British tv show music beds

I haven't been able to find very many Brit tv shows that I enjoy watching.  It's mostly because of the music soundtracks they use here.  Has anyone else ever noticed the difference in the music used in the shows here versus the ones from the US?  They seem to find the most dramatic and oppressive music tracks they can here and it just seems jarring to the scene.  It certainly takes away from my viewing pleasure. 

I don't understand what you mean... can you give some examples?

I'm not sure I know what you mean exactly, either--but I do find this on some American programs, especially the CSI ones when they are doing a lab-type procedure and then to make it "exciting" they play something really loud and aggressive sounding.

Midsummer Murders is one of the shows I don't like to watch because of the music they play.  There was another I watched today called Heartbeat.  It just seems that the music they use seems to make the movie depressing.  I don't know how else to explain it.  I've noticed it on several Brit dramas.
Maybe because I do video editing where so much of what I do depends on the music track, it makes me more aware of it when watching tv shows.  It's just that I've never noticed it when watching US dramas.  Maybe it's just me. 

I find the music in serious drama programmes (either British or American) to always be a bit overdone and distracting. I think it's just the nature of the genre. However, I've never noticed any music on Midsummer Murders! Either I'm clueless or it's really unobtrusive!

Heartbeat is set in the 50's and 60's so they use music of that period. Not really watched it so can't comment upon exactly what they used but if it's a dramatic murder scene then surely they are going to use depressive music to set the tone, wouldn't really want upbeat music would you?

Maybe it's not that it's depressive so much as it is the type of symphony music they play if that makes sense

I know what you mean, lisapower, but like you I edit television, so I think we might be more attuned to it.

I don't watch any UK dramas, but my wife does, and from what I've noticed the music is more "on the nose" than it is in American dramas.  In other words, when the bad guy is caught in a UK crime drama, the music has a much more dramatic, revelatory feel to it, as though the audience might not notice that resolution has taken place without a big music cue to underline it.

(If you still have no idea what I mean, watch the scene at the end of A Few Good Men when Corporal Dawson says, "What did we do wrong?  We did nothing wrong!" and Corporal Downey replies, "Yeah, we did. We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn't fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie."

As if the clunky dialogue didn't underline the point, there's a little clarinet line underneath it which is what I assume the composer thinks it sounds like in someone's head whenever someone has "seen the light" and realized the error of their ways.

I know A Few Good Men is an American film.  I'm using it as an example of a too obvious music cue.)

The thing that drives me nuts about music on UK TV is how much of it sounds the same.  If you put me an a dark room and played the theme music from "Countdown," "Loose Women," "Daybreak," and "Saturday Kitchen," I'm sure I couldn't tell one run of jaunty repetitive scales from another.

I don't always love the music used, however I do like the fact that some dramas, on the other hand, don't over do it with music. Take Silent Witness for example, a forensic drama, if it were a US show there'd be CSI-esque techno when they search for evidence. Instead there's only music when the scene really needs it, a few strings - and usually to segue to the next act. Much more visceral.

However, don't even get me started about its title sequence. Yuck.

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The thing that drives me nuts about music on UK TV is how much of it sounds the same.  If you put me an a dark room and played the theme music from "Countdown," "Loose Women," "Daybreak," and "Saturday Kitchen," I'm sure I couldn't tell one run of jaunty repetitive scales from another.

Wow. I disagree. Well, not about theme tunes, those I tend to ignore (except for the horrific One Show theme, which spurs me to quickly find the remote to get it off of my tv). But in general, I find that Brit programs use much more honest, realistic and less polished fluff music than in the States. The States tends to use happy-shiny-do-people-actually-like-this-stuff music. If that makes sense!

Take Silent Witness for example,

However, don't even get me started about its title sequence. Yuck.

Ha ha, it always makes my husband laugh because he says it reminds him of music from 'The Black Adder' and he just can't take it seriously!

Oh no! Now that's going to be in my head when I watch it.