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If British TV shows are so darned great, why do U.S. producers insist upon remaking them instead of showing the originals? There are plenty of reasons! For one thing, the shows make reference to political situations, local celebrities and places that are unknown to most Americans, so a lot of the jokes would fall flat. And then there’s that pesky pronunciation thing – Left Ponders may not realize it, but they speak with a slight accent that some folks on the this side of the Atlantic find difficult to understand.
But we’re really not criticizing the Brits, honest! Just take a look at how many of their great ideas we’ve “borrowed”:
1. All in the Family
When All in the Family debuted on January 12, 1971, a nervous CBS ran a disclaimer prior to the opening credits, explaining that the purpose of the series was to demonstrate how absurd prejudice was. And the dialog was pretty shocking for its time – until then, no sitcom character had dared use derogatory terms like “spade” or “Hebe.” But if Archie Bunker pushed the envelope when it came to discussing minorities, Alf Garnett licked it and stamped it. Alf Garnett was the main character on the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part, the show on which Norman Lear based AITF.
Alf used more epithets than Archie ever dreamed of, and was far less loveable. However, there were similarities between the two characters: Alf called his wife Else the “Silly Old Moo,” while Edith was Archie’s “Dingbat.” Alf despised his Liverpudlian son-in-law, whom he described as a “randy Scouse git;” Archie declared that his daughter’s Polish-American hippie husband was a “Meathead” (“dead from the neck up”). Alf was devoted to the West Ham United football team; Archie loved midget wrestling. Both shows were huge hits in their home countries, with Till Death running 10 years and AITF nine. Compare and contrast a typical Alf/Archie discussion on race relations:
2. Three’s Company
Man About the House debuted on Britain’s ITV network in 1973. The sitcom was controversial from the get-go due to the plot: two young single women find a drunk man passed out in their bathtub after a party, and after finding out that he could cook and needed a place to live, they offered him their spare bedroom. The girls knew their landlord would frown on non-married tenants of the opposite sex sharing an apartment, so they hinted that their new roommate was gay. Sound familiar? Four years later ABC launched Three’s Company, pretty much a play-by-play re-creation of its British parent. Even the names weren’t changed very much to protect the innocent: Robin Tripp became Jack Tripper, Chrissy Plummer (along with her bustline) morphed into Chrissy Snow, and the landlords were still the Ropers. Despite the basic similarities between the two shows, the British version relied more on crisp writing and witty dialog than the slapstick and “jiggle” used to attract the American audience.
3. Sanford and Son
Steptoe and Son was a British sitcom about an aging, somewhat cranky but always wise “rag and bone man” and his argumentative son. The two lived together and even though the son had an occasional delusion of grandeur, he remained a partner in his father’s junk business. Wilfrid Brambell played the scheming Albert Steptoe, whom his son often dismissed as a “dirty old man.” (This running joke was referenced when Brambell played Paul McCartney’s grandfather in A Hard Day’s Night; it was often observed during the film that he was “very clean.”)
When the show was revamped for American audiences, it became Sanford and Son, and while Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford was just as irascible as the elder Steptoe, the characters’ personalities were reversed a bit in order to exploit Foxx’s comedic abilities. His son, Lamont (lovingly referred to as “you big dummy” by his father), was usually the voice of reason when his father fell victim to a new con game or “get rich quick” scheme.
The Office
The pilot episode of the US version of The Office was a duplicate of the BBC series, with some minor changes in dialog (a reference to Camilla Parker-Bowles was changed to Hilary Clinton, for example). The reviews were decidedly mixed, with most critics dismissing it as a pale copy of the British series. As time went on, however, additional writers were brought on, the cast was expanded, and the overall tone took on a more American flavor. The British Office has an air of crushing depression; all the employees feel stuck in dead-end jobs, but luckily they find humor in their hopelessness. In the U.S. version, however, there is always a subtle undercurrent of hope among the workers. Even the lowliest drone likes to believe that if he at least gives the illusion of productivity, he can work his way up the corporate ladder.
Have a comment on which show ended up better- the British or American version? Is there another show we’ve borrowed that you think should be on the list? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Comments (68)
Comment
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Don’t forget American Idol.
posted by Cheezy on 3-5-2009 at 11:05 am
The American Office fo shure fools! :)
posted by Pink Coat on 3-5-2009 at 11:21 am
I keep hearing rumors about an American version of “Absolutely Fabulous”…Not happy about that at all.
posted by Emily on 3-5-2009 at 11:22 am
“Don’t forget American Idol”
The list is of GREAT American shows
posted by Knifey James on 3-5-2009 at 11:33 am
How about Life on Mars? Ours (for i’m a Brit) was an exceptional take on the crime genre mixing social commentry, comedy, drama and a hint of sci-fi together seemlessly. The American version was a pale imitiation which ruined Harvey Keitel’s credibility and just got cancelled.
I loved the UK version of the Office and was originally scpetical of the US version, but I have to give credit where it’s due as it has really come into it’s own as an excellently written programme.
posted by gary marbles on 3-5-2009 at 11:37 am
Wasn’t “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” originally an English game show?
posted by Mike on 3-5-2009 at 11:41 am
Don’t forget that Jackass is basically a stupider version of the english dangerous brothers/Young ones/bottom
posted by Jill..NOT Jillian on 3-5-2009 at 11:49 am
I’m mourning the British loan that has been killed before it ever was: Top Gear. That is such an appealing show format that it couldn’t possibly be screwed up totally.
posted by Dave on 3-5-2009 at 12:11 pm
My understanding was that many of the first big rush of reality shows on our airwaves were imported ideas from Europe — so much for vaunted European literary sophistication. (My family are European imports too, I’ve got license to sneer.)
And Emily — the rumor I heard was that Mitch Hurwitz (the guy who created Arrested Development) was being courted to do the American AbFab; does that ease the unhappiness a bit?
posted by VM on 3-5-2009 at 12:28 pm
the brit office is superior to the american office. don’t forget the short-lived attempt at stealing ‘coupling’. the brits just do comedy better.
posted by Shelly on 3-5-2009 at 12:33 pm
’shameless’ is also in the works for an american version. please, no.
posted by Shelly on 3-5-2009 at 12:34 pm
The UK Office is way better. Episode four from the first series was the best thing I’ve ever watched on television.
posted by M on 3-5-2009 at 12:38 pm
Although there are denials on the American side of the Atlantic, by my reckoning, the American sitcom Friends is strikingly similar to the UK’s Coupling. In my opinion, Coupling is far funnier.
Anyway, a shot-for-shot remake of Coupling was attempted in the US, and it lasted all of two episodes. Friends, however, was funny for all of 5 seasons, then started to run out of ideas.
posted by Bob on 3-5-2009 at 12:38 pm
There are other British comedies that simply can’t be transferred: I vaguely recall a “Faulty Towers” pilot with Harvey Korman in the John Cleese role. Harvey came across as rude and annoying rather than lovably irasible. And, what would Hyacinth Bucket (”it’s Bou-quet”) be, without the admiration of the class structure, coupled with the British desire not to offend?
(Now, that might be an interesting follow-up post: Brit sit-coms that America attempted but failed to import!)
posted by Karl on 3-5-2009 at 12:46 pm
Don’t forget Trading Spaces – it was taken from a show called ‘Changing Rooms’. Concept was the same but I liked the British version better as the designers were present in the room during the reveal and if the recipients of the makeover weren’t happy they made no bones about letting the designer know. Plus they had Handy Andy the carpenter/mr. fix it.
posted by JaneM on 3-5-2009 at 12:59 pm
How about CBS’ Eleventh Hour? It’s based on a 4-episode UK series. The scientist characters have the same last name (Hood) but different first names (Ian in the UK and Jacob in the US). The bodyguard, however, has the same name in both versions (Rachel Young).
posted by Leah on 3-5-2009 at 1:14 pm
There were at least 2 other failed US attempts to translate Fawlty Towers to American television–Bea Arthur’s “Amanda’s” in 1983, and John Larroquette’s “Payne” in 1999.
posted by Optramark on 3-5-2009 at 1:20 pm
Queer as Folk also came from England :)
posted by amanda on 3-5-2009 at 1:37 pm
While I do really like the American Office, the British Office is by far the best. Ricky Gervais was scum and he was great at it.
posted by Patty on 3-5-2009 at 1:46 pm
What Not to Wear started out in Britain.
posted by OU812 on 3-5-2009 at 2:40 pm
I so agree about Life on Mars. I watched the original on BBC America and adored it. I was hoping so much that they wouldn’t wreck the american version, but, alas. I watched two episodes, and that was enough for me.
posted by jen on 3-5-2009 at 2:51 pm
Well, at least we know who does internet better: the U.S.! Whenever the topic of “who is better at what among nations” comes up in ANY discussion on an American website, other countries tend to knock Americans and label themselves as better. Funny, I’ve never had to venture to a UK or online site of another national origin to be entertained. You others come here in FLOCKS!
posted by Miss Know on 3-5-2009 at 2:51 pm
@Bob
Didn’t Friends come out years before the British version of Coupling?
posted by Steve on 3-5-2009 at 3:22 pm
The British Office is great. I’ve seen every episode and the Christmas special. I’m a big Ricky Gervais fan. BUT, I prefer the US office. I find the characters much more likable and more 3-dimensional. For example, Gareth has absolutely no redeeming qualities, while Dwight has many moments were the audience likes and sympathies with him.
posted by Ben Osborne on 3-5-2009 at 3:30 pm
Coupling was a fantastic British tv show that the Americans thought could work stateside. They were wrong. I remember watching a little bit of the american version of Coupling and not finding it funny or endearing at all. THEN i watched the original British version and i loved that one. It was so funny and slightly silly. It was also a veritable launch pad for Jack Davenport. i first saw him in Pirates of the Carribbean and then in The Wedding Date, among other movies i’ve probably seen him in. Love live the British version of Coupling…
as for rumors about an american version of “Absolutely Fabulous,” let us all pray that that never happens. “Absolutely Fabulous” is wwaayyyyyyyy too clever and funny to ever be translated for american viewers.
posted by Lei on 3-5-2009 at 3:34 pm
It must also work in reverse. Don’t the British (or other nations) redo American Shows? It’s interesting anyway. And I wonder how some of the international copyright business gets worked out.
posted by Kirk on 3-5-2009 at 3:42 pm
Bob says “he American sitcom Friends is strikingly similar to the UK’s Coupling”
I believe that should be the other way around…seeing how Friends came out in 1994 and coupling came out in 2000.
While i still havent seen the British Office (it’s on my Netflix queue), the American version is one of the funniest shows on TV.
posted by Andy on 3-5-2009 at 3:58 pm
Don’t forget about these American “gems” that were recrated for British TV
American Gladiators – Gladiators
Double Dare – same name
Family Feud – Family Fortunes
Good Times – The Fosters
Jeopardy – same name
Mad about you – Loved by you
Married…with children – Married for life
The Price is right – same name
Saturday Night Live – Saturday Live
That 70’s Show – Days like these
Who’s the boss – The Upper hand
you can find more by clicking on my name
So don’t think this British-US TV show remakes is a one way street. Americans know how to make good (and bad) TV too!!!
posted by andy on 3-5-2009 at 4:09 pm
America tried to adapt the awesomeness that is Blackpool (musical murder mystery with David Tennant), and failed miserably with Viva Laughlin (which I’ve only seen clips of, but they definitely pale in comparison)
posted by Abi on 3-5-2009 at 4:30 pm
posted by Allison on 3-5-2009 at 5:44 pm
what about Queer as folk!
posted by lou on 3-5-2009 at 6:14 pm
Let’s not forget the butchery that is Teachers or for that matter Life on Mars, both of which have stripped any semblance of the originals bar the initial concept and turned them into visual chewing gum. (No you guessed it not bitter, definatly a brit though).
Banjobern
posted by bEN on 3-5-2009 at 6:14 pm
Anyone who said the American version of The Office is better than the British version is crazy! The only sitcom better that the British Office was Ricky Gervais’s Extras.
The difference between Britcoms and American sitcoms is that, for the British, it’s all about making you laugh. There’s no maudlin sentimentality or caring about the caricatures. The more ridiculous the better (eg. Fawlty Towers, The Black Adder, Yes Minister, Ab Fab). Only 2 American comedies I can think of ever did this – The Larry Sanders Show (brilliant, but on HBO before anyone had it) and Arrested Development (brilliant but only lasted 3 seasons). Oh, you can add Curb Your Enthusiasm to that. It’s good to see that American TV is starting to make comedies for adults now – the British have been doing it for decades!
posted by Jergig on 3-5-2009 at 8:05 pm
I think it’s hard (in some cases) to say which is “better”, because it really depends on what kind of humor you prefer. I’m not a great fan of British humor (humour), though I am a great fan of British accents. I just don’t find it very funny. I don’t think that their brand of humor automatically makes Brits smarter–there are plenty of stupid, silly parts of British popular culture as well (Spice Up Your Life!) I am annoyed when some assume an air of superiority by virtue of their oh-so-smart comedy.
I do, however, bow to their mastery of the period miniseries. Nobody does it better.
posted by kate on 3-5-2009 at 10:21 pm
@M – episode 4 series 1 of the UK Office was indeed a truly classic piece of television – I have been known to watch it on DVD every weekend for several months at a time.
Free love on the free love freeway….
posted by sit ubu sit on 3-5-2009 at 10:28 pm
It would be awesome if you did a “part 2″ to this— American TV shows that became Brit-ified. Such as, Friends hopping the pond and becoming Coupling (and then Coupling becoming Americanized– not that great)
posted by brittany on 3-5-2009 at 11:25 pm
Apparently the US is doing a remake of Kath and Kim (Australian series).
Beside the point, but still. I don’t think it will work.
posted by karma on 3-6-2009 at 12:51 am
I heard there was talk of another American version of Peep Show. It was tried once and failed, but it’s supposedly being tried again. I hope not…Peep Show is ridiculously good and I don’t think will be any good without Mitchell and Webb.
posted by Cory on 3-6-2009 at 2:51 am
The American TV comedy Cheers was inspired by Fawlty Towers. Not a direct correlation like The Office or AI, but still a tie.
posted by Michele on 3-6-2009 at 3:48 am
What about Men Behaving Badly?
posted by teacherguy on 3-6-2009 at 5:30 am
Changing Rooms was way better than Trading Spaces. Trading Spaces had an annoyingly perky host, but not the flamboyant decorator guy. I think his name was Nigel, I’m not sure.
posted by Erin on 3-6-2009 at 8:14 am
Is there a reason why the British Office only lasted 2 seasons?
posted by andy on 3-6-2009 at 10:13 am
Law and Order just made it across the pond as Law and Order: UK. (Original, I know.) I caught the first episode, and I thought it was fun to see how the differences in the legal systems were portrayed.
posted by Jim on 3-6-2009 at 10:24 am
My favorite, Red Dwarf almost made it. Im glad it didn’t, you just cant make a joke about curry and vindaloo without the accent. I saw the pilot(sucked).
posted by Patrick on 3-6-2009 at 1:10 pm
Maybe it’s stupid that this has been preying on my mind, but…
Why should relentless savage mockery and lack of compassion (no “caring about the caricatures” as Jergig puts it) be automatically equated with “comedy for adults”, as being superior? Why is one-dimensionality vaunted as being more sophisticated? You can argue that it’s humor boiled down to pure essence without distractions, and I won’t disagree that American tastes tend to the compromised and bland (like too much milk in the chocolate, too much sugar in the pasta sauce)…but at some point I have to wonder:
What does it say about us when we feel smug to adore that which, stripped of all the clever phrasings, is on the emotional level of playground taunts and high school’s petty hatreds?
I mentioned in a previous post about reality shows. I’ve read that a fundamental difference between American and European reality shows is that Americans want to root for people, Europeans to see them fail. (But the former is “maudlin sympathy”, eh Jergig?) Well, if wanting to see people succeed, if wanting to care about characters even if they’re just fictional, if wanting to believe that there’s a bit of good in everyone are symptoms of “immaturity” in one’s tastes, I’d rather live amongst the immature ones.
posted by VM on 3-6-2009 at 2:06 pm
In a weird bit of synchronicity, I’ve just been invited to the taping of the pilot of the American version of Absolutely Fabulous. I would promise to report from the frontlines whether or not it holds up, but after that last post of mine I don’t think my opinion would be trusted by those who’d be most concerned about the outcome.
posted by VM on 3-6-2009 at 11:52 pm
‘dancing with the stars’ is the american version of ’strictly comes dancing’.
and then there’s dragons den and the weakest link i’m a celebrity.
the british version of that 70’s show was horrendous!
coupling is awesome!
i’m an american in britain, so have seen both versions of most of the show listed.
posted by alison on 3-7-2009 at 12:58 pm
heard a while ago that abfab was going to be remade for the US but they were going to remove all the drinking, smoking, drugs and swearing. whats left?!?!
also, something worth noting. in the US (where i lived for a while), television which is dictated by the advertisers is generally quite poor whereas television which is dictated by the viewer (pay-per-view) is regularly brilliant. sopranos anyone?
somethings are better left in their original form i.e. untranslated, life on mars was brilliant
posted by MC on 3-7-2009 at 2:16 pm
I used to watch Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America all the time. When Fox brought it over to America it SUCKED. It was heavily over-dramatized. The original already had enough conflict in it (hi, it’s Gordon Ramsey)without all the dramatic music, extreme close up and lingering shots on shocked faces. I think I watched one episode before deciding it was unwatchable. I think the problem is that TV execs here in the States don’t think their audiences will understand subtlety AT ALL and end up taking a great idea and bashing us over the head with it to make sure we “get it”.
posted by Jen on 3-10-2009 at 10:12 am
To answer Andy’s question about why the British version of the Office only lasted 2 seasons: it is because that is the way Ricky Gervais always planned it. He didn’t want to milk the idea until it became boring. The show was at it’s peak in popularity when Gervais ended it. Several famous actors and actresses, British and American, volunteered to appear on the show because they were such big fans, which is why he did a follow up 2 season series called ‘Extras” – which, in my opinion, was even funnier – that had a cameo in every episode. It’s amazing how Gervais and Stephen Merchant got these people to ridicule themselves in the show. Kate Winslet even referred to it in her Oscar acceptance speech.
When you think of how great sitcoms that started out so good, like M*A*S*H and All In The Family, Cheers and then developed into “dramadies” as the writers ran out of ideas, you can see his point.
posted by Jergig on 3-10-2009 at 5:40 pm
Jergig said – “He didn’t want to milk the idea until it became boring”
Isn’t this true of a lot of British TV? They tend not to drag a show on until the point when it becomes very dull and very stale (Frasier for instance). I know Fawlty Towers only ran for, what? 12 episodes or so?
posted by Cardinal_Fang on 3-10-2009 at 7:25 pm
Some truly great British shows were transferred once upon a time to America but never became popular (heaven knows why.) An example? Two words.
Doctor Who.
posted by Iiwi on 3-11-2009 at 1:16 am
There was an American show “inspired” by AbFab called “High Society” with Mary McDonnell and Jean Smart. It only ran 13 episodes, and just didn’t have the lack of heart that AbFab did.
posted by blaque jacque shellaque on 3-11-2009 at 11:05 am
“Doctor Who” has never really been stolen/copied by America, with the exception of the 1996 TV movie that was (a) underpromoted and (b) not that good. If you didn’t have some idea of what had happened in the previous DECADES of the show, it didn’t make much sense.
As to Abi’s comment: the reason “Blackpool” doesn’t work in the U.S. is because we don’t have David Tennant. ;-)
posted by Kate on 3-11-2009 at 2:07 pm
Wasn’t Who’s the Boss originally a UK show also? I can’t remember if it was the same name or not.
posted by Jim on 3-14-2009 at 7:10 pm
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? British
posted by David on 3-17-2009 at 9:33 pm
I remember an episode of Sanford & Son where a television producer steals the Sanford’s lives and makes it into a television show, called “Steptoe and Son.”
posted by TVSciFi on 3-18-2009 at 4:23 pm
COSBY based on One Foot in the Grave.
posted by rick on 3-19-2009 at 5:44 pm
“How about Life on Mars?”
Gary, I couldn’t agree with you more. I was fortunate enough to be living in England (I’m American)while “Life on Mars” was on the air and I absolutely loved it. Believable characters portrayed by skilled actors and a plot that, given how much we now know we DON’T know about the workings of the human mind, was theoretically plausible. The American copy didn’t hold a candle to the original.
posted by Jennifer on 6-28-2009 at 4:47 pm
What idiot said American Idol!?
Give me a break!!!
posted by Dr. Banner on 7-16-2009 at 1:06 pm
What about “Who’s Line is it Anyway” or “Changing Rooms”/”Trading Spaces” or “The Weakest Link”? I’m sure there’s lots more… those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
posted by Kelwyn on 7-17-2009 at 5:21 pm
Does it matter who has the better verison each show on the list was funny who care where the concept came from all that matter is the that the veiwers from both countries enjoyed the shows.
posted by Kari on 7-19-2009 at 4:16 am
The best part of this article for me was learning the meaning behind the running joke on A Hard Day’s Night. Thanks!
posted by Rachel on 7-25-2009 at 4:55 pm
I’ve heard a couple times about an upcoming American version of Spaced. er, no thanks… (3rd season of the original would be appreciated though!)
posted by Carlie on 7-28-2009 at 11:36 am
What about Whose Line is it Anyway? Always had some American comedians on the show, and still does, but I liked it much better with Clive Anderson hosting it (Drew Carey was decent in his sitcom but doesn’t hack it as WLIAA host).
posted by rudejohn on 8-5-2009 at 2:54 pm
American Idol was based on the British Pop Idol. Simon Cowell has been breaking hearts for years… I didn’t watch that when I lived in London and don’t watch this version here either.
posted by Jane on 8-20-2009 at 11:06 pm
I watched “The Office” on BBC America and was nervouse about the American Version. I love both but for different reasons. I find the are only similar in name, I love both styles of humor. I find no reason to choose between two great shows. Cheap way to answer? Oh well.
posted by Todd on 10-23-2009 at 5:14 pm
I watched “The Office” on BBC America and was worried about the American version. I love both but for different reasons. I find they are only similar in name, I love both styles of humor. I find no reason to choose between two great shows. Cheap way to answer? Oh well.
posted by Todd on 10-23-2009 at 5:18 pm