I thought The Only Way is Essex (a.k.a. TOWIE) was a Jersey Shore-alike already. Google “Amy Childs” for your British Snookie. Overstyled, overtanned, and overstupid.*
TOWIE is also responsible for introducing the general populace to the word “vajazzle”. <shudder>
*Seriously, Childs was on a game show a few months ago and got no answers right at all. And they kept making the questions easier just to prevent her from striking out but no, she even whiffed on the SITC question.
Yes. The Golden Girls. And it sucked.
I am so surprised that the creative efforts of people who copy other’s ideas haven’t worked out.
All of them. Although if we tried to adapt US drama, I think we’d also make a complete hash of it.
Someone did adapt Law & Order for the UK and I think there have been six series of that so far, so that one worked. But that show is so structured that I think it’s a special case.
I sit corrected. I see by Wikipedia that not one but two Fawlty adaptations actually made it to the US airwaves, the other being Amanda’s with Bea Arthur. Thankfully, neither lasted a full season.
Is it too early to predict that Elementary, the U.S.'s version of the British Sherlock, will suck? I can’t wrap my head around a female Watson, nor do I want to try.
Removing the perfect nature documentary narration by David Attenborough and replacing it for US audiences with narration by some US actor, actress, whoever else.
The most astonishing thing is that it was actually shown in Britain, albeit on ITV rather than the BBC and late at night with minimal publicity. Having stumbled across it by accident, I spent a few minutes watching it and then suddenly realised that the set was a mirror image of Torbay’s most famous guest house. I then twigged that the whole setup seemed suspiciously familiar…
I never got that impression. Newhart was quintessential Bob Newhart, the only sane person in the room with the exception of his wife who was even saner (although I think Emily was saner than Joanna).
I also agree on Cracker and when I first saw the thread title I immediately thought about The Life and Loves of a She Devil.
Does anyone watch Being Human? I haven’t seen the American version but the British is one of those guilty pleasure type things for me. It’s a fairly stupid show but I get sucked up when BBC-A runs marathons.
Seriously, they did that? Not for everything, surely? I’m hoping you still get to experience some of the mastery of Attenborough.
I came in to mention Life on Mars but I see I was beaten to it.
Pierce Brosnan narrated The Blue Planet, Planet Earth was narrated by Sigourney Weaver, Life was narrated by Oprah Winfrey, Alec Baldwin for Frozen Planet.
Needless to say, I made a point of watching them on DVD/Blu-Ray where the original Attenborough narration was intact.
There was a show in the '70s called “Sugar Time” that I always thought was a sanitized version of “Rock Follies,” which generated some controversy when it was aired in the US.
The UK version of WLIIA seemed more anarchic and chaotic, which was great, but it was the addition of US comics as guests that kept it interesting and fresh.
I can’t imagine anyone topping The Office, it is perfection.
Apparently on UK shows they make fun of Amy Childs to her face for being so vapid (NSFW language/topic).
I watched both, and never realised that Cybil was a version of AbFab. I’d say the british version was great in first series but wasn’t very good in later series but I remember enjoying Cybil when it was on…
That’s nothing - you should see what they do to Jedward.
They were thinking of doing Fawlty Towers with Bea Arthur as Sybil and no Basil character.
I watched the entire first season of the US “House of Cards” when I finished exams. I just finished watching the entire BBC “House of Cards” series. I felt that was a worthy enough reason to bump my own thread. 
Kevin Spacey is a good actor, and plays a convincing Southern Democrat. But the show is too busy, the characters not evil enough…the writing just isn’t as good in the American version.
Didn’t realize this was an old thread and was going to add House of Cards. The UK original oozed evil. The US version sorta sputtered.
I prefer the US version of Antiques Roadshow. The experts give good background and are more precise with their reasoning, when they estimate value. And Keno twins.