Anything Goes : A lot of money but no creative television - this is Germany. Or is it? by Dirk Van Den Berg

Since this would probably be too serious a discussion, I try to embed it in a playful context. Remember Ben Kingsley and Robert Redford in "Sneakers" when the sit down in the cubicle and throw thoughts at each other? How did that scene start again… Posit: "I am fed up with the so-called "industry" here in Germany. There is a lot of money around in this country but especially high-quality television production is almost impossible. Instead of producers, broadcasters have their decisions made by commissioning editors who mostly do not have a film background but a scientific one. 9 out of 10 commissioning editors are or "experts" with a mission to "educate" the public, "explaining" characters and plots, or (which is the even worse) they tend to appeal to the lowest possible denominator and produce crap hoping to raise their shares." Result: "Intriguing and even complicated plots, complex characters and no-stereotype casting like in today's American and sometimes British television is impossible to do in Germany. When the BBC's 'Sherlock' aired on German television earlier this year, some people liked it - but many said they 'weren't able to follow because the plot is too complicated and the characters too complex'. They're not used to anything else than the re-iteration of similar plot-schemes and easy-to-grasp characters German tv offers every day, even in the so-called 'glamour formats' that are very costly and often exceptionally well made from a craftsmanship pov. Consequence: "Or your project is 'too complicated' or it is 'too niche'. Did I mention there is a lot of money here…? Yeah, but there is no cable here. No HBO, no ShowTime, no AMC. And it seems they're not really interested to establish branches here any time soon. A guy like Aaron Sorkin would probably die of boredom here in Germany - if he doesn't despair first because commissioning editors turn him down for too many 'crazy ideas' like starting a new series with the lead character having a 5-minute monologue debating why the US are 'not the greatest country in the world" (wow that was brilliant, even now I get goosebumps if I think about that scene). Not to mention a show like the Walking Dead, which I personally don't like but admire for its courageous concept." Conclusion: "Emigrate to the UK or the US. Yeah, sure…" Dear Stage32ers, you Martys and Cosmos around: have you heard this before and what do you think about it? Even if you're not German, and don't really know much about this, it would be good to hear what you think. Why here? Because I inherently trust the Anglo-Saxon way of discussion and debate. And perhaps someone even offers me a job and together we make the next 'Homeland'… Cheers! PS If this is too much, don't blame me. I have to suck it up every day… ;-)