I’m a Canadian, and as such, I watch quite a bit of both British and American television. Over the years, I’ve seen any number of US shows that are based on UK shows: Steptoe and Son became Sanford and Son, Man About the House became Three’s Company, and then there’s the whole Whose Line is it Anyway? thing. Sometimes these shows even go so far as to use the same character names, plot lines, and so forth (Whose Line is it Anyway? actually uses the same set design, musical director, and participants.)
My question is: does the same thing happen in reverse? Do Brits ever take an American show and make it British, or is this strictly a one-way street?
Yo Pipefitter - Canadian, eh. This cropped up in another thread as a side dish a while ago. I was of the opinion that we didn’t re-make American shows at all but (I think) mattk came up with about three from the 1980’s.
Here’s a couple of reasons why I think it isn’t more commonplace:
Firstly, the culture in British tv seems to be to let talent have it’s head - there is only so much around so why waste it on re-writing a show we can watch anyway when they could be creating something else.
Secondly, we, like you, are used to American entertainment…Hollywood, music and tv (for example) so are probably better able to digest the original version than perhaps some Americans can ours. At least I think that was the attitude of American networks. That view might be changing though as the world gets smaller and we are all a little more familiar with each other.
Having been around this board for 3 or 4 months I realise that Americans have a pretty sophisticated knowledge of British entertainment - i do wonder that that might be a change in just the past few years as more tv channels need more and more content to fill the schedules. So, if that is the case, American re-makes of British shows might become less prevalent, also.
Of course, things haven’t got so far that re-makes of Millionaire, Toothbrush, Whose Line, etc. (non-sit coms) aren’t deemed necessary but at least some stuff travels unaided.
If the British like a U.S. show, they broadcast it and don’t bother to remake it. Cheaper that way.
In the U.S., however, the networks only want original programming. (In the early days, they did a straight broadcast a few British shows – Sherlock Holmes, The Invisible Man, The Avengers. I think the last of this nature was The Champions.) In addition, there’s a feeling that U.S. audiences won’t “get” the British show, so it needs to be revised for an American audience (which sometimes trashes the show).
It’s probably happened, but there probably isn’t much need for it. The US has a greater demand for programming and is more likely to convert someone else’s idea to make it more palatable to American tastes.
The British are used to watching American import shows and don’t have as many outlets that require fresh programming.
I believe that Europeans are used to American force-feeding of TV and film products. However, Americans, in our beloved provincialism, associate British television with “Masterpiece Theater.”
I do think that some British news magazine programs can trace their lineage back to “60 Minutes”.
I think that the US needs more UK and other European tv shows. From what I have seen while in Turkey, alot are more interesting then thoses in the states, especally some of the Italian team game shows.
Recently there were attempts to remake Married With Children and a show about teens in the '70s (Days Like These?). Both were appalling, and were cancelled in their first series. Both were ITV productions. It’s no coincidence.