Last thing I'll say on the subject matter (TV series, European specifically) is that, while UK & BBC are still my very favourite the scene and makeup of shows has changed and is changing still. The British have lapped the field in TV drama, easily top in the world and now it's becoming tougher and tougher to absorb a lot of their top productions.
It's not about emotions, internal stuggles, unfair and broken lives. It is no longer about sexuality, religion or race. Not about any of those difficult and horrifying subjects that The British were first to show us all. This is why they're pioneers - they stormed any impossibly difficult to portray or be neutral of parts of our society. The US, Canada are not even walking yet, still in our diapers this side of the pond true drama-wise. Of course Unforgiven or River come to mind right away. Can you kill your mother and justify it and if so are you are a murderer or a victim? Can you have Church the only thing in your live, belive and give it all while being gay and living with an underaged " imported" Asian lover? Just some examples here that were approached and shone light to.
"Sing, you nutter!" - one of the most loving things Ive heard in TV series if you watched and knew the subject matter. This is why the Brits are the best at it.
That was UK drama television even 5 years aog. It's now nuanced and often reflective of yearly / monthly changes their countries and their population are going though. It's smart, multi-dimensional. It's a daily routine of clever or not very so individual. It's that reflection of every day - of poor or rich, black brown or white that everyone's after with a microscope.
Take "The Respondee" for example. It's the face of new UK TV drama. Loved the show, loved Freeman in it as always but it was one very tough nut to crack. Difficult difficult regional slang, highly nuanced, broken dialogue requires breaks every 15-20 minutes if you really want to understand what they're discussing as the context or the sub-plot.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that - it's starting to feel like work with British/Irish content. You were never "welcome" to those shows as an outsider. Because you need to be there, live there, in that county, city or neighbourhood to "get it". Now you need to have lived on that street and "roomied " with characters for ten years to understand them. I often wonder if it's easy to absorb for a local or not. If someone is in the position to reply - please do.
I'm close to Enagland especially since I work for a UK company, travel there several times per year, most of my co-workers are from there and so on. But I can no longer board that train.
I know I ventured into deep waters here. Just that I'm very passionate about this stuff - it's one of my few hobbies and points of great interest.