Call me stupid but I just don’t get why americans insist on remaking english tv shows for the US market. Men behaving badly (It’s a Man’s world), Queer as folk (US) and now The Office (US) have all been redone to appeal to the americans. Next thing you know they’ll remake Little Britain as Little America. I thought they spoke english too? Throughout the world Americans are generally thought of as ignorant and maybe thats because they don’t truly get to see how the rest of the world lives. God forbid a sense of irony and common sense invade their social consciousness. I know that is one hell of a generalisation but it just shits me that the people who make the decisions on what is entertainment have such little respect for the intelligence of the american people.
I would be extremely offended if the ABC decided that I wouldn’t *get* Fawlty Towers and decided to remake it with Garry McDonald as Basil. Then they’d change jokes about the Germans to be New Zealanders and I would know nothing about the war. Changing a show just so I feel comfortable with the content matter doesn’t make me expand my horizons. How am I going to learn about history or the world if I’m not exposed to it?
It’s like when they remade Stepford Wives and gave it a happy ending. Fuck that! Life is not all happy endings and chocolates so don’t make out like it is. 70s films were a lot more honest than they are now. Maybe they should make a teen flick where the ugly girl doesn’t win the guy or the world isn’t saved. The entertainment industry should give us all some credit, show some balls and teach us a thing or two about the world in all it’s glory. Men have penis’, women have vaginas, humans have sex and people drink and throw up. Don’t hide it and don’t make us all mormons.
End Rant.
Amy if the entertainment industry started making movies like you asked, what would the art house people do? As for Queer as folk (US), is that the same but with out the homosexuals and lesbians? ;D
Arthouse would turn pornographic.:)
Surprisingly I think there is more sex in the american Queer as Folk but that is because it’s on cable in the US.
Okay, we all know I’m the ultimate “hiding-under-a-rock, do what mainstream society tells me to do” sort of gal, but I thought arthouse films already WERE pornographic?
And there’s more sex with ANYTHING to do with american cable.
Kelly, when Mat shows you the movie “Berlin Babes do Nietzsche” it is NOT arthouse. 🙂
Thankgoodness “Absolutely Fabulous” had a near-miss in the US, I believe Roseanne Barr wanted to remake it – can you imagine?
And Amy – if Arthouse becomes pornographic, where does that leave porn?
Porn would still be porn. What would happen is that the arthouse films would have better shot graphic sex scenes with famous actors looking for credibility. Porn would be the usual non storyline bad lighting format it’s always been. They’ve already begun the arthouse porn films already – see The Brown Bunny with Chloe Sevigny and Vincent Gallo. I haven’t but I’ve heard there is an interesting scene in it that doesn’t actually involve acting.
It should be easy to figure out why Americans need to re-make the rest-of-the-world’s film and TV shows.
They don’t understand them first time ’round.
Remember, this is a nation of people who can’t understand why 90% of the world hates them, just because they go around dropping nuclear bombs on things (ok, ok, they haven’t nuked anything significant since 1945), invading other people’s countries and building McDonalds everywhere.
If they can’t figure that out, something like satire hasn’t got a chance.
90% percent? more like 99.99999999% its only our bloody idiot pm and englands bloody pm that like them, and thats becuase they’re parasites who feed off really loua annoying icredibley stupid people like george why dont we blow up the middle east bush!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i cant spell for shite
Older personnages may remember “Steptoe and Son” being turned into “Samford and Son”, and “Til death us do part” into “All in the family” (I think latter title is correct, but stand to be corrected). Both American versions turned a poignant, tragi-comic show into a crappy American nyuk-nyuk show where characters insulted each other for “humorous affect”. The Yanks can’t even remake their own shows: check “Seinfeld” and see if it isn’t heavily derived from “The Dick Van Dyke show”. In each of them a lanky comedian plays the part of a lanky comedian interacting with 3 other people in his flat.