What's on the Tele?

Gorilla: The growth of technology and the ubiquity of the ever-expanding, all-powerful internet has bountiful downsides that are steadily deteriorating today's already moldy society. However, one of the best features of the internet is the ability to find new or classic forms of art and media. My personal favorite experiences have come from finding gems of television series from good ol' Britain.
The two series that I have come across via excursions through IMDb and SurfTheChannel are "Spaced" (1999) and "Extras" (2005). In coming across these two hilarious successes in television comedy, I took notice of the brevity of each series. "Spaced" yielded two seasons of seven episodes each, while "Extras" contained two seasons of six episodes a piece with a Christmas special finale. The two programs seemed to load each episode with astounding writing and fresh and fun humour. Both of the series were able to entertain and make you laugh in the allotted half-hour time slot and wrap up the series with finales that add emotional touch. The series shows seemed as if they came in for a couple years, did what they wanted to do, and ended on their own rights. This idea differs greatly from the Hollywoodification of american television that forces writers to scrounge together material for twenty to thirty episodes a season. Most of those episodes in the middle of the season are just fillers that seem to lack purpose. I am not sure if all British prgrams operate with the succintness of these two comedies, but perhaps all television programs should. Do we really need ten years of the same characters spiralling to unfathomable points in thier lives? With the expert writing/acting/directing, I have as much adoration for the characters in these shows as the ones I've been following for several years now.

Now to promote the shows:

"Spaced" was written by, and stars, the tag-team of Jessica Hynes and Simon Pegg with Edgar Wright directing. The core from "Spaced" were the ones responsible for the major motion picutres, "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz". Each episode is filled with quick, fast-paced humor and stapled together with Wright's insane ability to create amazing shots and transitions which greatly add to the show. What makes "Spaced" so much fun to watch are all the little homages to past television and cinema. Also, it is filled with fresh, smart thinking as depited here in one of my favorit clips from the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1yuhBtdHL0

"Extras" comes from the same duo that created the critically acclaimed series, "The Office", Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Each episode includes a special guest star that shows their true colors when off the screen. "Extras" follows the acting pursuits of Andy Millman (Gervais) as an extra in the backgrounds of film and television. The humor is creative and fun and pushes some boundaries. Here is a great clip from the show:


I highly reccommend both of these shows and both are easy to be watched completely in a week.