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May 18th, 2009 by AndreasThis might be a long shot, but did anyone else happen to catch the show "Masterpiece Mystery!" on PBS last night?
Really? You didn't? What else could you possibly have been watching? There was hardly anything else on at 8 o'clock last night, just a few arcane shows with names like "The Simpsons," "Survivor" and "The Ultimate Fighter." Don't know why you would tune into any of those, when public television is airing a British series based on books by a Swedish author you've never heard of.
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I love PBS. Until a couple of weeks ago, I had no relationship with that station whatsoever and now I love it. My interest in this programming was ignited when I read a wire piece in the television pages of Island Life last month, which caught my eye because the words "Swedish," "mystery" and "Wallander."
I know Wallander. Like most other Swedes a decade or so ago, I devoured author Henning Mankell's series about Detective Kurt Wallander, the overweight and perpetually sleep-deprived character who is more realistic than most people I've met.
So when I saw that British television had turned a selection of the books into movies and that PBS was going to broadcast four of them, I knew I had to watch.
Before I could watch it, though, I had to ask my wife what channel PBS is on. She has a lifelong love affair with public television, perhaps strengthened by the fact that her brother is the art director for KQED 9, the public station for Northern California. (Congratulations on the Emmy nomination, brother-in-law!) "It's on 10," she told me without even rolling her eyes.
So I turned to channel 10 for the first time and I was hooked. This is quality television. After the Wallander show, which was nothing short of stunning, I saw a preview for tomorrow's Leslie Wilcox interview with Clyde Aikau about his older brother Eddie and the voyage on the Hokule'a that took his life. After watching that preview, it felt kind of odd to flip to VH1 and watch "Daisy of Love." But to each his own.
Anybody else ever watch PBS? What are some good shows? Or are you happier watching "The Simpsons"?
Tags: Henning Mankell, KQED, Kurt Wallander, Masterpiece Mystery!, PBS, public, Swedish, television
May 18th, 2009 at 8:04 am
"Frontline." I mostly watch it online, but it's my favorite weekly docu-news show. I highly recommend the "Inside the Teenage Brain" episode which talks about the importance of early adolescent neural pruning an it's effect on the wiring of the teenager's brain for the rest of his/ her life. "American Experience" is another great PBS program but I've only seen a few episodes...the one about "Seabiscuit" is my favorite. Actually, there's one on either tonight or tomorrow night about the Kennedy family.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Mike: Ohh, "Frontline"! I've actually never seen it yet on television. Most of what I've seen has been in the form of online clips. I saw a lot of them on YouTube and similar channels after the movie "Inside the Meltdown" aired in February. I heard "Frontline" producer Michael Kirk is planning a sequel.
I saw the preview for the Kennedy program too. It's on tonight and it looks really good. I think it's pretty long, though.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Oh was that the show with Kenneth Branagh? My wife was glued to the TV. I only caught glimpses of it. From what I did see, it looked interesting with very fine actors. I'll ask her what she thought of it.
Sadly I don't watch much of PBS. There were two shows that I used to watch many years ago. Those were (1) "Sneak Previews" which later became "At The Movies" with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and (2) The Computer Chronicles with Stuart Chieftet.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
JindoMaster808: That's the one! Wow, someone else actually watched it! Yes, the acting is superb and so is the cinematography. The plots hold up very well too, even for someone who is a big consumer of detective mysteries (me).
Hey, I didn't know Siskel and Ebert got their start on PBS. I never had a chance to see the two of them discuss movies together. I thought Richard Roeper did a fine job filling the almost-legendary shoes. He and Ebert balanced each other well. I'm not a big fan of the Ben and Ben incarnation of the show, though, and I don't think it'll grow on me any time soon either.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Hardly ever watch PBS, sadly. Honestly I would only watch it if I had to, or if I knew something was on that I was interested in. I pretty much watch TLC, the travel channel and the food network besides the news! I think I may watch the Leslie Wilcox interview though, thanks to you Andreas! I better go see what time that is.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
HNL2LAS: I used to never watch PBS either and I felt the same way. If you check out the Leslie Wilcox interview with Clyde Aikau, let me know what you think.
May 19th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Andreas - To me, Siskel and Ebert were the best movie critic team ever. Although they sometimes disagreed, they each presented very helpful perspectives of each movie. Their debates were spirited, yet cordial. Unlike the talking heads on cable nowadays where people shout over other people and the host fuels the fire. I just change channels.
I recall Siskel and Ebert having Spot The Wonder Dog - who jumps on a chair at the end of the show and barks to announce the dog of the week. Gosh those were good days.
HNL2LAS - Hi, long time no talk! I agree that there are so many more choices on TV now. I really enjoy the food shows like Bizarre Foods and also MythBusters. Leslie Wilcox - I really enjoyed her show about Bob Sevey. I don't recall if it was on PBS though.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
JindoMaster808: From what I hear, it seems unlikely that there'll ever be another film critic pair like Siskel and Ebert. I think maybe their combined take on movies was made stronger because they disagreed on things.
May 20th, 2009 at 6:56 am
sorry Andreas, 8pm is Tom & Jerry time on Boomerang 439.
I am a cartoon addict since childhood. I also enjoy Flinstones, Jetsons, Popeye, huckleberry Hound, Pink Panther, Johnny Quest,... but I wish they would have Tex Avery, Droopy, Bugs and co. I also like TVLAND with many oldies sitcoms: Jeffersons, etc. I hardly watch TV these days but if I do, cartoons baby. If I am not too busy, I'll catch Hawaii 5-0 on ch 11 at 7pm... book em dano.
May 20th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
appagom: Wow, I don't even recognize half of the cartoons you listed. I never watched a whole lot of cartoons when I grew up, because Swedish television hardly ever aired them. This was before VHS and TiVo and YouTube, so if television didn't show cartoons, you couldn't watch cartoons.
My first couple of years in college, the apartment I shared with a bunch of other people had cable. I went through a period when I would watch cartoons for hours every day, so I think I made up a lot of ground there. The Flintstones, Pink Panther and the Looney Tunes were among my favorites.
May 20th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Am I giving away my day job? My PBS experience is PBS-kids. LOL. I let the boys watch The Boobahs when they were little and then once in a while Clifford or Caillou or Barney, and now Super Why. Growing up we only ever caught a few specials periodically... maybe a mystery show, maybe some Pride and Prejudice or something like that.
By the by, Looney Tunes are one of my all-time favorite cartoons!
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 am
Did you have time to catch some cartoons on 439 Boomerang?
8pm Tom and Jerry
May 25th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Does PBS Kids count? My daughter loves Sesame Street (of course), Sid the Science Kid and Super Why.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:53 am
I live in Texas and watch "Austin City Limits" on Saturday nights, which is touted as being the longest running music show on television (since 1975). It's live music in front of a small audience (800 or so people) in the on-campus TV studio at the University of Texas. I understand they announce where the free tickets are to be distributed (different location in Austin every week) over the radio one day in advance. They also serve free beer for 45 minutes before the show to "loosen up" the audience. The performing musicians rave about playing on ACL because of the intimate setting and very appreciative audience. The list of performers is awe-inspiring from the very first act (Willie Nelson) to this Spring's lineup (Nora Jones, Dixie Chicks, The Raconteurs, Van Morrison, and more). Here's just a few of the big name acts that played the show over the years: Robert Plant, Talking Heads, Ray Charles, BB King, Merle Haggard, Elvis Costello, Fats Domino, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits, the Dixie Chicks, John Prine, Waylon Jennings, Coldplay, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Damian Marley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sheryl Crow, the Flaming Lips, Emmylou Harris, Leonard Cohen, Garth Brooks, John Fogerty, Wilco, Phish. Not bad, eh! Oh yeah, ACL also has a 3-day music concert each year in a local city park that is considered one of the best music festivals in the nation. Headliners this year are Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Beastie Boys, John Legend, Sonic Youth, The B-52's, Lily Allen, The Decemberists, and about 100 other acts!
Do you guys get this show in Hawaii?
May 29th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
rhea: Oh yeah, I forgot that Barney comes from PBS. Hmm ... Should we thank public television or blame it? Nah, just kidding! Barney is good. He always makes me think of this exchange from a "Friends" episode:
appagom: No, I didn't get a chance to catch the cartoons yet. 8 p.m., you said? I'll have to check it out!
jdk: Yes, PBS Kids definitely counts! Personally, I always thought "Sesame Street" was one of the best children's show ever. Even though we strictly limit television for our two kids, I'm OK with "Sesame Street." Not every day, though.
jtbrogan: Hi and welcome to The A-Z Files! You found us all the way from Texas. I've never heard of "Austin City Limits" before but I'm very intrigued. Secret ticket locations, free beer and artists like The Raconteurs, Leonard Cohen and Emmylou Harris! And Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth in the same festival! If I were still mobile (single) I would travel to Texas just to see Sonic Youth play.
I'm not sure if we get this show here. I'll check the programming schedule tomorrow.