# American versions of foreign television shows and royalties **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941 "2016-10-28T15:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/1 "2016-10-28T15:29:14Z")
Do the producers of the American shows have to pay royalties to the creators of the original show? I ask because I don’t think I have ever noticed a “Based on the British show XXX” in the credits. That wouldn’t preclude payment being made, but without entertainment media, the viewer would never know that certain shows are remakes. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/2 "2016-10-28T16:14:12Z")
The creators of the original show get royalties. For example, Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant are credited (and presumably got royalties) for creating the American version of The Office even though they really originated the British version on which it was based. > **[The Office (TV Series 2005–2013) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast)** > > The Office (TV Series 2005–2013) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/3 "2016-10-28T16:27:04Z")
Copyright law applies to works made outside the US, so you can’t just take them without permission. _House of Cards_ has a credit listing the writer of the UK series, as well as the writer of the book both were adapted from. Shows rarely say “Based on the UK series”; instead, they list the writers of that series at some point in the credits. And though listing is great, you can be sure they paid the creators a royalty for the use of the show. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/4 "2016-10-28T16:51:59Z")
Does that apply to unscripted shows, like Iron Chef or Big Brother? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/5 "2016-10-28T16:52:09Z")
As I recall, _ **All in the Family** _ had a credit “Based on _ **’Til Death Us Do Part** _” in the closing credits, but it scrolled by so fast you had to be watching for it to catch it. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/6 "2016-10-28T18:00:24Z")
Okay, so the writer/creator credit is the (modern) vehicle for attribution. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/7 "2016-10-28T18:00:31Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Does that apply to unscripted shows, like Iron Chef or Big Brother? Sure. They have to pay the person who created the concept. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/8 "2016-10-28T18:17:16Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > As I recall, _ **All in the Family** _ had a credit “Based on _ **'Til Death Us Do Part** _” in the closing credits, but it scrolled by so fast you had to be watching for it to catch it. Also, _Sanford and Son_ had an acknowledgement that it was based on the British comedy _Steptoe and Son_ and _Three’s Company_ mentioned that it was based on the show _Man About the House_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/9 "2016-10-28T18:39:10Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Does that apply to unscripted shows, like Iron Chef or Big Brother? In the case of Big Brother, the [company that produced the original Dutch version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemol) [franchised it around the world](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother_(franchise)). ---
**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:** [October 28, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-versions-of-foreign-television-shows-and-royalties/769941/10 "2016-10-28T21:37:49Z")
_Homeland_ is based on the Israeli series _Prisoners of War_. [Gideon Raff](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1356268) from that gets a “based on” credit. 60 credits for the latter and counting. 24 for the former. He probably will end up making a lot more money off _Homeland_ than the original series. Not sure about the producers of the original. Then there’s the Belorussian version of _The Big Bang Theory_ …