New Favorite Show

We are American Idol viewers at Rosebud, PhD's house. I know, I know, as an academic, I am not supposed to like to watch this type of programming. It is bad enough that I watch TV at all and should limit my viewing to PBS, CSpan, Book TV, and other educational programs. Mea culpa. It is one of the few reality programming we enjoy. We like The Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs, but I think that is it. American Idol has ended although auditions are underway for the next season already. We have to wait until January for the next season, but we are taking comfort in a BBC America program, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? The premise of this show is to find the "unknown" actress to play Maria Von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of the Sound of Music in London's West End.

I like this show for various reasons. First, the Sound of Music is one of my favorite musicals. Cliche, but true. Second, the whole thing has already been decided and broadcast on British Television. I do not know who won, nor do I want to know, but I feel somewhat relieved to know that it is all over somewhere. It is also only one day a week. American Idol takes up two nights of our weekly viewing and after viewing the contestants' performances, I have no patience for the buildup of the next evening. Just tell me already! Lastly, I like this show because it has escaped for the most part the tendency in American Idol to have an exchange between contestant and judges. There seems to be a preponderance of inexperienced and arguably unsophisticated "performers" who think they know more than the seasoned professionals on American Idol. That plus the "drama" of reality TV. I find it all very uncomfortable. No, this British program has only slightly given into that.

Each week, one Maria is voted off by the viewers. The two women who received the least amount of votes has to sing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song for the man himself (who sits in a weirdly ornate throne), who then decides on the spot who to save. In the first two go-rounds, he picked the one with the least amount of votes. The other three judges are John Barrowman (actor--Torchwood and Doctor Who, and various musical theater productions), David Ian (producer of SOM), and Zoe Tyler (vocal coach). As an American watching a British reality program, I am intrigued by the differences. We have commented that there is something 1980s about the lighting and coloring of the show, but that could just be our perspectives. As the show progresses, I also have been a bit creeped out by the male judges reactions to some of the contestants, particularly the overly sexualized comments. (Call me a prude, but they border on sexual harassment.) His Lordship, Webber in particular often makes me cringe with his leering facial expressions. The host is the irreverent Graham Norton, who is amusing and at times calls the male judges on their, ahem, behavior.

Despite this creep factor, I am fully prepared to park myself in front of the TV Sunday evening and watch the show.