I’ve been watching a lot of TV lately. It’s the first time I’ve had cable in about four years. I even have a movie channel called “canal+” which is like HBO. Most of the shows are the same as in the US: Law and Order, Will & Grace, etc. There are also some Dutch versions of popular shows such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The prize is a little bigger than in the US due to the exchange rate. Idol (the same as American Idol, but not American) has four judges instead of three. Otherwise it’s exactly the same as the US version (equally as boring).

Most of the programs are in English with Dutch subtitles. The commercials are in Dutch, which I can’t understand. It’s pretty funny not being able to understand though. MTV has a promo for Snoop Dogg’s show: “blah blah blah blah Doggie Televizille fo’ Sizzle blah blah blah.”

Another interesting phenomenon is that one can legally smoke marijuana in a coffee shop here, yet isn’t allowed to hear the f-word in a rap music video. This is probably a practical issue (broadcasting beyond the Netherlands – making just one edit of the video), but it is a funny display of priorities.