Formal apology

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Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

On the behalf of the United States of America, I would like to issue a formal apology to our brothers and sisters across the pond for this impending travesty of justice.

CLICK

*** BANNED *** Joined: 18 Jul 2004 Posts: 2049

Here's an article on other attempts, including AF to translate British humour.

CLICKY

The Office started off well but now it is beginning to suck badly.

Jennifer Saunders (as well as Dawn French) are comic geniuses and as such, are irreplaceable.

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:53 pm

Don't worry about it, I don't watch TV

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:59 pm

I am sure it will be awful.....

Whether it is successful or not remains to be seen.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

"The Office" seems to translate well, and I find it very entertaining. AbFab can not translate successfully, here in the states, with the dark subject matter that is at it's core. It will be filtered in a way that will make it very un-funny.

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 10:10 pm

I really don't see why it's necessary to remake shows that are already in English, surely you can understand them as they are.

We wouldn't dream of remaking Happy Days, Will and Grace or friends. We just accept that the characters are Americans and that's why they don't talk proper, (like what we do!)

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Roger The Cabin Boy wrote:

I really don't see why it's necessary to remake shows that are already in English

Hence the apology. We, on this side of the pond, will surely mess it up. AbFab (in it's original state) is pure comic genius. We will produce a sanitized, politically correct pile of shit trying to emulate it.

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 10:22 pm

Hmmm, I take it you didn't see "Little Britain USA" then. Laughing

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 10:53 pm

Pastor Frank wrote:

AbFab (in it's original state) is pure comic genius. We will produce a sanitized, politically correct pile of shit trying to emulate it.

Sounds like what they did to Kath and Kim.

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:06 pm

I believe that The Mighty Boosh and Saxondale are also on the table to be made as US versions.

Incidentally, has any US comedy been remade into a UK version?
Apart from the dreadfully dire The Upper Hand (a remake of Who's the Boss).

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:09 pm

Noooooooooooooooo! please not the Boosh! Crying or Very sad

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 16 Jan 2009 Posts: 8

As a british expat, it pains me to say it but there is no-one this side of the atlantic who can get anywhere near the comical genius of, for example, Bill Bailey.

North America - take the hint, you suck at comedy.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Supremescam wrote:

North America - take the hint, you suck at comedy.

We suck at adapting British comedy into a prefabricated American format. I admit that, but we also have some good "home grown" comedy, so please keep the generalizations at a minimum.

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:28 am

Is this any good? It's just about to start here in Australia. The British one was fantastic.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787490/

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:06 am

id like to apologise about ow Australian copy of top gear it was crap they could have done so much better but they tried to copy the skills of mister slow and the long and short other two you cant try and copy a classic show in another country with out losing some thing no mater what show it is.
Why try and improve something if it ant broke

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 16 Jan 2009 Posts: 8

Pastor Frank wrote:

Supremescam wrote:

North America - take the hint, you suck at comedy.

We suck at adapting British comedy into a prefabricated American format. I admit that, but we also have some good "home grown" comedy, so please keep the generalizations at a minimum.

There are indeed, I love scrubs for one. Britiain too has produced its share of awful comedy, my family and my hero... who would've known someone who was in father ted could partake in something so awfully bad.

British stand-up however, almost always great. Especially the kind that rip the audience to bits.

EDIT:

Quote:

id like to apologise about ow Australian copy of top gear it was crap they could have done so much better but they tried to copy the skills of mister slow and the long and short other two you cant try and copy a classic show in another country with out losing some thing no mater what show it is.
Why try and improve something if it ant broke

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:34 am

It always bothers me that the genius' in the USA showbiz feel that they have to remake a show so that is will be palatable to the great unwashed masses. What ever happened to originality? I think the shows should be left to stand in their original state. People aren't as stupid as they think. (on the other hand, advertisers can be very dense).

Look at the mess they made of the American Red Dwarf.... and Fawlty Towers without Basil Fawlty? .... Please!

It is all in the pursuit of $$$ rather than in the pursuit of art....

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:01 am

Personally, I can't wait for the American version of The Chuckle Brothers' 'Chucklevision' Shocked

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:11 am

Quote:

AbFab (in it's original state) is pure comic genius

Let's not go over the top.

Fawlty Towers is pure comic genius. Yes Minister is pretty close. AbFab is formulaic and stereotypical, funny in spots but in no way deserving of the title genius.

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:30 am

no no no no yes no yes i would agree but you forgot "The Vicar of Dibley"

She who must be obeyed & i watched about 3 episodes last light in bed we have the hole set so were in for more fun tonight would any one know if there is any bloopers from the tapeing anywhere ???

Alice could not have kept that straight face all the time Laughing

Master Baiter Joined: 23 Sep 2008 Posts: 236

Lets see if I can put what I'm thinking into words.

Things like Little Britain and the Office translate well because they're mindless humour, slapstick, crude, that sort of thing.

Whereas Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers and the like have a dark edge to their humour.

Most people in both countries don't want humour you have to think about.

Example: Red Dwarf. They made Lister (the biggest slob in space), into a space hero, thus negating the whole point of the show. (how such a person is the last human alive, and doing so well).
Blackadder: Heaven forbid they make this, because then Blackadder wouldn't be the snarky person that everyone loves. Baldrick would be either cut out or cut down in case it offends someone, the whole 4th series would be cut or rewritten so that the trenches were superb...I'll stop there.

Its the same reason why reality shows do so well. People don't want to have to think about what they watch, they just want to sit down and let their brains dribble out of their ears.

*takes off generalisation hat*

Can you tell I have an opinion on this?

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:35 pm

Wonder how the US would remake The League of Gentlemen?

I`d love to hear some US locations for Royston Vasey Very Happy

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:47 pm

/\/\ I've had a few nights out in Hadfield, the real Royston Vasey, and that is bizzare enough.

Rewrites of famous series and films to suit an American audience really gets my goat. The thought of the US remakes of stuff like Get Carter and The Italian Job makes my blood boil, its like doing a cover of a Beatles Song, just don't!

Perhaps we could remake Miami Vice, featuring Crockett and Tubbs as the Scunthorpe Drug Squad. They could live on a barge on the canal, and drive a Subaru, instead of flamingos taking off at the start we could have a flock of pigeons...

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 3:01 pm

Open All Hours - could be a store in Chicago.

Last Of The Summer Wine - in Florida.

Spike Milligan's Q series confused enough Brits - What would the Yanks make of him?

Laughing

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:19 pm

Roycropper wrote:

/\/\ I've had a few nights out in Hadfield, the real Royston Vasey, and that is bizzare enough.

Rewrites of famous series and films to suit an American audience really gets my goat. The thought of the US remakes of stuff like Get Carter and The Italian Job makes my blood boil, its like doing a cover of a Beatles Song, just don't!

I've passed through 'Royston Vasey' a few times, but never stopped! We do plan a pilgrimage to the moor above Marsden, site of the Local Shop (there's a geocache there).

I did make the mistake of watching the remake of The Italian Job. Crying or Very sad

There aren't many US comedy programmes I watch. OK, Scrubs & Friends were a pleasant half hour viewing, but the only show I really laughed hard at was Police Squad. Or prior to that, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (I was only a kid at the time, honest).

The one I really, really hated (& apologies if I'm committing heresy here) was The Cosby Show.