FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: pinky on July 03, 2008, 12:03:09 PM
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Can someone tell me why very sucessful non-US produced shows are not simply played as is in the US and are instead reproduced as 2nd rate knock offs. Prime example is the US office (which is good but not as good) and now I have just heard that a US Kath & Kim is being produced which is ridiculous (I am a little slow on the newsfront).
Why can't the original 4 series' of high quality comedy be screened. What is next? US Little Britain?? Here are some shows that have had the American makeover treatment:
Men Behaving Badly
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Supernanny
Top Gear
Trading Spouses
Queer as Folk
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I dunno if that was a rhetorical question or not, but there is in fact a U.S. Little Britain in development.
Also, the answer to your greater question is "creative bankruptcy". Products that have been successful in other markets/media (see the movie theatres for further evidence of this) are thought to be a safer bet than original concepts.
I like the U.S. Office. I've just started watching it on DVD in the past few weeks. The one thing that bugs me is the theme song - it goes from a melancholy melody to "sitcom rock". Yeck.
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Apparently Peep Show was in the works for an Americanized version. Thank fuck that never happened.
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Apparently Peep Show was in the works for an Americanized version. Thank fuck that never happened.
That would have jumped the war in the list of things to be angry at America for.
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Also, a Father Ted remake was in the works for a while.
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In the US we are so isolated, culturally and geographically, I think the cynical entertainment industry is worried foreign entertainment just won't track among a mainstream audience. And in general, it doesn't. There's the occasional "Life is Beautiful" or "Crouching Tiger", but for each one there are 1000 non-US films and tv shows that don't make a dent. So they re-package them in crappy, unfunny fashion.
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In the US we are so isolated, culturally and geographically, I think the cynical entertainment industry is worried foreign entertainment just won't track among a mainstream audience. And in general, it doesn't. There's the occasional "Life is Beautiful" or "Crouching Tiger", but for each one there are 1000 non-US films and tv shows that don't make a dent. So they re-package them in crappy, unfunny fashion.
All this is true. I know that the TV industry isn't in the business of helping its viewers to be better people, but I really think that exposure to foreign-produced media would help, in a small but significant way, to remind U.S. viewers that life exists outside of its borders.
I don't know if there is any other democratic country that is so culturally isolated.
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I just don't see the need for that though. I grew up in Aus and our 4 Channels had a good mix of shows from the US, Canada (Degrassi High!!), the UK as well as locally produced programs. I don't really remember ever being aware of the cultural differences between each show and when I first heard a US accent in the flesh I was shocked. I had gotten used to TV talk and had learnt to hear it differently.
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Been going on forever, though - Sanford and Son was a remake of Steptoe and Son.
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When you think about all the American shows that get re-made into English programme (with English spelling!) it evens out.
There's always that English twist though, like when Home Improvement was brought overseas and was about a Buckingham Palace Gaurd with really bad allergies. Or when the Drew Carey Show didn't quite translate, it was re-vamped into a dramatic series about a Vetrinarien who specialized in one-legged cows.
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When you think about all the American shows that get re-made into English programme (with English spelling!) it evens out.
There's always that English twist though, like when Home Improvement was brought overseas and was about a Buckingham Palace Gaurd with really bad allergies. Or when the Drew Carey Show didn't quite translate, it was re-vamped into a dramatic series about a Vetrinarien who specialized in one-legged cows.
I'd like to see Lost made into a show about a group of Essex girls that go to Ibiza but after arrival have existential dilemmas
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I'm going to put myself out there for ridicule. I like the US Office better.
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I'm going to put myself out there for ridicule. I like the US Office better.
No crime. There's something to be said for both.
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Also, a Father Ted remake was in the works for a while.
I'd heard about this. Did it hit the bricks? I don't have a lot of confidence that it would've been anything other than a Prank Patrol-sized trainwreck.
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I just don't see the need for that though. I grew up in Aus and our 4 Channels had a good mix of shows from the US, Canada (Degrassi High!!), the UK as well as locally produced programs. I don't really remember ever being aware of the cultural differences between each show and when I first heard a US accent in the flesh I was shocked. I had gotten used to TV talk and had learnt to hear it differently.
While I somewhat agree with your original post, I don't think you can compare the US to Australia. One of the reasons we're culturally isolated, as someone mentioned, is because we're a much larger producer of entertainment than the UK, Australia, or Canada. We're used to everything being from our point of view, in our accents, that when something isn't, it turns people off.
Americans are lazy about their art and entertainment. It's for this reason that subtitled movies don't do as well, either.
For what it's worth, there are foreign shows on cable, particularly BBC America. The Office (UK) was a big hit for them.
My personal "I can't believe they're remaking it" travesty is Spaced.
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That is crazy. I guess Simon Pegg is pretty hot right now. ??
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Yeah. The stupid thing is that Pegg, Jessica Hynes, and Edgar Wright are not involved in the development of the US version at ALL, and the rights were sold to the US network without their knowledge or consent.
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I'm waiting for our own Vicar of Dibly.
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I'm going to put myself out there for ridicule. I like the US Office better.
No crime. There's something to be said for both.
Exactly. They're just two different things in my mind- the US one is more traditionally sitcom-y.
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Aren't Americans historically cool towards British "style" of comedy? Might have something to do with it. They certainly have their little cultural references and whatnot that seem hilarious to them but would go over the heads of your average American.
I have to admit, sometimes I "get" British comedy and sometimes I do not.
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Aren't Americans historically cool towards British "style" of comedy? Might have something to do with it. They certainly have their little cultural references and whatnot that seem hilarious to them but would go over the heads of your average American.
I have to admit, sometimes I "get" British comedy and sometimes I do not.
Agreed. I think the references in a lot of Brit-coms also make a lot of jokes fly over my head. When I'd watch Alan Partridge, there are certainly lots of thinks I'd love and find hilarious but there were many references to British soap operas or pop stars that I'd never understand. For a casual viewer, I think they'd just find a lot of things unfunny. Nothing wrong with that. Just different choices in humor.
I think the idea of a "Life on Mars" remake is dumb. I wasn't a fan of the original but a David E. Kelly remake sounds even worse.
One big reason I think British remakes don't work is because the best British shows have limited runs. Extras and the Office had 12 episodes with a special. They were perfect and never traveled into "jump the shark territory". American TV is more about having a long hit (with 100+ episodes and hopes of future syndication rights)
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I just don't see the need for that though. I grew up in Aus and our 4 Channels had a good mix of shows from the US, Canada (Degrassi High!!), the UK as well as locally produced programs. I don't really remember ever being aware of the cultural differences between each show and when I first heard a US accent in the flesh I was shocked. I had gotten used to TV talk and had learnt to hear it differently.
My personal "I can't believe they're remaking it" travesty is Spaced.
Speaking of Spaced, is anybody else disappointed by the special guest commentaries on the upcoming DVD release? I love Patton Oswalt and can enjoy Bill Hader & Matt Stone but were fans of Spaced really asking to hear Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and Diablo Cody talk about the show?
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I think the idea of a "Life on Mars" remake is dumb. I wasn't a fan of the original but a David E. Kelly remake sounds even worse.
I think Kelly is actually out of that remake. He's handed control over to three other producers and the pilot is being re-cast (nearly entirely, with the exception of whoever's playing Sam) and re-shot.
& as far as importing British TV vs. remaking it, NBC is experimenting a bit with a straight import this spring. They'll air a miniseries called "Merlin" just a few months after it premieres on the BBC. NBC is trying out a year-long schedule for 08/09, so it's possibly a smart way for them to keep fresh material in the rotation.
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"What should be" is so far from "what is". TV is about ad dollars. Most Americans think that anyone with a "funny accent" is either not worth the effort or a terrorist. As a result, to increase ad dollars, network shows in particular are a watered down mess. I'm impressed that the American "Office" is as good as it is; mostly the lowest common denominator's not going to allow that to work out.
It's just a theory, but look at what gets popular, and it's pretty easily borne out. There are exceptions, of course; they are what makes life worth living. But the crap to gold ratio's about 8 or 10 to 1.
As of today, three of the ten most popular movies are The Love Guru, The Happening, and Indiana Jones.
Three of the current ten most popular TV shows are Two and a Half Men, So You Think You Can Dance, and Million Dollar Password.
Three of the current top ten CDs are by Disturbed, Jewel, and Journey.
Take it for what it's worth, I guess, but any crap that appears on the charts are right in my wheelhouse of "things that I can easily believe".
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I think the idea of a "Life on Mars" remake is dumb. I wasn't a fan of the original but a David E. Kelly remake sounds even worse.
I think Kelly is actually out of that remake. He's handed control over to three other producers and the pilot is being re-cast (nearly entirely, with the exception of whoever's playing Sam) and re-shot.
& as far as importing British TV vs. remaking it, NBC is experimenting a bit with a straight import this spring. They'll air a miniseries called "Merlin" just a few months after it premieres on the BBC. NBC is trying out a year-long schedule for 08/09, so it's possibly a smart way for them to keep fresh material in the rotation.
Right after posting, I saw that Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti from the Sopranos) will be a co-star on the Life on Mars remake. I haven't looked at the rest of the cast but that seems like a good addition for re-casting the pilot.
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I have just heard that a US Kath & Kim is being produced . . .
Me, too.
which is ridiculous . . .
I agree.
(I am a little slow on the newsfront).
Me, too.
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I think the idea of a "Life on Mars" remake is dumb. I wasn't a fan of the original but a David E. Kelly remake sounds even worse.
I think Kelly is actually out of that remake. He's handed control over to three other producers and the pilot is being re-cast (nearly entirely, with the exception of whoever's playing Sam) and re-shot.
& as far as importing British TV vs. remaking it, NBC is experimenting a bit with a straight import this spring. They'll air a miniseries called "Merlin" just a few months after it premieres on the BBC. NBC is trying out a year-long schedule for 08/09, so it's possibly a smart way for them to keep fresh material in the rotation.
Right after posting, I saw that Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti from the Sopranos) will be a co-star on the Life on Mars remake. I haven't looked at the rest of the cast but that seems like a good addition for re-casting the pilot.
Yeah they are redoing the whole pilot again cause that first version was truly painful. PLus they gave away the whole secret of the show at the end. Great idea folks spell it out for all the dumb people.
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What made the original "Life on Mars" work was the set-work and costumes. I also get the sense that 70's culture vis-a-vis the police hasn't changed as much in the U.S. as in the U.K. At least not here in Chicago where the cops still beat the crap out of people to get confessions and the brass are all on the take.
It would be kind of neat to see them go see Namath play for the Jets, though.
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I just read on Wikipedia that there are remakes of the Office (UK) in the U.S., France, Chile, Quebec, and Germany. Ricky Gervais must be raking in tons of money now.
It's weird that nearly all of the popular game shows (Who Wants to be a Millionaire, The Weakest Link) and reality shows (Trading Spouses/Wife Swap, American Idol, Hell's Kitchen, Dancing with the Stars, Trading Spaces, Celebrity Fit Club) in America over the past few years have been British remakes.
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I have just heard that a US Kath & Kim is being produced . . .
Me, too.
which is ridiculous . . .
I agree.
(I am a little slow on the newsfront).
Me, too.
Was the Aussie version of Kath and Kim shown in the US??
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On the Sundance Channel. Or IFC. One of those. I suspect Sundance, since it just finished airing Big Girl's Blouse, too.
I've only seen one ad for the American version, but it looked like any other sitcom. As well as bad. Molly Shannon and Selma Blair are no Jane Turner and Gina Riley.
I wonder who's slotted to play Sharon.
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What would the accent and slang be called that you hear most often on BBC US? Is that Queen's English? I can not understand the slang for the life of me and it makes it hard to work out the accent as well.
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What made the original "Life on Mars" work was the set-work and costumes. I also get the sense that 70's culture vis-a-vis the police hasn't changed as much in the U.S. as in the U.K. At least not here in Chicago where the cops still beat the crap out of people to get confessions and the brass are all on the take.
I think actually the reason I find the UK Life on Mars tolerable is that I know so little about 70s-era UK history that the LOLTIMETRAVEL!! jokes don't grate as quickly. Also I think John Simm is a total fox.
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On the Sundance Channel. Or IFC. One of those. I suspect Sundance, since it just finished airing Big Girl's Blouse, too.
I've only seen one ad for the American version, but it looked like any other sitcom. As well as bad. Molly Shannon and Selma Blair are no Jane Turner and Gina Riley.
I wonder who's slotted to play Sharon.
Andy Milonakis??
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What would the accent and slang be called that you hear most often on BBC US? Is that Queen's English? I can not understand the slang for the life of me and it makes it hard to work out the accent as well.
This is my moment to shine!
A lot of the shows on BBC America feature Estuary English - from around London and the Home Counties.
I don't watch much BBC Am, but that's my assumption.
The inner London fake-Cockney accent isn't heard outside of Guy Ritchie movies and Eastenders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastenders).
John Simm is from Manchester, I think.
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Does anybody else have a problem with that accent? I have to watch a lot of British movies with subtitles. They're speaking my native language...it's embarrassing.
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I have no problems, but I've been a fool for British fare since I was small, so I've had a lot of practice. Only the broadest of accents--usually Scottish--give me trouble. Ken Loach films, for example, often make me work to follow the dialogue. But they're worth it.
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Aren't Americans historically cool towards British "style" of comedy? Might have something to do with it. They certainly have their little cultural references and whatnot that seem hilarious to them but would go over the heads of your average American.
I have to admit, sometimes I "get" British comedy and sometimes I do not.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I luv British comedy. My fav:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Mr_Belvedere.jpg)
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I've never had much of a problem with UK accents. Some of the Scottish and Northern English accents can still be tricky for me. But your ear will improve if you stick with them.
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If the volume is low, I do tend to use subtitles with things. But then again, I have trouble understanding normal American accents sometimes too. (I was listening to the commentary on a Venture Bros DVD when I was tired the other night, and the commentary wasn't sufficiently louder than the original audio and I was just getting so confused.)
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(I was listening to the commentary on a Venture Bros DVD when I was tired the other night, and the commentary wasn't sufficiently louder than the original audio and I was just getting so confused.)
There is nothing more frustrating then the Venture Bros commentaries. Doc and Jackson could care less about discussing the show and are obviously just entertaining themselves. This isn't a bad thing, but they are so in their own heads I actually started to feel like a third wheel listening to it... like I was evesdropping on a conversation where I would "C my way out." At home. With no one else around. And I got uncomfortable.
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(I was listening to the commentary on a Venture Bros DVD when I was tired the other night, and the commentary wasn't sufficiently louder than the original audio and I was just getting so confused.)
There is nothing more frustrating then the Venture Bros commentaries. Doc and Jackson could care less about discussing the show and are obviously just entertaining themselves. This isn't a bad thing, but they are so in their own heads I actually started to feel like a third wheel listening to it... like I was evesdropping on a conversation where I would "C my way out." At home. With no one else around. And I got uncomfortable.
I kind of like it- I know what you mean about feeling like a third wheel, but I think the end result is a lot more interesting than typical commentaries that try to discuss the show when maybe there isn't really that much to say about it. Also, it's dumb but I like that I can tell their voices apart- it makes the conversation easier to follow.
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Apparently Peep Show was in the works for an Americanized version. Thank fuck that never happened.
because the US version of the office is sooo bad.
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Apparently Peep Show was in the works for an Americanized version. Thank fuck that never happened.
because the US version of the office is sooo bad.
Disagreed! Me and Andy from Knoxville bond over episodes of The Office, and just laugh out loud hysterically throughout.
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I thought kray's response was an example of that thing known as sarcasm.
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Apparently Peep Show was in the works for an Americanized version. Thank fuck that never happened.
because the US version of the office is sooo bad.
It's not about that. Mark and Jeremy are just better as brits, I think the poms carry self deprecation a lot better and plus fans of Peep Show are generally super fans and it is insulting to imply that the show is not good enough as it is.
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I thought kray's response was an example of that thing known as sarcasm.
Have I mentioned I was a math major?
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If you like Peep Show, you should probably check out M&W's sketch show. It's very often genius.
Steer clear of their film, Magicians (http://areyougenehackman.blogspot.com/2007/06/we-were-shitting-gold.html), though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1WN0YMWZU
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If you like Peep Show, you should probably check out M&W's sketch show. It's very often genius.
Steer clear of their film, Magicians (http://areyougenehackman.blogspot.com/2007/06/we-were-shitting-gold.html), though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1WN0YMWZU
Even though there's always a handful of sketches that I don't totally get, That Mitchell & Webb Look, as samir says, is very funny. I have yet to see any of Peep Show but I look forward to checking it out.
And for those of you who were talking about the Americanized Spaced earlier in the thread, I'm pretty sure it was cancelled a few months ago.
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And for those of you who were talking about the Americanized Spaced earlier in the thread, I'm pretty sure it was cancelled a few months ago.
Well thank god for that.
Don't get me wrong, American versions of shows can be good. It's just rare for that to happen. I do think an American version of Spaced could be successful as The Office, but not that particular production. I mean, it was being produced by McG.
McG!