Does Gogglebox review shows with subtitles too?
A diverse cast, but a big slice of foreign-language is regularly overlooked on the Gogglebox couch.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
It’s a guilty pleasure to watch Gogglebox families react to the best and worst of our television diet.
As well as seeing our own feelings validated there are great discovery experiences of shows we have overlooked.
But does the show itself also overlook a lot, especially so many foreign language titles on SBS and streaming platforms?
Squid Game, Money Heist, Lupin, Call My Agent, Elite? None were reviewed by Goggleboxers.
Any Scandi-Noir perhaps? Doesn’t appear to be….
Is that because the rapid editing and couch reactions are too frenetic for the home audience to read the subtitles in between?
An Endemol Shine Australia spokesperson said, “Gogglebox has done subtitled programs before including If You Are the One, so may well do more in the future.”
That was back in S4 in 2016. There was also Duth dating series Adam Zkt. Eva (Adam Looking for Eve) in 2015’s S1.
But it does seem like a lot of titles are not up for consideration which is a bit of a shame, especially given it has such a multicultural cast.
There are two more Gogglebox episodes this season.
- Tagged with Gogglebox
14 Responses
SBS puts all their subtitled shows on their main channel after 11pm, except for a few archeology documentaries they buy cheap from France and German and then subtitle themselves on Sunday Night. If SBS can’t find an audience in prime time for subtitled show how the hell is Paramount going to? Goggle Box is about ordinary people reacting to the extremely ordinary stuff on FTA that anyone can watch, dumb TV for dumb people. They feature mostly contest shows because that’s what most people watch as nobody watches drama and there is hardly any on. They could mock the dreadful plotting and silly melodrama of Human Error or Return to Paradise because people are actually watching those two at the moment. But then what? The 1001th episode in the NCIS franchise or an episode of La Brea that no one could follow. Would Netflix even allow them footage of Squid Game or Stranger Things I wouldn’t think so, and neither Paramount or Foxtel would want to promote their opposition.
I trust you’ve seen other Netflix and Paramount content already on the show (Paramount owns 10 anyway). The limited footage falls under fair dealing for review. Gogglebox always includes niche shows where they will get a good reaction, and streaming is full of those.
What do you expect when you have people only interested in their 15 minutes of fame and the lowest denominator
I’d be ashamed to watch this show let alone be on it
I think we might suggest Reality contestants of seeking 15 mins of fame, over Goggleboxers. In any case I’m not sure how it ties into foreign language and subtitled reviews.
I watch this each week but it is way too heavy with reality shows that sometimes towards the end I’m pretty over it. Even the cast can roll their eyes when some shows are introduced. I love the cast though and they all bring something different. But more streaming or drama/comedy or yes, SBS shows.
The show prefers Reality over Drama for a few reasons. Drama you can really only do episode one, as it requires a fair bit of exposition to be imparted. Reality shows are easier to dip in and out because people generally know the premise. Plus there are more extreme things going on, winners, losers, tantrums, twists….
During the last couple of years, household casting seems to have shifted towards a particular demographic as the oldies and families with kids have moved on. I’d say at least half needs to be changed but of those who’ve been with the show since the start (or near enough to it) Lee and Keith seem to be among the most down to earth. By contrast, Adam & Symon really need a non-Gogglebox platform in which they can thrive as TV personalities.
Re, program diversity: The likes of MAFS and The Block being reviewed multiple times a season probably says something about where the producers’ priorities lay.
As for The Cheap Seats, I’m a fair bit younger than Lee & Keith but that certainly doesn’t stop me from finding that program highly overrated. Honestly, how on earth did that win an Outstanding Logie last year? I still don’t get it, as TCS is basically just a slightly higher budget clip show of a type you could probably find on YouTube.
I’d agree that the casting has narrowed in recent years. They didn’t replace Mick & Di and they lost Emmie, the Dalton girls have grown up & Malik Fahd rarely appears. The Elias family replaced the Jacksons, but they too have departed and not been replaced. They really need an older couple with broader tastes than Lee and Keith, and a family with younger kids.
We love Lee and Keith but they hardly get any air time nowadays and seem to favour some than others.Also wish they did not review the block so often.
I think it’s time for a complete refresh of the cast. These are no longer everyday Australians watching TV.
I can’t warm to Lee and Keith. They don’t have a hint of a sense of humor. They don’t get Taskmaster and Cheap Seats and think they are terrible. That says a lot about their personalities.
Disagree. But the cast is big enough to reflect a range of views and hopefully represent.
Lee and Keith are my favourites even if they have bland tastebuds.
I understand that there’s a range of opinions and views portrayed on the show, but I’m finding Lee in particular increasingly grating. I don’t think it’s a lack of a sense of humour (hers does not match mine, but that’s irrelevant) it’s a lack of sense of true adventure and curiosity. Bland tastebuds is an understatement. I think it was Lee a few seasons ago that cringed at barbecued bacon and eggs … I mean c’mon?