Victoria Nangle investigates the importance of imports

When I was at school one of my best mates had an American accent and was teased a little for it. The thing is, she wasn’t American. She was from Malaysia. She’d learned English at school and from watching TV, the majority of which – when spoken in English – was from the US. Hence the accent. The thing is, a lot of the kids in my class has also assimilated imported accents without realising. The question mark at the end of a statement was in tribute to years of devoted time in front of Neighbours and Home & Away. The occasional emphatic explanation in brogue was down in no small part to Father Ted and the like. Imports to our small screens have quite a history, and at one point there even seemed a threat of the US shows usurping the homespun telly, but now we seem to be entering a bit of a golden age. An age of no US quality imports to our screens.

It could be down to finances. After all, buying a top award-winning series packed with stars from HBO is going to cost more than a new smaller scale pet project from New Zealand. But with accolades and recognition last year for Chris Lilley’s Summer Heights High, Denmark’s The Killing (and The Killing II), the multi-part and multi-perspective The Slap from Down Under, dividends are paying off for searching elsewhere for purchased shows from abroad. Who needs another single run of an already cancelled US comedy with laughter tracks when you can get an award-winning and totally riveting thriller from our European pals? Maybe a well-written drama comedy from Australia with well-developed characters, several layers of motives and insecurities and a set-up that will last longer than a 30-minute episode. Just saying. I quite enjoyed the opening episode of Winners And Losers.

In contrast to a lot of glittering American shows, this is not about the wealthy and the beautiful being spotted playing their guitar in a bar and embarking on a world stadium tour the next day. No, the dilemma grappling them is a little more relatable. Should you go to a High School reunion organised by someone who made your life hell at school? Quite a humorous touch to have the Queen bitch in question including a bikini-clad picture of herself on the Facebook invite, but that’s the thing. This is quirky, entertaining but still keeps its feet firmly on the ground.
In the same style as Cold Feet, Cutting?It and Being Human, this draws its comedy from the characters. It puts them through traumas, adventures and anything else but that’s what it comes back to, rather than how many jokes per page of script.

It’s not that I don’t like Friends. I just really like the opportunities the current budgetary restrictions are creating for commissioning editors.

Winners And Losers, ITV2, Monday 9 January