tv: one more thing…
Dear Gods of Television,
Please inspire your earthly vessels to write some new shows* and stop reaching into time and space to swipe remake shows from the past or other countries–they won’t be as good or as funny**. Between constant commercials for Knight Rider last night, a teaser for Kath & Kim and a recent news story about The Worst Week of My Life it makes me wonder if we’re creating anything new anymore.
I still plan on watching Little Britain USA, but my expectations are getting lower and lower. It’s not Matt & David’s fault, but US tv just destroys British shows when they’re ported over here.
* Yes, I know.. I typed (OMG) shoes. It’s been a long day already.
** With the possible exception of The Office, the U.S. version of which I’ve never watched. Sadly its success led NBC to try bringing Coupling over here as well, which tanked!
I still plan on watching Little Britain USA, but my expectations are getting lower and lower. It’s not Matt & David’s fault, but US tv just destroys British shows when they’re ported over here.
A broad generalization, don’t you think? What about “All In The Family?” (based on “Till Death Do Us Part”)… “Three’s Company?” (based on “Man About the House”)… “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” (The Regis version with non-celeb contestants, not that watered-down truncation that is the syndicated version.)
And really, the reverse is also true. The Brits, for example, attempted their own version of “the Golden Girls” (they called it “Brighton Belles”) which tanked.
@Fredo: You’re right and I should clarify that I am speaking of the tv era after we were a little more globalized on the tube. Also television was more robust back in’na day so the shows were actually funny and enjoyable.
Nowadays many people have plenty of opportunity to watch the original source material and hold it up in comparison to re-makes as well as the re-made shows assimilating the current on-air customs and/or limitations of their new home networks. Like trying to produce a sexy comedy when they have to scrub out all the sex.
In an extra bit on an ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ dvd, Jennifer Saunders faked a call to Roseanne asking about the American version. She asked, “And are they still going to be allowed to drink too much, smoke too much and still be generally awful?” — clearly the answer was ‘nope!’
As for ‘Millionaire’… I just don’t like Regis. Though most modern-created game shows give me hives. Give me Match Game (and Match Game PM) any day! 🙂
Maybe tv quality goes in waves like pop music. Do you remember the very beginning of the 90’s, before Nirvana? Neds Atomic Dustbin?! Ocean Color Scene?! Are we due for a television revival, or am I smoking something?
@kyle: If you are, puff puff give!
@brian: I’ll concede that “WWTBAM?” was not a great example, but I was at a loss for a third hit show on American TV that originally started in the UK. 😳
Besides, I didn’t want to start dipping into so-called “reality” television: “Big Brother”… “American Idol”… and so on. 🙄
Unfortunately, the TV theft/appropriating/co-opting/translating/dumbing down for US audiences has its precedents in the movie realm. Sometimes perfect movies from France, Japan, or elsewhere become horrible American flicks: La Femme Nikita to Point of No Return, Shall We ダンス? to the Chicago set Shall We Dance?. Then Martin Scorcese stooped to appropriation with The Departed from the Hong Kong flick Infernal Affairs.
We seem to like things made to suit our American tastebuds, which is the sad truth.