Let's see what's on

There isn’t much to be impressed by when it comes to German television programming... and it’s not that I didn’t try. Remember, I’m a self-described TV watcher and yet I have found little to keep my attention. I don’t think it’s the language barrier because at this point that’s no longer really getting in the way. It's just that I’m not that into variety shows, people sitting around discussing political issues, soap operas or their version of reality TV. There is no shortage of American sitcoms that have been dubbed into German that might have filled my viewing needs but German society must only be entertained by the most ridiculous shows our homeland has produced. “The Nanny” is regularly on. So is “Two and a Half Men.” I caught “Alf” the other night (and I must confess, I did stop to watch.)

The one thing German TV does really well (probably better than the US) is animal programming. Yes, I know we have the National Geographic Channel (and I watched that at home a lot) but this is animal programming on just your average network and it’s on all the time. These staid and buttoned-up Germans have a real soft spot for all things furry!

If you’re into soft, cuddly and cute - turn on the TV every Saturday morning for my favorite program, “Wildes Kinder Zimmer,” a one hour show that simply highlights baby animals all over Germany. It’s a treasure trove of puppies, kittens, baby porcupines, baby llamas, lambs, calves, piglets, etc. We can’t help ourselves, we tune in whenever we can.

Germany also uses TV to highlight the animals in its many zoos. The shows document new additions to the zoos, daily life in the zoo, how animals are fed and cleaned, the captivating conundrums the keepers face. I’ve watched countless hours of elephant and penguin coverage...and it never gets old. If you’d like to see the most recent babies born in Berlin’s zoo check out the gallery of pictures here. John got home from work and informed me that in fact two of Berlin's newspapers have slideshows of baby animals, so if you still need more go here.

What’s fabulous is that after watching the show, I want to go to the zoo and it’s fun to find the animals you saw on TV once you get there. (Why aren’t American zoos in on this marketing tool?) Our trip to the zoo here in Berlin was partly inspired by one of these shows. Well, that and a documentary about the life of Knut, Berlin’s most famous polar bear. This bear remains a total rockstar here and the story of Knut and his trainer has inspired a number of TV programs like the one we saw, hundreds of newspaper articles (zum Beispiel: here and here and here) and a whole line of Knut gear and things.

The Knut show was just one of the countless documentaries they show on animals. Polar bears in the wild are a popular choice. The plight of seals is common. Some of our favorites are the ones on meerkats, whose German name, Erdmännchen, means “Little Earth Men” and are always accompanied by lively music and dramatic life circumstances.

John’s a sucker for any and all baby animals. The big guy goes all soft and sweet whenever he sees one. I’m in danger of reverting back to my days of collecting animal figurines and hanging posters of chimps in my room. It’s quality TV. It doesn’t require fluent German. It elicits a lot of smiles. That’s my kind of television.