The British invasion of American television

Restricted until 05 Apr. 2011. The British invasion of American television is a takeover of startling proportions. Consider the top ten highest-rated prime time television series of the past decade: American Idol (Tuesday and Wednesday nights) 2004-2007, Survivor 1999-2001, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2000. All of them were run by Brits.; In ten years, that amounts to a complete coup of the Top Ten. It used to be that American producers such as Steven Bochco and David Milch (Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue), John Wells (ER), Diane English (Murphy Brown), and the Charles brothers, Glen and Les (Cheers), set TV’s gold standard. But ever since the turn of the 21st century, U.S. television has opened its doors to a steady influx of hit-makers from the U.K. The new captains of industry include names like Mark Burnett, Simon Cowell, Simon Fuller, Conrad Green, Mark Koops, Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick. And they run shows as familiar to us today as Hill Street Blues and Cheers were in their heydays: American Idol, America's Got Talent, The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing With The Stars, Hell's Kitchen, Nashville Star, Supernanny, So You Think You Can Dance and Survivor, to name just a few.; By their own estimate, roughly two dozen Brits are managing these "reality" or unscripted series, and occupying some of the priciest real estate in prime time. And in doing so, they have set the American paradigm of prime time comedy and drama on its ear. British producers have found ways to reinvigorate the kind of television where ordinary people become stars. Masters of a reinvented genre that saw its humble beginnings in such classic American television series as Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour (1948) and Candid Camera (1948), the Brits have succeeded in taking over American living rooms, altering the way we are entertained and, very often, how we interact with that entertainment.; The question is, how did this happen, and why? What is it about the British sensibility, training, culture and style that translate so well here? And why haven't Hollywood producers -- never shy about copying or stealing from the best -- been able to pull off the same kind of ratings monopoly? Partly, it is because the Brits have imported a fresh take -- albeit edgier and meaner -- on television's formerly polite manners. Partly it's because they have exposed flaws in the American television production model, which favors TV specialists over well-rounded craftsmen. And perhaps most importantly, the British invasion is an indictment of the American work ethic, especially in Hollywood.本数据集的访问权限将受限至2011年4月5日。英国从业者对美国电视市场的大举入侵，其规模之惊人令人侧目。不妨回顾近十年美国收视排名前十的黄金时段剧集：2004至2007年每周二、三播出的《美国偶像》（*American Idol*）、1999至2001年的《幸存者》（*Survivor*），以及2000年的《谁想成为百万富翁》（*Who Wants To Be A Millionaire*）。上述所有爆款剧集均由英国主创操盘。 短短十年间，英国从业者便完全包揽了收视前十的榜单。曾几何时，美国本土制作人是行业标杆：史蒂文·博奇科与大卫·米尔希（代表作《山街蓝调》《纽约重案组》）、约翰·韦尔斯（代表作《急诊室的故事》）、黛安·英格利什（代表作《墨菲布朗》），以及格伦·查尔斯与莱斯·查尔斯兄弟（代表作《欢乐酒店》）。但自21世纪伊始，美国电视行业便持续迎来英国爆款制作人的涌入。新一代行业领军者包括马克·伯内特、西蒙·考威尔、西蒙·富勒、康拉德·格林、马克·库普斯、奈杰尔·莱斯洛与肯·沃里克等人。他们操盘的剧集如今已是国民级爆款，正如当年《山街蓝调》与《欢乐酒店》在其鼎盛时期的地位：《美国偶像》《全美达人》《飞黄腾达》《超级减肥王》《名人学徒》《与星共舞》《地狱厨房》《纳什维尔之星》《超级保姆》《舞林争霸》以及《幸存者》等，不胜枚举。 据英国从业者自身估算，约有二十余名英国人负责运营这些“真人秀”或非剧本剧集，占据了黄金时段中价值最高的播出时段资源。借此，他们彻底颠覆了美国黄金时段喜剧与剧集的行业范式。英国制作人成功盘活了“普通人变身明星”的电视节目类型。这类节目类型脱胎于1948年的经典美国剧集《特德·麦克与原创业余时间》与《隐形摄像机》，经英国制作人重新赋能后，他们已然成功占领美国千家万户的客厅，重塑了大众的娱乐方式，更在诸多方面改变了人们与娱乐内容的互动模式。 那么，这一现象究竟是如何发生，又为何会出现？英国的审美取向、行业培训、文化特质与创作风格，为何能如此完美地适配美国市场？而向来擅长效仿乃至借鉴顶尖创意的好莱坞制作人，为何未能复刻同款收视垄断的成功？ 部分原因在于，英国从业者为原本恪守礼仪规范的美国电视行业带来了全新的创作视角——尽管其风格更为尖锐犀利，也更具攻击性。另一部分原因则在于，他们揭露了美国电视制作模式的弊端：该模式更青睐专精单一领域的电视从业者，而非全能型创作人才。而或许最为关键的是，英国对美国电视市场的大举入侵，实则是对美国职场伦理，尤其是好莱坞职场伦理的一种控诉。