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Oh fucking fuck -- 'Father Ted' to be AMERICANIZED

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Bullshit mas grande.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:20 (twenty-two years ago)

grrrrrrrrrrrr

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

"Pariah Productions", tee hee.

― Mooro (Mooro), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

They've snatched up "Coupling", too.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

A very careful way of putting it, Dan.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

but coupling was meant to be the english friends (and fucking awful it was too)

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

cool! maybe i can understand it without all the funny accents!

― doom-e, Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear.

Has there ever been a successful transatlantic sitcom remake?

― RickyT (RickyT), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

It will be so awful -- the networks would not allow the Catholic Church to be satirized the way it was on the original series. I predict it will be more cringeworthy than the couple of failed AbFab ripoffs/americanizations.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

A few, actually -- Steptoe and Son became Sanford and Son, Man About the House became Three's Company. And wasn't All in the Family also a remake of sorts initially?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

but coupling was meant to be the english friends

That's what I thought, based on the episodes I've seen. (Main reaction: "Oh, 'Friends' with fucking.") The hilarious thing is that it's going to be the replacement show for "Friends".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

(Anyone else remember Bea Arthur's star turn in the Americanized Fawlty Towers?)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Archie Bunker = Til Death Us Do Part. (Is that All In The Family?)

That's the point though. Friends with FUCKING. (And they're not all friends. Or funny).

The Simpsons is pretty sacrelicious, why wouldn't this get by? After all this is not a representation of the entire Catholic Church (ie there was never a kiddie fiddling episode).

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

british television sucks ass. and you have to pay for the rubbish. it's like five channels iwth nothing but the littlest hobo on. i spent all my time watching CSI. who ever goes on about bloody 'the bill' or 'eastenders' or the THREE KAJILLION DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT WW2??? Nooooooooo....

― doom-e, Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

And with that the media eats itself and we are all left to climb trees YAY!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think you're ready/For this jelly
I don't think you're ready/For this jelly
I don't think you're ready/For this
'Cuz my body to sacrelicious for ya, babe!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Has there ever been a successful transatlantic sitcom remake?

Yeah, but no-one really remembers Till Death Do Us Part => All In The Family. Because they renamed it, and it was successful.

The few episodes of Cybill that I saw seemed unneccesarily close to Absolutely Fabulous. But not funny.

And 2point4children thought it was a British Roseanne.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

"We're going to try to do a version that's very true to what their original intent was", says the person adapting it. i know how to do that, just show the bloody original!

what would mrs. doyle's tea obsession translate into in america?

― angela (angela), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

and was also rubbish

Man about the house became that odious thing with Honor Blackman in it.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

That's great. I'm so happy about this. I watched all the British Father Teds, but I just couldn't figure out what "Feck" means. I hope the Americanized version will decipher this, so that I, an idiotic American, can finally appreciate Father Ted.

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Cybil was AbFab refracted through a nice filter. I still thought it was pretty funny (mostly because of Christine Baranski and the actress who played Zoe.... ROWR).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The Simpsons is pretty sacrelicious, why wouldn't this get by? After all this is not a representation of the entire Catholic Church

All it takes is some of the Catholic lay pressure groups (who are some of the most humorless bastards are the planet) to hear about this to ensure this will be toned down to nothing. If anything the recent scandals will mean they're MORE attuned to this. Father Jack in particular will be eviscerated. There's no way the whole 'drink, arse, feck' portrayal of a clearly-not-there-anymore priest is going to survive -- he'll be more of a gently wacky oddball who says something odd here or there.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

refracted through a nice filter

ERGO POINTLESS.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

There's nothing wrong with physical/absurdist situational humor.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I suppose it's a matter of knowing what the original was or not (and admittedly it wasn't meant to be an exact one-to-one link or anything).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

But will there be sodomy?

― jewelly (jewelly), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

You might think it very odd of me.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

This is totally and completely pointless. Argh! I don't know why I'm getting so pissed about this. I guess there's the condecension of the whole thing, that the show has to be dumbed down and dulled for US audiences, but also the fact that I can't argue against the idea that it would have to be dumbed down and dulled to make it on the air and have a respectable audience. They will probably add a sexxxy female character and lame double entendres.

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

And actually the more I think about it the entire rationale of the show will be even more hard to maintain -- three priests quietly reassigned away somewhere for various crimes against the hierarchy. Yeah, like THAT won't suggest any parallels...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

They could turn them into monks.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:54 (twenty-two years ago)

and And AND even if this works, it means that it'll become even more "the monty python for our generation". I realise that I am showing my indie colours, but really, this isn't what you need.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I say good luck to them. I can quite easily see how it could be relocated to a quiet New Mexican town. The dynamic is simple after all. One sent there to die/save them from scandal. One there because he is too stupid. And (key point) one who doesn't want to be there.

As long as Cheech Marin isn't in it, it should be fine.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Nash Bridges is ALREADY the americanised father ted (this is why it roXors obv)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait a minute - how is this different from using pop songs in commercials? If people like the Amercanized Father Ted, great, and if you don't, don't watch it...right?

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Like if your dead does it really matter is someone pisses in your mouth. Its exactly the same thing.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Haven't seen him since the peace march *but* I could conceivably find out what G Lineh@n has to say about this. He hasn't been doing much recently that I'm aware of, so HMMMMMMM.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

You are admittedly OTM, John, but call it the principle of the thing. ;-) More to the point, the track record of such adaptations being as generally poor as they are, I'm not surprised most of us are approaching this with suspicion.

There seems to be much better results when the inspiration is indirect -- Dan noted an example he didn't mind, and while I wasn't a diehard fan of Cheers, I did like how the creators said they were inspired by Fawlty Towers to a large degree -- but wisely, unlike all the direct adaptations, they didn't try and redo the exact scenario, which let the end result stand on its own.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

You are admittedly OTM, John, but call it the principle of the thing

Thanks Ned! But why is this principle so set-in-stone in one place (music in commercials) and suddenly invalid in another context?

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Catholic groups already tried to get a small, lame Catholic joke removed from the Simpsons. I forget if they suceeded. A non-neutered Father Ted would last one episode.

The Simpsons got away with a lot, because while it did make fun of hypocrisy in religion, it was never anti-religion.

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Father Ted's been on BBC America already tho right?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

But why is this principle so set-in-stone in one place (music in commercials) and suddenly invalid in another context?

Well...now I'm unsure of your exact parallel. I'm sorta the wrong person to ask seeing as I don't watch TV much. ;-)

And yes, Stevem, it has. The DVDs are available here too, which is a good thing.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

>Father Ted's been on BBC America already tho right?

Yes, but like three people get that channel (I being one of them).

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I await the British version of The OC -- that would be fantastic.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

The Essex?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I intend to keep bringing up The OC until Ned sez "Heavens! I kill you know ;-)"...

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

As I'll never say that, I will sit back and smile bemusedly at your Sisyphean task.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, there's a big difference in the levels of effort, creative and technical, between a) putting a piece of music in a commercial and b) making a 22-episode half-hour television series. And I think that (some/many/a lot) people consider the latter "making something" in a way that the former isn't. And that (//) people consider "making something bad" a thing that is bad (hence ILM).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

what happened to the American version of Men Behaving Badly? did this actually happen?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

yr all crazy: coupling wan't rubbish.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

what happened to the American version of Men Behaving Badly? did this actually happen?

It starred Justine Bateman and Rob Schneider and lasted one season -- need I say more?

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

what happened to the American version of Men Behaving Badly? did this actually happen?

Yup. Was crap. (As Nicole noted -- did it even last the one season?)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

It also starred Hathaway's blonde firefighter boyfriend from ER. (Go go trivia brain!)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Man about the house became that odious thing with Honor Blackman in it

The Upper Hand. But wasn't the American version Who's the Boss?

Why has no-one mentioned Brighton Belles yet?

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

because it was atrocious.

Also did Bread ever get a US remake?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

oh my that would've been amazing...

the sitcom has been dead on both sides of the Atlantic for a long time as far as i'm concerned. Father Ted and League OF Gentlemen were the last great conventional sitcoms to emerge for me - didnt rate the recent Alan Partridge - tho Black Books was alright, and if you want to class Spaced and The Office as sitcoms then them too.

can't think of any American sitcoms i've enjoyed recently, animated comedies have taken over i guess. but Scrubs and Ed were virtually sitcoms and were great.

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

us remake of bread = the sopranos

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

scrubs is terrible, sorry but it is.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Re. Brighton Belles - I know it was atrocious, but I thought it was pretty well established on this thread that remakes don't work, and this seemed like the perfect example of how bad it could get.

(Also see Married for Life (crap Married with Children starring Russ Abbott) and whatever the crap remake of Mad about You starring John Gordon Sinclair was)

I highly suspect that the US is just getting their own back for us British-izing their sitcoms :)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't think of any US sitcoms that are still in production that I think are funny -- maybe Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman if you consider them to be sitcoms, but I don't think they are.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I forgot South Park -- this is still sometimes funny.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

UH OH!!!

Ok, I'll stop doing that. Was there a British version of Charles in Charge? I'd like to see that.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:08 (twenty-two years ago)

we've got it au pair

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Screw sitcoms; I want a British version of "Manimal".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:15 (twenty-two years ago)

It could be called "Manimal Nitrate".

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"A rich scientist uses his ability to shapeshift into various animals to patrol the London club scene, taking down dealers with inferior product."

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

No, no, the US will improve Father Ted, in their usual way. Ted will no longer be corrupt and dishonest, Dougal will be far less stupid, Jack won't swear or lech over schoolgirls or drink so much, and they'll all be much better looking and likeable. It'll be hilarious.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

seinfeld is already the us father ted

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

sounds like Frasier!

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

It could be called "Manimal Nitrate".

"What does it take to be a WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLFFF?"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.classic-tv.com/top100/images/frasier.gif

Dougal, Father Ted, Mrs Doyle, Father Jack

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

ARGH!!!
(Though after watching Barton Fink again this weekend, I have to say that John Mahoney might not be the worst choice for Father Jack).

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

How the fuck can you put an American spin on Father Jack? What would you do? Drop him in the middle of Las Vegas?

Count ANOTHER remake DOA...

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

man i'm telling you, Frasier is SO the American Father Ted its unreal - except Dougal never lusted after Mrs Doyle.

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Since when had Ted lived in a penthouse in the sky...surrounded by pseudo-African art?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

doomie what's wrong with the Bill??

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I like it how you spelt americanised with a Z.

― Tim Stewart (Tim Stewart), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

The proper way as opposed to the barbarous way done in other countries. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...
Bleh. -- specifically:

Producer Gavin Polone, who has helped create the US version of BBC Two's The Kumars at Number 42, said he was working on a US version of the classic Channel 4 comedy Father Ted.

"We are doing new scripts ... although we are 'adapting' that show which is probably the best English show that I have ever seen," he told the Hollywood Reporter.

Because of course Father Ted is all about being English.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

it is so gonna be like Frasier

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Other British shows being developed for US TV include The Office,

They really have no clue.

(there was more to that sentence I quoted but a man can only take so much)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I would like to bomb the set of this travesty.

― RAISE YOUR STANDARDS! (Nicole), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Watch them cast Tom Arnold as David Brent.

― NA (Nick A.), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Here's a memo to US TV producers: COME UP WITH SOME NEW FUCKING IDEAS, DICKWADS.

― NA (Nick A.), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)

If "The Savages" isn't the story of life in Randy "Macho Man" Savage's wacky household, I will cry.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Unless I'm entirely mistaken The Savages starred Marcus Brigstocke, didn't get past the first series, and had nothing to do with Macho Man.

Also - adapting My Family. Yep, that's necessary.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Mr Bloody Swygart I accuse you of using sarcasm in a dangerous manner.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

bah to think had i paid closer attention to ilx i could've spent the last four months laughing at mark's nash bridges <-> father ted

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_841150.html?menu=entertainment.comedy

― smee (smee), Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Hold on, US version of the Kumars?!

Hahaha. Suckers.

― Sarah (starry), Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Brad Pitt would be grebt in The Kumars....

― smee (smee), Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i still haven't seen Curb Your Enthusiasm but it sounds great and probably funnier than anything the UK has produced in the last few years

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Alan Yentob's 'Imagine' programme last week focussed on the selling of Coupling and The Office to U.S. networks. Gervais has the most horrendous laugh in real life (pretty much like Brent's but less reserved - !) but I already knew that. What annoyed me was this typical 'oh please like our products Mr America, we've worked really hard to try and impress you' attitude - same as you get with British films like Love Actually or whatever being marketed over there, and with British pop acts like Robbo Williamston. Less sucking up would be nice, and it can actually work (I don't recall the success of The Full Monty being put down to a concentrated promotional drive out there, surely it was never expected to do so well there?)

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

They should do this sort of thing more often, and it should go the other way too, like, they should make an english version of "frazier", made by the people whi made "this life", or an english version of "the larry sanders show" made by the people who made "gimme gimme gimme". (nb I haven't got a television)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 27 November 2003 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Nonsense, stevem, we demand toadying.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 November 2003 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

Did anything ever happen with this?

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 09:47 (seventeen years ago)

No, it's Spaced US that it's time to get butthurt about now.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 09:53 (seventeen years ago)

hahahahahaha waht

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 17:19 (seventeen years ago)

Brought to you by McG

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 17:25 (seventeen years ago)

lololololololololol that is going to SUCK

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 17:49 (seventeen years ago)

Spaced's gormless movie parody scenes and ZANY housemate schtick should go down a treat in the US.

― Bodrick III, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 18:31 (seventeen years ago)

Who the hell still watches sitcoms? It seems like they're only appropriate if a) they're in British or b) they're this weird comedy/drama hybrid that's neither funny nor dramatic (the US version of Office, etc.)

― burt_stanton, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

"Arf a bottle of ouzo destructo and OH, the regrets."

― Laurel, Tuesday, 8 April 2008 18:33 (seventeen years ago)


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