12 TV Sitcom Remakes That Completely Bombed
6. Coupling (NBC, 2003)
In 2003; with Friends entering its final stages, NBC started the search for a replacement and happened upon Coupling. An award winning Britcom with a similar character set-up. After an unsuccessful pilot, a ten episode first season was commissioned and hyped to hell and back. But unfortunately, hype can’t guarantee long-term success.
Although writer Steven Moffat’s opinion on Coupling US is “The network f****d it up because they intervened endlessly”, the more obvious problem is that the plot and dialogue are almost entirely the same but with the trademark risqué humour toned down a fair bit. There’s no Nudity Buffer or Melty Man to be found here. And the problem of a broadly similar but neutered script is made worse by the cast, who manage to ruin a Steven Moffat script (quiet at the back there, Doctor Who fans) with their stilted delivery and lack of comedic timing. None of it feels natural.
When Coupling finally made it to air, it didn’t exactly have the effect that NBC’s executives were hoping for, with ratings dropping by over five million in just three weeks. This, combined with almost universally bad reviews, led to it being pulled from the schedules after four episodes. And just to twist the knife, BBC America started broadcasting the original immediately after the remake. NBC’s CEO at that time Jeff Zucker summed it up pretty handily in three words: “It just sucked”.