Norske Reklamer

I have to admit that since I have come to Norway I have been watching a lot more TV. I suppose this isn't really all that significant since while I was a college student I almost never watched anything, but let's just say that Lars and I are watching something on the tube every night.

I would say as well that Norwegians (for lack of a better phrase) have got it going on. Once I began to understand Norwegian, watching a Norwegian broadcast became a much more entertaining experience than the typical American broadcast. I will admit that it does get a little confusing for me sometimes when Lars asks me to put it on TV2 which is NOT channel 2, or TV3, which is NOT channel 3, but I make it through. And it was a bit strange at first that Norwegian shows don't have to end on the hour either,...it isn't that abnormal for a show to begin at 8:40 or end at 5:25.

But the most significant difference between American and Norwegian television in my opinion are the commercials. Here, there are not nearly as many commercials! And when you do have to sit through a commercial, instead of watching a bald guy so wittingly named Mr. Clean miraculously mop the floor or a gecko trying to sell you insurance, you are many times treated to a hilarious little number that makes you laugh just as much as the sitcom you were watching. For example:

These NetCom commericals absolutely kill me. They are hilarious...there is a new one where a girl who is babysitting accidentally calls a guy. Needless to say, the conversation she is having with the little boy she is babysitting about playing with his soldier is enough to make my sides hurt.

But don't worry, I am not going completely Norwegian. While they win the competition in the commercial arena, we still broadcast with more insight and quality than any other country on the planet. I am still able to access the quality shows that keep me true to my American roots--Pimp My Ride, American Gladiators, Playboy Girls and Date My Mom. Couldn't live without those gems of American pop culture.