10 US Remakes Of British TV Shows Which Were Actually Pretty Good
The ideas aren't fresh - but they still work!
It’s a commonly held belief on British shores that American remakes of our shows tend to be unmitigated stinkers. We like to believe that our cousins across the pond have no ideas of their own and instead cherry pick the best of UK ingenuity, coming out with watered down versions in lieu of creating their own concepts.
And there are certainly some examples that would big up such a view - the American versions of The Inbetweeners and Peep Show took quintessentially British shows and turned out pale, often embarrassing imitations. Popular drama Broadchurch was reimagined as Gracepoint for a single unsuccessful season; they’ve had three whacks at Fawlty Towers.
If we’re to look at things objectively, though, even the most patriotic British telly fan would have to admit that there have been some top notch American adaptations of our shows. Some of these have succeeded by staying true to the formula, even maintaining some of the same writers or performers. Others have bucked criticism by taking their versions in entirely different directions.
While we should applaud and promote new ideas where possible, these shows prove that our finest shows are able to enjoy a new life elsewhere.
10. Life On Mars
As one of the better high concepts in recent memory, remaking Life On Mars must have been a no brainer. The BBC version saw John Simm play Sam Tyler, a modern cop who finds himself mysteriously sent back to 1973 after a trauma. Along with the central time travel mystery, Tyler was forced to grapple with the old school police stylings of a bygone era.
The American version took the action to New York of the same time, which is a great hook right away, a fascinating point of law enforcement history to examine. The cast was stacked, too, with Harvey Keitel taking the role of the grizzled lead detective Gene Hunt, and Gretchen Mol and Michael Imperioli in support.
Similar to the UK original, Life On Mars US didn’t stick around too long, mining everything they could from its period setting and hook before departing.
It’s worth noting that the ending of the US version is insane. Simply bonkers. But for fans of the original, it’s well worth checking out as a worthwhile, classy adaptation of a great drama.