Axolotl said:
You should have specified you were talking about national pop-culture and a general zeitgeist. Now how does that draw me to the show? I watch lots of programs not made in Britain and the different idiosyncrasies don't put me off, infact it helps increase the appeal. What's the point in simply rehashing another culture's work? It rarely ends up with a superior product and the time and effot could have gone into something original.
Congratualtions, Mr. Exception. It would behoove you to learn that exceptions don't defeat rules--they uphold them. The fact remains (and you can consult all of the TV ratings, and psychology studies, and sociology studies, etc., that you want) that populations (which are made of people) tend to tune in more dependably and in larger numbers to things that they can in some way directly relate to.
More folks who like pop music watch American Idol, while more people who like country music tuned in for Nashville Star. More people who enjoy cars watch "Pimp My Ride," while there are probably more science fans watching Mythbusters. It works on a small scale, and it works on a large scale. (Perhaps this is why so many American game shows and reality shows have been re-done overseas--because *gasp* those people would prefer to relate to folks from their OWN CULTURE, if given the choice)
None of this changes the fact that I don't see anyone over here begging for an American Doctor Who. It's not an idea that appears to have ANY origins on this side of the pond, but instead stinks of folks in other countries that THINK they understand Americans and American culture--or rather, they operate under the belief that Americans have no culture of their own and are always chomping at the bit to have some injected.
Now you see what you're saying here, this is just insulting and detrimental to your arguement. If Americans are so much more multicultural then why do British TV shows need to be redone for the US? Plenty of American TV shows are shown over here and the programs that are remade are generally game or quiz shows.
This is called "begging the question," and it's a classic logical fallacy. Your logic leads in a loop that circles back around to assume the premise. You are assuming that people re-make these shows because America is saying "We won't watch it otherwise!"
In order to prove that its true, you would have to OFFER all of those shows on network TV and see if folks watch. They don't get offered, though (and not everyone can afford the cable packages that include BBC America). The bigwigs that MAKE the shows don't trust the product enough to just send it to ABC, NBC, CBS, or FOX.
But it goes further than that. Many shows originated in other countries, but the folks that created the show wanted more. So, they tailored the show for a larger audience (and it just so happens that America is geographically and numerically a larger audience--wanna fight about it?) and sent it over. And then what happened?
THEY MADE MORE MONEY. Not only from Americans watching the show, but then because our companies turn around and distribute it GLOBALLY. You see, in entertainment, we export far more than we import (and we export far more than anyone else).
Other countries want a piece of that pie, so THEY CHOOSE to send their stuff over here. THAT'S when mainstream America is FINALLY asked "Hey, what do you think of this show?" Up to that point, no one is asking them--so for you to just assume they'd say "No" is just as ignorant as the folks that re-package the show for "our tastes."
Oh and before you start saying the British people do these thing looking for US money. No that's not what happens, for a start anyone with that mentality should not be allowed to work at the BBC. Secondly the majority of US remakes are proposed and funded by US studios.
No. Someone offers it TO a US studio, who then goes, "Well, let's see the pitch." Because that's how it even works with OUR shows. Studios don't throw ads in the paper saying, "HEY! Anyone out there want to write a comedy about a guy who's allergic to animals, but inherits a bunny shelter?" People approach THEM with the idea.
But no... you seem to think that the BBC somehow exists to what? Further the entertainment medium by taking a high-brow moral stance on what is or isn't good TV? No. They're in it for the money. And you make MORE money if you sell to MORE people--or, by extension, if you sell to someone ELSE that sells to even MORE people.
We have so many shows and movies on so many channels over here, we don't go looking across the world in large numbers begging for YOU to give us something worth watching. Those that like Doctor Who WATCH IT on BBC America or SyFy. That's right--they already watch it.
And you know what? I'm sure those people would ALSO watch an American version--either of just the Doctor, or the entire show. And they wouldn't automatically assume it's going to suck just because there was a change in the target culture, either. (That is, if it's written by people who UNDERSTAND American culture, not people who are parodying it from a state of ignorance).
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