DescentBB

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainmen ... 375947.stm

I'm a massive fan of the original. If you've seen the remake, how does it compare? Come to think about it. Why do they remake these comedy remakes at all?

Because Hollywood executives personify the phrase "stupid americans" and they just can't help themselves. Just when it looks like we might be getting a push for more original content here recently something comes out to remind me that creativity is a very scarce commodity in tinsel town.

I loathe the fact that not only are they stupid...they're filthy rich. Which I'd like to think is an insult to a lot of us here.

Yeah, sorry, not even going to bother. Not that my wife and I really ever watch network TV anyway, but I don't think that American TV would be capable of even somewhat emulating shows like this. I mean, not only are the execs seeming like complete morons, trying to follow a "formula", but there's inherent differences in the cultures between Britain and the US such that both the audience and the cast may not really be able to connect with the required elements from the original that made it work so well.

I expect this to be every bit as doomed as the US remake of Coupling was. (Seen the original of that, too, didn't bother with the NBC version then, either.) It'll come, and then soon after it'll go, and no one will miss it. NBC probably won't even miss the money that's been spent on it. And they'll try again with the next "critically-acclaimed" Brit-com that comes along, and probably fail with that, too.


EDIT - I see that the BBC's picked up the rights to the US version. I'll be interested in seeing the British public's thoughts on this whenever it's aired over there.

Remember this:m What works once ought to work well 3,4,5 times on down the road

it'd be good if the US version portrayed TV executives at work.

Whats worse, Kojak is being brought to life. Somehow the lollypop sucking Kojak is now black and talks ghetto.

Yeah Woody. I was just thinking about this last night and for a while now I've been saying that it's great black actors are getting all these parts but...

Why not create original characters to be remembered for instead of...playing a character that the majority of the original audience remembers as being white? Yeah, sure they'll be a new group of people watching it, but not ever having watched the original Kojak, I even knew the guy was white.

It's kind of insulting in a way because you know people would be having a fit if say...black characters like Huggy Bear (original Starsky & Hutch) or Blade (Comic Book Character) was portrayed by a white or hispanic actor in a movie. Somehow though it's alright for Catwoman or Kingpin to be black even though the comic book characters are white? Sure, Eartha Kitt played Catwoman a few times in the old Batman TV show but frankly that show wasn't meant to be taken too seriously.

It just gets a little ridiculous that there are these double standards. Cast the parts as they are meant to be casted. There are plenty of characters that each different person, regardless of skin color, could play. White, black, yellow characters from all kinds of things. Further reason why I've always had a problem with race/gender character swapping in movies and TV.

I will watch it and see. We don't watch much TV so it has to be good to make the limited rotation.

On a side note, I kind of liked Coupling. At least the 4 or so episodes that actually aired.

Heh Ty, I hadn't thought beyond Kojak. How about "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" main character being played by say...Sean Penn?

Dedman wrote:On a side note, I kind of liked Coupling. At least the 4 or so episodes that actually aired.

I did too, besides...the women were HOT

Woody, I don't agree with it anymore then with what I posted earlier. However it shows that the doors indeed swing both ways, albeit more from the minority side. Which, in a sense, is an encouraging sign. After all, when you think about it, characters are written. Despite whatever characteristics they might be given and the perception people may have actors should have the right to play them. Granted they have to do the part justice but it still doesn't make it any easier to re-perceive said characters.

Bah.... I only watch Lost. Badass show but not enough episodes :\