Golden Powers
Encyclopedia
"Golden Powers" is the second episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery
series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series creator Peter Knight
and directed by Alex Hardcastle
.
In "Golden Powers", Kröd learns he is "The Golden One" who is destined to overthrow the evil Makonian Empire. But he needs help from his girlfriend Aneka, who briefly leaves Kröd because he is upset about her tendency to use sex as a weapon. Meanwhile, the evil Chancellor Dongalor tries repeatedly to kill Kröd and continues working to uncover the secrets of the Eye of Gulga Grymna, the deadliest weapon of the ancient world.
The episode featured a striptease
by actress India de Beaufort
as part of her character's Pagan ritual; to prepare for it, Beaufort trained at a Hungarian
strip club outside Budapest
, where the episode was filmed. "Golden Powers", which premiered back-to-back along with the season premiere episode "Wench Trouble
", received generally mixed reviews. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed by 1.6 million households in its original American broadcast, about average for that time period; it had slightly fewer viewers than the episode of The Daily Show
that aired later that evening.
) mourning the recent death of his mentor General Arcadius (Roger Allam
). Kröd is accompanied by his girlfriend Aneka (India de Beaufort
), his pig-like 'Grobble' servant Loquasto (Steve Speirs), his sorcerer friend Zezelryck (Kevin Hart
) and Bruce (Marques Ray), Arcadius' flamboyant ex-lover. Later, Kröd tells Aneka he wants to seek couples counseling due to her tendency to use sex as a weapon against her enemies. But Aneka refuses, and says she plans to leave them to participate in 'The Raccoon
Festival': a pagan religious ritual in which she has sex with 300 men. When he reacts with anger, Aneka says she is leaving Kröd and tells him, "And I thought you could have been one of the ones." Meanwhile, the evil Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas
) is told by his advisor Barnabus (Alex MacQueen
) that they are still working to discover how to use the Eye of Gulga Grymna, the recently unearthed ancient weapon that Dongalor wants to use to gain power.
Bruce tells Kröd that the word Engamora, which Arcadius muttered to Kröd before he died, refers to a prophecy that chronicles the overthrow of an empire at the "The Golden One", which Bruce said is "a slightly less clichéd way of saying the Chosen One". Bruce says Arcadius believes the prophecy spoke of Kröd, but Kröd does not believe it. They are interrupted when Dongalor and his men ride into the village and demand Kröd’s surrender. Kröd jumps forward to attacks Dongalor, but he overshoots him and leaps right into his carriage, and explains that he forgot the blade sticks in some of the warmer months. Before he can pull his sword out, one of Dongalor's guards hits him over the head, rendering himself unconscious. Dongalor ties Kröd to the back of his carriage and rides off, but Kröd escapes by swinging back and forth until the rope snaps and he is freed.
Once safe, Kröd writes a letter to Aneka, expressing remorse for how he talked to her. Simultaneously, a scantily-clad Aneka performs a seductive dance at the festival and announces she is ready to start with the 300 men. As Kröd finishes his letter, he is attacked by an assassin who overpowers but doesn't kill him...the assassin's too busy laughing at Krod's letter to Aneka. As Kröd tries to recover, he sees a vision of Arcadius, who tells him Kröd is indeed the Golden One; the blade of Kröd's sword suddenly catches fire, which Arcadius described as a sign of his power. But Arcadius said according to the prophecy, Kröd and Aneka must work together to overthrow the empire, and that an assassin plans to attack her too. Kröd kills the nearby assassin and sets off to help Aneka.
Kröd arrives at the pagan village, where he is upset to find a long line of men waiting to get into Aneka's bedroom. Kröd discovers her next customer is actually an assassin, who pulls a knife on Aneka. Loquasto, Zezelryck and Bruce (who were waiting in the queue) arrive and Loquasto fires an arrow at the assassin, but hits Kröd. Momentarily distracted, the assassin is killed by Aneka. She thanks Kröd and, although they remain broken up, she leaves the pagan ritual with him. Elsewhere, Barnabus tells Dongalor the elders have made progress in deciphering the Eye of Gulga Grymna, but that they need a crystallized lens in order to make it work.
and directed by Alex Hardcastle
. It originally aired April 9, 2009, in the United States on Comedy Central
as part of the one-hour series premiere along with "Wench Trouble
", the show's pilot episode. The episode was filmed in Budapest
, Hungary
. The producers strived to create the fantasy setting with an authentic tone. In keeping with the time period, the costumes were created with no zippers or velcro, and the weapons were created by an armorer who specializes in creating ancient weapon replicas. To prepare for the Pagan ritualistic dance, actress India de Beaufort was taken to a Hungarian strip club outside Budapest and received hours of instruction on how to pole dance
. However, the training did not fully prepare Beaufort because she trained on a stripper pole that rotated on ball bearings, so it would move with the dancers as they spun around, but the pole used in the episode was a tree that stayed solidly in place. Additionally, the floor was wet with dew the day of filming, so Beaufort slipped and fell repeatedly during filming. Beaufort said she was nervous performing the dance, especially in front of her peers, but that it was ultimately a fun experience.
" and the episode "Golden Powers", was viewed by 1.6 million households in its original American broadcast. It received a 0.7 Nielsen rating
, which is about Comedy Central average for that time period. It had slightly less viewers than the episode of The Daily Show
that aired later that evening.
The episode received generally mixed reviews. Boston Herald
reviewer Mark A. Perigard called the show a "dismal effort" and said the Bruce character was such an offensive gay stereotype that he "would get shunned even on Bravo's Queer Eye". Perigard said of the episode, "Go ahead and watch, but don't blame me when brain matter starts to dribble out your ears." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
called the show a "relentless, mediocre spoofery that so desperately wants to remind us of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
". However, Gilbert said the show might work better in half-hour increments, rather than in the one-hour premiere with "Wench Trouble" and "Golden Powers". Reuters
writer Daniel Carlson said the show was "exactly as bad as you would fear". Carlson said the jokes were bad and that delivery from the actors is too exaggerated; he also said some of the dialogue, particularly from Bruce, is "so head-shakingly bad that it evokes pity for Ray, who had to say it aloud." Curt Wagner of RedEye
said he did not enjoy or appreciate the gay jokes: "Do the writers really think being gay is funny?" However, Wagner said he enjoyed the episode as a whole and particularly liked Matt Lucas, who he said was "just too entertaining as he calls for 'juice and muffins' after mistakenly killing someone".
Verne Gay of Newsday
gave the episode a "thumbs sideways", and praised the performances of Hart and especially Lucas. But the review also said the show needed to become funnier to laugh: "there's definitely some funny here, but not nearly enough". Joe Amarante of the New Haven Register said he "laughed several times during this cable comedy", and described it as "'Monty Python' meets a Mike Myers
' movie with a lead who looks like Ben Stiller
". Scott Thill of Wired
magazine called the episode a mix between Rowan Atkinson
's Blackadder
and Mel Brooks
' Robin Hood: Men in Tights
, and described it as "a cable comedy perfectly suited for the male demographic". Matt Fowler of IGN
said the show was "not uproarious, (but) it's not painful to watch either", but said the characters had a "one joke" feel to them and expressed doubt as to whether they could sustain an entire series. Fowler said he liked de Beaufort as Aneka, but said the Bruce character was not funny. Kate Ward of Entertainment Weekly
praised Sean Maguire, but found the jokes juvenile and said she was particularly offended by the character Aneka; Ward said, "My feminist rage-o-meter officially exploded off the charts during the episode's pagan gang-bang."
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire is a British-American comedic sword and sorcery series created by Peter A. Knight, co-produced by Hat Trick Productions and Media Rights Capital for Comedy Central and BBC Two, which premiered on April 9, 2009 in the USA and on June 11 in the UK. It began...
. It originally aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series creator Peter Knight
Peter Knight
Peter Knight is a folk musician, member of the electric folk group Steeleye Span.Peter Knight was born in London on 27 May 1947. As a child he learned the violin and mandolin before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964. The recordings of the Irish fiddler Michael Coleman inspired...
and directed by Alex Hardcastle
Alex Hardcastle
Alex Hardcastle is a television director and producer, who has worked on numerous television specials, series and documentaries in both England and the United States...
.
In "Golden Powers", Kröd learns he is "The Golden One" who is destined to overthrow the evil Makonian Empire. But he needs help from his girlfriend Aneka, who briefly leaves Kröd because he is upset about her tendency to use sex as a weapon. Meanwhile, the evil Chancellor Dongalor tries repeatedly to kill Kröd and continues working to uncover the secrets of the Eye of Gulga Grymna, the deadliest weapon of the ancient world.
The episode featured a striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
by actress India de Beaufort
India de Beaufort
India de Beaufort is an English actress and singer/songwriter from London whose appearances include roles in Basil Brush and Run Fatboy Run. She played Aneka, a pagan warrior maiden, in the 2009 series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire...
as part of her character's Pagan ritual; to prepare for it, Beaufort trained at a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
strip club outside Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, where the episode was filmed. "Golden Powers", which premiered back-to-back along with the season premiere episode "Wench Trouble
Wench Trouble
"Wench Trouble" is the first episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009, then on BBC2 in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2009. The episode was written by...
", received generally mixed reviews. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was viewed by 1.6 million households in its original American broadcast, about average for that time period; it had slightly fewer viewers than the episode of The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
that aired later that evening.
Plot
The episode opens with Kröd Mändoon (Sean MaguireSean Maguire
Sean Maguire is an English actor and singer, who rose to fame in 1988 when at the age of eleven he took on the role of "Tegs" Ratcliffe on the BBC children's drama Grange Hill, in which he remained until 1992...
) mourning the recent death of his mentor General Arcadius (Roger Allam
Roger Allam
Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....
). Kröd is accompanied by his girlfriend Aneka (India de Beaufort
India de Beaufort
India de Beaufort is an English actress and singer/songwriter from London whose appearances include roles in Basil Brush and Run Fatboy Run. She played Aneka, a pagan warrior maiden, in the 2009 series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire...
), his pig-like 'Grobble' servant Loquasto (Steve Speirs), his sorcerer friend Zezelryck (Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart (actor)
Kevin Hart is an American actor and stand-up comedian.-Early life and career:Hart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his single mother...
) and Bruce (Marques Ray), Arcadius' flamboyant ex-lover. Later, Kröd tells Aneka he wants to seek couples counseling due to her tendency to use sex as a weapon against her enemies. But Aneka refuses, and says she plans to leave them to participate in 'The Raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
Festival': a pagan religious ritual in which she has sex with 300 men. When he reacts with anger, Aneka says she is leaving Kröd and tells him, "And I thought you could have been one of the ones." Meanwhile, the evil Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
) is told by his advisor Barnabus (Alex MacQueen
Alex MacQueen
Alexander Tulloch MacQueen is an English actor. He has appeared on television, film and radio in the UK in productions such as Holby City, Hut 33, The Thick of It, and Keeping Mum....
) that they are still working to discover how to use the Eye of Gulga Grymna, the recently unearthed ancient weapon that Dongalor wants to use to gain power.
Bruce tells Kröd that the word Engamora, which Arcadius muttered to Kröd before he died, refers to a prophecy that chronicles the overthrow of an empire at the "The Golden One", which Bruce said is "a slightly less clichéd way of saying the Chosen One". Bruce says Arcadius believes the prophecy spoke of Kröd, but Kröd does not believe it. They are interrupted when Dongalor and his men ride into the village and demand Kröd’s surrender. Kröd jumps forward to attacks Dongalor, but he overshoots him and leaps right into his carriage, and explains that he forgot the blade sticks in some of the warmer months. Before he can pull his sword out, one of Dongalor's guards hits him over the head, rendering himself unconscious. Dongalor ties Kröd to the back of his carriage and rides off, but Kröd escapes by swinging back and forth until the rope snaps and he is freed.
Once safe, Kröd writes a letter to Aneka, expressing remorse for how he talked to her. Simultaneously, a scantily-clad Aneka performs a seductive dance at the festival and announces she is ready to start with the 300 men. As Kröd finishes his letter, he is attacked by an assassin who overpowers but doesn't kill him...the assassin's too busy laughing at Krod's letter to Aneka. As Kröd tries to recover, he sees a vision of Arcadius, who tells him Kröd is indeed the Golden One; the blade of Kröd's sword suddenly catches fire, which Arcadius described as a sign of his power. But Arcadius said according to the prophecy, Kröd and Aneka must work together to overthrow the empire, and that an assassin plans to attack her too. Kröd kills the nearby assassin and sets off to help Aneka.
Kröd arrives at the pagan village, where he is upset to find a long line of men waiting to get into Aneka's bedroom. Kröd discovers her next customer is actually an assassin, who pulls a knife on Aneka. Loquasto, Zezelryck and Bruce (who were waiting in the queue) arrive and Loquasto fires an arrow at the assassin, but hits Kröd. Momentarily distracted, the assassin is killed by Aneka. She thanks Kröd and, although they remain broken up, she leaves the pagan ritual with him. Elsewhere, Barnabus tells Dongalor the elders have made progress in deciphering the Eye of Gulga Grymna, but that they need a crystallized lens in order to make it work.
Production
"Golden Powers" was written by Peter KnightPeter Knight
Peter Knight is a folk musician, member of the electric folk group Steeleye Span.Peter Knight was born in London on 27 May 1947. As a child he learned the violin and mandolin before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964. The recordings of the Irish fiddler Michael Coleman inspired...
and directed by Alex Hardcastle
Alex Hardcastle
Alex Hardcastle is a television director and producer, who has worked on numerous television specials, series and documentaries in both England and the United States...
. It originally aired April 9, 2009, in the United States on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
as part of the one-hour series premiere along with "Wench Trouble
Wench Trouble
"Wench Trouble" is the first episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009, then on BBC2 in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2009. The episode was written by...
", the show's pilot episode. The episode was filmed in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The producers strived to create the fantasy setting with an authentic tone. In keeping with the time period, the costumes were created with no zippers or velcro, and the weapons were created by an armorer who specializes in creating ancient weapon replicas. To prepare for the Pagan ritualistic dance, actress India de Beaufort was taken to a Hungarian strip club outside Budapest and received hours of instruction on how to pole dance
Pole dance
Pole dance is a form of performing art, a combination of dance and gymnastics. It involves dancing and performing acrobatic tricks with a vertical pole and is an increasingly popular form of fitness and dance, practised by many enthusiasts in gyms or dedicated dance studios...
. However, the training did not fully prepare Beaufort because she trained on a stripper pole that rotated on ball bearings, so it would move with the dancers as they spun around, but the pole used in the episode was a tree that stayed solidly in place. Additionally, the floor was wet with dew the day of filming, so Beaufort slipped and fell repeatedly during filming. Beaufort said she was nervous performing the dance, especially in front of her peers, but that it was ultimately a fun experience.
Reception
The one-hour premiere of Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, which included the back-to-back episode "Wench TroubleWench Trouble
"Wench Trouble" is the first episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009, then on BBC2 in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2009. The episode was written by...
" and the episode "Golden Powers", was viewed by 1.6 million households in its original American broadcast. It received a 0.7 Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, which is about Comedy Central average for that time period. It had slightly less viewers than the episode of The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
that aired later that evening.
The episode received generally mixed reviews. Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
reviewer Mark A. Perigard called the show a "dismal effort" and said the Bruce character was such an offensive gay stereotype that he "would get shunned even on Bravo's Queer Eye". Perigard said of the episode, "Go ahead and watch, but don't blame me when brain matter starts to dribble out your ears." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called the show a "relentless, mediocre spoofery that so desperately wants to remind us of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
". However, Gilbert said the show might work better in half-hour increments, rather than in the one-hour premiere with "Wench Trouble" and "Golden Powers". Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
writer Daniel Carlson said the show was "exactly as bad as you would fear". Carlson said the jokes were bad and that delivery from the actors is too exaggerated; he also said some of the dialogue, particularly from Bruce, is "so head-shakingly bad that it evokes pity for Ray, who had to say it aloud." Curt Wagner of RedEye
RedEye
The RedEye is a daily publication put out by the Chicago Tribune geared toward 18 to 34-year-olds. RedEye was created due in part to the loss of readership among young people of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers...
said he did not enjoy or appreciate the gay jokes: "Do the writers really think being gay is funny?" However, Wagner said he enjoyed the episode as a whole and particularly liked Matt Lucas, who he said was "just too entertaining as he calls for 'juice and muffins' after mistakenly killing someone".
Verne Gay of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
gave the episode a "thumbs sideways", and praised the performances of Hart and especially Lucas. But the review also said the show needed to become funnier to laugh: "there's definitely some funny here, but not nearly enough". Joe Amarante of the New Haven Register said he "laughed several times during this cable comedy", and described it as "'Monty Python' meets a Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
' movie with a lead who looks like Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
". Scott Thill of Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine called the episode a mix between Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
's Blackadder
Blackadder
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
and Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
' Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 French-American adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. Produced and directed by Mel Brooks, the film stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut...
, and described it as "a cable comedy perfectly suited for the male demographic". Matt Fowler of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said the show was "not uproarious, (but) it's not painful to watch either", but said the characters had a "one joke" feel to them and expressed doubt as to whether they could sustain an entire series. Fowler said he liked de Beaufort as Aneka, but said the Bruce character was not funny. Kate Ward of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised Sean Maguire, but found the jokes juvenile and said she was particularly offended by the character Aneka; Ward said, "My feminist rage-o-meter officially exploded off the charts during the episode's pagan gang-bang."
External links
- "Wench Trouble" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...