I’ll go first…The Office.
Now I know the two shows are fundamentally quite different, but they adapted what was already a very successful show, and turned It into an event more successfully one that lasted for significantly longer than the original did. I say that’s a win for them.
Anything else? Life on Mars, Being Human, The Inbetweeners…?
- ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝 ( @Emperor@feddit.uk ) English15•8 months ago
There’s quite a good Wikipedia article on this.
Amongst all the quiz and reality shows, there are a few intriguing obscure nuggets:
- The Golden Girls is an adaptation of a UK TV series, The Brighton Belles.
- They’ve tried to adapt Fawlty Towers three times.
- Not the Nine O’ Clock News was adapted for the US.
- One Foot in the Grave became Cosby - presumably the British version didn’t have enough (ie any) rapists.
- They tried to adapt Spaced, IT Crowd and the Young Ones but they failed at the pilot stage. This is probably A Good Thing. Although I might see if I can dig out the pilots.
- its_me_gb ( @its_me_gb@feddit.uk ) 11•8 months ago
They also did a pilot of Red Dwarf!
- ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝 ( @Emperor@feddit.uk ) English4•8 months ago
Monsters!
- UKFilmNerd ( @UKFilmNerd@feddit.uk ) English2•8 months ago
They tried that one twice!
- IggyTheSmidge ( @IggyTheSmidge@kbin.social ) 3•8 months ago
Cosby predates One Foot in the Grave - I remember watching Cosby as a kid in the 80s, and OFitG didn’t show up until the 90s. OFitG became (I think) Curb Your Enthusiam.
- shiveyarbles ( @shiveyarbles@beehaw.org ) 2•8 months ago
I would argue that not the nine o’clock news was better than anything stateside
- cdf12345 ( @cdf12345@lemm.ee ) 2•8 months ago
British television audience are very accepting of the American originals while being much less accepting of British remakes (see, for instance, the failure of The Brighton Belles, the British remake of The Golden Girls).
- DarkNightoftheSoul ( @DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz ) English2•8 months ago
presumably the British version didn’t have enough (ie any) rapists.
You forgot Little Jimmy. shoe-in for such a role…
- RobotToaster ( @RobotToaster@mander.xyz ) 5•8 months ago
Robot wars (called battlebots in the US)
- Big P ( @peter@feddit.uk ) English1•8 months ago
I don’t think battle bots is better, it’s definitely more successful though
- RedEyes ( @RedEyes@kbin.social ) 5•8 months ago
I am enjoying the US version of Ghosts. Sufficiently different while manifestly the same. And fills the void since the UK version finished.
- buried_treasure ( @buried_treasure@feddit.uk ) 5•8 months ago
Maybe a controversial one but I much prefer the US version of Shameless to the British one.
- Mongostein ( @Mongostein@lemmy.ca ) 3•8 months ago
Same, but it went on too long. I stopped at season 7 and recently tried to finish it, but I just don’t care any more. 🤷🏻♂️
- mannycalavera ( @mannycalavera@feddit.uk ) 3•8 months ago
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
- Davel23 ( @Davel23@kbin.social ) 2•8 months ago
In the '70s there were several US adaptations of UK shows which were quite successful. All In The Family was based on Til Death Us Do Part, Sanford and Son was based on Steptoe and Son, and Three’s Company was based on Man About The House. In these cases both versions were very successful in their own ways.
- Big P ( @peter@feddit.uk ) English2•8 months ago
Netflix’s House Of Cards was based on a British series which is based on a novel
- TheaoneAndOnly27 ( @TheaoneAndOnly27@kbin.social ) 1•8 months ago
IT crowd. Joel Mchale makes everything better /s ;)
- Hossenfeffer ( @Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk ) English1•8 months ago
Top Gear, obv. No, sorry, reallly, it was woeful.