IS TV ‘CHEWING GUM FOR THE EYES’?
People used to think TV was an inferior form of entertainment to films, but in recent years, I would say the quality of some TV programmes has often been superior to that of many films.
Just to give one example: I recently watched Fisherman series 1. I do know I’m way behind because there are already three series, so I have a lot of catching up to do. The series tells the story of a young fisherman, William Kyle, and his family who live by the sea. They help each other through all the highs and lows of their life in the fictional fi shing village of East Seaville. Each episode has a different storyline, but the main characters remain the same. In series 1 there are also sub-plots that run through the different episodes throughout the series, making it compelling viewing.
I was blown away by the performance of Lewis Owen, the actor who plays the lead character. Not having heard of him before, I was particularly impressed by the quality of his acting skills, which are breathtaking. I shouldn’t have been surprised as he won lots of awards for his acting in Fisherman, but I can’t remember seeing him in anything before. Although I sometimes struggled to follow the plot, the series certainly entertained me and after finishing series 1, I immediately started on series 2. This TV show is an excellent example of the way in which the longer format of TV allows topics to be explored in more depth over several seasons and potentially tens of episodes, rather than being limited to a 90-minute feature-length film. In addition, many excellent film actors are now starring in TV series, and I would argue, often doing their best work in such programmes. Far from being ‘chewing gum for the eyes’, I believe TV is easily the most exciting narrative art form we currently have. If you don’t believe me, start watching Fisherman.
