Must-See Reality TV in Norway: A 134-Hour Ferry Journey

Norway's idea of reality television is a little different from America's, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hit shows in recent years include: the view from a camera mounted on top of a train on a 7-hour journey; 18 hours of salmon swimming upstream; a 30-hour nonstop interview with a local author; and a 134-hour live broadcast of a ferry traveling along the country's coastline. "Well, sure," you're thinking, "Stoners and old people probably love that stuff." Nope. Half of the country's population—that's 2.5 million Norwegians—tuned in for the ferry show, reports the Journal.

Why is excruciatingly slow-moving TV so popular? A Norwegian media professor says it offers an escape from "the crazy media world." One Olso resident who watched the 30-hour interview live says it's about taking it easy. "You can actually just stop life and sit in a chair for 30 hours talking, not just run around stressing, working, sleeping, eating, stressing, working, sleeping, eating," he says. Coming next to Norwegian screens, the Journal reports: A live knitting show. And before you judge, remember that millions of Americans regularly tune in to watch the Kardashians. (More reality TV stories.)