# Do Foreign TV Shows Ever Do "Special Episodes" in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251 "2012-02-09T01:06:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/1 "2012-02-09T01:06:40Z")
_Friends_ did an episode in London. _Sex and the City_ has been to Paris, probably more than once. _Everybody Loves Raymond_ sent the family on location in Italy. Do foreign TV shows ever send characters on-location to the US? Have there been any foreign movies that were filmed in the US? \*I’m sure the answer to both questions is “Yes,” but I’d like some examples, preferably with clips, if at all possible. Thanks! ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/2 "2012-02-09T02:14:45Z")
How about the [2002 special episode](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Absolutely_Fabulous_episodes#Special_.282002.29) of Absolutely Fabulous, set in New York? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/3 "2012-02-09T02:16:30Z")
Doctor Who made a big deal out of the fact part of the last season was set in and filmed in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/4 "2012-02-09T02:17:55Z")
The most recent season of **Doctor Who** had the characters visit Utah. (Well, they also visited New York, Washington DC, Cape Kennedy and Area 51, but those were all filmed in the studio in the UK.) But they had the cast go to the US and film the exterior scenes in Utah and Arizona. Lots of beautiful shots of the Valley Of The Gods and the Glen Canyon Dam. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/5 "2012-02-09T02:18:11Z")
As was the most recent series of Torchwood. (Set in and filmed in the US, that is.) ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/6 "2012-02-09T02:20:39Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Have there been any foreign movies that were filmed in the US? “The Artist” is a French movie but was set in Hollywood and filmed on location in L.A. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/7 "2012-02-09T02:24:05Z")
The last series of Little Britain (called Little Britain USA) was set in the US. One character from the last episode of the second series of Skins travelled to the US in search of another character. Many, many Bollywood films are filmed and set in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/8 "2012-02-09T02:25:41Z")
[The Doctor who came to Utah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ag7aCknM8) [Top Gear visited Miami](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1tg91P0g5o), [Alabama](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdOpKv9D7rA), and some other places on their way to New Orleans. Speaking of New Orleans, [Mike Holmes came down from Canada for a post-Katrina special](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jupXcq_Ibew). Can’t seem to find footage of the actual special, though. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/9 "2012-02-09T04:45:43Z")
This is tangential, somewhat, but there used to be a weird phase in the 70s where there would be special seasons of UK sitcoms filmed in Australia, always called “[Title] Down Under.” The UK has a strange relationship with Australia, looking at it as quite alien and exotic, I assume because they are geographically opposite to each other. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/10 "2012-02-09T05:33:25Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > This is tangential, somewhat, but there used to be a weird phase in the 70s where there would be special seasons of UK sitcoms filmed in Australia, always called “[Title] Down Under.” > > The UK has a strange relationship with Australia, looking at it as quite alien and exotic, I assume because they are geographically opposite to each other. Yeah I remember when neighbours went to London, wish you had kept them! ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/11 "2012-02-09T14:34:56Z")
[Wheeler Dealers](http://www.discoveryuk.com/web/wheeler-dealers/) came to the US to find cars to ship back to England for renovation. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/12 "2012-02-09T14:44:26Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Yeah I remember when neighbours went to London, wish you had kept them! Well we took Kylie and Jason. What more do you want us to do? Madge? ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/13 "2012-02-09T14:47:43Z")
The U.K.'s “Most Haunted” went to the U.S. and did some episodes about The Queen Mary, the ship that’s now a hotel docked in California. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/14 "2012-02-09T15:20:36Z")
Hmm… All British shows so far. Any shows from somewhere other than the UK do an American episode? Any non-english speaking shows? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/15 "2012-02-09T15:27:19Z")
_“Crocodile Dundee” II_ and _Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles_ were Australian movies mostly set in the U.S. (The third film was a joint Australian-American production.) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/16 "2012-02-09T17:07:22Z")
Lovejoy came to the American south one episode. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/17 "2012-02-09T22:21:19Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > _“Crocodile Dundee” II_ and _Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles_ were Australian movies mostly set in the U.S. (The third film was a joint Australian-American production.) And not a patch on the original! ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/18 "2012-02-09T22:25:44Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Hmm… All British shows so far. Any shows from somewhere other than the UK do an American episode? Any non-english speaking shows? Neighbours is Australian Mate, although if the poms want it they can bloody well have it! ---
**Author:** ![jrbor76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9e8a1a/32.png) [@jrbor76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrbor76)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/19 "2012-02-09T23:00:03Z")
Didn’t they do the last season (Series for you Brits) or two of the UK Whose Line is it Anyway on the US set? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251/20 "2012-02-10T00:48:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > As was the most recent series of Torchwood. (Set in and filmed in the US, that is.) I’m not sure if that one should count, since for that season the show became a joint US/UK production, with Starz taking an active role beyond just telling the BBC “yeah we’ll pay you to let us show that in the US”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-foreign-tv-shows-ever-do-special-episodes-in-the-us/612251.md?page=2)