British Shows Going American

Faith

Faith

Bite Me!
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Black Thorn
I was reading on Futon Critic In Development that they are to make a US version of 'Cutting It'

u.s. version of the hit british sitcom revolving around a husband and wife who own a salon in atlanta
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Now while it is good that British shows are getting onto US airtime, the thing that slightly miffs me is why do they re-make it. They've done it in the past with Coupling, a most awesome British show, and the US version got cancelled. Some friends of mine who have seen both versions said that the US one was nothing like the original and was pretty lame. They did it with Cracker too, and its just not the same without Robbie Coltrane.

Further down the page I noticed they are doing the same with The Royale Family, making it 'The First Family'

Why can't they show the originals, we don't get re-makes of Buffy, or any other American show we get it shown in its original state. Its only fair that you guys get what we see, as its always better than the remake.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? I mean can you imagine a remake of Eastenders or Only Fools And Horses (one of the best British Comedys in my opinion.)
 
A remake of the class Cutting It, how stupid. It will be nothing compared to the UK one!!!
I have seen Amanda Holden 🙂
 
I completely agree with Faith, and this is coming from an American. I absolutely love the British version of "Coupling." My family watches it religiously on BBC. The American version was so lame and they didn't even try to change it. I personally thing its really moronic to remake shows that are great in the first place. I don't know how they ever got the weird idea, but I think they should just stop trying to remake perfectly good (and great) British shows. Next they'll be trying to remake MI-5. And what a disaster that will be...
 
lol,well said,I mean I love American tv,but c'mon...,i dont think its worth even trying to bother remaking british shows!Im very happy to be British cos we do get good shows!
 
Yea, there was an article about US re-makes in this week's "Radio Times". It looks like they're even going to attempt "The Office" - but at least Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant will be involved in the writing. I don't see the need for "Americanising" good Brit-coms. I think it's pretty much a myth that the Yanks have a different sense of humour to us Brits (even though they spell it wrongly 😉) although, having said that, I'm not sure that Phoenix Nights or The Royle Family would work so well there (I know some southerners who don't get them 😉)
I mean if Americans can come up with the best sit-coms of the last few years which translate well over here why wouldn't our TV work well there (I meant stuff like Frasier, Friends, Scrubs, Will and Grace, Curb Your Enthusiasm and probably others I've forgotten about or don't have time to watch)
 
Am I the only British person that can't stand The Office? I find it annoying and just well, crap. I really can't get into it. And your right about the sense of humour....if that were true then we would not have found half of the sitcoms we get funny.
 
I think the main reason American television likes to remake Britiish sitcoms with an American twist is, it works.

Some of the most popular American sitcoms were recycled British sitcoms: All in the Family, Three's Company.

Also it's easier to get the money to produce an idea, if the idea has already shown itself to be viable. This is why there's so many movie spinoffs.

The American Entertainment machine is like a shark. It has to keep moving to survive. At the same time it likes to move in a direction that has proven itself successful.

Do you remember the Angel scene where Lorne as media bigwig is selling a new idea to a studio on his cell and he says "It's kind of like Joanie Loves Chachie meets Sorrow and the Pity". That's the way the mainstream American Entertainment industry works. If you want to sell a new idea, it's good strategy to illustrate how it's worked in the past.

This policy leads to a lot of badly recycled ideas, and you may have heard us whining over here about all the crap on TV. "100 stations and nothing's on".

Personally I wish we could get the good British programs over here as originals. I'd really like to see that Anthony Steward Head one. What's it called: Manchild, or something like that? The one where he's a middle aged guy who's rolling back to his rutting young stud days. I won't get to see it though. Apparently Hollywood has a better idea. They're going to recycle it as an American program.
 
Originally posted by Faith
Am I the only British person that can't stand The Office? I find it annoying and just well, crap. I really can't get into it.
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No Faith, you're not the only one. Several of my friends and family (including Mrs Pointy) hate The Office as much as you and can't understand why I find it so funny. But (cliche time) if we all thought the same it would be a boring old world, wouldn't it?
 
Originally posted by Mr. Pointy
No Faith, you're not the only one. Several of my friends and family (including Mrs Pointy) hate The Office as much as you and can't understand why I find it so funny. But (cliche time) if we all thought the same it would be a boring old world, wouldn't it?
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Its good to know that i'm not alone!

See this is why i'm against the whole Brits and American having different sense's of humor. As individuals yes, as a nation...no! I say that same cliche so many times. For me its like Graham Norton, a couple of my friends can't understand why I find him so funny, and then my mum said the same, with her I thought it was the age gap, until she actually watched it and liked it too.

One show that I wish you guys get is 'Father Ted' oh how I loved that show.
 
I dont like the office Faith.

Anyway, I dont see why they re-make them. I think American TV execs think Americans wont understand our dialect/accents/humour etc but what makes good British shows is the dialect/accents/humour.
 
I did find one occasion where a US show was re-made for the UK, and that to was dire. That 70's Show was made into 'Days of Our Lives' and shown late night in the UK. I actually saw the UK version before we got the US version over here, and I can tell you the UK one was just really bad, they used the same scripts and storylines but changed the American says etc to UK ones and it just didn't fit.
 
Originally posted by Faith
One show that I wish you guys get is 'Father Ted' oh how I loved that show.
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The "Radio Times" article I read said an American re-make is on the cards. NOOOOOOOOOOO! Feck! Drink!
Watch the originals people. If we English can understand them...
I know I said earlier that the Americans make the best sitcoms of recent years but I forgot about "Ted"..."That would be an ecumenical matter."
*examines hands and finds them to be hairy - is dragged off to St. Claberts*
 
I (as an american) personally LOVE the British shows, and hate that we only get re-makes of them. I wish i had BBC america. Thats what everyone should do: Get BBC America, and prove that us americans would like to see the original versions of the shows.

I had a huge letdown the other day; I was babysitting and scanning their satelite menu, when i saw "Manchild". So, of coarse i tried to watch it, but alas, they didn't have BBC. Poop.

I've ranted. Sorry.

~Kindred
 
Your kidding!!! They can't remake Father Ted!!!

If the Scottish, Welsh and English can understand it so can you guys. For those that don't know Father Ted is based in Ireland.
 
i saw 1 ep of the office- didn't get it!

watched pretty much the whole of father ted when they had it on channel 4 ages ago- THEY CAN'T RE-MAKE IT! THEY MUSN'T!!!
the best bit of the entire series has to be when they were all lost in the lingerie department- anyone else agree?

lets just hope they don't try to re-make such classics as blackadder, or monty python!
 
lol that was a good one, although i love the episode with the caves where Graham Norton and 'Victor Meldrew' are in it. It just won't be the same if they remake it.
 
If anyone in the UK is interested, BBC1 have a documentary about Brit programmes being remade in the US on 19th November evening. It is part of the "Imagine" arts strand. I don't know if it will be available outside the UK.
BBC press release about it here
 
I heard they wanted to change the entire cast for the Red Dwarf movie. Lucky they didn't. Is Red Dwarf shown in America?
 
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