I also heart US television

The sunrise peeks out over the morning clouds, a young woman turns to contemplate what she must do to save her sister and the world, and after five years of kicking monster ass Buffy runs to the end of the tower and jumps off. I’m not above admitting I cried like a little girl when Buffy died in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s season five climax. I also cried when Rory made her valedictorian speech thanking her mother Lorelai in Gilmore Girls, and when a particularly tragic murder involving a bullied girl was solved in Cold Case, and when the door to apartment 20 shut for the last time at the end of Friends.

There have been some truly fantastic American television dramas and comedies in the past decade and now more than ever TV has the power to grab audiences and hold on to them in ways that Hollywood is struggling to follow.

Compare what’s on TV with films released this week in the UK. Katharine Heigl’s 27 Dresses will be a huge hit this weekend for desperate movie-goers, a romantic comedy in which woman pines for wrong man, meets right man, writes off right man, gets to know right man through a series of amusing medley moments, falls in love with right man when she realises he is the imperfect person who’s perfect for her. Yawn. The Hottie and the Nottie is also out, a Paris Hilton vehicle in which a gorgeous actress, covered in superficially ugly clothes/ make up/ braces, gets a make over and discovers that she is – shock! – stunning underneath. And in Drillbit Taylor Owen Wilson is the loveable slacker rogue that he is in every other Owen Wilson film (though I confess I adore him and would see this just for 90 minutes of the Texas stallion).

This seems to be a particularly bad weekend. So far this year we’ve at least been blessed with There Will Be Blood, Juno and Lars and the Real Girl. But here’s the truth as I see it: mainstream Hollywood isn’t producing many quality films anymore – unlike Hollywood television. The Oscars this year was the least-watched ceremony in years, not surprising considering the main winners were from some of the least-watched films of the year. Considering the biggest hits as serious Oscar contenders the Academy Awards would be a joke: the highest grossing films of 2007 were Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third.

Compare with some of the current showier shows. As a film Heroes would be X-Men without the costumes. Supernatural could be condensed into the story of one young man as a doomed, reluctant psychic with demonic connections and his brother on a mission to protect him – but it would be far less compelling as a two hour film, and quickly forgotten.

In television the drama unfolds quietly and slowly, allowing the audience to really get to know the characters – a luxury films don’t have. A film has to work harder make its point quickly. It’s challenging, but ultimately less of a commitment for those involved than a 22 episode drama.

While still regarded by some as the retarded little cousin of film, quality television is finally starting to get the respect it deserves. Many actors are turning their backs on the life of the jobbing film actor. A starring role on a TV show can even turn a career decline around. Both the Sutherlands have done it – Keifer’s profile has never been higher now he’s the star of 24 and his dad Donald is enjoying his OAP years in Dirty Sexy Money. Sarah Jessica Parker became a household name after years as a Broadway baby and minor film star the moment Carrie Bradshaw first typed out the words ‘I couldn’t help but wonder’ in Sex and the City, winning herself an Emmy for her troubles. For some it’s a chance for steady work with regular hours; Gary Sinise (probably best known as Forrest’s reluctant friend Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump) is currently the lead detective dealing with the 9/11 death of his wife in high profile spin-off CSI: New York and now enjoys the steady work it provides.

When Ellen Degeneres came out as a lesbian on her sitcom Ellen it shocked, and confronted attitudes. Here was a character and actress with a ready-made devoted following. If the show had begun with an openly gay character, in the early 90s, it’s doubtful it would have succeeded, but television allows an audience time to build an attachment. Similarly, The Cosby Show helped to mainstream the idea of a successful, professional black family, and Buffy paved the way for shows with strong female leads.

Fans of a TV show are more passionate and loyal than fans of one movie; there’s a reason Trekkie’s remain the stereotype for geekiness. When post-apocalyptic drama Jericho was cancelled after one season last year fan outcry and petitioning salvaged it for another season (the devotees were passionate but few in number and it’s been announced that the seven episodes of season two will be the end for Jericho, unfortunately).

And after four years of bitter disappointment since the end of Sex and the City, with the prospect of a movie repeatedly dangled and cruelly pulled away, the film was finally green-lit last year and is due this May. The internet buzz has been O.T.T., and obsessed fans alone guarantee a hit. It’s a comfort thing – fans already know the characters, they’ve invested time (and money, with DVD buying) in watching six seasons, so they’ll watch for nostalgia if nothing else.

Some films cry out for serialisation. Think about the disappointed Harry Potter fans left sad that many favourite moments from the books have been left out of the films because there’s simply not enough time. The books tracking seven years of the boy wizard’s life could easily be made into a seven season show to include nuances of the rich universe J.K. Rowling created. (Yes, I am a Potter geek and I’m not ashamed.) The Sixth Sense could have been a cool kid detective show, Haley Joel embracing his creepy gift to help dead people move on. I’d love to have seen more of Leon: Jean Reno and Natalie Portman taking on the criminal underworld one kill at a time. What a missed opportunity!

Still, there’s a magic about cinema that TV can’t always emulate. My recent favourites have existed in their own worlds. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – can anybody imagine this as anything other than the beautiful two hours of mind-bending memory-chasing that it is? I think most audiences would switch off after two episodes out of sheer confusion if it were a show. And musical Moulin Rouge!, with its quirky costumes, dazzling sequences and story-within-a-story theme is a frenetic, theatrical piece of celluloid that could never translate into a series.

So perhaps the age of cinema isn’t dead yet. Though if I see one more trailer for another Paris Hilton project, or Eddie Murphy-in-a-fat-suit ‘comedy’, I might reconsider. I’m always amazed by how many rotten films get made. That’s the advantage TV has over film – it’s unforgiving. If a show is bad people will stop watching and it gets cancelled. If a film is bad then people blow money to see it once, can’t ask for a refund based on poor content quality, and the film can be called a success. And then similar dross gets made. TV is more democratic. But maybe I’m wrong; how else can I explain why Rosie O’Donnell still has a career?

Check out today’s new columns on Calliope: Voice of the Writers.