British TV dystopias

[kindkit]

I'm intrigued by the fact that series with the premise "in the future, our country is a quasi-fascist dystopia" are common enough on British TV, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, that you could call them a sub-genre. (I've just started watching one such show, The Guardians, which so far is excellent.) By contrast, I can't think of single example of this premise on US television, from that period or in fact ever.

Cultural difference? Or am I just not remembering US examples?

Comments

[redscharlach.livejournal.com]

The only equivalent I can think of the mini-series Amerika (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerika_%28TV_miniseries%29), which was about a Commie dystopia!

And I suppose you might stretch the definition to count the original version of V, but since the "fascists" came down from space, that's rather different from the "what horrors may rise from our own society?" fears that are inherent in the British stuff.

[kindkit]

Even Amerika, judging by what Wikipedia says, presumes a Soviet conquest, so it's essentially the same story as V--aliens come in and try to destroy America the Beautiful. The British dystopias are so much more self-critical. As you said, they're all about horrors arising from one's own society, which is an approach I find much more congenial.