Being Erica - Season 3

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, I hope so too. And I was just thinking of something. What if her first client is Ethan? That would be awesome. And it would give reason to shove the Adam relationship away, but then again it would probably complicate things as she's probably not supposed to be involved with her clients. Ethan comes back and Adam becomes jealous... Sounds about the kind of thing they'd do on the show. And it honestly makes more sense than Kai/Adam tension.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I can understand that they might not have been able to guarantee the exact position of Christmas because they're... Giving Adam a "Door" after he flunked out of the program was a complete dick move.

 

[Jack Bauer]

This is kinda weird:

http://www.deadline.com/tag/abc-being-erica/

Canadian series imports by U.S. networks have been hot for the past few years, starting with the writers strike. Are Canadian formats next? Canadian-based Temple Street Prods. today announced that ABC is developing an American version of their popular Canadian drama Being Erica. Maggie Friedman (Eastwick) is writing the adaptation for ABC Studios and will executive produce, with Temple Street co-presidents David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg also exec producing

I wonder why ABC would make their own version instead of just airing the original. CBS airs the Canadian show Flashpoint instead of doing a remake so it's not unheard of.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, that is odd. What is perhaps even odder is the fact that they're making it when there isn't even all that much interest in the show stateside as it's only shown on Soapnet there, as opposed to the interest in the UK. On the other hand, it's nice to see one of the big networks seeing the value in the show. But it does make you wonder considering the ratings aren't all that for the show in the first place. If I were ABC, I'd run our version on the main network to gauge interest, a place where it deserves to be seen rather than Soapnet, a place where many won't even touch. The only reason I could see them remaking it are the Canadian references like Toronto and the like. Other than that, without references it could be any big American city, which is what they're probably planning to do.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Networks remake shows rather than import them because TV is a hit-driven business. You need to use your precious prime-time slots to trot out shows you own, in the hopes that one will be the big fat hit that will pay for the nine out of ten shows that just do okay or flop outright. That one hit can then be extended into the franchise that all the networks are desperate to create as greater security. You can't build a franchise from a property you don't own.

The remake business really has nothing particular to do with networks not thinking Americans will like foreign shows. Of course, it's not like they've ever really tried (and the business model ensures they never will), so Americans have never had the chance to develop a taste for foreign shows. A few costume dramas on PBS hardly count.

The premise of Being Erica sounds dull. I don't think I'll be checking out either version anytime soon.

CBS airs the Canadian show Flashpoint instead of doing a remake so it's not unheard of.

That doesn't signify anything except CBS needing a cheap filler show.

 

[Agent Richard07]

So they're making an american version as well? That makes three versions now. I wonder what kind of changes each show will make.

The premise of Being Erica sounds dull. I don't think I'll be checking out either version anytime soon.

The first season is pretty simple and formulaic (a mysterious Dr. Tom sends Erica back in time to relive and change some of her past regrets), but in the second season, things really take off. They really play around with the time travel concept, some new and interesting characters are introduced and we start to learn more about this mysterious Dr. Tom. Season 3 changes things even more and if the show gets a fourth season, it'll be something radically different from the first. This is one of the few shows that actually moves forward and evolves. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but if you do decide to check it out, start at the very beginning. Don't jump in even to sample it. You'll appreciate the later episodes and developments a lot more if you've seen it from the beginning.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Yeah, I wasn't too sure about it myself, but it didn't take me long to get hooked on it. Much of it has to do with the writing and they've got some of the best writers around and Erin Karpluk is an excellent actress.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The Office and Ugly Betty.

Remade and remade and remade.

there's at least ten ethnic versions of each all around the world.

A German friend was telling me that the German version of the office was a thousand times funnier than the US or UK versions and that I should either find a version with subtitles to watch or learn Deutsch.

The beauty of finding a good show that no one knows about is that you can take credit.

The English remade Who's the Boss in the mid 90s.

It was awful.

 

[intrinsical]

So they're making an american version as well? That makes three versions now. I wonder what kind of changes each show will make.

The premise of Being Erica sounds dull. I don't think I'll be checking out either version anytime soon.

The first season is pretty simple and formulaic (a mysterious Dr. Tom sends Erica back in time to relive and change some of her past regrets), but in the second season, things really take off. They really play around with the time travel concept, some new and interesting characters are introduced and we start to learn more about this mysterious Dr. Tom. Season 3 changes things even more and if the show gets a fourth season, it'll be something radically different from the first. This is one of the few shows that actually moves forward and evolves. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but if you do decide to check it out, start at the very beginning. Don't jump in even to sample it. You'll appreciate the later episodes and developments a lot more if you've seen it from the beginning.

I have described season one as a Bridget Jones/Sex in the City/time travel show. Part of the fun in watching season one was the clumsy but cute antiques of Erica, especially when she is in the 1980s. The show has slowly changed over the seasons to the point where the Bridget Jones "clumsy cute" element is minuscule now. Erica now only channels Bridget Jones when she's drunk.

Even the sisterly/girlfriends forever elements of "Sex in the City" with Erica, Judith, Jenny and Cassidy has been toned down over the seasons. In a way, that is why I did not like this season's "Jenny from the Block" because I thought of Jenny as part of Erica's sisterhood of girlfriends and kicking Jenny out meant the sisterhood is now broken for good.

It is good that the show changes with each season, but sometimes I do miss the elements that made seasons one and two so much fun to watch.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

So they're making an american version as well? That makes three versions now. I wonder what kind of changes each show will make.

The premise of Being Erica sounds dull. I don't think I'll be checking out either version anytime soon.

The first season is pretty simple and formulaic (a mysterious Dr. Tom sends Erica back in time to relive and change some of her past regrets), but in the second season, things really take off. They really play around with the time travel concept, some new and interesting characters are introduced and we start to learn more about this mysterious Dr. Tom. Season 3 changes things even more and if the show gets a fourth season, it'll be something radically different from the first. This is one of the few shows that actually moves forward and evolves. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but if you do decide to check it out, start at the very beginning. Don't jump in even to sample it. You'll appreciate the later episodes and developments a lot more if you've seen it from the beginning.

Apart from the top notch acting, dialogue and direction, the beauty of the show for me is the questions it makes you ask, about Erica's life and things about your own life that parallel what she's going through. It's formulaic in the sense that she goes back and deals with one of her life's regrets each week, yes. But each week takes a hard look at human emotions, and the way we kid ourselves and lie to ourselves and create mythology about ourselves. It looks at the assumptions we make, and decisions we make based on those assumptions. It shows a present that is built on a house of cards fantasy that we create out of misinterpretations and imagined slights and one-sided views of past events.

So if you look at the basic plot of a neurotic chick sent back in time by her therapist and you can't find any food for thought in that, by all means write it off and watch Hawaii Five 0 instead.

 

[Worf2DS9]

Came across this article on the show and it's possible future here and/or south of the border:

Will Erica see 2011?

 

[Owain Taggart]

That's a good description of what it is, Lax. I agree, on the surface it might look dull, but the writing is smart and thoughtful and has a surprising amount of depth that I don't really see much of in shows these days beyond popcorn fluff.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Looks like the fourth season will be the last if the show gets one.

The original version of the show is still awaiting its fourth-season pickup on home network CBC, though exec producer Aaron Martin promises the season, if it happens, will answer "every question" about Erica’s therapy and her time travel — "no Lost mystery, no Inception spinning-top teasing." The theme of the final season will be, he says, "coming full circle, fulfilling your purpose, and finding joy."

Source

The article also talks about the U.S. version and I just had a thought... What if they made it a spinoff instead of a remake? That would be nice. Erin Karpluk could make an appearance.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Very interesting details. Yeah, I think a spinoff would be a better idea. That way, Erica could actually be a recurring character as a therapist, and they could expand on the therapist network. What we've seen was only Toronto as far as we know, and this could be an international organization where even Dr Arthur reports in to someone.

 

[intrinsical]

The beauty of Being Erica is that there is a little of something that appeals to everyone. Chic-lit? Sci-fi? Comedy? Romance? Edutainment? Soap? Shippers? All there. Its a show that both guys and girls can enjoy watching, and each one will learn something about themselves in the process.

Sadly, I agree with the producers that season 4 has to be the last. Erica has grown to the point where she has the self-confidence and grit to bounce back from just about any obstacle. Good for Erica, but it reduces the dramatic tension and makes any drama boring as far as the audience is concerned. If I were the producer, I would make season 4 about Erica discovering the thing that gives her the most joy, and gives up being a therapist to pursue her true life's passion.

Personally, I think a remake with a male lead might work. In the least it would be easier to explore male-oriented issues like the kind Doctor Tom and Adam faced. Still, the american producers will be very hard pressed to reproduce the on-screen chemistry that Erica and Doctor Tom had, or to produce scripts that are simultaneously interesting, funny, romantic, dramatic and entertaining.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Good points, Int. Another point is that I fear it will likely be watered down for an American audience. I mean, the way the show is now, it can be quite racy at times, and it does deal with topics that I can't quite see appearing on American TV like they do here, unless it's on HBO or some other cable channel.

 

[Agent Richard07]

^ I thought the same thing. A lot of things on the show wouldn't fly on network television in the States.

Moving along, here's a portion of an interview with the creators...

Jen: How far along have you thought about the show? Have you pretty much plotted out Erica’s entire journey?
Aaron: There’s been one thing that we’ve known all along, and that’s the end point – how the series will wrap, but that’s mainly it. Her life is evolving and we follow Erica and what makes sense for her. Like, at one point, when we started the series, we thought she wanted to become an author herself, and it doesn’t feel like that anymore.
Jana: Plus, you get inspired by certain performers or by things you see happening around you, or by things that we become interested in, and we put those in the show. So, we’re really not locked down, season to season, except in the most broad strokes way.
Aaron: The ultimate goal is for her to be happy and fulfilled.
Jana: We’re committed to seeing her evolve and grow and become braver, stronger, happier.

Jen: It sounds like her journey might be cut short, though. In season three, Kai returns from the future and vaguely references that in 2019, there will be a major disaster to hit Toronto, one that causes many people die. Is it Rob Ford’s doing?
Jana and Aaron: YES. *Laugh*

Oh, jokes are fun. It’s a joke, right?

Jana: We can’t reveal much about that yet, obviously. Aaron and I are talking now about what happens and how, but should we have a season four, it will be explained then.

Jen: Does that mean you’re not sure about a season four? I see you’re working on it, so ... ?
Aaron: We’ve got eight scripts that we’re working on now and we’re operating as if the show will come back, but we won’t know officially until January. So, for us, it’s still at the story and idea stage.

Read the whole thing here.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Hah, that article reinforces my point.

Jana: Like, they let us do things that they’re afraid of, it’s clear that they’re afraid.
Aaron: Definitely stuff that you wouldn’t do on broadcast in the US. And this is a network, broadcast show, just in Canada, and they let us do things like …
Jana: Anal rape.
Aaron: Finding your boyfriend masturbating.
Jana: Stuff that’s typically more cable.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Remind me. Where was the anal rape?

 

[Ruaidhri]

The episode this past season about Leo in his university frat house.