Ask UK

1223 readers

1 users here now

Community for asking and answering any question related to the life, the people or anything related to the UK.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

What's a British TV show that the Yanks did better? (feddit.uk)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

44 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'll go first....The Office.

Now I know the two shows are fundamentally quite different, but they adapted what was already a very successful show, and turned It into an event more successfully one that lasted for significantly longer than the original did. I say that's a win for them.

Anything else? Life on Mars, Being Human, The Inbetweeners.....?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Life on Mars. Although I really enjoyed the British original as well.

But no one can come close to the Great British Baking Show.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Great British Baking Show

That's Bake-Off over here, sonnyjim!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

IIRC, the brand Betty Crocker owns "bake off" as a trademark over in the USA, so we couldn't call it that.

Great show, unless you do like a soggy bottom.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

There's a Captain Disillusion video which shows you the effort they go to when making the US edition. Items include filming intro scenes twice (and you can see sketches aren't as funny the second time around) and even using digital effects to change the name on the winners trophy.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The American version didn't have DCI Gene Hunt, which automatically makes it inferior

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

But no one can come close to the Great British Baking Show.

I prefer the Canadian. In terms of “feel good” show, the Canadian goes further.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I think this is due to the actual societal character of the British compared to us Americans. We just can't seem to genuinely pull it off because it's somewhat counterintuitive to the way we're raised socially. Try as we might, we may come close, but we seem to always miss the mark, even if the differences are hard to put a finger on. That's just my opinion.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

I think some of the difference has to do with the show’s format. You don’t see anyone arguing or backstabbing. On the contrary, even though they are competing against each other they often help each other out. In the USA we have shows like Jersey Shore, car repo, bounty hunter, everything we watch is some form of confrontation pitting someone against someone else and then filming and broadcasting the fireworks. Can you tell that I’m tired of American TV?