadcasting standard which mandates that there be a certain percentage of local tv aired, which means we get a lot of American drama and a lot of Aussie skit 'comedies', talk-shows etc (there's a positively eerie over-abundance of home-improvement shows, indicating disturbing national trend, imo) which all cost less to produce than your average drama.

I'm one of the people who doesn't like SFU, having a great dislike for Alan Ball. It's very slick, and very much making too much of an effort for me. I tried to like it, damn it.

Oh thank god, I was beginning to suspect I was alone. My cousin, who's a reasonably avid Buffy/Angel fan, loves SFU and I just can't take it.

So, I'm curious - is the Alan Ball hatred I see so much of on the net (no, you folks are not alone) based solely on American Beauty and 6FU? Because, if so, I don't quite get it. I didn't think AB lived up to its hype, but I certainly thought a decent night out at the movies. And I find that 6FU is different enough from everything else out there to warrant the attention. Or at least my attention.

I guess I'm confused by the vituperation he seems to inspire. Is it the critical cache vs. the actual result that's being objected to?

Is it the critical cache vs. the actual result that's being objected to?

I think that's a lot of it, for me. t rant I've watched a fair amount of SFU because it had a lot of hype and didn't initially grate on my last nerve like a rusty butter knife wielded by an overly zealous yuppie who's idea of 'deep' is having people be horrible to each other and say 'fuck' a lot...wait, where was I? Ah, yes--SFU ticks me off because it's a depressive insular world filled with petty, pretentious people with limited vocabularies who are all begging for a vicious slap upside the head. If I wanted to watch that I'd watch Married with Children reruns and have done with it. t /rant

Edit: Okay, that came out more vitriolic than I intended (if only by a little). More rationally: Alan Ball gets a lot of praise for subverting the normal happy American-family stereotype, which is all well and good, but it's been done before and done better (as in The Simpsons: the good years to give one obvious example). What gets me is that SFU isn't really a subversion, it's just the opposite side of the same coin, and thus it's just as pat and cliche filled as the original stereotype.

Ah, yes--SFU ticks me off because it's a depressive insular world filled with petty, pretentious people with limited vocabularies who are all begging for a vicious slap upside the head.

Are we talking about SFU or America here? (:

Seriously, though, I've only seen a couple episodes, as I don't have pay cable. Like what I've seen, though. Did like American Beauty, though, although I don't think I see it like everyone else.

Are we talking about SFU or America here? (:

If I was going on your current foreign policy and current 'elected' president, then maybe. :P But, y'know, us Aussies have voted a right wing racist government into power three elections running so I could just as easily be talking about us, really.

us Aussies have voted a right wing racist government into power three elections running so I could just as easily be talking about us, really.

Ah, well, there you are. Generally, people are pretty much fucked up.

Y'know - I sometimes thing Australia is the country culturally most like the U.S. This is a hell of a leap for someone who has never been there but...

Australia and the US are quite alike, culturally. t ducking and running from the Australians who would like to believe this isn't true

Obviously there are some big differences, historically and in terms of which immigrant cultures have had a large impact on the respective countries, etc. But, yeah, they're a lot alike.

Y'know - I sometimes thing Australia is the country culturally most like the U.S.

Lord knows we're the country who's Prime Minister is most interested in the inside of George Dubya's ass. Not that I'm bitter about that, or anything.

we're the country who's Prime Minister is most interested in the inside of George Dubya's ass.

That's saying a lot, too.