I love how much you ...
Question: I love how much you appreciate TV from a variety of cultures. Thanks to the Internet, viewers are finally figuring out just how often the U.K. and the U.S. "borrow" show ideas from each other. But outside of reality and sketch shows, how often does this actually
work? There is usually a great deal of buzz surrounding Americanized British shows, especially from the fans of the original. Yet when the show finally debuts, there is a sigh of disappointment from critics and fans alike.
The Office is the only show I am aware of that has avoided this curse. Should the networks take a chance and try showing the original British versions? Financially, this would be a goldmine for them and for the original British companies as well. The U.K. broadcasts American shows like
Heroes,
Dexter,
House,
CSI,
Grey's Anatomy and
Desperate Housewives, so why don't we return the favor? Most Americans don't seem to know that BBC America exists (unless they read your column) and have no other way to be exposed to the brilliance of British TV. We shouldn't have to accept watered-down versions of British TV — like the disastrous
Coupling!
Answer: First, a bit of historical context. Classic '70s shows such as
All in the Family and
Sanford and Son were based on original British series, so
The Office wasn't the first (or even the best). But the American networks seem to be as afraid of the British accent as they are of airing black-and-white shows anymore. Look at all the British stars who headline shows this season and mask their native accents (far too many to name here). More to the point, the networks no doubt fear the "foreignness" of shows from across the pond, despite the fact that we share more or less the same language. Local references and colloquial slang would probably have to be edited, and I get enough complaints about the trimming of imports on BBC America for length reasons to wonder how the shows would be ripped up to fit on network TV. From the network point of view, it makes more sense to buy the rights to the show and start over, even if the results are often inferior to the original. I'm not saying I agree with this, but I understand why debacles like
Coupling happen.
