[dropcap]K[/dropcap]nitwear is in. Big. As the high street becomes a better-tailored if poorer-quality version of Carraig Don, Irish television suffers from an extreme case of cultural cringe that has somehow been exposed by the Aran sweater – or, as it is more popularly known now, the Sarah Lund sweater. Not only has the famous Nordic sleuth quietly taken over the airwaves, it appears she can even take over our wardrobes in a trend that dwarfs 2010’s “Sherlock chic”. International broadcasters have begun to erode the US’s monopoly of our viewing tastes, managing to retain their sense of national identity in television while achieving critical and financial success. The question on the minds of industry suits is whether such a winning streak is pure luck or the result of an imitable formula.
The trend is most obvious in the case of Scandinavia. Following on the success of Danish public service broadcaster DR’s Emmy-winning drama The Eagle: A Crime Odyssey, the last number of years have seen a torrent of must-see drama from the channel, including Forbrydelsen (The Killing) and more recently Borgen. Made by DR, Denmark’s equivalent of RTE, the so-called “Nordic noir” offers a more complex perspective on crime, engaging with its wider political and social context instead of being contained in a fictional bubble. Arguably a major factor in the success of Borgen, which follows Denmark’s fictional first female PM, and indeed the Killing, are its well-written and performed female leads: a rare feat in US drama. The Killing also has a refreshingly unconventional format: focusing on a single murder over 20 episodes, it tells the story not just from the perspective of the detective but the victim’s family and the politicians. Receiving generous government funding and licence fees, DR sets out in line with its role as a PSB to supply a social and even moral dimension to their productions alongside sheer entertainment value, and has an established policy of allowing writers full creative control. While seemingly unconcerned with export value, the financial benefits which both the originals and their remakes have brought to the Danish exchequer cannot be denied. It seems that the very disregard for export potential is what has made these series so attractive; tactical production is no substitute for creative integrity.
“The very disregard for export potential is what has made these series so attractive”
Scandinavia is not the only place producing worthy television. The continent may not be the most likely place to find stimulating drama, but France, Germany and even Italy have their own offerings to bring to the Eurocrime table. The prestige of French film worldwide has resulted in a disdainful attitude to television among the French creative elite not unlike in Ireland. However, hope comes in the form of Engrenages (Spiral), another detective series making waves in the UK. Italy has done one better in Romanzo Criminale, which follows an infamous crime family in 70s Rome. In defiance of an industry near-monopolised by a certain former premier/media mogul, the award-winning series has been bought by HBO and is currently airing on Sky Arts. Dubbed the greatest Italian series ever made by the Italian press, Romanzo Criminale is everything Love/Hate could have been.
From farther afield comes Hatufim (Prisoners of War) which has become overshadowed by its flashier US incarnation, Homeland. While Homeland is a fantastic drama, its Israeli parent is a tonally different but equally worthy beast. Centred on two Israeli POW’s returning home after seventeen years captivity in Lebanon, Hatufim has considerably more resonance with Israeli society than Homeland with America, as Israel does negotiate with terrorists for the release of its soldiers, resulting in former POWs making up a relatively sizeable portion of the population. Hatufim, unlike slick thriller Homeland, is a slow burner: the story takes its time on character psychology and relationships.
But as we congratulate ourselves for being more open-minded, the reality is that the western drama format still dominates our screens. The most pervasive TV format in the east is Japanese animation, an intrinsic part of Japanese culture. The genre has been disadvantaged by mainstream perceptions of cartoons as childish, but the reality is that Japanese broadcasters are less concerned with controversy or watersheds, providing a platform for all levels of dramatic complexity. An anime film or series will easily strike truer to the nature of the human condition than a mainstream US show, despite the stylised nature of the artwork. In fact, this has proved an advantage; despite the western TV industry’s unfailing confidence in the formulaic drama’s chances for commercial success, the very alien nature of anime which initially caused western distributors to hesitate has made the genre all the more attractive to a bored audience in Europe and the US. Anime remains purely Japanese, and this is a core part of its appeal. It is also worth billions to the Japanese economy, which has turned to cutting-edge pop culture as a means of stimulus. The only eastern culture whose influence rivals that of the US, anime is part of a larger strategy of Japanese cultural exportation. Its place may not be as integral to western pop culture as the games console, but the market for anime has exploded in the west since the early 90s. Naysayers should take a look at Deathnote, an acclaimed series particularly suited to Sherlock fans.
Last April Guardian blogger Mark Lawson questioned the UK’s adoration of foreign drama, considering it a lack of national self-confidence. If such questions can be posed of Britain, they are certainly applicable to Ireland. That we are only exposed to the best of foreign industries must be acknowledged, but the fact remains that nobody beyond our shores (and not many within) wants to watch Raw. What do all these industries have in common that enable them to produce these simultaneously critically and financially successful TV shows? The answer seems relatively simply: television with creative and cultural integrity is more likely to profit, as it is of higher quality.
Honourable mentions:
The Bridge – Swedish-Danish detective series: Wallander meets Lund.
Betipul – the Israeli drama on which HBO’s In Treatment was based.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – the anime inspiration for the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix
Borgia – a French-German alternative to the lacklustre Showtime series.
