American television series based on British television series

[dead0man]

Are any of these shows better when made in the US?  I haven't seen most of the Brit versions, but I've watched at least a bit of all the American ones.  Some are obviously inferior...Top Gear being the most obvious example.  All in the Family was great, but I haven't seen the show it was based on to compare.  One could make a good argument for either Office being better.  Same for Whose Line.

Being Human
Dear John
Keep it in the Family/Too Close For Comfort
Man About The House/Three's Company
Max Headroom
The Office
Steptoe and Son/Sanford and Son
Till Death Us Do Part/All in the Family
Top Gear
Whose Line is it Anyway?


I left reality and game shows off the list (Holy crap we get a lot of reality style TV shows from the UK.  I think we know who to blame for that now!) and only put the ones that were a bit successful in the US (I probably missed a couple).  I didn't even know a third of those were based on UK shows.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

If anyone thinks the remake of Steptoe was better than the original, then the usual remark about the need to examine heads applies.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Honestly, none of them are touched by the US versions.

[dead0man]

Honestly, none of them are touched by the US versions.

Did anything this funny ever happen on the UK version of Whose Line?  I think I've seen every episode of both and while I loved the UK version, I can't remember anything as funny as that.  (or the old ladies doing the sound effects that almost killed Drew)

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

There are golden moments like that, but overall, I found the US version far too sanitised. Which is actually a problem I have with a lot of UK/US translations.

[Oakvale]

The ones that I've seen have mostly greatly paled in comparison to the originals.

While the best American television is unmatched by any, British or otherwise, (thinking of The Sopranos and The Wire, to name a couple), there's also a lot of dreck, and as far as I've seen remakes fall almost universally into this category.

Some of The Office was okay, I suppose.

[dead0man]

There are golden moments like that, but overall, I found the US version far too sanitised. Which is actually a problem I have with a lot of UK/US translations.

I'd agree with that assessment.  I love Ryan Styles and Colin Ma...Moc...Mochrie, but do we really need to see them EVERY FREAKING EPISODE?

[Хahar 🤔]

I always found it odd how many of the comedians on that show were Canadian.

[dead0man]

It seems like 80% of "funny people" are Canadian or Jewish.  You'd think being both would be an automatic home run, but really it's hit and miss....Eugene Levy, Seth Rogan, Howie Mandel....Levy is a great straight man, but hardly the funniest man on the planet and he is easily the funniest of the three.

I'll note that Captain Kirk and Neve Campbell are both Canadian Jews as well and while Shatner can be funny, that's not exactly what got him the brass ring.

[Hatman 🍁]

There aren't that many Canadian Jews to begin with.

That reminds me of the rapper Drake who is not only Canadian and Jewish, but also Black. How rare is that?

[politicus]

It seems like 80% of English speaking "funny people" are Canadian or Jewish.

Maybe true with that qualification, bt definitely not otherwise.

[bgwah]

American Shameless is better.

[Lief 🗽]

American The Office is better than the British version (or at least it was at its height; it's pretty mediocre by this point in its run).

[Marokai Backbeat]

I love Ryan Styles and Colin Ma...Moc...Mochrie, but do we really need to see them EVERY FREAKING EPISODE?

Yes, absolutely.

[dead0man]

It seems like 80% of English speaking "funny people" are Canadian or Jewish.

Maybe true with that qualification, bt definitely not otherwise.

Non-English speaking people can be funny?  cite?  (well, there is that Israeli Daily Show clone that I watch that is kind of funny...but again, they are Jewish)



(and on a very slightly more serious note, I did say "seems"...obviously the 80% isn't anywhere close to accurate...I'd be shocked if it was actually more than 30 or 40%)

[Joe Republic]

American The Office is better than the British version (or at least it was at its height; it's pretty mediocre by this point in its run).

That's why British TV shows have the right idea by limiting themselves to two or three (super short) seasons.



One of my favorite shows was Father Ted.  I shudder to think of such a thing, but how would it even translate to the US?  They'd have to be located on an island off Newfoundland or somewhere.  The humor just wouldn't work though.

Another favorite was Red Dwarf.  Thankfully, the US pilot was awful enough to not get picked up.

[dead0man]

Isn't Red Dwarf an example of a show that lasted longer than it should have though?  Those last couple of seasons were kind of hard to watch.

[Joe Republic]

Yeah, true.  It was an exception to the rule that British shows usually abide by, and has worked so well in the past.

[Mr. Morden]

American The Office is better than the British version (or at least it was at its height; it's pretty mediocre by this point in its run).

That's why British TV shows have the right idea by limiting themselves to two or three (super short) seasons.

I guess I actually disagree here.  I'd actually prefer it if the show goes on too long than if it doesn't go long enough.  I just don't let later, sub-par episodes degrade my opinion of what came before.  I can always stop watching if I don't like it anymore.

The British version of The Office was only, what?  14 episodes total?  It would have been a shame if the American version had stopped after 14 episodes.  Sure, the more recent seasons aren't very good, but there was a lot of great stuff in the first 50 or so episodes, if not the first 100.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Drop The Dead Donkey had 65 episodes and was consistently brilliant, so there are exceptions in the other direction as well.

[Leftbehind]

American Shameless is better.

There's an American Shameless?!

Skins
Life on Mars
Only Fools & Horses (apparently.)
Spaced (I remember reading it being opposed by the originals)

obviously I'm basing the list on UK popularity rather than US, as I've no idea if they're watched or not (my guess not, being they look sh**te).

[Platypus]

US Shameless is OK, not as good but not awful. US Wilbur is different from the Aussie one, and maybe better, maybe worse.

[doktorb]

American Shameless has translated pretty well. Obviously it can't incorporate all the British-isms, though they've worked out a lot successfully.

American The Office was excellent, and grew into its own beast soon enough, but does seem to be running out of steam now.

[dead0man]

The wife mentioned tonight that she heard there is going to be a spin off featuring Dwight.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Dwight is a good character (better than one he "coppied" from the UK version of the show) and if it's Mose heavy, it can't be horrible....but I fear it might be anyway....probably depends on who they get as writers.