# Name a USA Copy better than the orignal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576 "2008-10-12T13:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/1 "2008-10-12T13:15:29Z")
Inspired by [this.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487446). I was trying to think of American remakes where they are better than the originals. I will accept all criticism, as humour seems to be quite different. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/2 "2008-10-12T13:22:50Z")
_Red Dwarf_ Just kidding. I prefer the American versions of _Whose Line is it Anyway?_ and _The Office_, the latter most probably because I dislike Ricky Gervais. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/3 "2008-10-12T13:43:30Z")
The Ring ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/4 "2008-10-12T14:01:12Z")
**The Seven Samurai** was a great movie, but I probably enjoyed **The Magnificent Seven** even more. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/5 "2008-10-12T14:06:03Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Inspired by [this.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487446). I was trying to think of American remakes where they are better than the originals. > > I will accept all criticism, as humour seems to be quite different. The Office. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/6 "2008-10-12T14:13:28Z")
All in the family was pretty good. I can’t speak to whether it was better than the original, since I never saw that one, but I figure at worst it was equally as good. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/7 "2008-10-12T14:20:41Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > All in the family was pretty good. I can’t speak to whether it was better than the original, since I never saw that one, but I figure at worst it was equally as good. No it wasn’t. I am an Aussie not a Brit but no US attempt at any British humour is as good as the original. Comparing _All In the Family_ to _Till Death Us Do Part_ without bothering to see the original kind of proves the point. You guys just have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/8 "2008-10-12T14:34:19Z")
Three’s Company! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/9 "2008-10-12T16:06:51Z")
Ugly Betty. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/10 "2008-10-12T16:36:46Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > No it wasn’t. I am an Aussie not a Brit but no US attempt at any British humour is as good as the original. Comparing _All In the Family_ to _Till Death Us Do Part_ without bothering to see the original kind of proves the point. You guys just have no idea. Do any examples exist of the reverse - successful American comedy shows that someone tried to adapt to the U.K. (or other nonAmerican) market? ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/11 "2008-10-12T16:41:44Z")
Roger Ebert gave the French comedy ‘Little Indian, Big City’ zero stars and the American remake ‘Jungle 2 Jungle’ half a star, so the US version was apparently a marginally better grade of crappy. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/12 "2008-10-12T16:45:08Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > No it wasn’t. I am an Aussie not a Brit but no US attempt at any British humour is as good as the original. Comparing _All In the Family_ to _Till Death Us Do Part_ without bothering to see the original kind of proves the point. You guys just have no idea. Who said anything about British humor. The question was about how good the show was, and it was a damn good show. British humor is not the be all and end all of entertainment ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/13 "2008-10-12T16:48:38Z")
The Office, definitely. The UK original is fantastic, but the US version has surpassed it in nearly every way. Plus, David Brent was completely obnoxious by the Special and I wanted to shut it off everytime he was on screen. No one on the US version makes me want to do that. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/14 "2008-10-12T19:05:06Z")
> [@42fish](#): > > Roger Ebert gave the French comedy ‘Little Indian, Big City’ zero stars and the American remake ‘Jungle 2 Jungle’ half a star, so the US version was apparently a marginally better grade of crappy. Actually, he gave _Jungle 2 Jungle_ one star, rather than a half. He explained that the film “is too mediocre to deserve zero stars. It doesn’t achieve truly awful badness, but is sort of a black hole for the attention span, sending us spiraling down into nothingness.” ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/15 "2008-10-12T19:40:49Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Who said anything about British humor. The question was about how good the show was, and it was a damn good show. British humor is not the be all and end all of entertainment It’s not that hard to check the original post, here it is: > [@Cicero](#): > > Name a USA Copy better than the orignal > Inspired by this.. I was trying to think of American remakes where they are better than the originals. > > I will accept all criticism, as humour seems to be quite different. Here’s your first answer: > [@wolfman](#): > > All in the family was pretty good. I can’t speak to whether it was better than the original, since I never saw that one, but I figure at worst it was equally as good. Your answer just doesn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/16 "2008-10-12T20:10:43Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Do any examples exist of the reverse - successful American comedy shows that someone tried to adapt to the U.K. (or other nonAmerican) market? Several. Most were awful and quickly failed. The most successful was probably “The Upper Hand” which ran for six years and was based on "Who’s the Boss’. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/17 "2008-10-12T20:14:35Z")
**Queer as Folk.** ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/18 "2008-10-12T20:25:22Z")
I’ve seen a few of the American Office and I’ve found myself sighing and rolling my eyes a bit. What I saw isn’t a patch on the UK Office. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/19 "2008-10-12T20:32:38Z")
Here’s the Wikipedia lists for the US & Britain, which probably have the most: [List of US series remade for Britain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._television_series_remade_for_the_British_market) and the reverse: [British shows remade for the US](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_television_series_remade_for_the_US_market) I didn’t know that apparently _American Gladiators_ went there and then came back in some sense. I doubt any other show has done that, has it? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576/20 "2008-10-12T20:37:04Z")
“All in the Family” was based on a fairly unfunny Britcom “Till Death Us Do Part”. “All in the Family” was a great show that was often extremely funny and had more social commentary and great dramatic moments than any of the weak US dramas of the 70s. Now I only saw about a dozen episodes of “Till Death Us Do Part” but that was no where near as well done or well acted. [QUOTE=Hazle Weatherfield] Three’s Company! [/QUOTE] Actually I disagree on this one, the British show was not as dumb though John Ritter was the most talented slapstick actor of the two shows. The Britcom was “Man About the House” and it also spun off to Robin’s Nest. [QUOTE=Windwalker] The Seven Samurai was a great movie, but I probably enjoyed The Magnificent Seven even more. [/QUOTE] I agree, but I think we are in the minority. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-usa-copy-better-than-the-orignal/467576.md?page=2)