# American remakes of British series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247 "2004-06-02T13:43:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/21 "2004-06-03T02:08:12Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m glad America never tried to make their own version of **Blackadder**. Shhhhhhh!!! They might hear you… ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/22 "2004-06-03T02:18:05Z")
Don Rickles: Do you know what the most important thing is in comedy? Go ahead, ask me what the most important thing is in comedy! Johnny Carson: OK, Don, what is the most impor– Don: TIMING! Ya hadda be there. Frankly, the art of the pained silence, so important in The Office, doesn’t translate well to America–some shows use it, but sparingly. And it also doesn’t help if the show is being chopped up for commercials, although I suppose the BBC has them too, but not as many. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/23 "2004-06-03T02:35:48Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m glad America never tried to make their own version of **Blackadder**. I was hoping the BBC would have made the fifth Blackadder series. One proposal was to have taken place in the 60’s with Edmund missing out on becoming the Beatles’ manage and ending up with a sad imitation. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/24 "2004-06-03T02:45:05Z")
Yeah, I heard that rumour too. With Baldrick being the drummer of the band, now known as Bald Rick. I reckon it was a good idea, I wonder who actually came up with it. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/25 "2004-06-03T02:49:37Z")
I saw one one whole episode of the US _Coupling_ and a little bit of one or two others. Indeed, the scripts were used almost completely intact. Everything else was awful: acting, timing, directing, etc. It’s like watching a badly done grade school play. So when it failed, the scripts were blamed. (1st Rule of Covering Failure in Hollywood: Blame the ones that don’t live in Hollywood.) Since I love the BBC original, I hardly see how my intense dislike of the US version could be ascribed to differences in taste, etc. The BBCAmerica marathon last weekend of the 3rd season was great. The “Spiderman” episode, etc. Can’t wait for the 4th season to start next Sunday! (And I converted two family members into _Coupling_ fans, too!) Now the **bad** news. The picture on the _Coupling_ [BBCA page](http://www.bbcamerica.com/genre/comedy_games/coupling/coupling.jsp) has a new guy and no Jeff! Egad! What’s worse, the New Guy is listed higher than Jeff in the cast list. Jeff is the philosopher of _Coupling_. It’s like Sherlock Holmes without Watson. This doesn’t look good. Who’s going to explain “declenching”? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/26 "2004-06-03T04:08:35Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m glad America never tried to make their own version of **Blackadder**. Oooooh, but they did. It’s on my hard drive as I speak. It was bloody awful. It was a remake of an episode from the first series starring Rowan Atkinson and a bunch of Americans. There might have been one other original actor, but I’m too lazy to fire it up and check - I know it wasn’t Baldrick, though. It’s been a while since I watched it, but it’s just as bad as the American Red Dwarf pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/27 "2004-06-03T04:45:57Z")
“Touching Evil” seems to have made the transition. I’ve only seen one of the British episodes and two of the American. Does someone who’s seen more have a comment comparing them? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/28 "2004-06-03T05:21:33Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Oooooh, but they did. It’s on my hard drive as I speak. It was bloody awful. It was a remake of an episode from the first series starring Rowan Atkinson and a bunch of Americans. There might have been one other original actor, but I’m too lazy to fire it up and check - I know it wasn’t Baldrick, though. > > It’s been a while since I watched it, but it’s just as bad as the American Red Dwarf pilot. Well, I can see the biggest mistake already… An American version should take the idea and transfer it to US History, not UK. Which brings us to a second problem - the US doesn’t have the sheer volume of history to draw from. Third is either replacing Atkinson, or explaining his accent. (The latter wouldn’t be as much an issue in the first season, but they couldn’t just stick to the same time period and hold the Blackadder feeling for too long.) 3a is hoping nobody NOTICES his accent if you don’t do either. 3b is hoping they don’t get bored if you don’t change time periods. ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/29 "2004-06-03T05:30:10Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > There have been series that have successfully made the crossing from Britain to the U.S. _All in the Family_ (_Till Death Do Us Part_) and _Sanford and Son_ (_Steptoe and Son_) come to mind. And wasn’t _Survivor_ originally from overseas? Survivor was conceived in the UK but sold to the Swedes and first aired as _Expedition Robinson_. There have been many reality type shows which were conceived or aired elsewhere before the US versions. Originally a UK concept _The Mole_, a local version of _The Amazing Race_ and a _Big Brother_ type show called _The House of Hell_ all aired in Australia before the American versions were made. There was _Pop Idol_ from the UK, and _Pop Stars_ (which was originally a NZ show), and game shows like _The Weakest Link_ and _Who Wants to be a Millionaire_ which both originated in the UK. I’m sure there are many more, those just came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/30 "2004-06-03T05:41:25Z")
As I have been reminded by a friend - there’s also Queer as Folk. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/31 "2004-06-03T05:48:00Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Oooooh, but they did. It’s on my hard drive as I speak. It was bloody awful. I have heard nothing of this before! I’m now fatally curious to see it! ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/32 "2004-06-03T06:32:18Z")
To quote Terry Pratchett: “Every so often my agent tells me that somebody wants to make a movie or television serial about the Discworld. Either they have fantastic ideas and no money, or they’re American.” American TV really doesn’t encourage creativity (why else would every newscast look the same?), and you do need boldness of vision to create, or even replicate, fantastic shows. Ramming that through the execs is hard. And then the promotional people will fuck you over (because they live to misinterpret and pigeonhole) And if you make it through that, then you’ll just get screwed by the scheduling department that moves your show around so often nobody can tell when it’s on. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/33 "2004-06-03T08:08:04Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > An American version should take the idea and transfer it to US History, not UK. > > Which brings us to a second problem - the US doesn’t have the sheer volume of history to draw from. You’ve got enough for four, maybe five seasons: Salem, War of Independence, Civil War, World War I, the Sixties. The real problem is making enough jokes in each era to fill 22 (or even 13) episodes. **Smeghead** - could you be tempted to make a torrent of the US Blackadder pilot? ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/34 "2004-06-03T08:20:15Z")
This reminds me of the “Americanization” of “Whose line is it anyway” with Drew Carey as the host. I really disliked the mindless chatter between Drew and the players, the needless audience involvement… just get on with the show, will ya? Bah! Give me Clive Anderson at the helm anyday. Thankfully, Comedy Central shows the original version. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/35 "2004-06-03T10:05:37Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > . . .I suppose the BBC has them too, but not as many. Nope. No ad’s on the BBC, it’s run by “subscription” just like the SDMB. Except the subscription is not voluntary - if you don’t pay your license fee the famous _detector vans_ search you out and you get locked up in the Tower (or fined maybe, I’ve always paid up so I’m not sure). Meanwhile, why is it that shows going the other way don’t need to be Anglisised? We get Friends, Seinfeld, Third Rock, blah-de-blah and live with the curious accents and jokes based on an alien culture\*. Some shows are pretty well regarded over here with as far as I know no modification at all. \*jokes about “driving stick” fall a bit flat 🙂 Spotted in Third Rock, Futurama, The Nanny^M^M^M^M^M^M^M, um yes those two shows, Third Rock, Futurama. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/36 "2004-06-03T10:16:02Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > You’ve got enough for four, maybe five seasons: Salem, War of Independence, Civil War, World War I, the Sixties. The real problem is making enough jokes in each era to fill 22 (or even 13) episodes. Yeah, that would be problem 4. I’d stick to 4 series, personally - at least if they decided to go with those time periods - well chosen, BTW. Things get a little sticky, IMO, if you set a fifth series when the WWI characters could still be alive (particularly since you KNOW a US version wouldn’t end each series by killing everyone off, like the UK version did with Blackadder, Blackadder II, and Blackadder Goes Forth, so Edmund (Or whatever they renamed him) would likely still be alive.). ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247/37 "2004-06-03T10:38:54Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Yet another problem is that American sitcoms have only about 22 minutes of material, to make room for all the commercials. British shows last closer to a full half-hour, which is why they run in 40-minute time blocks on BBC America. > > Either 20% of each show would have to be cut - ruining them in my opinion - or else the network would have to change off of starting shows on the half-hour, which they will never do. > > So there’s not a chance that any British show will ever be seen in its original. The seasons are too short and the shows are too long. Not quite true - BBC shows don’t have commercials, but there are several commercial networks in the UK too. Not all the stuff on BBC America is actually made by the BBC, e.g. So Graham Norton (Channel 4). Of the shows mentioned here, Queer As Folk, UFO, Man About The House, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Cracker, Cold Feet, Whose Line Is It Anyway were all made by or for commercial networks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-remakes-of-british-series/248247.md?page=1)