Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Haleth]

I could never watch The Tudors either.  The thought of a small dark man playing big, burly, red haired Henry VIII was enough to turn me off.

[DittyDotDot]

Don't forget Life on Mars. The USA version completely missed the point. 

 

It's not that the UK version of anything is better. It's that there has to be an American version. It just seems stale to me. Episodes really sends this up.

 

Some shows do work better in the UK format: short season order, for example. On UK shows, actors aren't tied to the show for 5 years. They might only have the 8 episode commitment. 

 

Exactly! It's not that it being British makes it better, I just don't understand why we need to make a copy of something that's already been done. I can see trying to do a new take on something old, but recently there's been this rash of making other versions of shows that are still around and airing and it's like they are copies rather than finding a new spin on it. I just don't get it.

Edited September 17, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[BellaLugosi]

 

Exactly! It's not that it being British makes it better, I just don't understand why we need to make a copy of something that's already been done. I can see trying to do a new take on something old, but recently there's been this rash of making other versions of shows that are still around and airing and it's like they are copies rather than finding a new spin on it. I just don't get it.

It used to be that the networks would just copy the ideas, now they are so lazy they just remake a show that's already out there.  It's the same with movies.

 

I was kind of surprised it took SyFy so long to make a lame knockoff of The Walking Dead.  I was expecting it a couple of years ago.

[Kel Varnsen]

I wish the show would start filling in some blanks about what happened to the military, the government, the situation in other states/countries, or even the physiology of the zombies or the zombie virus itself. I don't need the show to explain its origins or even solve the problem - just build the world up a bit. Even a few throw away lines would go a long way for me right now. My fave episode was the CDC one because it widened the small world the group existed in. 

I watched most of the first season of Walking Dead and that is kind of why I couldn't really get into it. That is the kind of stuff I wanted to know about, and I just couldn't believe that society/the government/the military would just fall apart like that. I mean in one of the first episodes the main character went into a city and there was an abandoned tank. How the hell would a tank get abandoned like that. For that matter are people who live in the arctic completely fine, because I would think if you live in an area that regularly gets below freezing outside, zombies aren't so much of a problem.

[applecrisp]

I was not sad about Joan River's death.  I always thought she was mean spirited.  Don Rickles was the true insult comedian and you always knew he made fun of himself the most.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I was not sad about Joan River's death.  I always thought she was mean spirited.  Don Rickles was the true insult comedian and you always knew he made fun of himself the most.

 

 

Thank you. I would be a grade-A hypocrite if I sang the praises of Rivers's "legacy" simply because she's dead. I never found her witty, insightful, or even mildly amusing. It was sickening how she fat-shamed other women who dared to be themselves instead of nipping and tucking themselves into oblivion. I'll never forget how, at the 1998 Oscars, she said that Helen Hunt weighed less than Kate Winslet's arm. 

[ganesh]

What really is egregious about USA Being Human was that UKBH was still on air at the time. I mean, come on. 

 

There was a remake of the Prisoner a while back. Ok, the show's been gone for over a generation, and the concept is apt for our era. Of course, they missed the point and fucked it up. Maybe there needs to be a statute of limitations before a show can come back.

 

Normally I rail against the lack of world building on a show, but on TWD, it's from a very limited pov, and it was since the start. I don't agree with some of the narrative. But if you're holded up on a farm, you're not going to learn anything about the world. I don't think TPTBs are being disingenuous since the creator is part of the tv show and they have tons of source material. If I were in that world, I would be traveling all over to establish a comm-network. But that's not what these characters are about. There is going to be a spin off though. 

 

When you have omniscient pov like on the Leftovers and you deliberately aren't showing the wider world in order to provide context for character actions, that's different. I think there's enough context on TWD.

[ChromaKelly]

You should.  The pilot has naked Henry Cavill.  That alone is worth a watch (he has a VERY nice ass).  Plus, there's some honest to goodness great acting, including JRM after Henry starts going nuts (we just suffered until the crazy began).  The story's shit but makes for a good drinking game.

The old TWOP thread about the Tudors made the show that much more enjoyable. You cannot watch the show seriously. It's camp.

[topanga]

 

It used to be that the networks would just copy the ideas, now they are so lazy they just remake a show that's already out there.  It's the same with movies.

I think Hollywood is largely unwilling to take risks with new ideas for movies or TV. Or, quite honestly, some of the recent TV shows that have been green-lit are so stupid, it makes me wonder if there are any good ideas in Hollywood. So what's the next best thing? Study a successful TV show from the UK or Israel or Canada, steal it, and turn it into a successful American show.

[Kel Varnsen]

I think Hollywood is largely unwilling to take risks with new ideas for movies or TV. Or, quite honestly, some of the recent TV shows that have been green-lit are so stupid, it makes me wonder if there are any good ideas in Hollywood. So what's the next best thing? Study a successful TV show from the UK or Israel or Canada, steal it, and turn it into a successful American show.

But remaking shows is nothing new.I mean Three's Company, All in the Family and Sanford and Son were remakes of British shows. 

[DittyDotDot]

But remaking shows is nothing new.I mean Three's Company, All in the Family and Sanford and Son were remakes of British shows. 

 

But weren't those shows remade in a time when American audiences didn't have access to the British versions? It kinda makes sense back in the day, because they were bringing something new to your audience that wouldn't be able to see it otherwise. In this era where there's more access to foreign television and foreign studios are co-producing and working together, it seems to be more like blatant copyism, to me. I just don't understand why they don't just bring the original to the new audience rather than producing a copy of the original.

 

Maybe this is why I have issues with the idea of cloning though too. Although, I have often wanted a clone so I could have more free time. ;)

[ganesh]

You can't compare 1970s television to today. It's a completely different model. In today's tv, you've got a UK remake of Friends and then an American remake of the UK remake. That's ridiculous. 

 

Not all American adaptations are bad. House of Cards, and Veep. Americans aren't steeped in UK politics so just bringing just bringing the show over wouldn't work. 

[DittyDotDot]

You can't compare 1970s television to today. It's a completely different model. In today's tv, you've got a UK remake of Friends and then an American remake of the UK remake. That's ridiculous. 

 

Not all American adaptations are bad. House of Cards, and Veep. Americans aren't steeped in UK politics so just bringing just bringing the show over wouldn't work. 

 

I do agree that you can't always bring the foreign versions over and would do well, but I think most of the ones we've been talking about would have done as well as they did in the UK--The Office; Being Human. But I also think shows like In The Thick Of It could do just fine here also. Probably part of the reason why I find the British versions interesting are because I get a chance to see something outside of my regular world. And, It's not like it was in the '70s where our cultural boundaries were more heavily drawn. I think most Americans would be able to follow along and watch things that are topical to the British audience too. As long as they are interesting characters I can imagine people watching no matter what country they happen to live in.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Not all American adaptations are bad. House of Cards, and Veep. Americans aren't steeped in UK politics so just bringing just bringing the show over wouldn't work. 

Does the US version of Coupling being so bad cancel those two out?

[ganesh]

Veep is basically In The Thick Of It. The creator is the same. 

[DittyDotDot]

I'm sorry, I don't think I was clear, I meant In The Thick Of It could do just fine as is and American audiences could follow along. I probably shouldn't use that as an example because I haven't actually watched In The Thick Of It, but it's on my list so it was one that quickly came to mind. The difference with Veep and In The Thick Of It, as I understand it is, they did take their own spin on each of these shows and made them their own. With Being Human, they changed the names of some of the characters, but they were essentially the same character and they did almost identical storylines for the first season at least. Same with The Office. I can totally understand taking a concept--a funny and satirical look at politics--and reworking it to be something different, but I don't understand the need to actually copy the original when the original is right there to watch instead.

[Kel Varnsen]

Same with The Office. I can totally understand taking a concept--a funny and satirical look at politics--and reworking it to be something different, but I don't understand the need to actually copy the original when the original is right there to watch instead.

But there is no way the British version of the Office could have been shown on NBC. I can't imagine the amount of complaints they would get, just in regards to the content.

[DittyDotDot]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but it sounds like your saying that Americans will only watch other Americans and only in American settings. I just don't think that's the case anymore. Plenty of Americans did watch the British version of The Office and not only liked it, but preferred it to the US version, they just had to work harder to find it. I can easily imagine it being shown on NBC and doing rather well also.

[Kel Varnsen]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but it sounds like your saying that Americans will only watch other Americans and only in American settings. I just don't think that's the case anymore. Plenty of Americans did watch the British version of The Office and not only liked it, but preferred it to the US version, they just had to work harder to find it. I can easily imagine it being shown on NBC and doing rather well also.

My point was that the content of a lot of the episodes of the British office would not be allowed on US network TV because of US censorship rules, the FCC and all of that.

[DittyDotDot]

You do have a point that many British shows get away with a lot more than would be allowed on American television--I hadn't thought of that. I guess it's been a few years since I watched it, but I don't remember there being anything that was any more outlandish than they get away with now. I admit though, I'm rarely pay attention to those things though, so I could be misremembering it.

[Kel Varnsen]

You do have a point that many British shows get away with a lot more than would be allowed on American television--I hadn't thought of that. I guess it's been a few years since I watched it, but I don't remember there being anything that was any more outlandish than they get away with now. I admit though, I'm rarely pay attention to those things though, so I could be misremembering it.

Mostly just the swearing and other language. Plus the whole plot about the photoshopped picture of David Brent that was going around. When they recycled that plotline for the US version they had to completely change what was upsetting Michael Scott.

 

That said I do think enough people would be turned off by the accents to turn away. The British version on NBC wouldn't get nearly the ratings the Steve Carell version did. And that doesn't even account for how there are a lot of people who don't like Ricky Gervais.

[blueray]

I wish that instead of remaking a foriegn show (mostly from the UK) they would just give us the original. I know that you get most likely get it online but on tv would be good too. I know that Primeval was much better then the Canada "spin off" was.

[BellaLugosi]

Mostly just the swearing and other language. Plus the whole plot about the photoshopped picture of David Brent that was going around. When they recycled that plotline for the US version they had to completely change what was upsetting Michael Scott.

 

That said I do think enough people would be turned off by the accents to turn away. The British version on NBC wouldn't get nearly the ratings the Steve Carell version did. And that doesn't even account for how there are a lot of people who don't like Ricky Gervais.

 

I agree re: accents.  There's even commercials that play here in Canada and the person has a British accent, and they dub it with an American accent for their channels.  

 

 

I know that Primeval was much better then the Canada "spin off" was.

 

OMG this show was one of the biggest disappointments of my TV watching life. I was SO excited for it, and it didn't measure up, at all.

 

Also agree with what's been said about Joan Rivers here. Hateful woman, hiding behind comedy.

Edited September 17, 2014 by BellaLugosi

[ganesh]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but it sounds like your saying that Americans will only watch other Americans and only in American settings.

 

By and large I think so. There's definitely tons of plots on UK shows that would no way fly in the USA.

[ToxicUnicorn]

There was a remake of the Prisoner a while back.

 

What show was this, ganesh?  I have never seen the Prisoner, but it sounded like my kind of show.

[Shannon L.]

 

I hated April on Parks and Recreation. I didn't think she was funny or cute. She was a bratty immature bitch.

 

I could not stand all the Jerry hate on Parks and Recreation. It darkened an otherwise wonderful show. Tom, whom I liked otherwise, seemed to be the worst offender to me. Just once I wanted Jerry to haul off and punch him dead in the face.

I agree with both of these.  We just finished season one and, while I'm enjoying it, I don't think I'd miss April and I really don't like what they do to Jerry.  It's like the way Toby was treated in The Office, but even worse because it's all of them, not just the boss.

 

Earlier on this thread (or TV Tropes, I forget), I wrote that I really hated the characters who are too stupid to survive past childhood, but I have to admit, that in Parks and Recreation, I'm enjoying Andy.  I don't know if it's Chris Pratt's portrayal of him or that he's not quite as stupid as others (Kevin on The Office, Woody on Cheers, as a couple of examples), but he makes me laugh.

[DittyDotDot]

What show was this, ganesh?  I have never seen the Prisoner, but it sounded like my kind of show.

 

I'm not ganesh, but know the answer to this. It was also called The Prisoner and I thought it wasn't all that bad, but then again I didn't watch the original so, I didn't have that rattling around in my brain to sour my watching.  It wasn't an American version remake, though. It did have Ian McKellen in it. I think it was remade in 2009 or 2010, if I remember correctly.

[callie lee 29]

 

I was not sad about Joan River's death.  I always thought she was mean spirited.  Don Rickles was the true insult comedian and you always knew he made fun of himself the most.

Thank you. I would be a grade-A hypocrite if I sang the praises of Rivers's "legacy" simply because she's dead. I never found her witty, insightful, or even mildly amusing. It was sickening how she fat-shamed other women who dared to be themselves instead of nipping and tucking themselves into oblivion. I'll never forget how, at the 1998 Oscars, she said that Helen Hunt weighed less than Kate Winslet's arm. 

Completely agree. Don't get me wrong, I feel very bad for her daughter and her grandson, my sympathy goes out to them, I've lost my family and it sucks. But I;m not going to spend a whole lot of time who said "...that Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry (two of the women held in the Cleveland human slavery house by Ariel DeJesus)should not complain: "They got to live rent free for more than a decade . . . One of them has a book deal. Neither are in a psych ward. They're OK. I bet you within three years one of them will be on Dancing with the Stars." (italics mine for clarity).

 

Seriously, Three women were held against their will as sex slaves for years and that's your comment. And then have the audacity to be offended when asked to apologize (,,,but I'm a comedienne..). Go fuck yourself. 

[Mindymoo]

Regarding Joan Rivers, I also loathe what she said about the Palestinians, and how they are all stupid and deserve to get brutally killed. Sorry, apartheid and women who are kidnapped and sexually tortured for years on end are nothing to joke about. Yet people go on and on about how great she was. Give me a fucking break.

[Minneapple]

I think Hollywood is largely unwilling to take risks with new ideas for movies or TV. Or, quite honestly, some of the recent TV shows that have been green-lit are so stupid, it makes me wonder if there are any good ideas in Hollywood. So what's the next best thing? Study a successful TV show from the UK or Israel or Canada, steal it, and turn it into a successful American show.

There are literally thousands more hours of American-produced television than British television. So I'd wager that maybe, just maybe, American writers and producers have created an idea or two in their time. British networks fill a lot of their hours with American shows -- and I'd imagine that a big reason the UK doesn't remake American shows is that the networks over there simply don't have the money that the US networks play around with.

[applecrisp]

Completely agree. Don't get me wrong, I feel very bad for her daughter and her grandson, my sympathy goes out to them, I've lost my family and it sucks. But I;m not going to spend a whole lot of time who said "...that Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry (two of the women held in the Cleveland human slavery house by Ariel DeJesus)should not complain: "They got to live rent free for more than a decade . . . One of them has a book deal. Neither are in a psych ward. They're OK. I bet you within three years one of them will be on Dancing with the Stars." (italics mine for clarity).

 

Seriously, Three women were held against their will as sex slaves for years and that's your comment. And then have the audacity to be offended when asked to apologize (,,,but I'm a comedienne..). Go fuck yourself. 

Wow,just wow!  I did not hear that one.  I was upset because she called Kanye and Kim's baby ugly and thought that was bad.  No, I'm not a Kimye fan.  Just some things are off limits.  I think some of the out pouring of grief was because it was on the heals of the truly genuine Robin Williams death.   Rivers was on every D-list reality show she could book for her and her daughter --, Celebrity Wife Swap, The Apprentice etc.  She was not A-list at all.

 

Just bitter that she skewered Elisabeth Taylor for years and people seemed more broken up about her(Joan) death.

Edited September 18, 2014 by applecrisp

[ramble]

I didn't realize this was so rare until I saw how many people listed Simpsons quotes as go tos, but I loathe that show. I tried an episode here & there & then decided to stop torturing myself trying to find the appeal. I may be a minority of one, but if it were a choice of that series or no tv ever, it would be an easy decision.

[Kel Varnsen]

There are literally thousands more hours of American-produced television than British television. So I'd wager that maybe, just maybe, American writers and producers have created an idea or two in their time. British networks fill a lot of their hours with American shows -- and I'd imagine that a big reason the UK doesn't remake American shows is that the networks over there simply don't have the money that the US networks play around with.

Not only that but the remakes work both ways. Law and Order UK basically just remade plots from the original Law and Order but changed the setting to London (ok they did modernize things and change some endings I think).

[selkie]

I'm not ganesh, but know the answer to this. It was also called The Prisoner and I thought it wasn't all that bad, but then again I didn't watch the original so, I didn't have that rattling around in my brain to sour my watching.

 

The original Prisoner was big concept-big symbolism about individuality, the struggle for freedom against totalitarianism, the creepiness of incessant state surveillance, the willingness to trade freedom for relative safety, and a whole buch of other things. While the visuals were straight 60s Mod (and were part of the show's charm) the scripts seemed relevant for a long time after the show ended, and when BBC America, I think it was, aired the show  again somewhere around 2003 when the hysteria to Do Something Anything about 9/11 was at its peak, there were some things that were pretty freaky when you compared show to current atmosphere.

 

The show was really Patrick McGoohan's baby, and any attempt to remake it without him as AMC did, had about a 98% chance of missing the fundamental theme and point of why the first one was a cult classic.

[ParadoxLost]

Same with The Office. I can totally understand taking a concept--a funny and satirical look at politics--and reworking it to be something different, but I don't understand the need to actually copy the original when the original is right there to watch instead.

No British show can fit the US network model.  The Office was 12 episodes long.  The US version was 201 episodes long.  Even cable is double the BBC episodes per season and go on for many more years. 

 

I guarantee you they made a crap ton more money airing 201 episodes of the remake than they would have gotten from twelve of the original.  Can you imagine a US network saying, 'Our number one show only has 12 episodes, I guess we'll need to find something else midseason.'

 

US television is a business, they are going to see a show that has been tested and been successful in another market as a better bet than a new idea.  Maybe a UK show might fail to grab massive US audiences because of cultural differences or sensibilities, but it will never make it past the money to test the theory.

 

I think Hollywood is largely unwilling to take risks with new ideas for movies or TV. Or, quite honestly, some of the recent TV shows that have been green-lit are so stupid, it makes me wonder if there are any good ideas in Hollywood. So what's the next best thing? Study a successful TV show from the UK or Israel or Canada, steal it, and turn it into a successful American show.

 

Yes Hollywood is going to do this.  They are also going to produce original ideas because they make that many hours of TV.  But also, there is no new idea under the sun.  Its not like the Office UK (as an example) was the first of its kind to satirize corporate culture.  There was the movie 'Office Space', the cartoon Dilbert...

Edited September 18, 2014 by ParadoxLost

[ToxicUnicorn]

I'm not ganesh, but know the answer to this. It was also called The Prisoner

 

Thanks, DittyDotDot.  I feel enlightened and stupid at the same time.  Thanks also to selkie for the description of the original. 

[Kel Varnsen]

I guarantee you they made a crap ton more money airing 201 episodes of the remake than they would have gotten from twelve of the original.  Can you imagine a US network saying, 'Our number one show only has 12 episodes, I guess we'll need to find something else midseason.'

Yea I am not sure what the point would be of running the British version of the office on US network TV would be.  You get half a season and then what, try to develop something else. It worked on British TV because the BBC funding model is completely different. In the US it is all about ad money and needing to establish things. Even Ricky Gervais recognized that the US version of the office is what made him rich. I think he talked about it on the Emmy's one year about how the NBC version was so successful it basically made him untouchable, in that he could now do whatever he wanted.

[DittyDotDot]

No British show can fit the US network model.  The Office was 12 episodes long.  The US version was 201 episodes long.  Even cable is double the BBC episodes per season and go on for many more years. 

 

Maybe it's time to rethink the US network model?

 

Not only that but the remakes work both ways. Law and Order UK basically just remade plots from the original Law and Order but changed the setting to London (ok they did modernize things and change some endings I think).

 

I think my original point is getting lost here. I totally concede there are no real "new" ideas out there, but I'm not talking about shows that took an already-made concept and turned it into something different, I'm talking about shows that basically took the same exact characters and had them basically doing and saying the same exact things. I wouldn't put Law And Order UK in this category. They are different characters, with different backstories and saying different words. Yes they remade some of the same cases, but the changed them up and took a new look at some of these issues and rarely did I feel like I was watching the same episode. Basically, they made the show their own. Selfie is another example of taking something already done (and done to death) and taking a fresh new look at it. Eliza and Henry are very different characters and the issues they are exploring are different. They modernized it and made it their own. The show itself may not be my cup of tea, but that's not because it's a remake.

 

Being Human US basically took the same three characters and did the same story. Yeah, they tweaked it a bit here and there, but not enough that made it their own take on the concept. They basically just copied what the original did. I understand they went off-book in the second season, but they had already lost me by that time because I had already watched a better version of this story That's an instance where I was wondering why SyFy dropped a bunch of money on getting the rights to do the remake and dropped some more money to hire cast and crew and produce their own version when I'd think it would have been far cheaper to just get the rights to air the original show. However, I do concede that possibly not all of what was in the original would have passed Standards and Practices, so maybe it wasn't a viable option. But I still think they could have owned their version a bit more.

 

Similarly with The Office. I watched the first season of US version and enjoyed quite a bit of it. But then I sought out the British version and was blown away with how much better is was and could barely watch the second season of the US version and quit watching it altogether before S3. It was too much of a copy for me to enjoy it any longer.

 

Gracepoint is another perfect example of what I'm talking about. It appears they're going to use the same basic characters from Broadchurch and redo the same basic case and from the previews it looks like they are saying a lot of the same exact dialogue. I'm sure there will be some differences because the way law enforcement works is different in the US, but basically it's the same thing just being said by people with American accents.

 

That's what I don't get. Why not take the opportunity to change things up a bit and explore something different. Broadchurch itself was already a remake, but they made it their own interesting story an I loved it. True Detective is a spin on the same concept as Broadchurch, but a completely different show so it was easy to fall in love with it. I'm totally in love with Hannibal, but again it's got it's own twist on these characters instead of just recycling the same old same old. It's not the remake itself that I object to, it's the blatant copyism that rubs me the wrong way.

 

Thanks, DittyDotDot.  I feel enlightened and stupid at the same time.  Thanks also to selkie for the description of the original. 

 

You're most welcome and you shouldn't feel stupid, I only came across is by accident myself a couple years ago. A friend of mine suggested I watch the original (I was alive when the original aired, but nowhere near old enough to watch it) and I found the remake instead and not knowing any better started watching it--I realized quite quickly that this wasn't the show she was talking about though. I do have the original on my list of things to watch, but there is just so much to get to these days and not enough time.

Edited September 18, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[junemeatcleaver]

Law & Order UK came off as an exact copy to me, I didn't even bother with it after a couple of episodes. 

 

I don't care if US networks remake British shows.  They've always done it, and I don't see why it's different now that *some* viewers are now aware of the source material thanks to the internet.  TV shows aren't sacred idols that should remain untouched by icky, uncreative US producers to me. 

 

I find it weird that only UK shows are somehow untouchable.  The remakes, copy-ism and ripoffs have gone both ways for decades, and, like was said before, we would see it more if UK peeps had the cash.

Edited September 18, 2014 by junemeatcleaver

[merylinkid]

L & O UK was supposed to be an exact copy.   That was the contract Dick Wolf signed with BBC.   All of the shows would be the same ones shown in the US just with the UK characters.   It was never meant to be an original.

[DittyDotDot]

I find it weird that only UK shows are somehow untouchable.  The remakes, copy-ism and ripoffs have gone both ways for decades, and, like was said before, we would see it more if UK peeps had the cash.

 

I'm not sure I hold all things British above all others (see below), I was just using those shows as examples because they are something that most people are familiar with. Quite frankly I can't recall the last time I watched a British version of an American show, but I feel the same was if it's just a recycling of the same characters with the same storylines and dialogue. Maybe it's just that I applaud ingenuity more than I applaud regurgitation.

 

L & O UK was supposed to be an exact copy.   That was the contract Dick Wolf signed with BBC.   All of the shows would be the same ones shown in the US just with the UK characters.   It was never meant to be an original.

 

Oh, I know it wasn't meant to be "original," that's why its a remake. They did do many of the same cases in the first season (I only watched one season of the UK version), but many of them did take their own look at them and have slightly different discussions within the episode and, as I recall, a lot of them ended with different outcomes. I never felt like I was watching Brisco and Logan with British accents so the reason I wasn't so into the show had nothing to do with being a remake but more to do with me not finding the cases themselves all that interesting.

[ganesh]

I find it weird that only UK shows are somehow untouchable.

 

No one is saying they are untouchable. They're being used as an example because we have a few recent shows that everyone knows. We're picking really really good UK shows that got remade to point out that remaking an exceptional show just isn't the same. It's more of an indictment of the USA broadcast model. HBO produces superior shows and actually partners with UK networks. By and large the best shows are on USA cable. BBCA is becoming *the* go to place for quality scifi. These are all shows that use a "UK" model. More serialized, less writers, short orders. 

 

But you get something like USA Life on Mars. That was *terrible*. I've never seen such good actors given such shit to work with. 

 

Maybe it's time to rethink the US network model?

 

I've been saying this for years. It depends on their goals, I suppose. 

 

It wasn't an American version remake, though. It did have Ian McKellen in it. I think it was remade in 2009 or 2010, if I remember correctly.

 

You're not supposed to be rooting for Number 2. I think this was part of the beginning of using a known property and remaking it but not really having much to do with the original. I think the cast was largely Brit. There were some good ideas, but they missed the point so much that I don't think they were interested in exploring the original premise in a contemporary setting. 

 

Gracepoint is another perfect example of what I'm talking about. It appears they're going to use the same basic characters from Broadchurch and redo the same basic case and from the previews it looks like they are saying a lot of the same exact dialogue.

 

With the same actor! I have no idea what Tennant is thinking. And Broadchurch isn't "untouchable". One could argue that True Detective is the real Broadchurch remake. 

 

What needs to be done is awareness of these original great UK shows needs to be generated. PBS has aired a lot of the UK shows, and it would be great if they were able to do more. We're not seeing a Downton Abbey being remade because it's airing over here too. 

Edited September 18, 2014 by ganesh

[lucindabelle]

Here's a really UO. I like the us version of The Office better than ge English one. I saw the English one first and I have always enjoyed English comedy it that one was just comedy of discomfort for the most part. I found much more heart in huge American one. I also think the shows were very different.

I don't think resetting something in nj environment you live in means you're too stupid to understand he original. For a workplace comedy to tickle most Americans it helps for the workplace to be like one you recognize. I also thought law and order uk completely sucked.

I do like he idea of limited series as the Brits do it but the office per se didn't need to be, so I was fine with it extending. Another UO re that show is I always liked him and Pam.

Never liked friends. The theme song annoyed me. Never bought into it though I was perfect age for it.

[DittyDotDot]

But you get something like USA Life on Mars. That was *terrible*. I've never seen such good actors given such shit to work with.  

 

Oh, Lord yes! And, because they were largely just copying plots rather than adapting the basic premise and twisting it into something new, I didn't think it make sense in a US setting. I don't think I even finished watching all the episodes in the end. Man did I love the UK version, though. Another perfectly good example of my "why didn't they just air the original version" face.

 

 

I don't think resetting something in nj environment you live in means you're too stupid to understand he original. For a workplace comedy to tickle most Americans it helps for the workplace to be like one you recognize. I also thought law and order uk completely sucked.

 

I'm really sorry if I implied that anyone was too stupid to understand the original if they preferred the remake. I didn't mean that at all. For me, I found the British version just as relatable as the American version of working in an office, but I totally understand why some would not have found it recognizable. And preferring the American version doesn't make me think someone is stupid at all. Personally, there's nothing wrong with the American version of The Office, I just didn't understand the need for it is all.

 

I totally agree that Law And Order UK sucked, IMO. My actual point was that it's level of suckatude had nothing to do with being a remake, though.

Edited September 18, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[Minneapple]

Maybe it's time to rethink the US network model?

Take a show like Sherlock. Enormously popular. Critically acclaimed. Yet only three episodes are produced once every oh, two years or so. You know, when everyone's schedule can fit it in. Imagine changing the US broadcast model to the point where that was acceptable. It's just not possible. Advertisers would flip. Audiences would lose interest.

The US network model is making billions of dollars. I doubt they throw it out the window any time soon because people think the UK version of The Office is superior to the US version.

And I like the US broadcast model. I like having tons of TV show options. With lots of episodes to watch.

HBO produces superior shows and actually partners with UK networks.

I'm curious what you mean by this.

[DittyDotDot]

Take a show like Sherlock. Enormously popular. Critically acclaimed. Yet only three episodes are produced once every oh, two years or so. You know, when everyone's schedule can fit it in. Imagine changing the US broadcast model to the point where that was acceptable. It's just not possible. Advertisers would flip. Audiences would lose interest.

The US network model is making billions of dollars. I doubt they throw it out the window any time soon because people think the UK version of The Office is superior to the US version.

And I like the US broadcast model. I like having tons of TV show options. With lots of episodes to watch.

 

I didn't realize I was suggesting that they throw out the entire model because of my one unpopular opinion. I thought I was suggesting that maybe a little rethinking and possibly retooling where improvement is needed. It doesn't mean they need to chuck it all and start over, maybe a melding of the minds instead. And I don't think every show needs to be shortened or anything like that, but maybe try not to put every show into a cookie cutter. IMO, not every show is at it's best in this model and I find watching things in the best possible incarnation to be more enjoyable. Personally, I think it could open up possibilities for more options since they would need more things to fill the spots of shows that were shorter runs which would mean more shows would get that chance to have a go. I think it could actually add variety. Right now, I don't feel there is a lot of variety on network television because they are all so busy trying to stay in their molds that it's hard to tell one show from another anymore.

[allyw]

USA networks are not going to just show British and other foreign shows in their original format because it won't make them much money. When shows get remade here, they are usually produced by the networks sister studios and showing a 6 episode season is not going to fly for advertisers. As for quality, I put some British show side by side with many cable shows and I think that having smaller episode count per season and not having to deal with Standards & Practices helps in that regards. Also sometimes when a network remakes a show it almost seem like they miss what the show is actually about and only go for the surface fluff with pretty people. I don't know how many times I've seen a broadcast show where everyone didn't look like a model. 

[Minneapple]

The thing is that the system has changed. A lot. You never used to see summer shows. Now both broadcast and cable nets have a ton of summer series, mostly shorter than the usual 22-episode series. Other shows are greenlit specifically for shorter seasons (Sleepy Hollow for instance). So I think the networks are redoing things, but because US television is advertiser-driven, they're not as free to take bigger risks.

[ganesh]

I didn't think it make sense in a US setting.

 

Actually, it didn't make sense set in NYC. Manchester in the 70s = a place like Cleveland or Detroit. They fell into the trap of LA or NYC on tv and that's it. The other thing about whether Sam UK was in a 'real' place or not was that he was every scene. You just can't do that for 22 episodes. The poor actor would keel over. 

 

And I like the US broadcast model.

I like having tons of TV show options. With lots of episodes to watch.

 

 

Broadcast = broadcast networks btw, not cable channels, that offer more year round original content and more interesting shows. 

 

HBO, Starz, Showtime, AMC, FX tend to produce superior shows because they aren't so tied to ratings like the broadcast nets are. Therefore, TPTBs have more creative freedom and shows tend to be better. GOT is a ratings juggernaut and I'm sure HBO is thrilled, but no one watched The Wire and it was fantastic and was on five seasons. No chance on NBC. 

 

As for quality, I put some British show side by side with many cable shows and I think that having smaller episode count per season and not having to deal with Standards & Practices helps in that regards.

 

There's no way a broadcast show with 22 episodes and a team of writers can maintain high quality. There's going to be clunkers. Not to mention the material is better because some plots just won't be allowed. 

 

I thought I was suggesting that maybe a little rethinking and possibly retooling where improvement is needed.

 

If the broadcast nets are interested in more original quality content, then yes. They're using a model that's decades old and doesn't account for how people watch tv nowadays either. Family sitcoms are still derived from the Honeymooners for the most part. It's stale. Really though, broadcast shows are largely something that fills air between commercials. Look at the garbage pile of reality shows. 

 

Also sometimes when a network remakes a show it almost seem like they miss what the show is actually about and only go for the surface fluff with pretty people. I don't know how many times I've seen a broadcast show where everyone didn't look like a model.

 

That's really what it is. One of the great thing about UK shows is that the people aren't all models. 

[galax-arena]

TV shows aren't sacred idols that should remain untouched by icky, uncreative US producers to me.

I don’t think original TV shows are sacred idols. I’m just bummed because I think a lot of these shows give little glimpses into another culture or way of life, and I like that. A lot of that is lost when a remake is done because then it just becomes Americanized. I don't need to see another legal procedural about the US justice system, dangit!

 

Sometimes it’s the little things. I watched this one New Zealand show (This Is Not My Life) that wasn’t completely quintessentially Kiwi in that I felt a lot of it would translate well over the pond, but one thing the show did was use the phrase “kia ora” a lot. I think someone bought the rights for an American remake - although that was several years ago, so I doubt anything will come of it - and, I don’t know, it kinda makes me sad that something like that little touch would be taken out.