Impact of American Television on India

For years together, Television played a prominent role in our lives. We have connected with telly in different ways, often attaching nostalgic memories with the programs aired. While the Indian Television has come a long way in terms of sophistication and content, the last few years have seen a decent amount of Western Influence on the Indian households. Yes – American Television.

The American culture has dawned on our society like no other; be it the fast food joints, fashion, films or media, the West has cast its consequential effect on us. Television cannot be left behind. We have seen some great shows in the past years, such as Gray’s Anatomy and Nash bringing in the excitement within the households that saw only regional content. The new era of the West getting quaffed into the East was first felt in the early 2000, when HBO’s premier shows were telecast in India, giving the users a taste of the present day America. The deliberate game plan to increase the viewership globally by these channels worked. The viewers were delighted to get a dose of real time happening soaps in the West.

It all started in 2002, when HBO’s most celebrated sitcom series, Sex and The City was aired on HBO India. Women instantly took a great liking and fondness for the series that contained prohibited adult content, covering the bold issues about sex, relationships, marriage and sexually transmitted diseases. The four central protagonists, Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Samantha Jones and Charlotte York were relatable to the urban Indian women who fought similar battles within the confines of the waging social stigma. Dating game that swept the nation here as much as it did in the West saw some frustrated single women retaliating inspired by the candid personalities seen on these series. The sitcom became so popular that, it had redefined the women’s sense of fashion and choosing men all at the same time. Every girl would identify herself with either of the characters on the show.

The similar outcome happened with another show aired at the same time, Band Of Brothers. This was a delight for the men section in the country who loved watching the saga of heroes. Then the series called The Sopranos and the Game of Thrones in the recent years that picked up response. The same can be said about shows such as Breaking Bad and Desperate Housewives that fared decently well with the Indian crowd. Boston Legal that was aired in United States in 2007 is now picking up TRP s with the repeat telecast of all the seasons in India aired currently.

The recent times saw a bunch of hits taking over, yet again. Mad Men, a drama based on the advertising agencies in the America in the Sixties, has become a great couch puller. The central protagonist Don Draper played by Jon Hamm attracts fan following from both men and women, more being with the latter. Mad Men’s seasons fetched highest viewership when aired in India last year. The next season will start the coming week, with the viewership predicted to peak once more.

Castle, another thriller drama starring Nathan Fillion as Castle the Writer and Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett has become very popular. The series was aired last year for the Indian audiences and there was no looking back. Thanks to the recording option that is available on the set top boxes, all the episodes are caught and stored to indulge in some casual viewing over the weekend.

Revenge, a drama of a young girl’s mission for the payback over the death of her father has grown on the audience. Though the show keeps dragging and the viewers are ever waiting for the payback, the series has kept the couch potatoes going strong.

While the above are some of the many attractions of the American Television, more and more shows from United States are now being aired in India, looking at the reception of the audience.

Its official – the American Television has entered our houses and scoured our hearts away!