I just saw something, and I really don't know how to feel about it...

[AutoBat]

I just watched the episode in question (it's streaming free on history.com)
It was much better than I guessed from the previews.
They clearly can improve with practice.  The interview was terrible, but funny.

If you watch a Top Gear Australia clip on youtube the comment section is only filled with "this sucks compared to UK Top Gear"
while being right, it doesn't mean that it's terrible.

 

[JaySwear]

I find British shows (The Office, Extras, Peep Show) are generally better because they're written by 2 or 3 people who actually care about making a good show, and they only do 6 episodes a year so they can focus on making each show good.

i think this is pretty true. there are a couple newish US shows i'm a big fan of. Modern Family, The Middle, Big Bang Theory, and sometimes (but less recently) How I Met Your Mother. sometimes. the american version of The Office was pretty good too i thought. i've seen it come up a lot in this thread. that was one where i thought the US version didn't give the UK version a bad name. maybe not as good, but pretty damn successful in it's own right. although it might be doomed without Steve Carell next year.

 

[bigguspickus]

My favorite show on television right now is NBC's The Office. ...until the new season of Curb starts.

I tried watching Modern Family, but couldn't get over the fact that they were using the mockumentary style (that The (UK) Office pioneered) solely for the purposes of schmucks looking directly at the camera for a quick laugh, then falling back on traditional sitcom shtick whenever it suited them.

 

[JaySwear]

but couldn't get over the fact that they were using the mockumentary style (that The (UK) Office pioneered

i don't know, there have been a few mockumentary style things before the UK Office. 3 movies. Best In Show (an ok "documentary" on dog shows), Down From The Mountain (a pretty funny documentary on a bluegrass festival), and well before all those there was Spinal Tap (which needs no explanation). i'm sure there have been a few more, but those are the big ones i can think of before the office came along. either way, it's almost impossible to come up with a 100% new idea nowadays. like my guitar told me once, "almost anything you come up with has already been done at least once."

 

[bigguspickus]

Of course Spinal Tap was one of Gervais' chief inspirations for The Office. Check out his interview with Christopher Guest on youtube.

What I meant was: Modern Family irks me because they use the mockumentary style whenever it's convenient for a cheap gag, but then revert back to old hack with a bedroom scene, betraying the believability of a parody documentary. Also, The Office was about an office. What is Modern Family a documentary about? The zaniness of modern families? The show is overrated.

 

[mullyman]

I'm American and I will sit here and honestly say that America takes Brit TV shows and screws them up. I don't know this show you're talking about but I can imagine it. I'm a huge huge fan of "The Office" and when I saw the American version I felt so bad for it. No one can do what Ricky Gervais does, it's just not possible. How that show garnered any strength in America is beyond me. What surprises me even more are the Americans that have only seen the US version, they see the UK version and think it's crap. Unreal. I'll admit, the first 2 shows were pretty lame but once you get past those 2 it picks up really well. And again, no one beats Gervais.
MULLY

 

[tangent]

IMO the office is one of the few cases where the US version surpasses the UK original, but the US version of the Office is a very different show than the UK version.  The first season of the US show was crap, when they were trying to emulate the UK plot lines.. after that they started playing more on Steve Carrell's talent and the show improved drastically.  Of course, Gervais is still one of the producers of the american version..

I'm American and I will sit here and honestly say that America takes Brit TV shows and screws them up. I don't know this show you're talking about but I can imagine it. I'm a huge huge fan of "The Office" and when I saw the American version I felt so bad for it. No one can do what Ricky Gervais does, it's just not possible. How that show garnered any strength in America is beyond me. What surprises me even more are the Americans that have only seen the US version, they see the UK version and think it's crap. Unreal. I'll admit, the first 2 shows were pretty lame but once you get past those 2 it picks up really well. And again, no one beats Gervais.
MULLY

 

[AutoBat]

My two favourite British shows are/were Spaced and Doctor Who

 

[ptirman]

Fawlty towers and Mr. Bean and of course Monty Python and Benny Hill. British comedy is the best, American comedy doesn't come close. My wife disagrees.

 

[JaySwear]

What I meant was: Modern Family irks me because they use the mockumentary style whenever it's convenient for a cheap gag, but then revert back to old hack with a bedroom scene, betraying the believability of a parody documentary.

honestly i don't think they ever really break from the mockumentary style. they do the exact same thing the office does; have a totally ridiculous impossible-in-real-life sitcom scene, then tie it in to the mockumentary style by having one of the characters look directly into the camera. the office does this a TON. modern family's the same way with their filming style. free moving cameras, weird views like a camera is mounted to the wall, etc. but i think if you're just watching it waiting for them to break from their filming style then you'll be too concerned with that to enjoy the show.

Fawlty towers and Mr. Bean and of course Monty Python and Benny Hill. British comedy is the best, American comedy doesn't come close. My wife disagrees.

definitely. here's my humble monty python collection. my uncle got me to watch the Holy Grail when i was 8 or 9 and i've loved it ever since!

 

[ptirman]

I agree. I saw The Holy Grail in a movie theatre in the mid 70's in Wichita Falls, TX., visiting my brother at Sheppard Air Force Base. I was completely cracking up. The only one; it embarrassed me. There were only 14 people there.

 

[Mor Paul]

I love Holy Grail, Meaning of Life, and other Python stuff. Also, Fawlty Towers is great. I was introduced to it by my ex girlfriend this year.

 

[OzziePete]

I've never really understood the need to make American versions of shows that are already good. We don't need to re-make 30 Rock with Australians for it to be good - it's already good.

Just to be devil's advocate (don't you hate it when people say that) - wasn't American idol an American version of an Aussie show? Wasn't a lot (not all and I'm not saying all) of American music somewhat an imitation of a British imitation of American blues? Imitation is flattering and I don't blame TV execs for trying to recreate what's been successful elsewhere figuring it can make a buck over here. Too bad some attempts fall flat like it sounds that this one did.

I think American Idol came before Australian Idol. Their first "idol" was Kelly Clarkson and her emergence on the hit list pre dates Guy Sebastian (Australia's first Idol). It's ashow that is syndicated around the world, there's probably a Polish and Hungaraian Idol too. Simon Fuller is the main man behind that concept & reaping a fortune selling it off as franchised syndications.

Re: American music...you are game making a statement like that!

 

[ptirman]

I've never really understood the need to make American versions of shows that are already good. We don't need to re-make 30 Rock with Australians for it to be good - it's already good.

Just to be devil's advocate (don't you hate it when people say that) - wasn't American idol an American version of an Aussie show? Wasn't a lot (not all and I'm not saying all) of American music somewhat an imitation of a British imitation of American blues? Imitation is flattering and I don't blame TV execs for trying to recreate what's been successful elsewhere figuring it can make a buck over here. Too bad some attempts fall flat like it sounds that this one did.

I think American Idol came before Australian Idol. Their first "idol" was Kelly Clarkson and her emergence on the hit list pre dates Guy Sebastian (Australia's first Idol). It's ashow that is syndicated around the world, there's probably a Polish and Hungaraian Idol too. Simon Fuller is the main man behind that concept & reaping a fortune selling it off as franchised syndications.



Re: American music...you are game making a statement like that!

My second mistake that i know about. Fair Dinkum. it was created by Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol. Thanks for that!