The British Are Coming!
The Brits are taking over our airwaves, run for your lives! The past couple weeks have brought us three American remakes of acclaimed UK shows (Skins, Shameless, and Being Human), plus the kick-off of Showtime's Episodes, which is an American show about an acclaimed British show being remade for American television. Confused yet? I certainly am, as I'm watching all of these while still catching up on episodes (not Episodes, which I'm already caught up on, just episodes) of the original Skins and Being Human.
I'm sure this goes without saying, but let me assure you that not all these shows are created equal. In fact, let's grade them!
Skins
Amount I've Seen Of The UK Original: 2.5 seasons and counting.
Premise: A group of teens party, have sex, do drugs, and battle their own personal issues, with each episode focusing on a different character. Think the format of Lost with the issues of Degrassi. But SEXY.
Thoughts: While I hate to write off a show after only two episodes, I think it's safe to say that MTV's version of Skins is an abomination. The pilot episode was a shot-for-shot remake of the UK pilot (though with less swearing and fewer naughty bits, of course), while the second episode told a mostly original story. Both failed miserably due to terrible casting. The actors in the UK Skins inhabit their characters so well that they actually seem to BE those people, whereas the US kids just awkwardly fumble through their lines with no sense of realism or believability. The lack of authenticity isn't a huge surprise, as the American version made the fatal mistake of asking its cast to play the EXACT same characters from the original series. Couple that with a depressing lack of cursing and nudity, and what's the point? GRADE: D+
Being Human
Amount I've Seen Of The UK Original: 1 season and counting.
Premise: A vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf room together and attempt to live normal lives. No, it's not played for laughs.
Thoughts: Unlike the seemingly irredeemable Skins remake, the US Being Human has a lot of potential. The three leads are perfectly cast, as is Lost's Mark Pellegrino as baddie vampire Bishop. The showrunner is former Supernatural writer Jeremy Carver, who's responsible for some of my favorite episodes of that series, including "Mystery Spot" and "A Very Supernatural Christmas." All of this combined talent could lead to something great, but for now it's being used to (sigh) replicate all the beats of the original UK series. At least it's a good replica, but before judging the show I'll have to wait and see how it fares when it strikes out on its own. GRADE: B
Shameless
Amount I've Seen Of The UK Original: None.
Premise: The Gallagher family, led by the always drunk Frank (William H. Macy), lie, cheat, steal, and do whatever it takes to get by on a daily basis.
Thoughts: Do I like Shameless the best out of this bunch because I've never seen the original, and thus have nothing to compare it to? Maybe. Do I like it the best because it's allowed to have rampant swearing and nudity? That doesn't hurt. I also feel it's the only one of these remakes that has any sense of place, with the Chicago locations truly adding to the lived-in vibe of the show. (Both Skins and Being Human, to their detriment, are filmed in Canada despite being set in America.) This feels like a uniquely American story, not a transplant, and that's essential to the success of any remake. So far, so good. GRADE: A
Episodes
Premise: Two British writers move to Hollywood to remake their acclaimed TV series for American television, only to discover that the network plans to turn it into a comeback vehicle for Matt LeBlanc.
Thoughts: It's strange that a show about the horrors of remaking a British series for American television should air right before Shameless every week, but indeed it does. Episodes wants to poke fun at the TV industry in the same way that The Comeback and Extras did in years past, but whereas those shows remain hilarious classics and clever satires, Episodes is often painfully unfunny, taking aim at broad, easy targets while being a bit too broad itself. The one bright spot is, surprisingly, Matt LeBlanc, who plays himself and brings a sense of breezy fun to the proceedings whenever he's on screen. Unfortunately, that's not often enough. GRADE: C
I'm sure this goes without saying, but let me assure you that not all these shows are created equal. In fact, let's grade them!
Skins
Amount I've Seen Of The UK Original: 2.5 seasons and counting.
Premise: A group of teens party, have sex, do drugs, and battle their own personal issues, with each episode focusing on a different character. Think the format of Lost with the issues of Degrassi. But SEXY.
Thoughts: While I hate to write off a show after only two episodes, I think it's safe to say that MTV's version of Skins is an abomination. The pilot episode was a shot-for-shot remake of the UK pilot (though with less swearing and fewer naughty bits, of course), while the second episode told a mostly original story. Both failed miserably due to terrible casting. The actors in the UK Skins inhabit their characters so well that they actually seem to BE those people, whereas the US kids just awkwardly fumble through their lines with no sense of realism or believability. The lack of authenticity isn't a huge surprise, as the American version made the fatal mistake of asking its cast to play the EXACT same characters from the original series. Couple that with a depressing lack of cursing and nudity, and what's the point? GRADE: D+
Being Human
Amount I've Seen Of The UK Original: 1 season and counting.
Premise: A vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf room together and attempt to live normal lives. No, it's not played for laughs.
Thoughts: Unlike the seemingly irredeemable Skins remake, the US Being Human has a lot of potential. The three leads are perfectly cast, as is Lost's Mark Pellegrino as baddie vampire Bishop. The showrunner is former Supernatural writer Jeremy Carver, who's responsible for some of my favorite episodes of that series, including "Mystery Spot" and "A Very Supernatural Christmas." All of this combined talent could lead to something great, but for now it's being used to (sigh) replicate all the beats of the original UK series. At least it's a good replica, but before judging the show I'll have to wait and see how it fares when it strikes out on its own. GRADE: B
Shameless
Amount I've Seen Of The UK Original: None.
Premise: The Gallagher family, led by the always drunk Frank (William H. Macy), lie, cheat, steal, and do whatever it takes to get by on a daily basis.
Thoughts: Do I like Shameless the best out of this bunch because I've never seen the original, and thus have nothing to compare it to? Maybe. Do I like it the best because it's allowed to have rampant swearing and nudity? That doesn't hurt. I also feel it's the only one of these remakes that has any sense of place, with the Chicago locations truly adding to the lived-in vibe of the show. (Both Skins and Being Human, to their detriment, are filmed in Canada despite being set in America.) This feels like a uniquely American story, not a transplant, and that's essential to the success of any remake. So far, so good. GRADE: A
Episodes
Premise: Two British writers move to Hollywood to remake their acclaimed TV series for American television, only to discover that the network plans to turn it into a comeback vehicle for Matt LeBlanc.
Thoughts: It's strange that a show about the horrors of remaking a British series for American television should air right before Shameless every week, but indeed it does. Episodes wants to poke fun at the TV industry in the same way that The Comeback and Extras did in years past, but whereas those shows remain hilarious classics and clever satires, Episodes is often painfully unfunny, taking aim at broad, easy targets while being a bit too broad itself. The one bright spot is, surprisingly, Matt LeBlanc, who plays himself and brings a sense of breezy fun to the proceedings whenever he's on screen. Unfortunately, that's not often enough. GRADE: C