The Last of "Monarch"...

[An t-Ileach]

...and speaking of Compton Mackenzie and the original stories: you absolutely cannot find them in the US...

That's a real shame, given its American angle and all; and it's quite anarchic. And Whisky Galore...

[jkdesq]

Colin,

I won't argue with that. An episode of Degrassie the Next Generation or the newer Monarchs, I'll take the Monarchs. We don't even need to say anything about the O.C. or other shows out of Hollywood.

[auld argonian]

Monarch is definitely more than a match for just about anything on network TV in the US right now....seriously...no matter when it "jumped the shark"...and I can see how some might feel that way especially because of the "hitherto unkown and not previously mentioned relative of some sort that just happens to pop up" like Paul and Uncle Donald (but you've still got to love Tom Baker...and there seems to be much more of Tom Baker to love since we last enjoyed him in Dr. Who!).

Seems that you have to have a conflicted teen with some kind of supernatural connections and a parent who's a forensic pathologist to sell a TV series in the US these days. I WOULD like to remind everyone of how well Dallas, Dallas and Kojak went over in the UK a while back; hope you'll all get to enjoy One Tree Hill and The OC someday. Hey...we're watching Last of the Summer Wine over here and digging it...I've even met some teenagers (the target audience of One Tree Hill and The OC) who are fans of LOTSW...can you dig that? I read that they even tried to do an American version of Summer Wine and realized that they couldn't sell it.

best

Auld Argonian

[Rufus]

Well, it happened! Yes, "Monarch...." is back! The first episode of six in the final series was shown on BBC1, here in the UK, this evening.

I might miss next week's episode as I'll be on another stage of my World Tour, and will be in Wales - Cardiff to be precise.

I'm sorry that I missed the first episode here in the UK. How fun would that have been to watch the show that inspired my move here, on the night I arrived? Alas, I was much too tired, and don't have a television in my accommodations...nor do I want to pay the license fee.

Ham, sounds like we'll be closer than ever this next weekend. If I wan't skint, I'd make a trip up to Cardiff to see you (and possibly Derek?)

[Colin]

I read that they even tried to do an American version of Summer Wine and realized that they couldn't sell it.

best

Auld Argonian

Why do they do that? It's about time they realized that you can't just take a funny British series and Americanize it hoping for the same results. I think the Office is proof of that. Can you imagine a Faulty Towers without John Cleese, and staring Bea Arthur instead? I don't think many people even realize how many of their "hit" shows are just cheap carbon copies.

UK original = US remake

Antiques Roadshow= Antiques Roadshow
Ballykissangel = Hope Island
Changing Rooms = Trading Spaces
Cracker = Cracker
Coupling = Coupling US
Dear John = Dear John
Dog Eat Dog = Dog Eat Dog
Faking It = Faking It
Fawlty Towers = Amanda's starring Beatrice Arthur
George and Mildred = The Ropers
Hell's Kitchen = Hell's Kitchen
I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! = I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!
Man About The House = Three's Company
Max Headroom = Max Headroom
Men Behaving Badly = Men Behaving Badly
Mind Your Language =What a Country
Never Mind The Buzzcocks = Never Mind The Buzzcocks
The 1900 House = Frontier House
Not the Nine O'Clock News = Not Necessarily the News
The Office = The Office
One Foot in the Grave = Cosby
Pop Idol = American Idol: The Search for a Superstar Both with Simon Cowell as a judge
Queer As Folk = Queer As Folk (US)
Red Dwarf = Red Dwarf
Robin's Nest = Three's a Crowd
Robot Wars =Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors Filmed alongside the UK show in 2001.
Scrapheap Challenge = Junkyard Wars
Spitting Image = D.C. Follies
Steptoe and Son = Sanford and Son
Strictly Come Dancing = Dancing with the Stars
Supernanny = Supernanny
This Life = First Years
Till Death Us Do Part = All In The Family
The Weakest Link = The Weakest Link
What Not to Wear = What Not to Wear
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? = Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Whose Line Is It Anyway? = Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Wife Swap = Wife Swap (ABC) / Trading Spouses (FOX)

[jkdesq]

There actually was an American Faulty Towers done in, I think, the late 1990's. The John Cleesey character was played by John Laroquette (of Night Court and the Johnny Laroquette show fame). My impression is that it pretty much fell on its face.

I have recently heard that American T.V. exec's had the bright idea of re-doing the Office. I don't know how they can make that fly.

Even Bob the Builder and TeleTubbies, Americans have voiced over the footage with voices with American accents. I don't understand why Americans can't be satisifed watching foreign T.V. shows with foreign voices. They want the rest of us to watch their stuff, why can't they watch ours too?

Anyway, clearly I am just ranting.

[Mike n NC]

I say "BRING BACK MAX HEADROOM!!!"

A totally wacked show and I had it bad for Amanda Pays

Mike

[auld argonian]

You're just ranting? Looks like you're in the right place!

And I hope that we don't get any US re-makes of Blackfly or (god save us!) Red Green.

Incidentally, did anyone besides me catch Patrick McKenna when he guest starred in Stargate (shot in Vancouver but set in the USA...I guess that Vancouver looks more like the US than the US does) a season or so ago? As an homage to his most celebrated role as Red Green's nephew Harold he is seen tossing a roll of duct tape into his field kit when he's going off to fight the bad guys on another planet....priceless!

I (unfortunately) remember both the Bea Arthur and the John Laroquette attempts at Fawlty Towers. I'll have to check my reference material and see if they ever tried to re-do Are You Being Served.

Auld Argonian

[davedove]

shot in Vancouver but set in the USA...I guess that Vancouver looks more like the US than the US does

Actually, the main reason they do this is because it's a lot easier to get the permits to block off sections for filming and things like that. And except for a few choice buildings, one city looks much like another.

[jfellrath]

Actually, the main reason they do this is because it's a lot easier to get the permits to block off sections for filming and things like that. And except for a few choice buildings, one city looks much like another.

It's also less expensive to film there than in major U.S. cities like New York, L.A., etc. The X-Files used to film there regularly (as Jamie inadvertantly informs everyone that he's a geek) until David Duchovny wanted to be nearer to his wife and they moved the show stateside. And it got notably more expensive, but by that point it was a hit and there wasn't any problem.