So now, the BBC series Manchild will come to Showtime, establishing another Brit beachhead in Yank tellydom. Manchild is best known to American nerds as that thing Anthony Stewart Head did after Buffy; it’s also been described as the male Sex and the City (give or take a mid-life crisis). Head’s sleepily libidinous divorcee was the best thing about it, in my opinion.
We’ve gotten used to American television morphing inexorably into BBC 5: Migrants include The Office, American Idol, countless reality/game shows, and soon, Life on Mars and, oddly, Little Britain. We’ve accepted that American writers and producers have, it would seem, no new, original ideas. Only one question remains: What shall we plunder next? Surely, we’re running out of British shows to ape. (Dare we hope for a remake of The Thick of It set in the U.S. House of Representatives?) Herewith, my suggestions:
1. Eastenders Nothing says "America!" like London’s East End. Though traditionally, U.S. viewers like a little more weaponry with their lower-middle-class malaise.
2. Match of the Day: Live! The challenge will be keeping today’s Brazil v. Wales game fresh by the time it’s been recast and reshot in the Meadowlands.
3. National Lottery Results Though it will be difficult finding an American actor to match the smolder of In It to Win It host Dale Winton.
4. BBC Parliament Dick Wolf is all over this one. Get ready for Law and Order: Parliament. Two houses. One prime minister. Dozens of potential sex scandals.
So… anything else, Anglophile PopWatchers? Does the Beeb have anything left in it, or have we picked its bones clean? And what, in your opinion, is too British to Americanize?
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A fifth, American-produced incarnation of Black Adder, with Rowan Atkinson reprising his starring role. (Is that cheating?)
I heard we are getting an Americanized Footballers Wives as well. Should be a poor imitation of the original, as nobody can replace Tanya Turner.
I say Sky Mile or is it Sky High? Mile High? Well in any case, it’s the show about the raunchy airline company. That show makes no sense whatsoever. I would love to see them try to duplicate it. I’ve only seen a glimpse of the show on BBC-A, but it would be fun for them to try to translate this show to the sensibilty of Middle America.
I’m still trying to figure out how they’re going to americanize Little Britain, but I’m looking forward to it.
Footballers Wives doesn’t really need to be americanized (well, maybe cleaned up a little for network t.v. and possibly subtitled when certain characters speak)–I think it could be popular as is.
I’ve often thought we could use something along the lines of Coronation Street. I know we have regular soaps, but I like that Corrie is only half an hour and shown in the evening.
I say stop. I still can’t get that bad taste out of my mouth when they tried to do an american Coupling (the UK one is brillant) and does anyone else remember Whoopi Goldberg trying to remake Fawlty Towers? Blasphemy!
I read a while back that Eastenders actually was being considered for an American remake – the twist being it would be set in Detroit. I would watch that for the unintentional comedy goldmine it is sure to be. An actual suggestion would have to be the Aussie’s Kath and Kim which could potentially be truly hilarious.
I think Love Soup’s formula is so simple that it could easily and successfully be adapted for American television. It’s a great show, for those of you who haven’t seen it, about two people destined to be together. During the show they don’t meet, but we see all the other relationships they’ve encountered and see why they are so right for each other.
I’ve been watching Mile High as of late on BBC-A. Any attempt to Americanize that show would be atrocious. All one has to do is think of Couipling and understand.
On that note, I don’t think Life on Mars is going to work.
I totally vote for the reprised Black Adder option. Also-being an American Nerd-can I suggest that someone beat up Josh Whedon and get to make “Ripper” the Anthony Stewart Head Buffyverse series that was designed for BBC. Maybe he can release it on BBC and American TV at the same time
Last of The Summer Wine: Florida, anyone?
How about giving Blake’s Seven a Galactica-like makeover.
I’ve been saying for years that Congress should adopt the format and debating style of the British House of Commons. Two parties, facing one another, with the prime minister (in our case, the president) having to defend his administration’s policies regularly and in person. This would FAR more entertaining than C-SPAN is now and cable and network news might actually spend sometime, you know, covering Congress. Plus, it’s not like Congress could accomplish any less than it already does…
I think Americans would love TopGear.
I agree Life on Mars isn’t gonna work…
The British TV series Spaced, which featured Sean of the Dead star Simon Pegg, was one of the funniest and most pop culturally hip shows ever written. The low budget nature of the show means it could easily be re-written for Sci Fi, Comedy, G4 or Spike Networks, and the frequent references to potheads, X Men comics, Wolverine and the fact that all odd numbered Star Treks were sh*t are proof that this show’s gonzo humor can cross the Atlantic unscathed.
And Monsieur Brown, I am disapointed that my frequent plugs for Spaced haven’t inspired you enough to pick up some of the show on DVD. Have you also ignored my repeated pleas to give some more props to Canada’s funnier than you can imagine series “trailer Park Boys”?
Oh please please PLEASE let them bring “Jane Hall” over here. We were just in Britain and got totally addicted to it; it’s like Ally McBeal, except Jane’s a geeky bus driver.
I loved The Thick of It. So smart.
Instead of Americanizing them, just show the British ones here – England has such a great, dry sense of humor see how it flies. There are just so many great shows that came from there – The Vicar of Dibley is my favourite, followed by Ab Fab. They had this new show when I was living there earlier this year, the IT Crowd, it was very funny about IT workers…only the Brits would think of an idea for that and it was true. BBC America should broadcast Footballers Wives on regular TV, no need to remake it – leave the priceless, guilty pleasure show as is!
How about Footballers Wives? It such a great and addictive show, if done the right way, could be the next big thing on U.S.television. It already blows Desperate Houswives out of the water and having an Americanized Tanya Turner would be so great because she be so evil, if done right. Only Tanya Turner could do the things she does on that show. It could be great.
May I suggest One Man And His Dog (televised sheepdog trials) or Watercolour Challenge (televised painting). Both are remarkably relaxing – televisual mogadon.
“QI,” if we could find five Americans clever enough to populate the panel.
PS If you’re watching *anything* on BBC America, you’re getting shortchanged. Those little “huh?” moments aren’t you — there’s anything from 3 to 16 minutes cut from every hour. Did you notice how last week’s “Love Soup” violated the alternating-stories format and had several “him” scenes in a row? The “her” scenes were replaced by ads.
I think “Hustle” would make sense, though the show is so good as it is, I think an American version may bring it down a bit.
I know they already tried and failed at remaking AbFab…but it was for network…does anyone else think that if HBO did it, all trashy and uncensored like we love, that it might finally fill that hole we feel from the loss of Sex & the City?
Red Dwarf would be the show that I wouldn’t want to ‘remake’, but get the original cast to do a season 9 on HBO (most likely the only ‘network’ that could afford it justice in both budget and content). They were in the run to do a movie that continued the story, but for one reason or another, did not happen. Maybe that storyline could be broken up into episodes for an American Audience. Great comedy/sci-fi show (personalities that guys can definitely relate to at any age!).
I go to London a lot for work and Little Britain should have been on Comedy Central and not BBC America because AbFab, another BBC show, recieved a bigger audience The Office may have never been remade if CC picked it up as well. However, I’d love to see HBO or FX pick up Avid Merrien and give him his own show here. His charchter is Bo Selecta and he’s crude and charming. Pure guy humor and funny enough to rival Ali G (but not Borat, he rules.)BUT NOT EASTENDERS or Coronation Street…those soaps are borrrrring. Thanks
anytime we “americanize” a british show, it’s brought down about 25 levels. even (what i call) the *american* office, as well-done as it is, doesn’t touch the original. if you can’t watch british television the way it was originally done, stick with two and a half men and reality shows. stop making good british shows suck.
Footballers’ Wives, for sure… I would even hire Zoe (the delightfully evil, nervous and conniving Tanya Turner) to reprise her role. Heck, if I were a mover ans shaker in Hollywood, I’d hire her to play just about any evil, nervous, conniving role! That show is great – terrific plot twists, story archs that come together in four or five episodes, characters that leave the show when you’re done with them… get it on the air now!
I can see Black Adder and Peep Show being made into American versions. I would love to see Chef! However after Emeril the television show, I’ll stick to Lenny Henry.
I’d love to seen an American take on “Waterloo Road,” which can be seen on BBC America. We haven’t had a serious show about a public school since David E. Kelley’s “Boston Public” was cancelled by FOX. I believe a U.S. version of the BBC series would have possibilities.
I would love to see the funniest britcom I have ever seen, called My Family, be remade. My Family is hilarious and Robin Williams, if he would ever come back to tv, would be so perfect in the role of Ben Harper, played by Robert Lindsey (Citizen Smith). Susan Harper, played by Zoe Wanamaker (Harry Potter), should be played by Suite Life With Zack & Cody’s Kim Rhodes. One, She looks so much like Zoe Wanamaker, and two, she is hilarious in Suite Life. The Harper Family has four kids. To play Abi Harper, Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Big Love) is perfect. For the rest of the kids, well that can be up to the casting directors. My Family is so funny, if only people could see how funny this show is, this show could very possibly save sitcoms (I’m talking about a comedy sitcom that has an audience while filming and that is funny.) We don’t have many sitcoms now, unfourtunatly. You can watch My Family in America on BBC America.
To add on to the casting of My Family, I came up with actors to play the parts of the (remaining) kids who I couldn’t come up with, but now I have. To play Michael Harper, Rob Pinkston (Ned’s Declassified). To play Nick Harper, Chris Hunter (South Of Nowhere). And to play Janey Harper, either Anneliese van der Pol (That’s So Raven) or Kaley Cuoco (8 Simple Rules). So here you go. Hopefully the future cast of the American remake of “My Family.”
None – they should all just be broadcast exactly as they were made originally. American remakes butcher the originals to death. the Office is an exception, but again, the original should be aired here, and the remake could have distinct name.