Bye Bye Coupling!!!!

[Twich]

COUPLING YANKED: Here's the best development of the new TV season: NBC is benching Coupling for the next two weeks! (Yipee!) However, the Peacock has opted to fill the struggling sitcom's post-Will & Grace timeslot this week with a repeat of Whoopi. (Sigh... ) Ironically, in spite of the whole Coupling debacle, NBC is taking another stab at translating a hit British comedy for American audiences. The network has ordered a pilot for a U.S. version of the sublime U.K. comedy The Office. (Some people never learn... )





Sad to hear about "The Office" though...I'm sure they'll slaughter it too.

[Hegemon]

It's too bad the American version has been nothing but crappy. The original British show is absolutely hilarious. I don't understand why they even bothered to remake the show, the British version has quite a following in the US already - they should've just bought the rights to that and aired it instead of butchering it with a remake.

[Twich]

I wholeheartedly agree!!!!!


"She didn't really have a miniature guillotine you know. I'm sure she was making that up..."

[trubador]

I guess they came and went.
:run:

[vhsiv]

They never do well with these British remakes - they lose quite a bit in 'translation'. But maybe they were encouraged by the success of 'Big Brother'...

Actually, they did a good job with an American version of 'Cracker', with Robert Pastorelli a couple of years ago, but I guess American audiences don't want to see their protagonists as 'troubled' unless they're in a sitcom, a soap-opera or proto-Premium television like HBO or FX.

But this might be good news - maybe theyll eventually have a timeslot to return 'Boomtown' to the air....

[Twich]

Gotta get rid of "Whoopi" to do that and not sure that's gonna happen. According to TV Guide, they're putting Whoopi in Coupling's place. :rolleye:

*Biting tongue......

[grapeshot]

Actually, both "Sanford and Son" and "Three's Company" were copies of British sitcoms -- so it's not an absolute truism that Hollywood butchers Brit sitcoms when they try to "American-ize" them. However, in MOST cases, they really do FRELL IT UP! Anyone remember when they tried to make an American version of Ab Fab????

[vhsiv]

Anyone remember when they tried to make an American version of Ab Fab???? I thought that was 'Designing Women'... </sarcasm>

[Twich]

Has anyone here seen the Office? I have it on my queue at Netflix but it's currently in VERY LONG WAIT status....that could be...forever...

[vhsiv]

'The Office' has been running for some time on BBC America. The entire first series is available from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009ZY9E/qid=1066351904/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5015090-4150441?v=glance&s=dvd) for $21, though you could probably get it for less at DeepDiscountDVD.com.

'The Office (http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=BBC018150)' @ DeepDiscountDVD.com, Available 10/21/03 - free shipping.

[RedKarma]

I remember seeing the commercials for that and I couldn't help but remember a Simpsons line "They turned into a hard core porn channel so gradually I didn't even notice."

Well, we will just have to hope for the best from NBC, which is easy for me to say since I can't think of a single show they have that I watch.

[AgentSun]

i saw the BBC version of Coupling and i honestly was sitting there and could not stop laughing. it was hilarious!

havent seen the american version, but you gotta feel for rena sofer cause she was on the chronicle too, a skiffy killed production.

[fermicat]

I agree about American TV frelling up the good British shows. The American version of "What Not To Wear" is just awful. The BBC version is great fun.

I wonder if the converse is true.... would BBC screw it up if they tried a British version of, say, Queer Eye?

[Twich]

Coupling
The original series, on BBC America. I think I now know what sold American executives on this show: the English accents. Both versions are essentially the same, but even an episode revolving around Susan's discovery of Steve's adult video starring spanking lesbians becomes palatable when a proper Brit defends his fondness for "bottoms."

[waltersgirl]

Actually, they did a good job with an American version of 'Cracker', with Robert Pastorelli a couple of years ago, but I guess American audiences don't want to see their protagonists as 'troubled' unless they're in a sitcom, a soap-opera or proto-Premium television like HBO or FX.

Robert Pastorelli had nothin' on Robbie Coltraine. the original worked precisely because of where it was set, which has a huge influence on who the characters are and how they respond to any given thing. the same undercurrents don't exist societally in the US as they do in UK.

[waltersgirl]

Twich, it's the culture i think, not so much the accents. the culture is what makes the show so funny. just like Cracker; you can't take it outside of the world it was created in. it would be like taking Farscape and re-doing it dirtside.

[Twich]

Ooops...sorry. I should have posted that the accent quote came from the "watercooler" section of TV Guide online on Friday morning. Sorry. I thought I had put the link in there....

[Third EYe]

I never saw the series outside of the US, I only saw the US version. I never heard of it existing until someone mentioned it with much authority, and it was so.

I didn't like it. It takes a lot for me to like sitcoms, a real lot.

I really like Will and Grace, I think it has some really witty intelligent humor. I never watch it though. No, I can't explain why I don't, I just don't, have no clue why.

[LiLOrion]

So "Coupling" didnt go over well and now they are going to try for "The Office"?! Dont they realize a trend here?

If they cant pull off an Americanized version of "Coupling" they AINT gonna pull off "The Office". But I guess they have to try EVERYTHING since Friends will be history soon.