Why I don’t watch (Indian) TV

I have a Tata Sky connection right from the time they probably started service in India. So it is natural for my friends and relatives to be surprised when I tell them that I don’t watch TV. The expressions range from dismay to shock to confusion. The type is directly proportional to age group and relation. For example, while my girlfriend is confused, my mother is at the extreme end of the spectrum – bewilderment. So you get the drift?

It’s not that I’m against TV. In fact I probably spend as much time, if not more, in front of the idiot box as my mom. It’s just got to do with content. Or the lack of it. We truly belong to two different continents when it comes to our viewing choices. For starters, the DTH industry could do away with the section called ‘Entertainment’. Because all I see on those channels are saas-bahu / extra-marital / coming-back-from-the-dead / <insert relevant extreme stupidity here> soap operas. And these are ably complemented by endorsements featuring yesteryear celebrities peddling stuff that they wouldn’t be caught dead using. Same goes for MTV and Channel V these days. Since when did music channels start broadcasting movies and reality shows at prime time?

A few years back when I got unlimited broadband connection, I started exploring the world of streaming TV serials. It got me hooked on and I graduated to downloading and/or buying DVDs of Lost, Prison Break, HIMYM, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Californication, Suits, Homeland et al.

I remember putting up a Facebook status asking for suggestions for similar serials when I finished with one. The number of responses I got was not really what I expected. And that’s when I noticed a trend. While you may be able to classify their genres, but you certainly can’t slot them accordingly. Most of the content that we see on US television is quite unique. The plot, screenplay and selection of actors are contemporary and youth of today can totally relate to them. In fact some of them feel like a long version of a movie and the end of one episode is more like an interval.

So what separates the grain from the chaff? American soap operas also tackle the issues that their Indian counterparts do (remember Bold and the Beautiful?) but it literally seems like a generation gap between the two industries. And it’s not like these familial topics are new to India! I guess the difference lies in ‘me-too’ nature of Indian television. Producers and studios here are wary of experimentation and prefer sticking to inspired and tested ideas. More often than not, at the cost of being repetitive.

Another factor I find refreshing in American soaps is that they cater to different age and gender groups successfully. An entire generation of kids and teenagers grew up on The Wonder Years and 90210. While bulk of their content is still targeted towards working couples, I see less of a dependence on housewives (except for the huge hit, Desperate Housewives) as an audience. And a complete reverse of that is true for Indian soaps.

Then there is this guild of actors. Somehow the American soaps feature such a wide range of talent that it becomes really difficult to pick the best of the lot. Adding to the choice are mainstream Hollywood actors who do not shy away from returning to TV despite their movie successes. It may also be because movie and television studios of America are run as a tightly integrated unit. So a lot of idea, knowledge and production skills’ transfer happens between the two. What may not be a fit for a movie ends up in television and becomes a success story. The reverse of this is also true (Entourage being a case in point).

Sadly Indian television soaps have a very long distance to cover before we get to US quality levels. It is not as much to do with audience acceptability than it is with realistic portrayal of the story. We need to see less of dolled up ladies tackling archaic issues in an over-the-top format; and more of real people dealing with genuine problems. And then there is the concept of benchmarking. As long as Indian soaps keep the bar low and compete amongst themselves, we are never going to watch better quality serials.

Till that happens, I think I’m going to continue paying Tata Sky in the hope that they someday bring ABC, CBS or NBC to my TV in real time!