# British TV Shows That Have Been Popular In The U.S **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2023, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018 "2023-01-11T08:35:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/61 "2023-01-12T00:24:22Z")
Doctor Who Monty Python’s Flying Circus Are You Being Served? Father Ted Fawlty Towers Jewel in the Crown Brideshead Revisited Poirot Inspector Morse Yes, Minister/Yes, Prime Minister Red Dwarf The Fall and Rise of Reginald Keeping Up Appearances Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Sherlock Holmes Miss Marple Poldark Rumpole of the Bailey Reilly, Ace of Spies I, Claudius Upstairs, Downstairs Bleak House ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/62 "2023-01-12T00:30:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. I loved that one and cracked up when his wife invented a lover who was half Scottish and half Hungarian, which is very close to my exact ethnicity. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/63 "2023-01-12T01:00:35Z")
For one thing, they cut out the part where Caligula eviscerated Drusilla and devoured their fetus. For another, they completely omitted the scene where Cassius Chaerea and his fellow conspirators agreed that only Caligula would be killed in their coup. (A pact Cassius violated.) I guess bare titties were considered less offensive than outright gore. There are probably more examples, but I didn’t see every episode when I was living in England, so I can’t say. I wish PBS would show _ **Fall of Eagles** _ again. I wanted to watch it when I was in college, but it didn’t fit into my schedule. On the other hand, I’ve seen every episode of _ **The World at War** _ multiple times. _ **Reilly, Ace of Spies** _ was another series I never missed an episode of. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/64 "2023-01-12T01:12:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Reilly, Ace of Spies** _ was another series I never missed an episode of. I absolutely loved this one…loved the score, too. One I missed when it was first run – I think it was the first big PBS hit – was _The Forsyte Saga._ Then, our local PBS channel ran the entire series with an episode every Mon-Fri which ran for about a month. This was before vcr’s, so I had to be home every night by 7:00 or 8:00 to watch that episode or I’d miss it. I didn’t miss a single episode. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/65 "2023-01-12T01:13:19Z")
“The latest thing: **GROT!** ” 👍 ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/66 "2023-01-12T01:27:00Z")
If the US were my house it would be Keeping Up Appearances, The Good Life, and Still Game. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/67 "2023-01-12T01:38:40Z")
_Black Mirror_ ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/68 "2023-01-12T01:41:39Z")
Allo Allo Dad’s Army ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/69 "2023-01-12T01:46:11Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > _ **Reilly, Ace of Spies** _ was another series I never missed an episode of. > > I absolutely loved this one…loved the score, too. From Shostakovich’s “The Gadfly Suite.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/n2I1PZyMmik/hqdefault.jpg ""Reilly, Ace of Spies" TV Intro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2I1PZyMmik&t=8) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/70 "2023-01-12T01:48:02Z")
> [@xanthous](#): > > The Good Life Posh Barbara (where Felicity Kendall pours the gravy boat over her front) is our fav episode. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/71 "2023-01-12T01:51:39Z")
Felicity Kendall, mmmmmmmmmm! 🥰 I was once courting a girl who admitted hating this series. That relationship didn’t last long. 😠 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/72 "2023-01-12T01:51:44Z")
To the Manor Born East Enders—honestly I don’t know anyone who watched this but it was on all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/73 "2023-01-12T02:05:55Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Black Mirror Damn, that was a good show. Too good. I have to gird my loins to watch. The last one I watched was the guy who kept facsimiles of people on his own ‘Star Trek’ type simulation and then 2020 happened and I haven’t built up the fortitude to watch another yet. I believe the writer said he wasn’t writing any more because real life got too dark. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/74 "2023-01-12T02:07:26Z")
_ **No, Honestly** _. I had an **enormous** crush on Pauline Collins, the girl who played Clara. 🥰 [![](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/532828565/nl/foto/english-actress-pauline-collins-1970.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=gHDslJYlwiMdFM7-RIkfc0JMThHwGrx0MzHADS92rE0=) ](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/532828565/nl/foto/english-actress-pauline-collins-1970.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=gHDslJYlwiMdFM7-RIkfc0JMThHwGrx0MzHADS92rE0=) The theme song is great too: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_j7NSDaer84/hqdefault.jpg "No Honestly - Lynsey De Paul (live performance)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j7NSDaer84) Jeez, does that bring back memories! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/75 "2023-01-12T02:07:33Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Felicity Kendall, mmmmmmmmmm! 🥰 I love her, too. Have you ever seen _Shakespeare Wallah_? ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/76 "2023-01-12T02:09:02Z")
If Felicity is in it, I’ll put it on my bucket list! 🙂 ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/77 "2023-01-12T02:33:06Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Additionally, there is a huge list of US shows that are adaptations of UK shows: _All in the Family_; _Three’s Company_; _Sanford and Son_; _Ghosts_; _Call Me Kat_. There have been three attempts to remake _Fawlty Towers_ for the US; all flopped, and two to make _Absolutely Fabulous_; both failed to capture the tenor of the original well, and the one that succeeded as a show known by its own identity. A rare show to go the other direction was _Law & Order_. Wikipedia has a [list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:British_television_series_based_on_American_television_series) of British shows based on American ones. Lots of reality shows (Britain’s Got Talent, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, The Apprentice) and game shows, including University Challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/78 "2023-01-12T02:33:38Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Yeup, Prisoner: Cell Block H. Thanks for scratching that itch! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/T6pU4ny8b3A/hqdefault.jpg "Naked Video - Prisoner Cell Block H end credits spoof") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6pU4ny8b3A) ---
**Author:** ![Tarataratara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tarataratara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarataratara)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/79 "2023-01-12T02:49:16Z")
Call the Midwife ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/80 "2023-01-12T07:07:42Z")
It kind of blows my mind that _Keeping Up Appearances_, which from memory was pretty mediocre, found a footing in the US but _Only Fools and Horses_, which was mostly utterly brilliant, never did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018.md?page=5)