Monday, January 17, 2011

British Ideas Come To American TV Tonight.......

Tonight's a big tv night since we'll be welcoming to US airwaves not one, but two, Americanized versions of two hugely popular British programs.

First out of the gate is SyFy's remake of the BBC's Being Human.  Below is a trailer....


I always keep an open mind when it comes to redoing a popular show,  so I'm definitely looking forward to this.  My first reaction to the casting is that I don't love the actor playing the vamp, named Aidan in this version.  He doesn't seem able to project the conflicting emotions that Mitchell in the Brit version does.  I'm hoping he'll surprise me.  I'm also not too keen on the ghost, named Sally in SyFy's version.  She too doesn't give off that perfect blend of naivete and sadness that the originating actress does.  I also worry that the subtle humor of the original won't transfer well to this version.  I ultimately worry that, like almost every other British show we Yanks remake, it will lose the heart and emotion of what drew us to the original versions in the first place.  As I said, I'll be tuned in to the new version tonight waiting to see if I fall in love with this just as much as I did with the original.
*Airing tonight on SyFy at 9/8 pm central time.


After that, MTV raids the British cupboards to bring us the Americanized version of the gritty and highly emotional British fave....Skins.
Below is the trailer......


This reinvention has me much more worried than the American Being Human.  In the land of MTV where Snookie and Teen Mom's scream and party their way through life comes a show that in its original version is gritty and uncompromising.  I fear that MTV is going to turn this in to a hard-core Gossip Girl.  They won't show realistic teens from different socioeconomic backgrounds with serious adversities in life, but will focus on the glamour of partying like they do with all their current shows.  The Brit version of Skins made me cry, I worry this will make scream in rage over its superficiality.  I'm again keeping an open mind and hope that MTV can show me its emotional side and give me a Monday night show that I want to tell others about in a good way.
*Airing tonight on MTV at 10/9 pm central time.

Please let me know your first reaction to these reinventions.  Will you be watching?  What has you excited, or not, about both of these shows?  Be sure to come back after watching to let me know your rating and feelings about the storylines.

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