Americanizing Other Nation's Shows: BBC Being Human vs. SyFy Being Human?

[Linus]

I've become a huge fan of the BBC Being Human series and when I heard that SyFy was going to carry it, I thought "YAY! I won't have to have BBC America or buy it on iTunes" until I saw that they were creating their own version of it (Americanized). Literally, word-for-word the same except slang.

And I'm not sure why. I've refused to watch the redone version as I tend to find a lot of "uniqueness" of the show is the actors and original language that it's in. It's along the same avenue of how I feel about Steig Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo et al. original Swedish versions vs. the soon-to-be released American version (which apparently will have a different ending )

So how do you feel about it? Good? bad? Ugly?

[Waldo]

The US is probably at the forefront of this practice, but we're hardly the only people to adapt things.

Generally speaking when it comes to film I will lean toward the original, but if the story is compelling enough for me I'll see the US version as well. With any creative endeavor you never know who will be able to bring out different nuances.

La Femme Nikita is one of my absolute favorite films. I love it to bits. And I've seen the US movie version starring Bridget Fonda. It's abysmal. And I've had no desire to see any of the TV versions. Zero.

For the Larsson books... I'll see the US versions. I saw all three of the Swedish films and I had mixed feelings about them because I really enjoyed the books. When you consider that entire chunks of the story were left out or altered slightly I can't see a reason why NOT to see the US version. Will it be better? Doubt it. But so what? It's not the Americanization that bothers me. It's the poorly executed remakes that bother me.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Waldo

The US is probably at the forefront of this practice, but we're hardly the only people to adapt things.

Generally speaking when it comes to film I will lean toward the original, but if the story is compelling enough for me I'll see the US version as well. With any creative endeavor you never know who will be able to bring out different nuances.

La Femme Nikita is one of my absolute favorite films. I love it to bits. And I've seen the US movie version starring Bridget Fonda. It's abysmal. And I've had no desire to see any of the TV versions. Zero.

For the Larsson books... I'll see the US versions. I saw all three of the Swedish films and I had mixed feelings about them because I really enjoyed the books. When you consider that entire chunks of the story were left out or altered slightly I can't see a reason why NOT to see the US version. Will it be better? Doubt it. But so what? It's not the Americanization that bothers me. It's the poorly executed remakes that bother me.

The Swedish films were done for TV, technically (IIRC). And any time you do a movie-from-book lots is often left out. What I've heard about the American version is that they are going to be "happier", which struck me as odd since it takes away from the book.

That said, I don't see why the original series, particularly TV series, cannot be done in their original format/language rather than redoing it. Unless there truly is something that is unique to the locale that would be misunderstood, I don't see the need or understanding as to why.

I would think that it would be cheaper than doing a remake of the series. Wouldn't it?

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by Linus

The Swedish films were done for TV, technically (IIRC). And any time you do a movie-from-book lots is often left out. What I've heard about the American version is that they are going to be "happier", which struck me as odd since it takes away from the book.

That said, I don't see why the original series, particularly TV series, cannot be done in their original format/language rather than redoing it. Unless there truly is something that is unique to the locale that would be misunderstood, I don't see the need or understanding as to why.

I would think that it would be cheaper than doing a remake of the series. Wouldn't it?

The thing with any filmed (whether for TV or cinema) entertainment is that in order to connect with an audience the audience has to be able to connect themselves to it. That is what, at the end of the day, limits the appeal of foreign language film.

You may notice that on HGTV a fair number of the series are filmed in Canada. The cultural dynamics are similar enough that it's not an issue. Our accents, save a few words, are similar - as are our neighborhoods, etc. That's not the case with the UK or Australia. The accents create a sense of "other" that most folks can't overcome. And that's, of course, made worse when you introduce actual foreign languages.

So, while you might think that it would save money (and it would), it also wouldn't make money because the audience would be so much smaller.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Waldo

The thing with any filmed (whether for TV or cinema) entertainment is that in order to connect with an audience the audience has to be able to connect themselves to it. That is what, at the end of the day, limits the appeal of foreign language film.

You may notice that on HGTV a fair number of the series are filmed in Canada. The cultural dynamics are similar enough that it's not an issue. Our accents, save a few words, are similar - as are our neighborhoods, etc. That's not the case with the UK or Australia. The accents create a sense of "other" that most folks can't overcome. And that's, of course, made worse when you introduce actual foreign languages.

So, while you might think that it would save money (and it would), it also wouldn't make money because the audience would be so much smaller.

If that (accents and other cultural dynamics) were true then Coronation Street wouldn't be so popular in Canada.

I think there is far more of an incidence of xenophobia in the US than in Canada. To me, it stems from both the desire to not expose Americans to different cultures *AND* Americans not wanting to be exposed to those cultures. It's interesting that the US is ok with bringing Canadian shows to the US because Canada is often viewed as the "51st State of the US".

UK and Australian cultures are different but it's not 100%. For example, Doctor Who has remained entirely UK and the US has never attempted to remake it even with the large following it has (although Torchwood, a spin-off of Doctor Who, will be a co-production with Channel 4 [??] and Starz, keeping many of the main original actors).

I suppose for me it's still a cultural adjustment and I admit to missing the multicultural view I get from daily, regular TV in Canada (not specialty channels but regular from the air channels).

[Corkey]

Wait...there's a difference? I don't watch either.

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by Linus

If that (accents and other cultural dynamics) were true then Coronation Street wouldn't be so popular in Canada.

I think there is far more of an incidence of xenophobia in the US than in Canada. To me, it stems from both the desire to not expose Americans to different cultures *AND* Americans not wanting to be exposed to those cultures. It's interesting that the US is ok with bringing Canadian shows to the US because Canada is often viewed as the "51st State of the US".

UK and Australian cultures are different but it's not 100%. For example, Doctor Who has remained entirely UK and the US has never attempted to remake it even with the large following it has (although Torchwood, a spin-off of Doctor Who, will be a co-production with Channel 4 [??] and Starz, keeping many of the main original actors).

I suppose for me it's still a cultural adjustment and I admit to missing the multicultural view I get from daily, regular TV in Canada (not specialty channels but regular from the air channels).

I know next to nothing about what is broadcast on television in Canada. But you asked about the dynamics of this in the US. And I stand by my answer. Even your xenophobic comments reinforce exactly what I'm saying. I worked in the film distribution industry for years and while I've seen it get better in the decade+ since then, it holds true today.

Dr. Who certainly has a following, but to say that it's *popular* in the US would be vastly overstating it.

Here's a little something for you to chew on - each of these shows has been remade for the UK:

Married With Children
The Golden Girls
That 70s Show
Law & Order
Mad About You
Who's The Boss
Maude
Good Times

And I can't even count the number of "reality" series and game shows.


AND... here's a little gem that just floors me. The Nanny, with everyone's favorite nasal-affected actress, Fran Drescher, was shown in over 90 different countries, but TEN countries felt it worthwhile to make localized versions: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Russia, and Turkey.

[UofMfan]

Originally Posted by Linus

If that (accents and other cultural dynamics) were true then Coronation Street wouldn't be so popular in Canada.

I think there is far more of an incidence of xenophobia in the US than in Canada. To me, it stems from both the desire to not expose Americans to different cultures *AND* Americans not wanting to be exposed to those cultures. It's interesting that the US is ok with bringing Canadian shows to the US because Canada is often viewed as the "51st State of the US".

UK and Australian cultures are different but it's not 100%. For example, Doctor Who has remained entirely UK and the US has never attempted to remake it even with the large following it has (although Torchwood, a spin-off of Doctor Who, will be a co-production with Channel 4 [??] and Starz, keeping many of the main original actors).

I suppose for me it's still a cultural adjustment and I admit to missing the multicultural view I get from daily, regular TV in Canada (not specialty channels but regular from the air channels).

I agree with you Linus. I tend to notice that most Americans, and by that I mean those who live in the US, do not like to be exposed to anything other than their own culture. I said most, not all. And like you, I believe this is a major factor taken into account when remakes are made.

Having lived both in the US and abroad for an extensive number of years I know what my personal experience is on both ends.

For the most part, the majority of US series are subtitled for Latin American audiences (I have worked on a few myself) but to remake something completely it is the exception and not the rule. The only TV content that gets remade constantly are the reality TV shows that mostly originate in the UK and that I can totally understand.

I love watching both US movies and foreign films and I really enjoy the variety of television that I get to see from all different countries here through my local cable provider.

And as to the adaptation of books into movies, few ever get it right. I am looking forward to reading the books then watching the original Steig Larsson's series.

Great topic Linus.

[Melissa]

Originally Posted by Linus

I've become a huge fan of the BBC Being Human series and when I heard that SyFy was going to carry it, I thought "YAY! I won't have to have BBC America or buy it on iTunes" until I saw that they were creating their own version of it (Americanized). Literally, word-for-word the same except slang.

And I'm not sure why. I've refused to watch the redone version as I tend to find a lot of "uniqueness" of the show is the actors and original language that it's in. It's along the same avenue of how I feel about Steig Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo et al. original Swedish versions vs. the soon-to-be released American version (which apparently will have a different ending )

So how do you feel about it? Good? bad? Ugly?

I loved the three Larsson films and want to read the books. In all honesty I have no desire to see American versions. My first thought was that the American versions will probably first take out all the lesbian sex, they will remove the scene where she rapes the man but I bet they will leave in the scene where she is raped, and I bet they make her feminine. What I loved about these films was that she was never a victim. She fought back just as hard if not harder, never felt sorry for herself, made mistakes, learned from her mistakes and never backed down. The best scene was in the third film when she sat through the trial in full punk gear. I don't expect the American film to keep that scene either.

Melissa

[Jess]

I assumed it was sort of a trade off for Law and Order- UK...

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Linus

I've become a huge fan of the BBC Being Human series and when I heard that SyFy was going to carry it, I thought "YAY! I won't have to have BBC America or buy it on iTunes" until I saw that they were creating their own version of it (Americanized). Literally, word-for-word the same except slang.

And I'm not sure why. I've refused to watch the redone version as I tend to find a lot of "uniqueness" of the show is the actors and original language that it's in. It's along the same avenue of how I feel about Steig Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo et al. original Swedish versions vs. the soon-to-be released American version (which apparently will have a different ending )

So how do you feel about it? Good? bad? Ugly?

So I saw the Americanized version of Dragon Tattoo and I have to say... it was honestly far better than I expected. I certainly still prefer the Swedish version but they didn't really "Americanize" this. They kept it based in Sweden, they still maintain a lot of the original storyline and, I believe, had more than the original mini-series.

I was particularly impressed with the actress who played Lisbeth (Rooney Mara) as she came across very well as the character. So I take it back on this one.

[Martina]

Not a remake, but because of one of your chaps, there will be years of House re-running on U.S. television. No apologies for anything we've done after that. You have to pay. *clearly not a fan of House though i like Hugh Laurie*

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by Linus

It's along the same avenue of how I feel about Steig Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo et al. original Swedish versions vs. the soon-to-be released American version (which apparently will have a different ending )

So how do you feel about it? Good? bad? Ugly?

Ok, this is something I'm going to complain about. It seems like lately American television/film industry has been butchering a lot European TV shows and films as well as films/TV shows from other countries. Before Hollywood decided to butcher Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there was also another American remake of another Swedish book/film called Låt den rätte komma in (Let Me In was the horrible remake). The film is a vampire film but not of the stereotypical variety. It deals with themes of bullying as well as the relationship between a boy and a vampire who's gender is a bit ambiguous. The vampire is presumed to be female in the film, but actually because the director wanted the vampire's voice to be more androgynous they did not use the actress' real voice in the film. Basically she acted and spoke the lines, but another person's voice was dubbed over because the director wanted a more gender ambiguous voice. Overall pretty awesome film.

Of course Oskar and Eli were replaced by Owen and Abby from New Mexico, gender ambiguity and other themes pretty much obliterated from the remake. Which seems to be a pattern, considering I've heard that Girl With the Dragon Tattoo remake hasn't taken on the strong themes of violence and vengeance of the victim on the rapist that the original novel intended.

Kind of same with the American remake of Prime Suspect, where it feel like issues of sexism and other issues of oppression are a bit watered down when compared to the original. And why does it seem US TV shows are unable to make films/TV shows about strong women/feminist values without sexualising female protagonists to silly degrees.

I don't see why American audiences can't just watch non-American films and TV shows the way others around the world watch films/TV shows not from their own countries. It's like anything an American audience "might like" Hollywood needs to remake and, consequently, water down. It looks like Hollywood/American television has just been running out of ideas the last ten years, and so remakes shit or defaults on stupid comedies or "reality" shows.

In continental Europe/Scandinavia foreign films are shown in major movie theatres with the option of subtitles or in original language. US should start doing the same, instead of remaking everything.

I am right this moment watching the first episode of the new Being Human season!

[Linus]

Originally Posted by June

I think Americans should watch nothing but American shows made by Americans lest we further destroy our economy and firm moral fiber.

Or.

I don't understand why we need to bastardize and claim things. Although, I did enjoy both the British and US versions of The Office. Some shows translate just fine though, but are not shown widely. Like that Dawn French show The Vicar. I was just mad for that, and to my knowledge, they never remade it here.

Do we do it to anything but the British shows? Did any other country ever steal Green Acres? I can see that going over well in France.

I think a couple of Canadian shows were "borrowed".

And ya, Dawn French's The Vicar of Dibley would be hard to remake here.

There was also the IT Crowd which was redone for the US but never took off (it still does well, I believe, in the UK and I happen to love the British version).

[Ebon]

Originally Posted by Linus

I think a couple of Canadian shows were "borrowed".

And ya, Dawn French's The Vicar of Dibley would be hard to remake here.

There was also the IT Crowd which was redone for the US but never took off (it still does well, I believe, in the UK and I happen to love the British version).

Love both of those shows and I agree I don't think Americans can do anything good with The Vicar of Dibley. It grinds on my nerves when the US tries to redo stuff like they can do it better. They tried to do it with Death At A Funeral too but I preferred the original version.

[moxie]

I most always prefer the original version of things, no matter if the original is old and the remake is new or the original is foreign and the remake is American.

American remakes of Scandinavian films are butchered horribly, in my opinion. Examples: Insomnia (remade with Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank...was HORRIBLE) and Brødre (remade into Brothers with Jake Gyllenhal, Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire). As far as the Larsson trilogy, here in the states we weren't able to see the complete Swedish version (which was made for tv and was edited for US release in the theaters) so I am looking forward to the complete version coming out on dvd later this year. I probably won't see the American version of it. The only thing that is giving me the infinitesimal want to see them is that David Fincher is going to direct. Still don't think that will sway me but who knows.

The original Kath and Kim was hilarious. The American version that got canceled mid-season was horrible.

I just wish people would learn to appreciate subtitles and accents so this wouldn't have to happen and the masses could enjoy things the way they are supposed to be: in their original form.

/rant.

[betenoire]

[Sparkle]

I've heard mixed reviews of the American remake of 'Let The Right One In'.

My friends from outside of the country hated it and hated that someone remade it so soon. My friends that live in the US, who have seen both, thought the remake was "ok".

I thought it was a very well made film (the original) but too bloody and gory for me. The whole first hour creeped me out, a lot.