Couplings

[proufo]

Hello to all.

This morning, by accident, I bumped into a british comedy called "Couplings", a derivative of Friends --but better than the original-- and mostly centered around sex.

Catch it if you can!

Did some searching, and learned that it's planned to be re-done in the US by NBC.

[Kym]

I hate it when the US "recreates" shows (and movies!) from other countries, especially the UK. To me, it's like America is saying, "your show is not good enough nor can we understand you, so we'll re-make it or dumb it down for ourselves."

:realmad:

[Dan C]

I've never seen the UK original but I thought the American version on NBC is one of the worst shows in the history of television.
Now that my curiosity was satisfied I'll be sure and avoid "Must See TV" like the plague.
Dan C

[rjp]

Originally posted by Dan C
I've never seen the UK original but I thought the American version on NBC is one of the worst shows in the history of television.
Now that my curiosity was satisfied I'll be sure and avoid "Must See TV" like the plague.
Dan C

and it was rated #17 last week.

shows you how bad TV really is.

renny

p.s. when is the sopranos coming back on?

[jkerr]

I got my Tivo programmed to record Coupling on BBC America. It is hilarious!

[proufo]

Originally posted by Kym in Hawaii
I hate it when the US "recreates" shows (and movies!) from other countries, especially the UK. To me, it's like America is saying, "your show is not good enough nor can we understand you, so we'll re-make it or dumb it down for ourselves."

:realmad:
There are instances of success, such as "All in the family".

[bartels76]

Originally posted by rjp


and it was rated #17 last week.

shows you how bad TV really is.

renny

p.s. when is the sopranos coming back on?

That's actually a really bad rating in that time slot. Previous shows in that time slot are usually in the Top 10 (no matter how bad they are). This series will probably be canceled after this year. I think it's a horrible show too.

[rjp]

the second episode was worse than the first.

there is nothing worse than someone trying way too hard to be funny. forced humor is not funny. friends has gotten like that. the drunken ross in last weeks friends episode was not funny in the least bit.

seinfeld was funny because it didn't try to be.

[stereoptic]

wrote: I've never seen the UK original but I thought the American version on NBC is one of the worst shows in the history of television.

agreed. I watched about 3 minutes the other night and I don't know what as worse - the dialog or the plot. I hate these shows where you know what the next line of dialog will be, and it is usually some unfunny sexual innuendo. Forget about double entendre, these sitcom hacks couldn't even write a single entendre. The show follows Will and Grace , which is probably the most sexual explicit (in terms of plot and dialog) show on network television. Although there is some very good acting on the show, each character is locked into their own stereotype and doesn't veer an inch off track. And the show is filled with gratuitous sexual dialog (and most of it is not even funny), which is what its audience expects. Last week there was a reference concerning Shish Kabobs, comparing it to a penis. Slightly funny, but then the joke was stretched to "ka-gina" and then pathetically to "ka-tits".

[GoldenBoy]

It is an extremely poor reworking of the original British show, which is vastly superior IMO. The US television executives have no originality. The number of shows that are actually stolen, borrowed or licensed from the UK is astounding; and they usually ruin them.

[cliff barua]

Originally posted by rjp

seinfeld was funny because it didn't try to be.

Sorry, but I'll have to disagee with that. In its last two seasons (at least), Seinfeld was very inconsistent. Some of the funniest episodes were made at that time but others were just too painful to watch because the main four characters were just so unfunny. For a show reaching its end, I think that Friends is more ocsistent than Seinfeld was at the end (where the shows were more miss than hit). And the Seinfeld finale has to be the worst in history.

Cliff

[cliff barua]

Originally posted by proufo

There are instances of success, such as "All in the family".

Also, Sanford and Son. And perhaps the early episodes of Three's Company.

Cliff

[GoldenBoy]

Originally posted by cliff barua


Sorry, but I'll have to disagee with that. In its last two seasons (at least), Seinfeld was very inconsistent. Some of the funniest episodes were made at that time but others were just too painful to watch because the main four characters were just so unfunny. For a show reaching its end, I think that Friends is more ocsistent than Seinfeld was at the end (where the shows were more miss than hit). And the Seinfeld finale has to be the worst in history.

Cliff

I tend to agree, but I did think that the last season of Seinfeld was slightly better than the second to last, barring the finale. Friends is indeed still insanely hilarious.

[GoldenBoy]

Originally posted by cliff barua


Also, Sanford and Son. And perhaps the early episodes of Three's Company.

Cliff

Actually, I found Three's Company to be a much more funny show than Robin's Nest, at least in the early seasons.

[peterC]

Originally posted by proufo

There are instances of success, such as "All in the family".


I was just thinking the same thing Pablo!

Both 'Til Death Us Do Part and All In The Family were wonderful shows.

[cliff barua]

Originally posted by GoldenBoy


Actually, I found Three's Company to be a much more funny show than Robin's Nest, at least in the early seasons.

Hey, that's a great comparison, but alas it's incorrect (though it may be unintentional on your part :) ). Three's Company was based on Man About The House. The follow-up show about Jack's restaurant (with his Hispanic assistant - can't remember the name of the show) was based on Robin's Nest (which was also the follow-up to Man About The House). Confused??

Cliff

[Kym]

Originally posted by cliff barua


Hey, that's a great comparison, but alas it's incorrect (though it may be unintentional on your part :) ). Three's Company was based on Man About The House. The follow-up show about Jack's restaurant (with his Hispanic assistant - can't remember the name of the show) was based on Robin's Nest (which was also the follow-up to Man About The House). Confused??

Cliff


I think that one was called "Three's A Crowd."

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by Kym in Hawaii
I hate it when the US "recreates" shows (and movies!) from other countries, especially the UK. To me, it's like America is saying, "your show is not good enough nor can we understand you, so we'll re-make it or dumb it down for ourselves."

:realmad:

I'm thinking of Max Headroom when you say this. The UK pilot to me was a lot better than the dumbed-down US version. :(

I don't know much more about the series beyond that, though. I watched, and really liked, the US series. Did the UK have their own Max Headroom series running concurrently with ours?

Talk about candidates for DVD box sets... ;)

[Ere]

Maybe the Brits will do a take off of NBC's 'Coupling' and make it even better than their show that was a take off of their take off of 'Friends.':laugh:

BTW, another good Brit take off of 'Friends' was Channel 4's 'Cold Feet,' set in Manchester. It starred James Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale:love:, the latter who eventually cameo'd on 'Friends' as Ross's British girlfriend...

[GoldenBoy]

Originally posted by cliff barua


Hey, that's a great comparison, but alas it's incorrect (though it may be unintentional on your part :) ). Three's Company was based on Man About The House. The follow-up show about Jack's restaurant (with his Hispanic assistant - can't remember the name of the show) was based on Robin's Nest (which was also the follow-up to Man About The House). Confused??

Cliff

You're absolutely correct; my mistake. I meant to say Man About the House, but for some reason Robin's Nest got stuck in my head.:)

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by cliff barua
Sorry, but I'll have to disagee with that. In its last two seasons (at least), Seinfeld was very inconsistent.

Seinfeld really did go downhill after Larry David left (although ironically, he returned to write that really awful last episode). I suppose decline is inevitable; how many US comedy shows can you name that went off the air before declining in quality? Bob Newhart and Barney Miller are the only two that spring to mind.

My nomination for worst Americanization of a British show: the American version of Fawlty Towers, starring Bea Arthur in the Cleese role (I forget what it was called).