Vicariously is not a word I often use here on RJsCorner, but it has been entrenched in my being from a very early age. I began life as a very dysfunctional kid in an ultra-dysfunctional family. I didn’t know that at the time, wisdom showed me that fact much later. I know I am not unique in this situation, everybody has their own story, but I kinda think my story is worth telling. That is what I do here on RJsCorner.
Throughout my life I have had the feeling that I just don’t fit into the world around me. I know now that much of that was due to my Aspie traits. I just don’t “get” the social side of life. Never have. I can only imagine what it is like to effortlessly interact as I often see people around me doing. So many just seem to understand each other at a deeper level than I could ever accomplish. It took my wife and I years before we could meld with each other at any significant level. She had her problems, and I had mine, and they frequently didn’t go well together.
I have had a lifetime of living vicariously through TV shows. The series 800 Words on the AcornTV streaming channel that I am now totally addicted to is one of the strongest. It took place in New Zealand in a small imaginary town called Weld. I watched all three seasons in a rather short period and am now about halfway through the second time around! Like I said, I’m hooked š„“.
What draws me to the show is that there are so many unique, might I say dysfunctional, characters that blend so perfectly. Each episode of 800 Words is made up of some “situation” or another, but the characters always end up finding a way out of the problem while accepting each other for just being who they are. I love how each person in the show offers a different perspective on life. Some are artists, some bureaucrats, some teenagers. I count at least a dozen different, but equally likeable, characters.
That is very different from how our world actually exists. To me, the show personifies what the world could look like if we all just put our prejudices aside. We all have our differences and our own stories. It would be nice if we could all share those experiences like the characters on this show do.
The show ended rather abruptly. They could have continued for many more seasons and I would have remained a loyal viewer who so pleasantly lives vicariously through them. I’m convinced that for me, it will remain among my top 5 TV shows ever. I know the show is not real, but that doesn’t prevent me from living very vicariously through it.
RJ's Corner 
I’m not a subscriber to Acorn, but now I wish I were.
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I switched from BritBox to Acorn some time ago. Acorn has a wider variety of shows but not as much archive stuff like the early seasons of “Vera”
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800 Words was on my must watch list when it was broadcast here several years agp, and I was very disappointed when it suddenly disappeared.
To my mind it does represent small town Aotearoa quite well. Within boundaries that I can’t quite fathom we have we are quite accepting of quirkiness. But go beyond the undefined boundary, and all bets are off. I’ve never figured out where the boundary is.
Another NZ series set in a small town is “Brokenwood Mysteries” which also has some interesting characters.
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Thank you Barry, for your input. Weld is an imaginary town, but it is nice to know that there is a town that actually resembles that quirkiness. I will definitely be on the search for “Brokenwood Mysteries”.
No one seems to be able to explain why it was dropped so suddenly.
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It was dropped for the very reason you’re able to watch it. It was originally shown on free to air television here, and as you might imagine, its potential audience is relatively small. Cost of producing such a show might be slightly cheaper here than in the US or the UK but its success depends on the revenue it earns. In this respect NZ themed productions don’t do well. Unless it’s targeted to an international audience such as “Lord of the Rings” or TV series such as “Hercules” or *Xena, Princess Warrior”, then it’s it will always live a precarious existence.
Streaming platforms aren’t really interested in catering for small markets. Niche markets, yes, provided the niche is big enough to give financial returns just as proportionality large as other shows. 800 Words was very popular here, but if the time slot can be filled cheaper by buying in an imported production at a fraction of producing a series in house, then that’s what the bean counters will demand.
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Thanks for the explanation, Barry. Yeah, I can see the logic, even if I don’t agree with the “wisdom” of doing it.
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