My Cart - Everyone knows it – the American’s have been attempting to remake our beloved TV shows for years. Sometimes these versions are decent, or arguably better than their British counterparts, but sometimes the American’s really know how to ruin a good TV show.
Here, we’ll show you some of the worst attempted US remakes of British TV shows. Prepare for cringing!
Fawlty Towers
The 70’s BBC comedy took a funny look at bad customer service and made us all wince. Fawlty Towers is based around the hotel owner Basil Fawlty, who’s incompetent and arrogant, and gets into plenty of sticky situations over the course of the series. The BBC made two series of the hit show, which, in 2000, the British Film Institute named the best British television show of all time.
The Americans have thus far made three failed attempts at their own version of Fawlty Towers. The first remake, named Chateau Snavely was a made-for-TV film starring Betty White, which flopped, as did the further two remakes, Amanda’s and Payne. It’s unlikely that a fourth attempt will be made looking at how these remakes were received.
IMDB Rating for UK Version: 8.9/10
IMDB Rating for US Version (Amanda’s): 5.9/10
Skins
Skins was an E4 TV series that soon became a cult favourite. The UK version centred around a group of teenagers from Bristol, and lasted for seven series’ and three ‘generations’ of characters, with a further two ‘spinoff’ episodes under the name Skins Fire. The series confronted important adolescent issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness, sexuality, bereavement and bullying. The UK version was well-received and critically acclaimed worldwide.
MTV premiered an American version of the series in January 2011, and it was a disaster from the start. As well as being badly received by audiences, it was also a source of controversy in the US for its sexual references. Unsurprisingly, MTV did not renew the show for a second season.
IMDB Rating for UK version: 8.2/10
IMDB Rating for US version: 3.9/10
The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd was an extremely popular British TV show, lasting for four series and an additional two finale episodes. This show made outstanding references to pop culture, as well as starring major actors and comedians such as Richard Ayoade, Chris O’Dowd, Katherine Parkinson and Noel Fielding. The show made us all want to work in IT, and had us all asking “have you tried turning it off and on again?”
The American version never aired on NBC, although they filmed a pilot. The remake saw Richard Ayoade reprise the role of Moss, with an otherwise all-American cast. The show was scrapped when it didn’t meet the approval of NBC chairman Ben Silverman. In October 2014, NBC announced that it would attempt to make another remake. Keep your fingers crossed for that one!
IMDB Rating for UK version: 7.4/10
IMDB Rating for US version: N/A
The Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners was extremely successful, and is still referenced by people every day. The E4 sitcom lasted for three series and was adapted into two films. The show focussed on the story of four secondary school boys who get into all sorts of funny, if slightly cringey, situations. The series was extremely popular worldwide, as were the two films.
MTV once again attempted to replicate this success with an American version of The Inbetweeners. Once again, the Americans failed to capture what made the UK version great, and the series was cancelled in November 2012 due to low ratings.
IMDB Rating for UK version: 8.5/10
IMDB Rating for US version: 3.6/10
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, or Ab Fab as it’s known, was a classic BBC sitcom that lasted an impressive five series. It starred comedian Jennifer Saunders alongside Joanna Lumley, and offers audiences tons of laughs as they show the lavish life of PR agent Edina Monsoon, who is determined to stay young and ‘hip’. Absolutely Fabulous was much loved by its audience and well-received by critics.
In 2009, an attempt was made to remake Ab Fab for an American audience. Starring Kristen Johnston and Kathryn Hahn, the American version tried to be more politically-correct yet still capture the humour of the original. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and the remake failed to impress audiences.
IMDB Rating for UK Version: 8.1/10
IMDB Rating for US Version: 5/10
The reputation of US remakes of British TV shows is pretty tarnished by these shows, proving sometimes, you can’t beat the original.
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