Atheism and British Comedy

Being American and watching primarily American television, I am used to the religious haze that many sitcoms take on. Few American shows are overtly spiritual (Like Touched by an Angel or some such) but most have a very specific way of dealing with situations that is particularly mindful of the massive block of Christians viewing the show. It's easy to get used to this, and it can be difficult to see it for what it is at times.

Of course, I can't fault the networks for this, since it would be faulting them for catering to their viewership. Obviously I can't expect American networks to cater to a sidelined minority of Atheists and Agnostics, who usually don't watch mainstream shows anyway. They have to focus on the chuckle-driven suburban family sitcom, the hard-lined law drama, and the gasp-factor of the reality-TV show.

So consider my surprise while I was watching the HBO/British comedy The Extras last night (got it from Netflix) and find out that they cast the main character as a dyed-in-the-wool Atheist. I was taken aback! They even portrayed Atheism correctly, distinguishing it from Agnosticism, and making it clear that we Atheists definitely do not believe in any supernatural phenomenon. I was giddy! Of course it would be HBO that breaks out of this mold, at least a bit.

They even took it one step further, the main character having a miniature argument with a comfort-believer, and saying that the burden of proof is on her, not him, since she is making the argument that god exists, and he is simply being skeptical.

The show quickly moved on, and the Atheism bit became a part of a joke later on, but it was a welcome change from the things that I normally watch here in the States, where anyone who brands themselves as an Atheist in a show is either shown to be an obviously evil character, or at the least a confused soul who needs to be shown the light. It can get aggravating.

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, the numbers back it up; In England, Atheists/Agnostics make up 31 - 44% of the total population, compared to 3 - 9% here in the US.

So, kudos to HBO and those involved, it may seem like something very small to those in the majority of belief here in the US, but to me it was a shining moment in television, one worthy of mention and praise.

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