Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

OVERLOOKED TELEVISION: SUNRISE EARTH

What makes a great television show?

There are a lot of things that don't make for great television, as exciting and entertaining those things may be:

  • violence
  • sexism
  • xenophobia
  • Fox news
  • talking/shouting heads
  • CGI
  • inane plots
  • inane people
  • contests designed to put people down
  • nekkid ladies and nekkid men
  • exploitation
  • most sports -- at least most sports commentators
  • reality television
  • religious and political blathering -- at least blathering designed to "show" they're right and you're wrong
  • offensive language
  • commercials
  • almost every scripted show
  • almost every unscripted show
  • ratings-oriented television
  • parental guidance ratings
  • Fox news
  • Judge Jeanine and Sean Hannity
  • and Fox news
And the list goes on.

If you want great television, you really can't go wrong with Sunrise Earth (2004-2011, although the 64 episodes were filmed between 2004-2008).  

What's it about, you ask?  Exactly what the title says.  Each show is a one-hour film of the sunrise in different parts of the world, shot from multiple perspectives in real-time.  Locations include Machu Picchu, Scandinavia, Turkey, The Everglades, Amgkor Wat, Ireland, the Great Barrier Reef, Stonehenge, and Yellowstone, among others.  The shows often concentrate on areas where animals thrive -- moose, alligators, penguins, polar bears, seal pups, et cetera.

There is no voice-over.  There is no background music.  Just ambient sound.  Occasional captions give the time, location, and events being photographed.

Sunrise Earth is your chance to relax, to center yourself, to appreciate the wonder and beauty all around us.

Sunrise Earth may well be the best television program ever.

Many episodes are available on Youtube.  Here's just one example, "Cloudforest Waterfall" (La Paz River, Vara Bianca, Costa Rica).  

Enjoy.


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