10 TV Shows That REALLY Shouldn't Have Worked

The IT Crowd. Coupling. The Inbetweeners. What do these shows and many others have in common? God awful American remakes.

The Office was a much beloved British series written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and was inherently British in its portrayal of the ordinary office environment. There is an awkward, desperately uncomfortable edge to the hilarious UK original which thrived because of its stripped back, subtle approach.

So, talk of an American remake would have hardly inspired fans of the original to watch a potentially shoddy, laugh track infested remake of their beloved original.

However, despite those with an exclusively British comedy palate perhaps not taking to the US remake, The Office’s American cousin was largely regarded as a rare success for US adaptations. The show was lauded for its lovable characters, decent gags and balancing of UK/US comedy style.

Is it better than the original? Perhaps not. Was it better than anyone expected? Absolutely.