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Reader's Library => TV/Movie Talk [Public] => Topic started by: Shoe on February 19, 2019, 10:35:37 AM

Title: The Royle Family
Post by: Shoe on February 19, 2019, 10:35:37 AM: I happened upon The Royle Family on Netflix. What the hell? It's a show about watching people watch TV. As stupid as that sounds, I watched the first season.
Title: Re: The Royle Family
Post by: Post-Doctorate D on February 19, 2019, 10:52:09 AM: Quote from: Shoe on February 19, 2019, 10:35:37 AM
It's a show about watching people watch TV.

I just had a terrible, terrible idea and it's all your fault.
Title: Re: The Royle Family
Post by: The Doctor on February 19, 2019, 06:15:43 PM: Quote from: Shoe on February 19, 2019, 10:35:37 AM
I happened upon The Royle Family on Netflix. What the hell? It's a show about watching people watch TV. As stupid as that sounds, I watched the first season.

It's actually a good premise. Back when it was first shown (in the 90s), the television set was the thing that kept family members together in the same room, especially here in the UK. Therefore you get all the different personalities clashing, discussion on (then-current) pop culture and more.

Becomes very poignant later on in the run. Incidentally, the creators/writers of the show play the characters Denise and Dave.

(Random thoughts on The Royle Family brought to you by The Doctor)
Title: Re: The Royle Family
Post by: Shoe on February 20, 2019, 02:59:48 AM: Once you get beyond the basic premise (watching people watch TV, though that's not entirely the case) it's a pretty smart show and the actors are quite good. There was a time (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s) when families sat together each evening around the TV, regardless of class, so the premise is actually not as absurd as it first appears.
Title: Re: The Royle Family
Post by: VanessaC on February 20, 2019, 06:45:35 PM: Quote from: Shoe on February 20, 2019, 02:59:48 AM
Once you get beyond the basic premise (watching people watch TV, though that's not entirely the case) it's a pretty smart show and the actors are quite good. There was a time (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s) when families sat together each evening around the TV, regardless of class, so the premise is actually not as absurd as it first appears.

The Royle Family was hugely popular for a while, although not my thing there were some very smart people working on it.

In the UK we also have a non-fiction show called "Gogglebox" - I've never watched it, but this is genuinely watching "real" people watching television. (I say "real" because I've not seen it and don't know how much editing goes into it.)