The Best... and Worst of UK/US Crossovers
28th June 2012
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In honour of the American reboot of the Inbetweeners, we look back at the best... and worst transatlantic crossovers.
The Best...
5) Not Necessarily the News
Airdate: 1983-1990
Fate: Cancelled after eight series
Original: Not the Nine O’clock News (BBC)
Why it rocks: Not the Nine O’clock News was the last great hope for British satire and launched the careers of Rowan Atkinson and Griff Rhys Jones. HBO’s reworked Not Necessarily the News followed the same ethos, delivering incisive, off-beat interpretations of current events.
Like South Park today, no target was off-limits. NNTN provided something for fulminating right-wingers and piously PC liberals to get outraged about – before adroitly converting their outrage into publicity.
This formula worked, for a while. But, success came at a price. Ratings ebbed and flowed. And the programme routinely came under fire for trivializing global issues, such as the conflict in the Middle East. Ultimately, they were unable to draw audiences away from ratings giant Saturday Night Live and the show was cancelled.
Its legacy lives on in the Daily Show –arguably the most successful programme to use the news format as a vehicle for satire.
Best Moment: Yasser Arafat on the telephone to his estranged mother
4) Outnumbered Airdate: TBA Original: Outnumbered (BBC) Why it rocks: OK, we know this hasn’t technically been released yet (it was only picked up by Fox in 2008), but we have no doubt it will turn out a hit. Creators Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin are overseeing the pilot, which is slated for a fall release. There are a couple of reasons why we think U.S. audiences will respond to Outnumbered. The family-based sitcom is possibly the most universal TV concept around. Americans are also familiar with the improvised format, thanks to HBO’s award-winning Curb Your Enthusiasm. Furthermore, the high-profile bidding war between major networks is a good sign FOX wanted the franchise badly – so it seems unlikely they’re going to misuse it. Given that most British television in the states is confined to PBS or airbrushed HBO mini-series, it’s refreshing to see some decent remakes on the cards. Chances of Survival: Good
3) Ali G in Da USAiii
Airdate: 2003-2004
Fate: Cancelled
Original: Da Ali G Show (Channel 4)
Why it rocks: Sasha Baron Cohen’s deft handling of his characters was the key to the show’s success. Each week, millions tuned into to watch the obtuse MC lead unsuspecting celebrities and statesmen up the garden path. Cohen’s routines were razor-sharp satire, but the strength of the format lay in his keen eye for questioning which encouraged self-revealing mockery in his subjects.
Did you know?: Cohen got his big break alongside Natasha “Legs” Kaplinsky on a Granada talk show F2F.
Best moments: Borat in a Tucson bar singing In 'My Country There is Problem (Throw the Jew Down the Well)' – a honkey-tonk number about a pogrom. Slate magazine described it as the “perfect distillation of Borat's satirical attack, designed to offend and indict just about everyone”. Damn right.
2) Life On Mars
Airdate: 2008-9
Fate: Cancelled due to WGA writers’ strike
Original: Life on Mars (BBC)
Why it rocks: The Guardian tried to bury this excellent US reboot after a matter of episodes, claiming ABC had “ruined” the British franchise. Don’t believe it. If anything, the export is better. Harvey Keitel is perfectly cast as “Lieutenant” Gene Hunt. So is Gretchen Mol as the embattled Annie Morris, a hard-nosed policewoman trying to get ahead in a man’s world.
Forget the critics. Life On Mars doesn’t disappoint.
Best Moment: Det. Sam Tyler predicts the Watergate Scandal.
1) The Office Airdate: 2005-present Fate: Unstoppable ratings juggernaut
2) Red Dwarf
Airdate: N/A
Fate: Dead on Arrival
Original: Red Dwarf (BBC)
Comment: Red Dwarf UK was offbeat and edgy. Red Dwarf USA missed the point. Most of its shortcomings don’t warrant repeating. It was apparently so bad that NBC Exec Bob Wright ordered for the pilot to be “thrown to the dogs”.
Did you know: This legendary misfire included featured a pre-Frasier Jane Leeves as Holly.
Worst moment: We can only speculate. The show was never broadcast in any country. However, it has been said that the actor playing Lister was particularly poor and that UK and US footage was spliced together to save funds. Oh, dear.
1) Skins
Airdate: January-March 2011
Original: Skins (E4)
Fate: Cancelled. Despite MTV’s efforts to keep content as anodyne as possible, Skins USA attracted major controversy for its depiction of casual sex and drug use. A trumped-up child pornography charge (!) issued by the right-wing Parent’s Television Council impelled advertisers to pull out and led to the show’s demise.
Why it sucks: The combination of a charmless cast and uninspired writing did little to prop up this ill-fated reboot.
Did you know?: After it’s cancellation, the President of BBC America announced that Skins UK obtained higher ratings than its US adaption in syndication, proving that British shows may not necessarily need reworking for a decent share of the American market.
Worst moment: Gay character Maxxie being replaced by a photogenic lipstick lesbian.
The Best...
5) Not Necessarily the News
Airdate: 1983-1990
Fate: Cancelled after eight series
Original: Not the Nine O’clock News (BBC)
Why it rocks: Not the Nine O’clock News was the last great hope for British satire and launched the careers of Rowan Atkinson and Griff Rhys Jones. HBO’s reworked Not Necessarily the News followed the same ethos, delivering incisive, off-beat interpretations of current events.
Like South Park today, no target was off-limits. NNTN provided something for fulminating right-wingers and piously PC liberals to get outraged about – before adroitly converting their outrage into publicity.
This formula worked, for a while. But, success came at a price. Ratings ebbed and flowed. And the programme routinely came under fire for trivializing global issues, such as the conflict in the Middle East. Ultimately, they were unable to draw audiences away from ratings giant Saturday Night Live and the show was cancelled.
Its legacy lives on in the Daily Show –arguably the most successful programme to use the news format as a vehicle for satire.
Best Moment: Yasser Arafat on the telephone to his estranged mother
4) Outnumbered Airdate: TBA Original: Outnumbered (BBC) Why it rocks: OK, we know this hasn’t technically been released yet (it was only picked up by Fox in 2008), but we have no doubt it will turn out a hit. Creators Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin are overseeing the pilot, which is slated for a fall release. There are a couple of reasons why we think U.S. audiences will respond to Outnumbered. The family-based sitcom is possibly the most universal TV concept around. Americans are also familiar with the improvised format, thanks to HBO’s award-winning Curb Your Enthusiasm. Furthermore, the high-profile bidding war between major networks is a good sign FOX wanted the franchise badly – so it seems unlikely they’re going to misuse it. Given that most British television in the states is confined to PBS or airbrushed HBO mini-series, it’s refreshing to see some decent remakes on the cards. Chances of Survival: Good
3) Ali G in Da USAiii
Airdate: 2003-2004
Fate: Cancelled
Original: Da Ali G Show (Channel 4)
Why it rocks: Sasha Baron Cohen’s deft handling of his characters was the key to the show’s success. Each week, millions tuned into to watch the obtuse MC lead unsuspecting celebrities and statesmen up the garden path. Cohen’s routines were razor-sharp satire, but the strength of the format lay in his keen eye for questioning which encouraged self-revealing mockery in his subjects.
Did you know?: Cohen got his big break alongside Natasha “Legs” Kaplinsky on a Granada talk show F2F.
Best moments: Borat in a Tucson bar singing In 'My Country There is Problem (Throw the Jew Down the Well)' – a honkey-tonk number about a pogrom. Slate magazine described it as the “perfect distillation of Borat's satirical attack, designed to offend and indict just about everyone”. Damn right.
2) Life On Mars
Airdate: 2008-9
Fate: Cancelled due to WGA writers’ strike
Original: Life on Mars (BBC)
Why it rocks: The Guardian tried to bury this excellent US reboot after a matter of episodes, claiming ABC had “ruined” the British franchise. Don’t believe it. If anything, the export is better. Harvey Keitel is perfectly cast as “Lieutenant” Gene Hunt. So is Gretchen Mol as the embattled Annie Morris, a hard-nosed policewoman trying to get ahead in a man’s world.
Forget the critics. Life On Mars doesn’t disappoint.
Best Moment: Det. Sam Tyler predicts the Watergate Scandal.
1) The Office Airdate: 2005-present Fate: Unstoppable ratings juggernaut
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2) Red Dwarf
Airdate: N/A
Fate: Dead on Arrival
Original: Red Dwarf (BBC)
Comment: Red Dwarf UK was offbeat and edgy. Red Dwarf USA missed the point. Most of its shortcomings don’t warrant repeating. It was apparently so bad that NBC Exec Bob Wright ordered for the pilot to be “thrown to the dogs”.
Did you know: This legendary misfire included featured a pre-Frasier Jane Leeves as Holly.
Worst moment: We can only speculate. The show was never broadcast in any country. However, it has been said that the actor playing Lister was particularly poor and that UK and US footage was spliced together to save funds. Oh, dear.
1) Skins
Airdate: January-March 2011
Original: Skins (E4)
Fate: Cancelled. Despite MTV’s efforts to keep content as anodyne as possible, Skins USA attracted major controversy for its depiction of casual sex and drug use. A trumped-up child pornography charge (!) issued by the right-wing Parent’s Television Council impelled advertisers to pull out and led to the show’s demise.
Why it sucks: The combination of a charmless cast and uninspired writing did little to prop up this ill-fated reboot.
Did you know?: After it’s cancellation, the President of BBC America announced that Skins UK obtained higher ratings than its US adaption in syndication, proving that British shows may not necessarily need reworking for a decent share of the American market.
Worst moment: Gay character Maxxie being replaced by a photogenic lipstick lesbian.
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