The first step to winning back a colony is to dominate the media
The Independent on Sunday has a good article on American remakes of British shows, though I should add that Britain has had its share of remaking others’. Anyone remember how Married with Children (Married for Life) and Who’s the Boss? (The Upper Hand) did not translate that well in the UK?
Ready for the American treatment are:
ABC
Life on Mars
CBS
The Eleventh Hour (prod. Jerry Bruckheimer, starring British actor Rufus Sewell)
Worst Week (based on The Worst Week of My Life)
NBC
Top Gear
Gavin and Stacey
Big screen
State of Play (to star Helen Mirren, Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck)
Also coming
The Vicar of Dibley
Footballers’ Wives
Don’t forget the Americans are also redoing Opportunity Knocks with Ashton Kutcher, though the concept sounds a little different from the original, Kath & Kim from Australia and Good Behavior (née Outrageous Fortune) from New Zealand (already remade in the UK as Honest with Amanda Redman).
They join The Office, which of course has been a big hit in the US and perhaps led the way with this current crop, long enough for people to have forgotten Cracker with the late Robert Pastorelli. And, of course, American Idol and America’s Got Talent are rehashes of British shows.
Once upon a time there were many versions of Popstars, which originated in New Zealand. Pity we now license New Zealand Idol, Stars in Their Eyes and Strictly Come Dancing. At least when the Americans remake things, they generally pick better source material.
Comments
The title was a joke about how the British might take back their former colony!
Robin: it’s scary. I am looking forward to US Life on Mars and if the British are going to complain, it should be over The Vicar of Dibley. Aside from the casting (Dawn French is perfect) C. of E. does not really “translate into American”.