Because apparently we, the U.S. viewing audience, will soon be getting American remake versions of British TV shows such as Torchwood and Being Human…as well as ANOTHER La Femme Nikita TV show.

Actually, we already make fun of the past attempts to remake our shows that ended badly.

Red Dwarf.



Annoys me that Torchwood and Being Human are being touted for a stateside remake, why do networks not have any faith in the original British versions?

Which is why I said more

As far as Being Human is concerned, Syfy is making it (should explain a lot) and that it is a matter of not being able to acquire the rights and the creator of the series wants to do an Americanized version as opposed to porting the British show over to U.S. Shores.

Torchwood is the one that has my hopes up. RTD himself is rumored to be helming it as well as rumors that it may not be a remake but a continuation of the British show.

Personally I do not see the need for either, but I remain cautiously hopeful for Torchwood

I will never watch the U.S. version of Being Human. On a related note, I'm pissed we here in the states have to wait until summer to see series 2.

Dr.D;159529
I will never watch the U.S. version of Being Human. On a related note, I'm pissed we here in the states have to wait until summer to see series 2.

I won't even watch the British version.

Thanks to Twilight for that.

JamesCGamora;159530
I won't even watch the British version.

Thanks to Twilight for that.

I take it that the vampires in that series sparkle like the Twilight vampires huh?

Kingpin;159526
…why do networks not have any faith in the original British versions?

My guess is because they're often way too short, and thus not very marketable.(*winston)

That, and network execs. probably fear that some of the characters and situations wouldn't be relatable to a wide enough audience.

Plus, they're not exactly our best and brightest (network execs. that is)…

It's not “lack of faith” in the originals, it's a variety of factors. I'm in the TV biz, so I've picked up some things.

Sometimes the original British version simply wouldn't work for the majority of the country. As Cosmic said, tastes are different, but more than that, sometimes the subject matter and/or content are not considered “appropriate.” As an example, Torchwood contains “adult language” (i.e. swearing) and nudity, yes? The FCC (Federal Communications Commission, if you were wondering) and the Standards and Practices departments (i.e. censors) for the broadcast networks frown on this sort of thing. There was a time in the late ‘90s/early ’00s where exposed buttocks and some of the less colorful anatomical slang terms (notably a 4-letter term for breasts starting with T, and references to the anal sphincter) were allowed, with great limitation. Then came 9/11 and Janet Jackson's “NippleGate,” and the Moral Majority reared up and kiboshed the above. So there's that.

There's the matter of money. It's cheaper for a producer/studio/network to buy the rights to the original concept than to license the actual shows. Plus, this way any profit doesn't have to be shared with the original companies, actors, etc.

And there's the short runs that the BBC is famous for. In the UK, 8 episodes is a complete series (or season over on my side of the pond. Here, “series” refers to the whole shebang from first episode to final episode). In the US, 8 episodes is a starting point, with more added if the ratings warrant it. A “full season” is 20 to 26 episodes. In the ‘50s, a season could run 32 episodes! Some cable channels seem to be embracing the British model and are doing split-seasons of about 8-10 shows with several months in between. In theory, it’s cheaper with a better quality of writing.

Back to the “tastes” thing. I posit the US is currently (for the most part) where the UK was 20+ years ago. I submit the level of humor in Red Dwarf I is about where Two and a Half Men is now. Just an observation; doesn't mean anything. Although if they tried to Americanize Dwarf using Men as a guide, it might actually work. I dunno. Maybe. I'm rambling now.

James,
I hate Twilight more then most people. Which is why I like Being Human so much. Vampires are still killers who don't sparkle. They kill people and are seen as things to be feared. The Werewolf in the series isn't some dumb CGI dog, it is a classic werewolf. The transformations look a lot like American Werewolf in London. Seriously, Being Human is one of the best TV shows I have seen in years. Screw “SyFy”. They claim all of this is to reach a broader audience, but therein lies the problem. It is a channel for Science Fiction, not ECW wrestling and other crap. The Sci-Fi channel didn't go down the drain when it changed it's name. It went downhill after they pulled MST3K. I only pray that the Fox remake of Spaced is dead. If that ends up on TV, I think I will move to the U.K.

Dr.D;159541
James,
I hate Twilight more then most people. Which is why I like Being Human so much. Vampires are still killers who don't sparkle. They kill people and are seen as things to be feared. The Werewolf in the series isn't some dumb CGI dog, it is a classic werewolf. The transformations look a lot like American Werewolf in London. Seriously, Being Human is one of the best TV shows I have seen in years. Screw “SyFy”. They claim all of this is to reach a broader audience, but therein lies the problem. It is a channel for Science Fiction, not ECW wrestling and other crap. The Sci-Fi channel didn't go down the drain when it changed it's name. It went downhill after they pulled MST3K. I only pray that the Fox remake of Spaced is dead. If that ends up on TV, I think I will move to the U.K.

Thats fine, cause they got rid of WWECW, thankfully (they souldn't have even brought it back under the ECW name IMO) and huh, I thought JamesCGamora said that he wouldn't watch it cause of Twilight.

Guess that's cause that particular series ruined Vampires for him.