There's a lot of good to be said for Greek TV - although most of it is due to programming in English. Of course, my view is slightly biased because at best I can only understand their dramas and not very well at that. It's surprising how much time one can spend watching english shows - not all good mind you - but your standards lower a bit when that's all you can understand. I find myself watching shows that I would definitely change the channel on if I were in the states.First, though, I'd like to start with what just gets on my nerves. News programs. The picture above is of a typical program where they have up to 5 different windows on the screen. More often than not, most of these people are arguing (thereby making it more difficult for me to understand). Sometimes 3 of the 5 people in the windows are in the same studio, but just get individual cameras on them. It can be a bit confusing. I really hate nothing more than a bunch of loud people arguing in my living room, in a language I don't fully understand. It's very Greek.
On to what you can find in English.
-- CNN is my main news source (aside from online). At times I can get Euronews or Al Jazeera, but that's through our cable box which is testy and takes time to get booted up, so I usually don't bother.
-- Without fail there is a movie or two every night, usually good ones but sometimes there is a dearth of Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Segal. Last night we watched "Spy Game" with Robert Redfort and Brad Pitt. On Sunday they played "Alexander". One can catch movies that were in the theaters much more quickly than they are put on air in the States.
-- You can usually catch "The Bold and the Beautiful" and sometimes "Days of Our Lives", but they constantly change the programming so you don't know what time or channel it will be on from month to month. The episodes seem to be from about 4 years ago.
--- Lots of American series' and some British ones as well. We got caught up in "NCIS" this summer, some others are "CSI:New York", "Friends", "Gossip Girl" and "Chuck" (what are those anyway?), "E.R." and many more. My sanity saver during the summer was daily doses of "Frasier" and "Everybody Loves Raymond". As with nearly every country on earth, we also have "Oprah" but it's dubbed. It's very weird to watch Oprah and hear a Greek voice. Just doesn't compute.
--- I almost forgot - they even carry the Bob Ross shows (you know, the painter with the big white man's afro). Dubbed, sadly. It's just not the same without his calm voice walking us through the canvas creations.
--- One of the state channels seems to have purchased the licensing for every non-animated Disney produced during the 60's and 70's. They have that very tell-tale coloring and bouncy positive feeling to them. Well known ones are the Herbie Love Bug films and just about anything with Hayley Mills. Today I have caught The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968) starring Leslie Ann Warren, with a great dancing scene by Kurt Russell (at ~16 years old) that made me burst out laughing it was just so goofy. Seeing him at that age was funny enough. Even Goldie Hawn has a part in it - perhaps that is how they met?
I must tear myself away from this latest Disney offering, and the computer, and get ready for class. Maybe some time soon I can give a more even review of the Greek shows if I work hard enough in class...
