How Shows That Cross The Atlantic With Remakes Succeed…And How They Fail
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British shows are increasingly popular in the U.S. But not all are massive hits like The Office. So why do some fail, and others fly?
British-made media can be very different to American content. The British sense of humour is self-deprecating. Millennial Brits, now responsible for making films and television, were raised on a diet of soap operas like Eastenders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. In these programs, no one is the hero, everyone has average jobs, and the faces are representative of what you would see on the local high street. Most of the time, a character’s highest aspiration might be to take over the local pub or go to university.
But it wasn’t just soap operas. The Royle Family was one of the UK’s biggest comedy shows in the late 90s, and it was about a family watching TV. The father (Jim Royale, played by Ricky Tomlinson) only moved from his chair on a handful of occasions in the show’s three series.
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American shows not only require more physicality, they need to root for someone, to cheer someone on. At least one character needs to be smart or have a secret talent, or ambition to get out of that small town. After all, it’s the American Dream!
When It’s Gone Well
Created by Doctor Who’s Russell T. Davies, Queer as Folk follows the lives of five gay men. The US version stayed within the spirit of its original format. The show took a snapshot of the U.S LGBTQIA scene but kept to the hard-hitting issues. The producers and scriptwriters were unafraid with the portrayal of the characters on screen and as a result, it ran for five years.
Most people forget that House of Cards was another British export, about a politician in a post-Thatcher cabinet. It became a quintessentially American show, setting it in the White House. Weirdly the audience still roots for Frank, even though he is a villain, and no translation is needed for the Machiavellian plot. That’s universal.
Shameless could have failed massively, however, the adaption was truly superb. It ran for eleven seasons on both sides of the Atlantic. The show is about a working-class family who get up to all kinds of misdeeds. Frank Gallagher, the patriarch of the household, spends most of the family money on drink. It should be a tragedy, but it’s hilarious. The US and the UK version find comedy in real-life struggles, and the unsavoury things people do to cope. US Frank was actually meaner, but he pays for his sins, whereas UK Frank gets off scot-free.
The Reality Show Phenomenon
The Brits export a massive amount of reality TV to the USA. The number of hit shows that have started on the small island is astonishing. These require little adaptation, as it’s the format that has been sold rather than any cultural input. This comes from the participants themselves. Some are slightly bizarre, (for example, Naked Attraction) but most work seamlessly.
Love Island, The Circle, Master Chef, Wife Swap, and Undercover Boss all started in the UK.
Image Source: The Telegraph
When it Failed
The Inbetweeners ran for three series, won countless awards, and spawned a movie. But it couldn’t crack America. British High school shows are not that common on UK TV, because the market is already saturated. There are a million U.S movies and television series. Unfortunately, when all the Brit culture references were taken out, and the stand-out performances removed it turned into…..American Pie.
The cult science fiction series Red Dwarf ran for twelve series in the UK. But in America, despite having original cast member Robert Llewellyn on board, and plenty of star power, two pilots later, the show still could not get off the ground. Red Dwarf is essentially about a bored, curry-obsessed Liverpudlian (someone from Liverpool) in space. US Dave Lister is eager, quick-witted….and clean. The remake missed the point of that completely.
Spaced, a show about sci-fi and fantasy fans living together in a flat, the production company cut out the creative team of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Hynes. Spaced has a loyal cult fanbase, and after this, it was clear that the fans wouldn’t follow. The pilot had none of the flair of the original, and it was scrapped. But concept-wise, this could have worked if the production company had been more respectful of the original material.
The best adaptions are the ones that fit seamlessly into an American setting without moving away from the original vision. House of Cards could be moved into any government and still work. However, Red Dwarf was always going to be a difficult sell to the States. Grant and Naylor wrote a light-hearted space comedy, but at its heart was a commentary on the British class system that Willy Russell would have been proud of. Chris Barrie’s scathing, yet whimpering Rimmer is something few can imitate. Shameless could have gone the same way, but John Wells (West Wing, Southland), picked up on all the important notes in Paul Abbot’s original but still made all the characters decidedly American.
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