A co-worker mentioned that he had just started watching a new series on Showtime "Shameless" starring William H. Macy. This is a US adaptation of a long running UK Series.

UK : Shameless - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UK : Shameless - Channel 4

US : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shameless_(U.S._TV_series)

US: Watch Shameless on Showtime

New Ideas? Who Needs 'em

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Plot -- is there one? Sounds like a sitcom to me.

I'd like to see an American version of Spaced or Black Books.

Wait, no I wouldn't. Unless it included gunfire. Or knives. Or shovels.

American remakes of good UK television programmes are usually a pile of fail. So much so that the latest comedy series over here satirises the entire process.

William H Macy is good though.

Edited January 14, 201115 yr by Duggeh

Be Careful what you wish for . Lucas & Walliams (they of Little Britain) once did a spoof of what would happen if the Americans got their hands on the much-loved Sitcom Only Fools and Horses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-beZT3cQO-I

See if you can see what they did there

William H Macy is good though.

Can be good, but he's stuck with the material.

Let's put it this way, I was completely underwhelmed by the ad that I keep seeing in the theater. They're trying to hype it up, but that doesn't make it a good show.

So far, I've heard about The Office, Top Gear, Skins, and now this. Yeah it seems like the US can't really come up with anything good on their own. The Office (US) is awesome though, never watched the UK version.

Alright you guys, quit getting distracted by that comment -- it was meant completely sarcastically, I can't imagine Bernard americanized in any way. I took it back in the same post. Kind of like, "I'd love to see a Singlepower / RSA collaboration. Wait, no I wouldn't." or "I'd give my left nut to have a voice like James Earl Jones. Wait, no I wouldn't."

Please go back to shamelessly falling for the hype.

lol

I don't really watch TV anyway, other than religiously following Top Gear, The Office, and South Park. But all three seem to have started their steady descent downwards to me, maybe they're just getting old.

^ Or you growing up?

Pfft, as if that will ever happen.

I'll put money on G's theory. I also love all three of those shows and can't really see that they have declined in overall quality, the most that you can say is that they've each become stale... Not much left to do without a serious reorganization (The Office will attempt this next year, but I predict it will fail.) I will also mourn the inevitable loss of all three which I believe will come sooner than later.

American remakes of good UK television programmes are usually a pile of fail. So much so that the latest comedy series over here satirises the entire process.

Thanks for the pointer, Duggeh. I don't pay too much attention to television, but I'm gonna iPlayer that.

Series don't generally make the journey across the pond well, that's for sure. Life on Mars sucked, Coupling sucked, the single episode of "The IT Crowd" sucked, Top Gear may well suck, etc. Remaking successful UK shows seems like a kind of TV producer's low-hanging fruit, especially since most of the successful ones (i.e. "All in the Family", "Sanford and Sons", "American Idol", "Office") are much more famous than the British originals. Apparently, the UK is happy to simply watch "24" or "The West Wing" without remaking it, or UK producers don't see the money in it that US producers do.

I think this show is succeeding at being imported. I watched the first three seasons of the UK Shameless and the specials as well as every episode of the US series. It is ripping off a lot, but puts in some really nice twists and is good TV in my opinion. The US version so far is actually not as out there (stretching possibilities) in the plot so far IMO. I'm actually finding them equally enjoyable and am not too worried about one ruining the other too much.