American TV Show Revamps

[pinky]

That is crazy.  I guess Simon Pegg is pretty hot right now. ??

[mokin]

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.

[Steeley Chris]

I'm waiting for our own Vicar of Dibly.

[AllisonLeGnome]

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.

[<<<<<]

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.

[jamesp]

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)

[jamesp]

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?

[ughwhy]

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.

[dave from knoxville]

"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".

[jamesp]

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.

[Sarah]

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. 

[bruce]

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.

[Vambo]

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.

[jamesp]

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.

[pinky]

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??