Archive: European TV Guide
These days most European hotel rooms have televisions. After a long day of sightseeing, what's your viewing advice for vagabonds still looking for a glimpse of the local culture (or wanting to get back to their own)?
Late one night in Vienna, fresh from jet lag and wide awake at 1:00 AM,
I turned on the tube to find a channel unlike any other: while playing
ambient, melodic music in the background(a la "Hearts of Space" on US
public radio), it showed footage from space. The earth from a satellite,
the moon "rising" on the horizon, the stars, endless in the background
- like floating in space, it was absolutely mesmerizing. No commercials,
just pure "you are there" TV. The perfect nightcap, it put me to sleep
on the nights I couldn't do so on my own. I was almost sorry to see my
jet lag fade away! Now, when I flip through Stateside channels late at
night, I subconsciously yearn to find this program once again. Instead,
all I get is CNN Up To The Minute(as if that's what I need at 2:00AM)and
hopelessly boring infomercials.
John M
New Orleans, LA USA 06/04/01
The German version of Wheel of Fortune is an interesting exercise in
politeness. American infomercials dubbed to German, French or Dutch are
weird, but not much can beat "Married With Children" dubbed into German.
(The German title is something like A terrible, awful Family) Peggy Bundy
with a deep authoritative voice is almost worth the airfare.
Kathy
Cherry Hill, NJ USA 03/18/01
As an Englishman living in Texas its funny to see US TV with its multitude
of channels is always the same, every channel, every day. I think the
major difference is that there's little innovation, one idea becomes popular
and soon theres 5 or 10 near identical clones on the various channels.
One of the things that always annoyed me in the UK was having to have
a TV licence every year ($150) which now seems like a bargain because
the two best channels (BBC1 and BBC2) carry no commercials. I suspect
the sexual content of TV shows shocks many US tourists, I suppose thats
just a difference of culture because the violent nature of US TV surprises
me. One stark difference about the likes of Jerry Springer in the US and
UK is that the 'bad language' is not beeped in England so you can hear
what the people think of their 'real-life' situation. If on holiday TV
is really important to you then the shows I'd recommend are 'The Fast
Show', 'The 11o Clock Show' and 'The League of Gentleman' these represent
the best of the current crop of innovative television in Britain. Political
satire can also be very funny, particularly with a General Election looming
on May 3rd (possibly). Happy viewing
Iain Maley
Fort Worth, Tx USA 03/03/01
"Ah, Beethoven! Como ca va?" Although this story is now nearly 5 years
old, it is still funny to me. While on our honeymoon in Paris, my wife
and I couldn't sleep one night. We had a TV in our room and on came "Step
By Step", that inane US comedy series with Suzanne Sommers and the guy
from Dallas as two joined families a la Brady Bunch. The show is horrible,
but in French it was actually fairly entertaining - especially the voices
they chose for the characters. Then to top it off, after Step By Step
came on the US movie "Beethoven" (with the St. Bernard dog) also dubbed
in French. It was hilarious. So, my tip is, when you're in Europe and
have down time, turn on the TV - you might get some chuckles from seeing
dumb US shows dubbed into sillier shows. Even though you don't understand
the dialogue, the shows become entertaining anyway!
TJ
Chicago, IL USA 02/13/01
In the Netherlands, the American shows are mainly in English (since everyone there speaks it), so watching "Frasier," "Friends" or "The Simpsons" (all very popular) with Dutch subtitles is a good way to pick up a little bit of the local language! It's also nice that there is almost no dubbing, so you can watch most shows and not be distracted by dubbed voices.
Also, one of the hip channels on the western coast (in The Hague or
Amsterdam) is the Veronica Channel, which shows the above-mentioned American
shows, along with really bad copycats of American detective/cop shows
(in English, no subtitles). And at 11 pm on Thursdays there's a 30-minute
pornography show that's more than soft-core but not as obnoxious as most
hard-core, so be forewarned.
Kimberly
Philadelphia, PA USA 09/20/00
watch out for tv at night in rome, with provocative advertisments for
lipstick--more like porn! keep your kids away!
Hillary Brady
nashville, tn USA 08/18/00
"Who Wants to be a Millionare?" Try, try to find a country without that
show. The fun is asking what the local rules are.
USA 04/29/00
In Iceland last May, the entire country huddled around its TV sets in deep suspense. A football match? A major political development? No. The Eurovision Song Contest.
It was the talk of the country for days beforehand. So I made sure to catch part of it. And it was dramatic, entertaining, and hilarious--and unlike anything we would see in the U.S. Picture an Olympics of song, with performers from each competing country, accompanied by legions of flag-waving, patriotic fans. Since I was among the Icelanders, I found myself rooting for their performer, who ultimately lost to an ABBA-like group from Sweden. I felt very European. :)
It was fascinating, and I regret not being able to watch this spectacle
every year.
Charles Buchanan
Birmingham , AL USA 03/13/00
American morning TV is so boring after the "Big Breakfast" on the BBC.
When in London check channel 4 and The Big Breakfast.
Insane Matthew
In london on my way to Insane Diego, 02/10/00
Favorite Euro-TV experience? "Barretta" in German! Especially when he
talk to the cockatoo: "Fred, du verrucktes Vogel!" We also noticed that
there were a lot of commercials (in German) that deal with bowel-related
products. It seems to be a major concern of the German people.
Quicky
Milwaukee, USA 02/01/00
In London in October, there was a fun TV morning show called 'THE BIG
SHOW'. Like US radio on TV...skits...they even poked fun at US travelers...a
cool bit called YANKS FOR THE MEMORIES! Enjoyed it while waking up and
planning my daily travels in London.
Marc
Denver, USA 01/24/00
Harvey, you lucky dog. I guess you don't travel with "sleepins", "bathroom
gnomes" or any of the other "can't get started in the morning" creatures
I travel with. If it wasn't for TV I'd be in a foreign prison for being
a morning person. Besides they are fun to watch.{The purpose of TV, right?}
CA USA 11/15/99
Why would anyone want to watch TV while on vacation, unless perhaps to
improve your understanding of the language? When you get back home, you
can buy a satellite dish and subscribe to channels from other countries.
At home, you can also learn from comic books and newspapers. This is much
better than reading 19th-century literature of famous authors. Satellite
dish broadcasts, comic books, etc. use today's language with current expressions
and vocabulary and not that of a hundred years ago.
Harvey
Detroit, MI USA 10/15/99
Wake up early and watch the kid's shows, not cartoons! I found that
I learned more French, Italian, and German from kids' TV, than from those
cassettes from Berlitz.
USA 10/11/99
The first time I went to England I couldn't believe how cheesy most of the primetime shows seemed. I didn't understand the humor and kept wondering why my English friends were laughing hysterically at dumb sight gags. "You just don't get British humor," they told me.
And then on my next trip, everything changed. I know more about the people and their culture, and now I can't get enough of British TV! I am a big fan of "EastEnders" and my local PBS station broadcasts the program twice/week (although it's about a year behind England). Other soaps, "Brookside" and the Australian "Neighbors," are good too. Gameshows like "15 to 1," "Catchphrase," and "Blind Date" are great. BBC2 has really creative, 1/2-hour comedy sketch shows like "The League of Gentlemen." "Casualty" is a seriously poor relation of "ER" but still fun to watch.
It's interesting how, with only 4-5 channels (not including SKY satellite),
there is still a lot of good stuff on TV. And then I come home to 40+
channels and quality shows are few and far between!
Kate
Seattle, WA USA 10/05/99
I actually saw quite a bit of television while in Europe this summer.
I watched "The Golden Girls," "Baywatch," "The Young and the Restless,"
"The Nanny," "Ally McBeal," and the "X-Files" in French. I saw "Baywatch"
in German, "Murder, She Wrote" in Italian, and "Colombo" and "ER" in Spanish.
It is so funny to us Americans to see English-speaking actors and actresses
"speaking" languages other than English!
Robert
USA 10/05/99
While I was in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland I would often flip
through the channels (just like home) when we returned to our room for
the evening. It was interesting to watch "The Nanny" with Fran Drescher's
voice dubbed in German. Same with Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. In Italy
I watched almost an entire Michael J. Fox movie even though I don't speak
two words of Italian. The German equivalant of MTV was also pretty interesting.
PK
Houston, TX USA 09/28/99
So much for TV...what about radio? You can tune in at your hotel or on
your Walkman. Just fiddle the dial and get to hear all kinds of programmes.
In the UK, you can tune into local music channels, local BBC channels,
regional channels, network channels, etc. You might even want to listen
to the phone-ins (Radio 5 Live, Talk Radio, BBC local radio) and ring
in with your views. Even if you just listen, you will be getting a very
good introduction to the country's opinions, problems, challenges, and
feelings. Tune that dial!
Nigel Doran
London , U K 08/25/99
When living in France there was a game show with celebrities who sat around a table and fielded questions from a show host. Then they would start dancing or get up on the table and start singing American songs, like 'Stand By Me.' I wondered if they even knew what the lyrics meant. The show seems similar to the US show 'Happy Hour' with Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa. For mindless entertaining drivel, it isn't bad.
Also, it was interesting to see how whenever Melrose Place would come
on in the canteen where I worked in France, men would almost stop talking
just to watch Heather Locklear, even though her voice was dubbed in French.
Janice
Chicago, IL USA 08/06/99
In Italy, I enjoyed two programs immensely! At 7 PM on channel 4 (I
think) was a program almost exactly like the classic "Price is Right"
with several differences (more attractive host and models, for example).
Also on another channel was a seemingly unending infomercial with one
man screaming his lungs out for me to buy a drill kit or whatever. He
pounded the table, screamed, the whole bit. I couldn't understand a word
but it didn't matter. It may not appeal to everybody, but both were great
for teenagers like me and my friends.
A. Bangert
Muskegon, WI USA 07/31/99
I just came back from Italy. If you don't speak the language, bring
a good book. In Italy the only English-speaking TV channel was CNN.
Dan
new york city, ny USA 07/28/99
The British newschannel "SkyNews" is sort of the heavily-watched Euro-CNN. It's on everywhere. And why they have a weatherman, beats me. It rains for about 5 minutes every 6 hours in London. What is there to forecast? But so we get to Paris, flip on the tele after a long day of walking....and there's SkyNews. Again.
French tv commercials are much more risque than anything we could get
away with here in the USA. And late at night around 11-12 PM, watch out
for a channel called M6. The UNcut movies they show were so explicit,
I had to make sure that I wasn't going to be charged for some kind of
pay-per-view. But no, it's regularly programmed televsion in La France.
Wow.
John L. Smith
Valrico, FL USA 05/20/99
In 1996, in a hotel in Quebec City, we happened upon a European game
show called "Jeux Sans Frontieres" ("Games Without Frontiers"). Groups
of young adults from representative cities of Europe participated in zany
outdoor stunts in outlandish costumes, with the action reported by breathless
commentators. The action is interspersed with travelogues on the hometowns
of the contestants. In '98, in Italy, we caught this same show on Saturday
night on RAI! Our kids remembered it from Quebec, and it became "appointment
television" for the remainder of our trip. Goofy stuff, but easy to enjoy
in any language.
Lou Jerome
New York, NY USA 05/18/99
Nothing beats watching "Family Matters" dubbed in French. Each time
Urkel opened his mouth and this deep, suave-sounding French man's voice
spoke, my mother and I laughed hysterically! It was a nice way to wind
down after a long day of sightseeing.
Erin
Montclair, NJ USA 05/09/99
While in France recently, I would watch Teletubbies, dubbed in French.
There they yell, "Tubby-Teleez, Tubby-Teleez."
DR
USA 05/04/99
On our last in Madrid, I found a British channel very much like ESPN...some
kind of European sports channel. It was showing the European tractor pull
championship, in English, live from Copenhagen.! We couldn't believe it!
Rednecks in Denmark! Ah, the wonderful parts of the American culture that
are working their way to Europe.
Don Rake
Sacramento, CA USA 03/21/99
We were feeling homesick in Italy. I commented as we were going to our
room that I missed laying in bed watching TV. The man at the desk heard
me and said "Psst, come here, follow me". He led me to a back room that
had a bunch of little TV sets. He set one up in our room and we watched
Young Frankenstein and Beverly Hills Cop in Italian. It was very wierd,
especially Eddie Murphy's laugh being dubbed in Italian. But we loved
it!
Sue
Las Vegas, NV USA 02/01/99
Sorry to disappoint you, Andrew, but WWF is getting very big in Europe,
along with American football. Jerry Springer is fairly well watched, but
with a sort of detatched bemusement. Believe me, there is still plenty
of crap on British TV. Most of the morning shows are absolute garbage.
globalbum
Manchester, NH USA 01/19/99
I wish American TV would take the standards of European television.
Here, in our usual "bigger is better" mentality, we have satellite dishes
with 600 channels and not one of them having anything good! At a B+B in
England I had a TV in my room with only three channels (BBC 1, 2, and
ITV) and yet I saw far more great stuff in the space of about two hours
each evening than I did for 2 months with our satellite system at home.
It was kind of depressing to return home to the American wasteland of
WWF, Jerry Springer, and Howard Stern; at least we now get BBC America
with our system (and make sure to ask your cable or satellite place about
it).
Andrew
Plover, WI USA 01/10/99
While in Spain, I got hooked on the game show "Alta Tension".. your
basic useless-trivia game show. In Ireland, watching Father Ted is a MUST!
Totally hilarious and very Irish.
Betsy Reidell
St. Paul, MN USA 01/06/99
If I get a chance to watch some tv abroad, I try to watch the local news.
This gives me an idea of what is happening, the weather, what the standard
of beauty is for news broadcasters and also lets me see what I can understand
in the language. It was interesting to see how much coverage American
news gets abroad. Seeing Alfonse D'Amato and Charles Schumer arguing in
Turkey made me realize that they really do follow American politics closely.
I did like how the Turkish channels had the temperature and time of the
city. On previous trips it was interesting to see how the Europeans adapt
American game shows like the Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune. I must
say that no one beats the Japanese as far as entertaining commercials
and silly game shows.
Michelle Fujiwara
Seattle, WA USA 12/11/98
I live in London and love the crazy European shows! While in Greece this week I saw a crazy French show that appeared to be based on the computer game Riven. The show had French 'youths' working out puzzles and it was called something like Fort Coyn (?).
I always rely on CNN and CNBC for my weather info while travelling elsewhere
since you will almost always find one or both broadcast in any country.
I find it sad that our American shows like Cops have such a large following
in Europe. They make Americans look like a bunch of gun-toting freaks!
When in Ireland recently some young boys asked me if all Americans had
guns. It's strange explaining the cultural difference to 10 year olds.
Luckily they then asked me about snakes in America so we were soon off
the subject of guns. :-)
Lenore
London, UK 11/29/98
When I was travelling in the Alps, I could only watch three channels in English: CNN, NBC Europe (with Jay Leno from January), and International MTV.
However I had the pleasure of seeing Star Trek, Home Improvement, Dinosaurs,
and The Simpsons in German. The latter is my favorite show, so it was
really interesting. It was the episode where they go to Australia. At
the end, when Bart pulls down his pants, under his butt, they had "Don't
Tread On Me" Written in German subtitles!
Jorie
Chicago, IL USA 11/28/98
I find it relaxing to kick back in the evening and watch some good football
(soccer) matches which I don't get enough of at home. A TV in your room
is also handy for local weather forecasts each morning.
Curt
Overland Park, KS USA 11/17/98
Watching dubbed American programs in France can be an interesting comment on cultures and acting abilities. It is always interesting to see what is considered important enough to import and dub. I was surprised to see both "The X-Files" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" dubbed into French.
Another thing which is interesting is the type of voice which is used for various characters. Apparently the French find a little-girl's voice to be extremely sexy--my French friends tell me this is why Gillian Anderson sounds like a 10-year-old girl. And because of the dubbing, many Europeans are unfamiliar with the true voices of these actors and actresses.
It's sad to see shows like "The Wheel of Fortune" reappear in a local format because it plays into the image of a materialistic American culture. I've seen French and Italian versions of this show. The only saving grace is that most French and Italians do not realize that the concept originated in the U.S. and they think their cultures were the first to develop this idea!
Finally, watching European news to determine the weather elsewhere can
be frustrating. All weather maps end at the boundaries of the country
you are in and it's as if each country is an island unto itself. This
is the case even in the towns very close to the border of the next country.
Avis
San Francisco, CA USA 11/16/98
In Portugal, they leave in the English for English-language shows and
use Portuguese subtitles. We were watching an American cop show in Coimbra
- what was spoken was "bad mojo" but the Portuguese translation appeared
to be "don't be pessimistic." An interesting translation for a difficult
to translate phrase.
Don
Sacramento, CA USA 11/12/98
When I was in England I got a kick out of a game show called "Blankety
Blank" which is like the old American "Match Game" but hosted by a drag
queen a la RuPaul and featuring answers in British slang.
K Estabrook
Dover, NH USA 11/06/98
A warning to families with children: We were watching Italian MTV one
morning at 6AM. When the "Macarena" video went off they switched to a
commercial for phone sex that included a live model! No Barney or Sesame
Street here!
Anise Morris
Birmingham, AL USA 11/04/98
The weirdest TV experience of my European travels: I made the mistake
(once) of using a Rough Guide instead of a Rick Steves (or Lonely Planet)
guidebook. I ended up in this mafioso bar/restaurant in Kaunus, Lithuania.
To add to the ambience, "Duckman" was on the television. It was "sort
of" dubbed. Actually, the English was still recognizable, just at a lower
volume level. The Lithuanian was spoken by one person, doing all the dialogue,
with no discernable difference in voice between the characters. Truly
bizarre.
Ashley Morris
Moscow, USA 11/04/98
About the funniest T.V. show you can watch in Germany is"Verbotene Liebe"
("Forbidden Love"). I became hooked on it when I was there. It is a soap
with the most amazingly ridiculous plots!
Alex Lehane
Melbourne, Vic Australia 11/03/98
Note to easily offended travelers: when in Britain, do not tune in to
ITV or Channel Four after 11 pm. These stations, ITV especially, show
raunchy sex shows or sleazy movies most of the time, sort of like our
HBO or Cinemax's late-nite switch. However, both stations have great stuff
on before then. Happy watching!
Andrew
Plover, WI USA 10/28/98