American remakes of British comedy - Are they necessary?

There is a lot of British TV comedy that has been remade in the US, often after the UK version has gained some cult following.

For example:
The Office - The Office An American Workplace
Never Mind The Buzzcocks - Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Steptoe and Son - Sandford and Son
Red Dwalf - Red Dwalf (pilots only)
Coupling - Coupling
Life on Mars - Life on Mars (confirmed pilot)
The Vicar of Dibley - The Minster of Divine (confirmed pilot)
Whose Line is it Anyway - Whose Line is it Anyway

It is far rarer for an American born comedy (or indeed anything except game shows) to be remade in for the UK audience. In the UK the shows are just imported. In fact some of the most popular comedy shows in the UK are American imports. So clearly our nations have a similar sense of comedy?

People in the UK 'get' the American sense of humour......surely this works vice versa, why else would shows like The Office become popular?

The question is why is a UK TV audience happy to watch imported American comedy while in the US, UK comedy needs to be remade? Is it really what the American audience wants or needs? Or is it about money?

Allie xx

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Permalink Reply by pam on August 28, 2007 at 9:16pm: While I agree that America does seem to generously "borrow" ideas from British comedy to be remade for viewing here, I wonder how many of these same ideas/shows make it past the drawing boards or a few airings. A majority of Americans may "get" the British humor but I find many many more don't get the joke and can't interpret (for lack of a better word) the accents used. Not to mention the different terms for everyday words: lift/elevator, loo/restroom, etc etc. I guess I am the exception to the rule having grown up on Monty Python, the Goodies, French & Saunders, Lenny Henry etc etc. I do get it & prefer the British sense of humor, or should i say humour, to the American. I do try to watch the American versions of the imports (except Coupling which I can't stand in either version and I did try to watch the UK one), and look forward to Kirstie Alley in The Minister of Divine, but to me anyway, they just don't add up. I wonder if the remakes are dumbed down somewhat for Americans- and I don't mean that in a degrading way- because there are many people who can & do appreciate the more highbrow and politically incorrect (John Cleese as Basil Fawlty doing his Hitler impression in Fawlty Towers) humor found in British shows. I don't discredit American humor at all. I would hate to think that the UK audience is laughing at us & not with us and our comedy shows, but so it may be. You may be right in saying it's about money. Isn't it easier to borrow an idea that works than to spend the money for research, test shots, etc etc to get a new idea up & running? And that doesn't just include our comedies either. How many other tv shows are spin offs from other, shall we say, wildly successful and original shows? Good, original & funny crime dramas are now as commonplace as McDonald's burgers. And I mean those that are American originals and not rip-offs from other countries. For the record, I don't consider myself a comedy snob, or any other type of snob for that matter (and I do really enjoy Beavis & Butthead & South Park), but I just relate to the British humor easier than the American and find it much more original. That's just my opinion. And now I'm going to curl up on my couch with a nice cup of Earl Grey & watch MI-5 on BBC America. bipsy44/pam; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by allieand on August 29, 2007 at 11:59am: Certainly I can see why The Office was remade. A lot of the humour depends on relating to the characters and situations and cringing at them. Most people I have spoken to over here have known a manager with elements of David Brent or have worked with someone like Gareth....and much of it is specifically British. Instead of laughing becasue it is close to reality, in the USA laughter would perhaps be based on laughing at how strange we are in the UK. Workplace culture is very different from country to country...for example in the UK we get far more annual leave as standard than in the USA.

Conversely, I certainly don't think that so many American comedies have been popular over here becasue we are laughing at you. They have been sucessful simply becasue they are well written and performed. I wonder if this is becasue we have already absorbed so much American culture it just comes naturally to be able to translate the language, cultural references etc and find them funny. McDonalds, Starbucks, Wall Mart and George Bush spring to mind.

I suppose the exception to this is when the word 'fanny' is used, this never fails to get a laugh over here becasue of language differences. Smacking someone on the fanny or a fanny-pack have a whole different meaning.

You are right though, there is so little really original stuff out there. Life on Mars, which is currently being remade for USA I thought was a fantastic show and fairly 'new' idea. However when you break it down it is really just taking the old, old idea of a crusty old cop who refuses to change and a new recruit with fresh ideas...just adding the element of time travel into the mix.

Still, despite cultual difference, one universal truth remains...farting will always be funny regardless of language.

I hope you enjoyed your earl grey...I have just finished a large coffee from Starbucks.

Allie xx; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Meg on August 29, 2007 at 12:46pm: While I don't get all the jokes in British comedy, I still find it quite enjoyable especially when I'm tired of American comedy. As for American remakes of British comedy, I think it can both be necessary and unnecessary depending on the show in question. For example, "The Office" (like you mentioned) probably should be remade as to make it more understandable for an American audience. As for shows like "Who's Line Is It Anyways?", I don't think the need is as great. So I guess it really depends on whether the comedy in question is poking fun at a certain aspect of society/culture/etc. or if it is just slapstick or "general comedy" (if there is such a thing :X).; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by allieand on August 29, 2007 at 1:13pm: You have a good point with "Whose line is it anyway"...if i remember correctly the British version was eventually filmed in the USA becasue so many of the performers were American - Ryan Styles and Mike McShane spring to mind. I have seen the American version with Drew Carey and it was so similar, however I have to say I preferred Clive Anderson's dry wit.

Funnily enough I met Mike McShane in London a month or so ago, he has been doing Little Shop of Horrors in Theatre over here and he is thin as a rake now.

Allie xx; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Meg on August 30, 2007 at 4:50pm: Haha, yeah. Clive Anderson > Drew Carey. I think the big difference between the two, is while Drew Carey is funny (...sometimes), his humor relies more on sorta innuendos and teasing rather than wit (like Anderson).

Really? Mike McShane thin? Huh. ^^; Well, it's really cool you got to meet him! :3 I got to sit in on a lecture-type-thing by Kathleen Turner (not really a comedian per se, but she is really witty all the same) this afternoon. :D It was the first time I'd ever "met" someone famous, so it was pretty cool.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by allieand on September 2, 2007 at 3:22am: I think he had a gastric bypass operation.....not that this was something we discussed at the time!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pamela Chapin on August 29, 2007 at 3:49pm: most americans don't get british humor whis is quite a shame really because some of my favorite shows have been british satires.

however, in certain cases there are some good american remakes, like Whose Line and The Office. the american industry lives for remakes, which is why countless movies of this era are remakes of movies filmed 50/60 years ago.

i think that it could in turn be partially about the money, but i really think its more about the fact that americans these days are not entertained easily and are to stupid to get british humor. most people don't even know the vice president is. most people don't get the jokes being made on The Daily Show.

so a lot of it i think is people who get the british humor and trying to bring it to america because they want to share their experience with us. I really enjoy how they put The Office together because it is not an exact copy.

i do think that no one can really outdo british humor, and in that regard i don't like the whole remaking thing, unless it is clearly done tastefully and the adapters know what they are doing..; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by allieand on September 2, 2007 at 3:32am: It is often said that the main difference between American and British homour is irony....in that the british get irony, american's don't. This of course may be right in some cases but I certainly know many Americans that get irony very well, and many British that will never get it.

Here is a link to an interview with Simon Pegg on American and British humour most of which I agree with and he puts it so much better than I ever could!

http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2009748,00.html

Allie xxx; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amey Slater on September 5, 2007 at 4:06am: I don't see why UK comedys need to be remade for a US audience.I think that it takes out the originallity of the comedy.Fair enough after reading comments below I see that humour is different but surely why take the original idea and mix it up to adapt to your audience?? In the UK, we enjoy american comedies - a lot of the programs I watch are just that.I understand the humour so why should we change it?? An original british comedy is best left as it was,just original.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by allieand on September 5, 2007 at 2:31pm: I think what it comes down to is that it depends on the subject of the comedy.

With certain comedy situations it doesnt matter what country you come from...embarassing sex, farting at an inappropriate moment, custard pie in the face, falling over, being drunk, someone making a fool of themselves, someone making a fool of someone else - basically you either find these things funny or you dont.

Humour is a strange and amazing thing.

I think the funniest thing I have ever watched is a chicken being sat on a brick upright in an oven to be cooked in Withnail & I. I don't know why I find it so funny, I just do. Even thinking about it now I am giggling. In our darkest moments my friend Deb and I can look at each other and say "chicken on a brick" and everything worrying us disolves into laughter.

I think what I am trying to say (though the gin is also talking) is that whilst some comedy is country specific becasue of the situations and language used - and it is valid to take this and rewrite - much of it transcends that and whether it is funny or not depends on the person. Humour is indefinable.

Allie xx; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by donna on September 5, 2007 at 1:50pm: Hmm good question there. Well to be honest the majority of American tv shows that are here in England are bought rather cheaply. Plus the humor and the timing is slightly different. Regardless, i think its not only about money but about timing and delivery. English tv comedy shows probably wouldn't be understood over in America.

The same however doen't work because English tv does have quite its fare share of American imports.

But its a very good question Allie.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by allieand on September 5, 2007 at 2:59pm: Thanks Donna,

I do find it facinating. I do wonder whether the TV big-nobs are not giving the Amercian public enough credit. Perhaps promote the shows and make the accessible enough and they would in fact have been more popular in thier original format than the remakes.

At the end of the day we all find different things funny regardless of nation and we are too quick to stereotype. It is said that Americans don't get irony, but I know just as many British people who don't get it and plenty of Americans that do. It is also said that German people have little sense of humour, I do business with three German companies and the people I deal with are amazingly funny, even when we discuss football! (Americans please note: This is a game played with a round ball, not an oval one and without the need for loads of girly protective padding)

Allie xxx; ▶ Reply to This