Israeli Trash TV

I have never been a huge TV watcher. Growing up we didn’t had cable until my brothers and I negotiated a deal with my parents and each one paid for it out of his/her weekly allowance. In college I watched a bit more television and enjoyed certain shows, but I was never the person who just turned on the TV and watched whatever was on, regardless of how stupid it may be.

Israel has two cable TV rivals: Yes and Hot. In addition to the main Israeli stations that everyone gets, each company has different programs that the other does not; including sitcoms and other series shows from the States and….Israeli soap operas.

The other evening when I turned on the TV, it was on a station that happened to be broadcasting an Israeli soap called “HaShir Shelanu” (Our Song.) The premise of the show is a bunch of soldiers in an Army choir and all of the problems that come with fame, fortune and happiness (and other typical teenage angst issues). Like other soap operas the acting is horrible, the plot lines are shallow and you continue to ask yourself why you haven’t turned off the TV or switched the channel. Unlike most soaps, this show is apparently on in the evenings, which makes it more dangerous, but just as trashy as all the rest.

Since my first run-in with the show, I have seen it once more when it was rebroadcast at 11:00 pm. I admit that it is the epitome of Israeli trash tv, but I view TV as an outlet from reality and a time to relax. I mean, were My So-Called Life, Dawson’s Creek and 90210 that much better?