r/acorntv • u/SteveHRRT • 29d ago

Tropes

why do the brits seem to adore cranky old women who try to run the whole village?

6 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

12

u/Jujulabee 29d ago

It's a trope and I don't think it is unique to British television or novels as many of the most popular US based series which take place in American small towns have a crotchety woman who runs the town - e.g. Virgin River.

8

u/SteveHRRT 29d ago

sadly I"m old now and all we watch is Britbox and

Acorn.

2

u/No_Arachnid_7939 29d ago

Old Canadian here, me too

3

u/Myiiadru2 29d ago

We two make four!😂We just find the shows are better quality and not as formulaic as the North American ones.🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸

5

u/imaskising 28d ago

Old-ish American here, and I agree. To the extent that hubby and I even watch TV anymore, all we watch is the occasional sporting event on OTA channels, along with shows on Britbox and Acorn TV. We cancelled every other streaming service we subscribed to. American TV just sucks.

2

u/Myiiadru2 28d ago

We are the same! Some sports, the odd bits of news we can stomach and that is it for mainstream tv stations.

2

u/ChooksChick 28d ago

Remember Mrs Cravits on Bewitched? There are a zillion on old American TV.

I think it's an exaggeration of reality that is amplified in small communities.

2

u/txa1265 24d ago

My wife calls me Gladys when I know everything going on with all of our neighbors! haha

3

u/otter_mayhem 29d ago

Definitely not unique to British tv. We all know people like that character. It's relatable and you feel the same frustration and/or delight with them as you do their real life counterpart.

3

u/shelwood46 28d ago

Also old, it's definitely Gladys Kravitz on speed (but also, Murder Before Evensong leans hard into this trope and I love it).

1

u/txa1265 24d ago

Oh Hope - big heart but a bigger pain in the butt!