Remaking British shows for North American TV.

[EmoBorg]

We recently had British Shows being remade for the North American audience. British Shows like The Office, Primeval and Being Human have been remade for North America. There is one show that i would like to see being remade for North America.

Recently i came across this UK Show called Outcasts. It is set in 2060 where humans have colonized a "Goldilocks" planet called Carpathia. The Humans colonists are stranded on that planet after nuclear conflict destroys much of human civilization back on earth and they have to deal with the mysterious surrounding of their new home.

The mysteries include non corporeal lifeforms that are hostile to humans and signs that the planet once had native Hominids who are maybe extinct now. The humans also have to deal with artificially created humans called Advanced Cultivars who rebelled against the regular humans and escaped into the harsh wildness. Plus the last episode featured a shadowy space vessel from earth approaching the colony in order to overthrow the colonial government.

The show was cancelled after one season but the show was pretty good in concept. It is similar to Terra Nova but without the costly dinosaurs special effects.This show did come out before Tera Nova. A North American version could find an audience that the British version did not have.


1:15

 

[sojourner]

It was called Earth 2. It lasted for about the same number of episodes.

 

[Snowlilly]

Honestly, I prefer to watch the British versions instead of the remakes. I just find them better. I love the British Being Human vs the North American one. I love British television

 

[Mister Fandango]

There's some that are better, such as Shameless, and its not like it's a one-way street. The weird thing is, the UK seems to only like to steal ideas for really awful shows to remake. It's fascinating.

 

[Shazam!]

The weird thing is, the UK seems to only like to steal ideas for really awful shows to remake. It's fascinating.

Good. I wish films would follow suite. Why remake a good film?

 

[Tulin]

You can bet the Yanks will NEVER remake "New Tricks".

Americans are TERRIFIED of anybody over forty appearing on tv, let alone somebody over 65!!!

 

[Kegg]

There's some that are better, such as Shameless, and its not like it's a one-way street. The weird thing is, the UK seems to only like to steal ideas for really awful shows to remake.

Like the reality shows and contest stuff and the like?

That's the kind of thing that translates better.

The reason you don't see a lot of British remakes of American dramas or sitcoms is because those shows are quite popular by themselves on British TV.

 

[lurok]

Though I don't think we've had a West Wing remake, and it's a different genre, I wonder if WW had any influence, stylistic or otherwise, on The Thick Of It? (which I believe has been adapted or remade for US?)

Re: New Tricks US - how about Olmos and McDonnell (right ages). I'd watch that.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I remember something about when the remake of Skins first aired there was talk of it being Child porn.

I have heard they're also talking about remaking Misfits as well. Which seems entirely pointless as it's supposed to be a British take on the American myths of superheroes.

 

[RAMA]

Outcasts is a good show, but we've seen a similar plots on TV before, so I don't know if I'd want an American remake.

RAMA

 

[C.E. Evans]

You can bet the Yanks will NEVER remake "New Tricks".

Americans are TERRIFIED of anybody over forty appearing on tv, let alone somebody over 65!!!

We had a slew of such shows during the '80s and '90s--The Golden Girls, Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis: Murder (to name some)--that had rather long runs. American audiences got their fill of them eventually. These days, many US shows tend to feature a cast spanning a wide range of ages, with actors 65+ holding their own with actors half or even a third their age.

 

[Admiral2]

It was called Earth 2.

With a smattering of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

 

[MacLeod]

I believe that the American's plan to do a remake of the House of Cards.

Of course what helped House of Cards when it came out in the UK was real world events.

 

[bigdaddy]

I believe that the American's plan to do a remake of the House of Cards.

Of course what helped House of Cards when it came out in the UK was real world events.

That's actually going to be a Netflix show starring Kevin Spacy, and was been given the greenlight for two seasons. So it hasn't even aired yet and still lasted longer than the UK version.

Primeval has been remade? I didn't know that.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I believe that the American's plan to do a remake of the House of Cards.

Of course what helped House of Cards when it came out in the UK was real world events.

That's actually going to be a Netflix show starring Kevin Spacy, and was been given the greenlight for two seasons. So it hasn't even aired yet and still lasted longer than the UK version.

Primeval has been remade? I didn't know that.

Not remade, it's actually a spin off. Primeval: New World, I believe it's a Canadian series on Space.

 

[Kegg]

I have heard they're also talking about remaking Misfits as well. Which seems entirely pointless as it's supposed to be a British take on the American myths of superheroes.

I'm sure there's more to the premise of Misfits than that. A one sentence description that is different than Alphas or Heroes. American remakes often use the original idea as a starting point. Like how the distinctively Israeli story of Prisoners of War, inspired by true events, became a thriller bears little resemblance to the original show.

 

[MacLeod]

^Erm, House of Cards had two follow up series. To Play the King and The Final Cut.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Not quite the same thing, but the Canadian show Being Erica is being remade into a British show, so it can work the other way too.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Is it? I had heard that but haven't heard anything beyond a quick little thing saying it was happening about a year ago.

 

[MacLeod]

Yes I'd heard about that remake, I believe it's to be set in Glasgow and title You Again.

But speaking in general terms, how often does a foriegn remake surpass the orginal.