Imported British Telly
Every couple months I explore the web sites of foreign TV networks -- namely the British ones. Not all British programming is good; the good stuff, though, isn't just good -- it's legendary. This is why, in Europe, Britain more or less dominates the market for entertainment export, but British television has a reputation for excellence that extends worldwide too.
Even in America where ratings indicate that the vast majority of us prefer soapy, dumb schlock like "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" or -- God help us -- "CSI: Miami," uniquely British ideas have found a way to thrive.
Britain has given us more than a few hits in exchange for the American brand of drama that, like your MasterCard, is accepted everywhere ... wall to wall. Alf Garnett of "Till Death Us Do Part" became Archie Bunker. "Man About the House" became "Three's Company," and so on. This is what I call transatlantic adaptation.
Steve Carell is part of the trend, memorializing Ricky Gervais's crude, pathetic David Brent, Regional Manager of Wernham Hogg, by playing his double on NBC: Dunder Mifflin's embarrassing and completely witless Michael Scott.
A glut of British reality and game-show programming has also been adapted for American television over the years. "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," "The Weakest Link," "Trading Spaces," "What Not to Wear," and the larger than life ratings juggernaut "American Idol" ("Pop Idol" clone) are some of the biggest hits in the category.
There have been so many successful British transplants to the American entertainment landscape that it's almost impossible to imagine that any British concept could fail if it touched US soil. You'd be wrong if you thought that way, though; there's a graveyard-full of UK shows that were adapted by Americans and promptly canceled. "Cracker," "As If," "Coupling," "Teachers," "Men Behaving Badly," "Viva Blackpool!" ("Laughlin!" in the US), "Cape Wrath" (Showtime's ill-fated "Meadowlands") and "The Kumars at No. 42" ("The Ortegas") all met the sharp end of the network axe shortly after premiering stateside or, in some cases, before they even got the chance to air.
The fact is, NBC needed to recast, retool and revise the BBC's version of "The Office" to gain mainstream support in America. The original made waves on the BBC's American outpost because it legitimately rocks but it also benefited from having a built-in audience of viewers who, by virtue of being BBC fans, naturally seek out more challenging, mischievous storytelling and humor that pushes the envelope. This is in contrast to the average American viewer who generally seeks the world's elegant reduction into basic archetypes.
While David Brent was smarmy, self-aggrandizing, petty and vulgar, Michael Scott is merely whiny, immature and clueless. Both characters are hilarious but one is more subversive than the other, more threatening and problematic. This pretty much sums up the main difference between American and British television. That's why I find a lot of British television so exciting. That's why I'd rather some UK shows not be messed with and tortured until they fit the American box.
Even in America where ratings indicate that the vast majority of us prefer soapy, dumb schlock like "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" or -- God help us -- "CSI: Miami," uniquely British ideas have found a way to thrive.
Britain has given us more than a few hits in exchange for the American brand of drama that, like your MasterCard, is accepted everywhere ... wall to wall. Alf Garnett of "Till Death Us Do Part" became Archie Bunker. "Man About the House" became "Three's Company," and so on. This is what I call transatlantic adaptation.
Steve Carell is part of the trend, memorializing Ricky Gervais's crude, pathetic David Brent, Regional Manager of Wernham Hogg, by playing his double on NBC: Dunder Mifflin's embarrassing and completely witless Michael Scott.
A glut of British reality and game-show programming has also been adapted for American television over the years. "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," "The Weakest Link," "Trading Spaces," "What Not to Wear," and the larger than life ratings juggernaut "American Idol" ("Pop Idol" clone) are some of the biggest hits in the category.
There have been so many successful British transplants to the American entertainment landscape that it's almost impossible to imagine that any British concept could fail if it touched US soil. You'd be wrong if you thought that way, though; there's a graveyard-full of UK shows that were adapted by Americans and promptly canceled. "Cracker," "As If," "Coupling," "Teachers," "Men Behaving Badly," "Viva Blackpool!" ("Laughlin!" in the US), "Cape Wrath" (Showtime's ill-fated "Meadowlands") and "The Kumars at No. 42" ("The Ortegas") all met the sharp end of the network axe shortly after premiering stateside or, in some cases, before they even got the chance to air.
The fact is, NBC needed to recast, retool and revise the BBC's version of "The Office" to gain mainstream support in America. The original made waves on the BBC's American outpost because it legitimately rocks but it also benefited from having a built-in audience of viewers who, by virtue of being BBC fans, naturally seek out more challenging, mischievous storytelling and humor that pushes the envelope. This is in contrast to the average American viewer who generally seeks the world's elegant reduction into basic archetypes.
While David Brent was smarmy, self-aggrandizing, petty and vulgar, Michael Scott is merely whiny, immature and clueless. Both characters are hilarious but one is more subversive than the other, more threatening and problematic. This pretty much sums up the main difference between American and British television. That's why I find a lot of British television so exciting. That's why I'd rather some UK shows not be messed with and tortured until they fit the American box.
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