I Might Need a Check-Up: In Praise of Shortland Street

Yes, another blog about television, but not the way you think.

Sometimes I even get tired of the same old stuff on the screen. As a fan of YouTube and online video, I have split entertainment loyalties. It's not unusual on a lazy weekend for me to have my television on muted while I'm watching something online. The advantages: sometimes it doesn't feel lazy if you're binging shorter videos on YouTube instead of hours-long episodes or movies on the big(ger) screen. Also, the diversity is stronger online. Netflix is making a good effort and the major networks flirt with different ethnicities and couplings. However, I already know that television overseas is significantly different than the US. Subtitles aren't unusual. Multiethnic communities don't feel so much novel as necessary. Living and loving is what viewers experiences in real life; overseas shows tend not to shy away from it or make a great deal out of showing the truth.

And they still find a way to show The Big Bang Theory.

YouTube also finds a way to...overcome barriers to see shows from across the water so people can see them. In between stand-up clips, vlogs, and the occasional viral hit, I found Jack's story. It was different. The accents from New Zealand, the prominence of the Pacific Islander culture, and the twist. I love a good story and I was surprised. So I watched part 2. And part 3. And about 123 parts later, I was a fan of the Hannah family. I wanted to figure out how to visit the real place that inspired Ferndale. And I low-key was trying to figure out if Duolingo could teach me Maori.

It can't.

The larger show Jack and family are in is called Shortland Street. My description for my friends who are already over me talking about it is a mashup of Grey's Anatomy and 13 Reasons Why. Both great shows. Both dripping with drama. What keeps me coming back to the show is that the drama feels less histrionic and far-fetched as my US soaps. The 13 Reasons Why part is it feels almost too real. Many characters make decisions that are reasonable and still face heavy consequences. When the blockbuster things happen, like serial killers and plane crashes, the days and weeks after aren't a blink to move the storyline along. Since the show shows five and six days a week in New Zealand, I imagine that's part of its self-preservation. If your father dies on Monday, you're not going on a date next Friday. (Looking at you, Days of Our Lives.) If you lose your job, you find a way to make legal money first before turning to a life of crime. (Right, General Hospital?) That's the kind of writing layered with a part of the world I'm not familiar with and cultures I don't see every day which draws me in. I want to know what's in the mourning prayer Jack says at least twice in the show (I won't spoil when.) I have many questions about Ali, how he expressed his faith, and his family. And, real talk, how many kids does Chris Warner have? (I think that part is intentional. But still. Even Wikipedia is confused.) If you're looking past the hospital setting for a Grey's Anatomy connection, Esther Samuels is your lady. She's been through it. We're literally unsure how she's alive. And if you really want to see a different kind of story, dig into how Jason becomes Sebastian. Not exactly a road to Damascus.

Now that I've found ways to see the full episodes and spent a significant amount of screentime to fill in the gaps for most of the active characters (and how KJ Apa from Riverdale worked into the story - trigger warning on the link), I'm all the way in. And the current story arc...whew, chile, you should be too.

I highly recommend starting with a character that intrigues you and following their path down the YouTube rabbit hole and enjoying the entertaining journey that is Shortland Street.

The next fandom I hope to spread is for Generations from South Africa. Let the searching begin.