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Stop the American Remakes of British Shows
Every fall, a new TV show arises that millions of people are horrified that it has seen the light of day. The words “American remake” send terror through any anglophile’s heart the same way it does with “cancelled.” While everyone else is cowering in the corner watching some maniac serial killer movie marathon, we watch our beloved British TV shows being butchered by American hands. Which leave us all wondering: are any of these remakes really necessary?
I, like millions of other Americans, have no problem watching British television. British humor is known for being deadpan. Apparently, deadpan is synonymous with “incomprehensible” in the minds of network executives, which causes remakes to dumb down jokes so that Americans can understand them. Having to make jokes more obvious is part of the problem that American remakes fail. We don’t need to be pigeon holed as stupid.
Weekly TV Update: June 3, 20013
This week we bring you stories from around the Internet that you might have missed.
Matt Smith leaves Doctor Who.
Jean Stapleton, who played Archie Bunker’s wife, Edith, on All in the Family, died on Friday.
Dan Harmon announces his return to Community.
The Sopranos tops the Writers Guild of America’s list of Best Written TV Series Ever.
John Oliver talks to The Hollywood Reporter about taking over The Daily Show for the summer. His first day is June 10.
In honor of Jean Stapleton, the All in the Family theme song is after the jump.
Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74
Sherman Hemsley, who is best known for playing George Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons, died yesterday. He was 74.
In the 90s, Hemsley was still appearing with his on screen wife Isabel Sanford. George and Louise Jefferson were reprised twice on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Cool TV Video of the Day: Sammy Davis Jr. on All in the Family
Today’s video is my favorite clip from All in the Family. After Sammy Davis Jr. leaves his suitcase in Archie Bunker’s cab, he visits Archie’s house to get it back. Before Sammy leaves Archie asks for a photo with him, Sammy says yes and gives Archie a surprise he would never expect.
Logopalooza: TV Land Edition
On May 9, TV Land debuted a new logo for the first time since the networks launch 16 years ago. While TV Land has made minor tweaks to its logo in the past, the latest change is major and marks a new direction for the network.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, TV Land’s president Larry W. Jones says, “The logo feels more modern, but it’s not a complete abandonment of what our heritage is. ”
The Hollywood Reporter also reports that TV Land’s demographic has changed. TV Land’s target audience is 40-somethings, who used to be members of the baby-boomer demographic. Now that the baby boomers have aged, people in there 40s are members of Generation X, who TV Land believes want to see “the kind of multi-camera sitcoms on which they were raised on,” so the logo change is meant to show the change in the network. Jones says, “This was opportunity to signal to the new 40-somethings that is the new TV Land.”
Wait! What's A Dial? 