American TV: Morons Ruining Great British Shows?

[FredGarvin]

OK. I don't usually do this, but I am to the point where I need to vent.

Who are the morons that are churning out TV programs in the US these days? Is there one single creative, free thinking mind among them? I have watched American TV rip off countless British shows and completely screw them up. The list that I can think of off the top of my head are:

- Ground Force
- Trading Spaces
- House Doctor
- Coupling
- The blind cop tv show that just came out (I can't remember the title).

Now they are adding Cash in the Attic to the list. They aren't even changing the title! I swear this p.o.'s me to no end. What other job can you think of where you can take someone else's work, steal it and take credit for "producing" something? People are getting paid to do this!

I would really like to get some of these "producers" in a room and ask them how the heck they feel good about themselves and possibly pound on them for ruining some of my favorite shows.

Whew! I needed that. Thanks.

P.S. Anyone from the island...any word on the new season of Green Wing? I am going into total withdrawl since the (literal) cliff hanger ending from last season.

 

[Astronuc]

Couping was to be adapted to the US audience, because the subtle difference between English in the US and the UK. They should not have bothered. Jeff is irreplaceable. "Results" :rofl:

Americans just aren't as funny as the British when it comes to certain things.

Ignore the American versions and watch BBC or PBS.

Fred - have you seen "Mind of the Married Man" (HBO)?

 

[Monique]

I read today that the American show about spotting the gay guys among a group of men was taking off the screen after 4 shows in the US and that all the people in the show were in fact ACTORS? (the show did completely air in Europe)

 

[Gale]

someone told me we ripped american idol from you guys too...

 

[Zygotic Embryo]

Nah, american television has always been funny, although nowadays we are more into reality and drama it seems here.

But yeah, you english are crazy

 

[russ_watters]

There are a handful of promising new shows for this fall (and from last year), which is more than can be said for the past 3 years (I don't know if they are ripoffs), but the whole "reality tv" bit was a disaster from start to finish. I don't care what kind of ratings Millionaire and Idol got in their first seasons - they got those ratings because of novelty, not quality. Most of the shows worth watching the past few years were put out by cable companies like HBO. Few shows on the major networks have the potential to be more than fads.

 

[Pengwuino]

OK. I don't usually do this, but I am to the point where I need to vent.

Who are the morons that are churning out TV programs in the US these days? Is there one single creative, free thinking mind among them? I have watched American TV rip off countless British shows and completely screw them up. The list that I can think of off the top of my head are:

We appologize for this. If you feel that you must, you can murder every network TV executive. Charges will not be brought up because let's face it, they aren't human.

 

[Pengwuino]

someone told me we ripped american idol from you guys too...

You mean the British brought this disease on us!??!

THIS MEANS WAR!

 

[Manchot]

I don't like these rants. There are quality shows, but you just have to look for them. Shows like Arrested Development, Scrubs, and Lost.

 

[jcsd]

someone told me we ripped american idol from you guys too...

Yes, it is just a re-heated version of the British TV show 'Pop Idol' (on which Simon Cowell was also a judge).

 

[Pengwuino]

I don't like these rants. There are quality shows, but you just have to look for them. Shows like Arrested Development, Scrubs, and Lost.

Yah but how the hell did arrested development get canceled? Yah its back on... but how could the idea of something so hilarious being canceled even be in the realm of remote possibility to the jackasses who run these networks yet we're inundated with American idol every 10 seconds.

 

[FredGarvin]

Coupling was to be adapted to the US audience, because the subtle difference between English in the US and the UK. They should not have bothered. Jeff is irreplaceable. "Results"

They didn't do a very good job adapting it. They copied the scripts word for word. One night we watched the same episode air on BBCA and NBC. Night and day. "Breasts"

Fred - have you seen "Mind of the Married Man" (HBO)?

Yes. I did see that show a few times. It was pretty good IIRC. As a matter of coincidence, the wife was an english lady, wasn't she? I do remember the "happy ending" that the guy used to get offered all the time. It's a running, painful joke with my wife because she is a massage therapist.

 

[FredGarvin]

There are a handful of promising new shows for this fall (and from last year), which is more than can be said for the past 3 years (I don't know if they are ripoffs), but the whole "reality tv" bit was a disaster from start to finish. I don't care what kind of ratings Millionaire and Idol got in their first seasons - they got those ratings because of novelty, not quality. Most of the shows worth watching the past few years were put out by cable companies like HBO. Few shows on the major networks have the potential to be more than fads.

I agree. It does seem that all they see is the short term gains of fads. I rarely watch regular network TV (that is, when I get a chance to watch TV). The sad thing is is that there appears to be no end to the reality fad.

 

[Astronuc]

The sad thing is is that there appears to be no end to the reality fad.

I guess reality is that bad for some people.

In Mind of the Married Man, Micky Barnes's (Mike Binder) wife Donna is played by British actress Sonya Walger. She's very good.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't like these rants. There are quality shows, but you just have to look for them. Shows like Arrested Development, Scrubs, and Lost.

I never saw Arrested Development, but I really don't like either Scrubs or Lost. Well, I don't like much of anything that's on currently. As I was ordering my cable (because I can't even get decent reception of the basic networks to just watch the news), I had to keep explaining to the person on the phone that I didn't want anything except the most basic service they could offer...just give me the 11 o'clock news without snow.

 

[SpaceTiger]

Couping was to be adapted to the US audience, because the subtle difference between English in the US and the UK. They should not have bothered. Jeff is irreplaceable. "Results" :rofl:

Totally agree. He's the British Kramer. The only funny thing about the US version was the fact that they actually thought it would work. :rofl:

 

[Chi Meson]

"Coupling" was inspired by the American show "Friends" but the Brits were clever enough to know they had to make it "British." Then, the American producers tried to copy the copy, evidently not realizing that the American version of Coupling was ALREADY DONE!

 

[SpaceTiger]

"Coupling" was inspired by the American show "Friends" but the Brits were clever enough to know they had to make it "British." Then, the American producers tried to copy the copy, evidently not realizing that the American version of Coupling was ALREADY DONE!

That's interesting, I didn't know that. It always struck me as having a lot of similarities to Seinfeld as well.

 

[Anttech]

You should try ripping off BBC News, at least you will then get a non-partisan news brodcast...

I thought one of the 'funnest' things I saw on BBC News, was the Hutton report, where Lord Hutton, judged that the BBC had been out of line calling the UK goverment/Tony Blair "Liers" ie they "sexed up some dossiers". Regarding WMD in Iraq. The Goverment pointed the finger at "Dr Kelly" for the leak who sadly comitted suicide..

It sent massive shock waves through the whole BBC, and the BBC chairman and director general resigned... Yet the News still gave us a non-partisan view on what was happening to their bosses...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2003/david_kelly_inquiry/

 

[Astronuc]

"Coupling" was inspired by the American show "Friends" but the Brits were clever enough to know they had to make it "British." Then, the American producers tried to copy the copy, evidently not realizing that the American version of Coupling was ALREADY DONE!

Americans can't do British humor! :rofl: No one other than the Brits can do British humor! Although the Canadians, and perhaps Australians, come close - sometimes.

 

[Chi Meson]

Americans can't do British humor! :rofl: No one other than the Brits can do British humor! Although the Canadians, and perhaps Australians, come close - sometimes.

Did you ever see the disaterous attempt at remaking "Fawlty Towers"? They made a one-hour pilot, staring Harvey Korman (from Carol Burnette Show). IT was called "Snavely." IT was atrocious!

It seems to me that the key to "British Humor" is the ability to not take yourself too seriously. American Humor on one side, tries to inject some kind of "purpose" or "lesson." On the other side, it just tries to make people squirm.

 

[Francis M]

I don't like these rants. There are quality shows, but you just have to look for them. Shows like Arrested Development, Scrubs, and Lost.

THose 3 shows you just listed are good, but the rant is that "most" shows on TV today are unoriginal and uninspired. I have to agree whole-heartedly. "Reality TV" tops the list of stupidity as far as I'm concerned. How many iterations of "Survivor" do we need?! The first one was crap! THen we're inundated with American Idol, Millionaire, Joe Average, THe Bachelor, etc...

If it's competitiveness there's several, SEVERAL sports channels here as well as a game show channel, and a number of other channels have taken to competition show/game show formats with the cooking channels "Iron Chef". Discovery, TLC run "Junk Yard Wars" (BTW why they had to "americanize" that one I have no idea). IF I want real live from the streets action I have Cops, Worlds Wildest Police Videos, Caught On Tape, and here's and so on. Oh here's an out of the blue thought for reality tv...THE NIGHTLY NEWS, you know that thing they show at 6:00 and 11:00 PM that talks about the days events in little clips?. See, no reason for "Reality TV".

You see I think there are these different maladies that TV execs have such as:
1) The "Lets shake up (ruin) such and such show. It needs to be more controversial, more cutting edge"
2) and then there's the "This show ran it's course, let's make a sequel" syndrome. Yea folks we know how well that works!
3) and the ever popular "THis show was funny, let's make an even funnier one" idea. Funnier meaning: let's see how much more we can push the envelope, oops we went over the top and it sucks!

The three shows listed in the quote could be considered gems floating in a sea of garbage :yuck:

 

[Francis M]

Did you ever see the disaterous attempt at remaking "Fawlty Towers"? They made a one-hour pilot, staring Harvey Korman (from Carol Burnette Show). IT was called "Snavely." IT was atrocious!

It seems to me that the key to "British Humor" is the ability to not take yourself too seriously. American Humor on one side, tries to inject some kind of "purpose" or "lesson." On the other side, it just tries to make people squirm.

Never saw or even heard of it (the remake). Sounds like I lucked out

Yep I have noticed that our humor, especially these days either is hitting you over the head with some moral issue or just gross and over the top stupid :yuck:

The Brits seem to have had or still have the right combination. I just love that Brit humor :!)

 

[Pengwuino]

I've seen a few "famous british comedies". I just don't get it and everyone i know doesn't get it. Theory is that british humor is not funny at all, its simply a genetic mutation.

 

[Astronuc]

Did you ever see the disaterous attempt at remaking "Fawlty Towers"? They made a one-hour pilot, staring Harvey Korman (from Carol Burnette Show). IT was called "Snavely." IT was atrocious!

Never saw it - perhaps that's fortunate. I would imagine though that Harvey Korman would be a respectable replacement for John Cleese, but then Cleese is a hard one to replace, if at all.

The whole Monty Python group is irreplaceable. I have yet to see anything as good outside of the UK.

And then there is the incomparable, Rowan Atkinson ( http://www.rowanatkinson.org/ - for those unfamiliar ).

 

[Nylex]

I'm sure I heard there were plans for a US version of EastEnders :/.

 

[jcsd]

It's inetersting that Coupling has done so well in the US. It is conciously a British attempt to a US-style sitcom in the mold of Friends. It was pretty successful in the UK, but it's not regarded as a classic.

 

[moose]

Scrubs is the best TV show ever

Now go and watch the movie Waking Life

 

[jcsd]

Did you ever see the disaterous attempt at remaking "Fawlty Towers"? They made a one-hour pilot, staring Harvey Korman (from Carol Burnette Show). IT was called "Snavely." IT was atrocious!

It seems to me that the key to "British Humor" is the ability to not take yourself too seriously. American Humor on one side, tries to inject some kind of "purpose" or "lesson." On the other side, it just tries to make people squirm.

Did you know there was also a pilot eposide a US remake of Red Dwarf as well? It had Robery Llewellyn reprising his orginal role as Kryten and Terry Farrell (who went onto star as Dax in DS-9) as Cat!

 

[Janus]

THose 3 shows you just listed are good, but the rant is that "most" shows on TV today are unoriginal and uninspired.

The three shows listed in the quote could be considered gems floating in a sea of garbage :yuck:

Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crud"

Taken from an interview where the interviewer said that 90% of science fiction was crud. To which Ted Sturgeon replied, "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud."

"One man's toxic waste is another man's potpourri." - The Grinch

 

[FredGarvin]

"Coupling" was inspired by the American show "Friends" but the Brits were clever enough to know they had to make it "British." Then, the American producers tried to copy the copy, evidently not realizing that the American version of Coupling was ALREADY DONE!

I agree. The first time I watched coupling, the first thing I thought was "this is another Friends." However, I liked Coupling much more than Friends. The humor was better, the timing was better...all in all I think it was a better show. I rarely laugh out loud watching Friends (and regularly cringe at scenes). I laughed all the time at Coupling though.

I have never quite been able to put my finger on it when it comes to British humor. I am sure it has something to do with the combination of an expected European "uppity-ness" (not meant as a put down) and funny comedy combining to give something that is greater/funnier than it's parts. When Americans do comedy, we're expected to be rude, childish, etc... so when we do the same things, sometimes the humor just doesn't have the same impact. Just a theory on my part though. I had better stop trying to analyze this stuff.

I must say that my original rant was at the pure, blazenly in your face copying of foreign shows by American producers. How is it they can get away with it? I guess it's the same reason Hollywood can copy so many foreign movies and get away with it.

 

[Astronuc]

I must say that my original rant was at the pure, blazenly in your face copying of foreign shows by American producers. How is it they can get away with it? I guess it's the same reason Hollywood can copy so many foreign movies and get away with it.

Well, perhaps worse - remakes with different actors/actresses and the movies made into TV series. :yuck:

Or TV shows made into movies.

And titles with 'The Movie' in them. :yuck:

 

[FredGarvin]

I guess it never is a good sign when they feel that it's necessary to remind you that the movie is what you are watching and not the TV show.

 

[Chi Meson]

Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crud"

Taken from an interview where the interviewer said that 90% of science fiction was crud. To which Ted Sturgeon replied, "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud."

I think that I agree with that (or, I agree with at least 90% of that).