Christopher Lloyd's new career move....

FitzoliverJ

.... ain't a good one.

Even worse than "Sherlock New York" (sorry, "Elementary") -


yes, it's "Only Fools and Horses USA", featuring

'ghetto-talking con man' and Del and Rodney's 'perpetual enemy'

..... Trigger.*


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a368700/christopher-lloyd-to-star-in-only-fools-and-horses-us-remake.html

(Christopher Lloyd is to play Granddad)


* no, not the horse.

RAnthonyMahan

It really bugs the crap out of me when they "Americanize" a British show. Why can't you just watch the real thing? Is not being American really that huge of a turn-off?

I mean, I guess the American version of The Office turned out OK, but most of the time you end up with monstrosities like this.

AndyTheFrog

I honestly don't see how US "Only Fools and Horses" remake could work...and why should it be remade anyway? I'm not even British, yet this still really bugs me to no end. I'm pretty sure the whole thing will flop though (just like the US version of Red Dwarf did). The Office is okay, but Only Fools and Horses is so very,very British in every single way that I can't possibly imagine how they will adapt it without ruining it beyond recognition.

That being said, I think Christopher Lloyd is a good choice for the role. If the show doesn't flop right away, I might give it a chance just because of him.

Jennifer

It's not just the US that does it, it's the other way around too (Law & Order: UK).

I don't think it's a bad thing to take a show and adapt it for your country's audience, as long as it retains the original's feel. It's been done before successfully as already mentioned in this thread. Plus the countless successful reality and game shows that have come from one shore and landed in the other.

Popular culture in one country is different in another, and a lot of people have trouble understanding the accents of people from other countries (or other regions of the same country for that matter). It's all a matter of making a show a success. And if it's done right, it's definitely OK by me.

Irishmile

I don't really see it as a bad thing either... usually if I like the American version of a show I check out the UK counterpart... Sometimes I like the American version better sometimes the other way around... either way its twice the entertainment.. Sometimes I had already seen the UK show first and I like to see how they localize it and adapt it.

Saying things like "Americanizing it" makes it seem like you dislike Americans by the way...

Hiroshi Mishima

RAnthonyMahan wrote: »

I mean, I guess the American version of The Office turned out OK, but most of the time you end up with monstrosities like this.

Oh gods, Red Dwarf US.. it's like the whole premise of the show was rewritten. They shoehorned in a "sexy" female character, the "messy" guy was just a sloppy dresser, and the atmosphere seemed nonexistent. I certainly didn't see any of the humour carrying across.

While remaking something to fit your culture isn't always a bad thing, "localization" can often strip away everything that made the original what it is. I found the US Godzilla movie interesting and even entertaining, but it had nothing of what made the Japanese Godzilla movies so endearing to me. As a CGI monster, it lacked the presence of the suited characters; this is something I felt in regards to the new Star Wars films, too.

Every now and then I'll come across a show that I'd find out was a remake of another show, and I'll usually like one over the other to the point where I don't even wanna watch the other unless nothing else is on.

Mind you, this could also have something to do with my not really getting a lot of US humour anymore, and having grown up on shows like Benny Hill, Doctor Who, and Absolutely Fabulous. I think if I'd had to watch a US version of 'Allo 'Allo, I'd have gouged out my eyes.

Then again.. we already do have shows that are similar without being remakes, insofar as I know. I can't say I'm a fan of many of today's television shows...