US remakes of British sitcoms.

Hangdogroad · 04-12-2022 9:24am #1

There's a long tradition of the Americans doing their own versions of British sitcoms. Steptoe And Son was remade as Sandford And Son, dont think that was shown on this side of the Atlantic.

The superb One Foot In The Grave was turned into a lame Bill Cosby vehicle called, um, "Cosby". I remember TG4 showing it in the early 00s.

A US version of Dads Army didn't get off the ground beyond the pilot, which was a reshoot of the Deadly Attachment episode. Besides being an almost unworkable idea to begin with the clips I've seen of it are cringeworthy.

Any decent ones?

icdg · 04-12-2022 9:43am

The Office is the only one, I think, to eclipse its U.K. protogeniter in terms of popularity and recognition. I know lots of people who hate the U.K. version (which lives or dies on what you think of Ricky Gervais’ act in it) whereas the US version is more of an ensemble piece.

Igotadose · 04-12-2022 9:48am

Benny Hill was remade as the Republican Party. I call that a draw./s

bad2thebone · 04-12-2022 10:06am

American comedy is good when they have dry humor, such as Chevy Chase, Gene Wilder and similar but the new comedy is absolutely shocking.

The Americans were good with dry nonchalant comedy, while the British were good for shock and awe in your face humor.

Neither could emulate the other.

Woke and cancel culture have killed humor, I've yet to see someone who's woke funny...

Xander10 · 04-12-2022 10:10am

Did some other country do a version of Fawlty Towers?

ancapailldorcha · 04-12-2022 10:11am

As has been said, The Office is probably the best example of eclipsing its UK counterpart in terms of quality. Nothing else springs to mind.

American comedy feels very tame compared to UK stuff. The Office UK's characters are much less likeable than their American counterparts. The majority of US stuff is quite bland as well IMO. That said, there's still a solid amount of quality like Community, The Good Place, Parks & Rec and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Hangdogroad · 04-12-2022 10:20am

Thought the US version of Dear John was quite decent, will always prefer the original but other than the Office I think its up there as one of the better examples.

04-12-2022 10:59am

The best example of humour not working abroad is the inbetweeners “bus ****” that line was a classic and you hear it now and again and see it in memes etc

in the failed US version it was “bus turds” which isn’t funny at all

CastorTroy · 04-12-2022 11:03am

I haven't watched either version but Ghosts seems to get good reviews.

04-12-2022 11:04am

This

https://youtu.be/8Yredc3ayOE

04-12-2022 11:08am

Here’s one

https://youtu.be/KADN3xFICHk

sydthebeat · 04-12-2022 11:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119954953#Comment_119954953

I lasted about 45 seconds before I turned that drivel off

robbie67 · 04-12-2022 11:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119954847#Comment_119954847

Yes it was called Amanda,s

Its starred Bea Arthur in the main part

04-12-2022 11:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119954967#Comment_119954967

Me too

Hangdogroad · 04-12-2022 11:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119954992#Comment_119954992

There was another remake called Payne from 1999. Remember seeing a couple of episodes shown on a graveyard slot (on RTE ?). It was fupping awful.

silverharp · 04-12-2022 11:52am

The American Inbetweeners was an abomination , Its interesting to watch some of the scene comparison analysis videos on YT, whatever about cultural differences causing it to be bad, it looked like it failed 101 writing standards

04-12-2022 12:09pm

One of my absolute favourite shows ever from ch4 , destroyed by prime 😂

https://youtu.be/lk_QsSiSpbg

Truely amazing tension and real acting in the original compared to the US spelling it all out for you

pixelburp · 04-12-2022 12:15pm

It seems rather insane to take something often containing unmistakeable Britishisms or cultural footprint, and transplant it to an American context. So much is just immediately lost in translation. I do get the curiousity and desire to take a success from the UK and see if it would work in an American context - but it rarely does.

Enter the failed attempt to do a US Red Dwarf. Can't remember if this was ever actually broadcast but whatever on thinks of the original show it was so, definitively, English in its DNA.

https://youtu.be/TcoycQSHSb4

CastorTroy · 04-12-2022 12:18pm

Another I didn't watch either version of but the American version seemed to do well is Shameless.

Or another example of a bad one is Red Dwarf. That was not good. Pretty sure Lister isn't meant to look like Hugh Jackman.

Of course, it works both ways with UK remakes of US shows. Days Like These being a version of That 70s Show.

I do remember there being talk of a US remake of Father Ted.

Fr Tod Umptious · 04-12-2022 12:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119954848#Comment_119954848

I may be misremembering this but I recall hearing that the first attempt at the US Office was a carbon copy of the British one and that it got panned by the industry critics for being far too negative.

So they changed it to be the version that it became and ended up a great success.

I've never really watched much of the US Office but from what I recall all it had in common with the original was the name.

OU812 · 04-12-2022 12:30pm

Ghosts is an excellent remake, Both series work extremely well & independently.

There was an attempt at the IT crowd which was dreadful

Stevolende · 04-12-2022 12:43pm

Has been going on for decades Alf Garnett from Til Death Us Do Part became Archie Bunker in All In The Family which i think was popular over there and also had the actor playing the main character needing to distance himself from the character. People taking his bigotry as literal not satire.

Steptoe and Son was remade as Sanford and Son where the characters became black. Steptoe/Sanford sr being played by Redd Foxx who was a lot cooler than Wilfrid Bramble.

Man About The HOuse was remade as Three's Company. Not seen either in a long time so they may be pretty dated,

DoctorEdgeWild · 04-12-2022 12:47pm

The Office is a great example to show the difference in taste for comedy between the two audiences.

The Office - Sharp, understated comedy with realistic characters that are written to be believable. Occasional moments of crazy but all intended to be possible in the real world.

US Office - Nothing subtle, very obvious jokes and characters that are parodies. Lots of 'zaniness'. Written to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

Both work for their intended audiences. The Red Dwarf and Peep Show examples above need to be burned out from my mind. Never seen anything miss the mark so widely.

04-12-2022 12:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119955222#Comment_119955222

nail on head, uk /Irish do some of the heavy lifting in our imaginations whereas everything in the US has to be spelled out

04-12-2022 1:01pm

Something that riled me a little is all the praise heaped on scorsese and Damon for the departed on an artistic level when it’s “just a remake “ of an already brilliant film

wilkie2006 · 04-12-2022 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119954848#Comment_119954848

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119955222#Comment_119955222

Really disagree that US Office eclipsed UK's "in terms of quality". Popularity? Probably, but not quality.

Two very different programmes and agree with DoctorEdgeWild's summation.

Igotadose · 04-12-2022 1:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119955248#Comment_119955248

US has to appeal to a broader less educated audience with a mix of puritanical didpositios - UK ads and dialogue can be surprisingly crude especially to American ears and eyes.

martingriff · 04-12-2022 2:06pm

Didn't the US do a version of shameless or was it the other way round but ya as others have said is the office

04-12-2022 2:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119955396#Comment_119955396

It doesn’t have to 😂

Bodan · 04-12-2022 2:37pm

It's not a sitcom but the us version of Who's line is it anyway is still going and gets good ratings. It has two of the original cast members from the uk version, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles.

Hangdogroad · 04-12-2022 2:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119955444#Comment_119955444

UK version was first.

Hangdogroad · 04-12-2022 2:52pm

They even attempted to remake the Young Ones, with Nigel Planer reprising his role as Neil alongside a new cast. The title they gave it , "Oh No, NOT THEM!" says it all. Nigel dodged a bullet by it not being developed into a full series as apparently he had to agree to it as part of a contract he was locked into at the time.

riclad · 04-12-2022 3:26pm

All in the family 70s comedy based on uk til death do us part ,it was a good tv show.Most uk sitcoms are more realistic and darker than us sitcoms , threes company ,based on a uk comedy man about the house.i think nowadays if a uk tv show is a hit ,it,ll be shown on netflix or some other streaming service. most usa sitcoms based on uk shows are awful ,but theres dozens of pilots made every year that never get a full series.i think the usa office is based on the idea of a boss who thinks he,s cool, whos an idiot, its still widely watched on streaming services ,the usa cast is completely different .its still a very good show .

in general usa comedys tend to be aimed at a middle of the road audience the characters are more optimistic and less cynical.

geecee · 04-12-2022 4:11pm

The Upper Hand (TV series) - Wikipedia is a British television sitcom broadcast by ITV from 1990 to 1996. The programme was adapted from the American sitcom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_the_Boss%3F

I always thought The Upper Hand was better than the original

Capt'n Midnight · 04-12-2022 4:27pm

The Ropers was a spin off of Three's Company. As was Three's A Crowd.

George and Mildred was a spin off of Man About The House. As was Robin's Nest.

Cosby copied Steptoe and Son and One Foot In The Grave

As for House Of Cards "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment".

odyssey06 · 04-12-2022 6:29pm

They even tried a remake of Home to Roost!

You Again?

With Jack Klugman in for John Thaw and John Stamos for Reece Dinsdale.

Bonus trivia from wiki...

British actress Elizabeth Bennett played housekeeper "Enid Thompson" in the British version and "Enid Tompkins" in the US version simultaneously, so she was a frequent commuter from London to Los Angeles during the time in which You Again? was in production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t16NQJw0hrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-k4Mgorkew

icdg · 04-12-2022 9:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119955444#Comment_119955444

The Shameless thing is interesting because they both ran for more or less a decade. What’s odd about it is that it’s the UK version that had an awful problem with cast turnover (characters would appear like they were always there and disappear just as quickly) and by its end was really more about the Maguire’s than Gallaghers and Frank, already a characature descended into a parody of his original self. U.K. Frank becomes a much more sympathetic character than the US version ever could.. Arguably the US version stayed closer to its original roots. I don’t consider Shameless - either version- a sitcom though, it’s a dramedy at best.

US remakes of British sitcoms.

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