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I used to be proud of UK TV over USA TV as broadcasters over here have typically done shorter runs and been prepared to give them a series or two to attract a following. Where as in the States typically if the first half or first season tanks then the series gets canned.

Unfortunately, now it seems the BBC has adopted this cut-throat attitude to its own productions, don't get me wrong I understand the current economic climate and the Beebs budget cuts et al, but I mean Outcasts (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x8fw4) has had one season which was looking pretty good, the last few episodes kicked into the long grass time slots and then the series axed after only 8 episodes.

This series had a lot of potential but rather than at least giving it a shorter second season to try and build on it's initial response they have just canned it. Someone in a letter to a TV mag made the comment about the budget spent on shows like Top Gear where they perform expensive idiotic stunts, go on expensive location shoots gets on-going support but good drama shows like outcasts and theDetective series Zen get axed.

Seems to make no sense to me, and it's not like the BBC is contrained by advertisers demanding enough viewing figures to recoup their sponsorships.

Go figure, I guess show makers will need to dumb down everything so there is no continuity or episodal arcs any more in case they get thrown out. I feel sorry for all these excellent writers seeing all their efforts getting wasted.

I heard that outcasts was pretty terrible, actually. Never caught an episode, though so I can't say it's my own opinion.
The whole episodic vs arc issue has been an ongoing problem for creative endevours for decades, though. It's a frequent and repeating issue in comics especially from my experience.

I would not say it was terrible, could it have been better... Yes but that could have been addressed in the 2nd season with just a bit more thought about the direction and characters.

A lot of cult BBC shows started out life with a poor first showing but have grown and developed because the teams involved were given a fair chance to perfect the scripts and plots in subsequent series.

Like a say a shame but I guess a sign of the times, the Sci-Fi bubble has well and truly burst both sides of the atlantic. The current trendy themes being vampires and supernatural both leave me a little cold but thats a personal preference.

I am looking forward to the new "Game of Thrones" tv adaption but again as a US production have qualms that I'll just get hooked in time for it to do not so well in the ratings and get canned.

I really loved the New Stargate Universe series, truly what the other shows should have been like. The crew really struggling to get to grips with the tech and making mistakes. This too was cut cruelly short as the US moves away from ship based Sci-Fi shows, real shame.

You probably wouldn't want to wish for USA TV. 
It's rerun after rerun often on the same day on a lot of channels. 

The adverts are generally better than the UK but there are so many goddam breaks in the show.  I am sure there have been 5 minutes of a film followed by 3 minutes of advertising etc.

The censorship is nonsensical.  I have managed to watch the Blues brothers (Best Film Ever anyone?) a couple of times and they bleep out the bad language or cut out a bit of the film, then one day as I am watching it with my daughter at about 8pm they leave the F bombs in there, hasty change of channel.
Current favorite show is Ax Men, there are more bleeps than language, if that is possible.

Anyway is quantity that counts rather than quality - or something like that.

Didn't Fawlty Towers only run for a handful of episodes and that was an excellent show.

Fawlty Towers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers) ran for 12 episodes but across 2 series (6 eps each) the 2nd series broadcast 4 years after the first.

A short run granted but got a 2nd series despite some initial critics, it gained slow popularity. As I say UK TV has a better record (not perfect by any means) of giving projects time to grow an audience and with the shorter series length time for the creative teams to tweak or perefect their programme.
 

I think the Fawlty towers thing was much more to do with Clease having a breakdown than any thing else.

 >:DGinger