Coupling - American Style

[jay_too]

Last night I caught the first half of NBC's Coupling. This is another Brit import that is a loser. Nightly, I check BBC-America to see if Coupling will be playing. It doesn't matter that I have seen the episode a couple of times already in the past month...I am ready to see it again.

Does anyone else wonder why NBC didn't just buy the British series instead of the scripts? The acting is so good.

jay

 

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H8Monga: I believe I read that NBC is considering cancelling the show.

 

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longtimelurker: This isn't by far the only British show that has to 'modified' to suit the US public. The couple of others that I can remember are Absolutely Fabulous and Men Behaving Badly, although I think the Office is as well as well as some others.

Apparently your networks don't think that you can relate to other countries for some reason. I mean, we and the rest of Europe get the real McCoy for all US shows (why remake something that has already been proven successful elsewhere?). It is a bit of an insult to your intelligence if you ask me...

 

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7x6andchg: LTL -

It is an insult to our intelligence, IMHO.

It has always appeared to me that Americans are thought to only enjoy slapstick...whereas Britons (as an example) can truly appreciate a good dry sense of humor.

Of course, we also got rid of Anne Robinson because she was TOO mean.

7x6&C

 

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H8Monga: You are... the... WEAKESTLINKGOODBYE!!!!

I liked her! I miss her!

 

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jerkin4-10: nah..no cancelling...the lead chick was on stern friday and they are in the process of using american writers now...leaving the brit humor on the sidelines...she claims its the #1 new comedy...kind of a friends clone i guess...

 

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longtimelurker: [quote author=jerkin4-10 link=board=99;num=1067045317;start=0#5 date=10/25/03 at 16:52:51]nah..no cancelling...the lead chick was on stern friday and they are in the process of using american writers now...leaving the brit humor on the sidelines...she claims its the #1 new comedy...kind of a friends clone i guess...[/quote]

Now you've gone and got me all confused - what's the point of buying a set of scripts if you're going to completely re-write it???

And besides - why are they only starting re-writing it when it's already started being aired?

 

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jerkin4-10: let me be clear on this...im not an NBC exec...just repeating what the STAR OF THE SHOW said on NATIONAL RADIO last week...im guessing that some of the nielson commentaries have made remarks about the brit humor...and as far as the scripts go...hey...WE ARE AMERICANS...we make EVERTHING better...

 

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gigantikok: [quote author=7x6+C link=board=99;num=1067045317;start=0#3 date=10/25/03 at 07:53:48]Of course, we also got rid of Anne Robinson because she was TOO mean.  

7x6&C[/quote]
Speaking of her, what DID happen to her???  I liked her too, and I used to watch the show pretty regularly.  I stopped for awhile, and when I tuned back in, she was gone and replaced by some guy with a goatee.  Not only that, but the show has been shortened, gives away a lot less money, and plays in the afternoons?  What happened!?

Oh, and *GAG*

...please spare me of a Friends clone, that show sucked enough...

 

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7x6andchg: What happened, Gigz - was two fold:

1. They ran the show CONSTANTLY. People got tired of it, as they do, being on daily. It is a game show after all.

2. They literally thought her demeanor was too mean. We Americans like our game show hosts cuddly and nice.

7x6&C

 

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longtimelurker: Re Ms Robinson - I think one of the reasons quoted here that she had the brief popularity spell was that it completely went against the (far too cuddly and twee) image you lot have of us over here.

and as far as the scripts go...hey...WE ARE AMERICANS...we make EVERTHING better...

Such a pity modesty isn't among those things... :

 

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7x6andchg: That's funny, LTL, I'm never thought of Britons as cuddly. Damp, maybe, but not cuddly.

Just kidding with you...although it does RAIN a lot there.

Modesty is not an inherent American trait...it is somewhat more so up here, I've found, than in other places I've lived/visited, but certainly not the rather endearing self-effacement other places are known to exhibit, that's for sure.

 

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longtimelurker: [quote author=7x6+C link=board=99;num=1067045317;start=0#11 date=10/26/03 at 08:39:48]
Just kidding with you...although it does RAIN a lot there.
[/quote]

You'd be suprised - we don't get that much rain in inch terms, it's just that we get it little and often. For instance, the area that I call home only had on average just under 30" rainfall p/a. In comparison according to an (admittedly very dodgy) internet source for US rainfall - this puts us around the levels of hey, whaddayaknow - Wisconsin! (Actually, you apparently get 1" more than me, so who's soggy now!)  

 

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longtimelurker: Damn - clicked quote instead of modify - ignore

 

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7x6andchg: Great...now you have me singing..."Who's soggy now.....who's soggy now...."

I didn't think we got that much rain....I knew we got about 7" of precip as snow (8 inches snow=1 inch rain on average) per year...

 

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longtimelurker: [quote author=7x6+C link=board=99;num=1067045317;start=0#14 date=10/26/03 at 10:13:35]
I didn't think we got that much rain....[/quote]

Well it's not that much really - I mean California only gets just over 17", and most of that's a desert!

I'll admit that where I originally come from is one of the driest areas of the country (the west coast is much wetter as it gets the moist air straight off the atlantic). The reason we get the reputation for being so wet is that we get a lot of drizzle, so whereas we get a lot of days with rain, we don't get many inches of rain when it does.

(For the record, the average rainfall over the entire UK is 45" - about the same as Virginia (45.2) and Kentucky(43.6))

 

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longtimelurker: Damn, did it again - too much wine!

 

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H8Monga: I heard 12" snow = 1" rain.

 

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throb919: [quote author=Hapi Papi link=board=99;num=1067045317;start=0#17 date=10/26/03 at 21:09:33]I heard 12" snow = 1" rain.[/quote]
I heard 12" of anything starts a chorus of "liar!" and "prove it!" (By the way, Hapi--you got a pic of that 12" of precipitation...?)

 

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longtimelurker: [quote author=throb919 link=board=99;num=1067045317;start=0#18 date=10/27/03 at 07:08:50]
I heard 12" of anything starts a chorus of "liar!" and "prove it!" (By the way, Hapi--you got a pic of that 12" of precipitation...?)[/quote]

Oooh - controversy!