| Product: |
Trouble |
| Date: |
02.06.08 (105 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Generally superb programming
Disadvantages: Lineup isn't perfect, not yet broadcasting in anamorphic widescreen
In these days of DVDs, the Internet and TV on-demand, I find I watch relatively little so-called "live" TV anymore. Aside from the BBC, most channels are jam-packed with adverts; and even with the BBC, why would you want to stick to their schedule when you can catch up with the highlights on their much-promoted iPlayer? The best comedies and dramas - both recent and from years gone by - can be viewed on DVD at your convenience, so there's little need for UKTV Gold or Virgin 1; highlights of reality shows, should you be that way inclined, can be found on YouTube with no need to endure incessant prompts to ring in and vote for Britain's best celebrity typist. In 2008, there's very little appeal in tuning in to watch stuff on the box at the scheduler's behest.
Trouble (Sky 177, Virgin 140) is a significant exception to that rule for me. While I certainly enjoy watching my favourite shows at my control - i.e. on DVD or on demand - sometimes you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy some quality entertainment without having to navigate through menus - or, horror of horrors, decide what to watch full stop. Trouble fulfils that role for me: it's easy to sit back and leave it on, confident in the knowledge that nine times out of ten there'll be something worth watching on.
A bit of background information: Trouble began in 1997 as a teenage-aimed slot on the now-defunct TCC (The Children's Channel). It later became a daytime programming block on Bravo before becoming the official replacement to TCC when that shut down in 1998. Its defined target audience is the 15-24 young adult demographic; in recent years it has attempted to establish its focus is firmly on such viewers by pressing for a move in its EPG channel number on both Sky and Virgin Media from the kids section to the general entertainment section.
But who really cares about demographics and all that stuff, outside of the station controllers? The important part of the channel is its programming, and in this arena it does not disappoint. American sitcoms from the past two decades are undoubtedly the key cornerstone of its output. The hilarious "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" is arguably the channel's flagship show, having aired consistently on the network since its inception; but a range of other comedies have always sat alongside it. In the early years of the channel, Peter Engel sitcoms ("Saved By The Bell" and its spinoffs, "Hang Time", "California Dreams") dominated; at the turn of the century, the channel had a more urban focus, with "The Wayans Bros" and "One On One" becoming mainstays. More recently, though, the focus has been more on hip, cult hits: "How I Met Your Mother", "Grounded for Life" and "That '70s Show" are among the channel's most acclaimed shows, so it's no surprise to learn that they - deservedly - dominate the comedy side of primetime on Trouble. At weekends the underrated "Martin" and "Steve Harvey Show" get outings, too.
Older sitcoms have also becomed increasingly common in recent years. Channel 4 '80s classic "Desmond's" has had a regular slot on the channel for around a year as of time of writing, while "The Cosby Show" and "Diff'rent Strokes" are both also in rotation. It'd be folly to argue they sit perfectly alongside much more self-aware - and, let's face it, intelligent - shows like "How I Met Your Mother", but they're undoubtedly a pleasant watch, and it's nice to have a place for classic sitcom on multichannel television now that Paramount is dominated by "Scrubs" and "Two and a Half Men" reruns. (As hilarious as those shows are, it's nice to have some variety.)
While sitcoms are Trouble's bread and butter, however, the channel have always found room for a substantial dessert of drama. In early years teen melodrama was the order of the day, as "Dawson's Creek" and "My So-Called Life" got well-deserved re-runs; nowadays, though, the focus has shifted to sharp, "hip" US cult hits like the supremely intelligent "Veronica Mars" and quirky mystery series "Kyle XY" and "Whistler". Both shows get slots in primetime; slots they'd never get on a more mainstream channel. It's nice to see them getting the treatment they deserve here.
Trouble is not perfect, however, and its lineup does have a few flaws - I cannot comprehend how the mediocre sitcom-by-numbers "Girlfriends" and "All Of Us" continue to comprise hours of programming a day, and I can give or take midnight-to-1am closer "The Secret Life Of Us" too. But you can't expect a channel to air programming consistently to your own taste, and for my money Trouble comes closer than pretty much any other channel right now.
From a technical perspective Trouble looks sharp and uncompressed on Virgin Media (I can't speak for Sky as I don't have it), though it suffers from the problem of many non-terrestrial channels in that the - admittedly few - widescreen programmes the channel airs are broadcast either letterboxed (i.e. a widescreen frame in a full-frame box that won't fill a widescreen TV) or cropped. Still, I'm optimistic that when a greater percentage of their programmes come in 16:9 format, they'll begin transmission of anamorphic widescreen programming.
For those that are bothered by such things, Trouble has a small translucent on-screen DOG present throughout all programmes, as well those useless reminders of what's up next (though thankfully they're more subtly placed than on the likes of the ITV channels). The channel offers a "+1" service (Sky 178, Virgin Media 141) that broadcasts all programmes shown one hour later - can be useful, as Trouble don't have an iPlayer-like On Demand service yet. Most programmes broadcast on the channel offer subtitles for the hard of hearing. Adverts comprise around 1/4 of the channel's airtime, comparable to most other digital channels.
Trouble broadcasts from 7am to 1am (8am to 2am on the +1 service). Programming is generally suitable for those aged 12 and up (naturally programmes before 9pm are more likely to be family-friendly than those after, though generally innocuous shows occasionally wind up in late slots too.)
Summary: Recommended
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