xaphod Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 I've been meaning to post this article from August. It seems that 'Coupling' hit the NBC networks a while back and lasted all of 2 weeks. I have my ideas why anything with a modicum of sophistication bombed in US ratings, and why our garbage shows are popular, but I won't mention them here. Any ideas from the heelies across the pond? From the Sunday Times, sometime in August:- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lost in Translation Steve Moffat winces as he recalls his first exposure to Hollywood. It was only hours after the filming of the pilot episode of the Americanised version of his BBC comedy Coupling, and half of the cast were being sacked ! The softly-spoken Scot, a 42 year old former schoolteacher from Paisley, pauses for a moment: "It was vile." At that moment, the American version of Coupling was falling apart, the fate of so many British comedies that jump across the pond, only to land in the Bermuda Triangle reserved for mutilated translations. It was too much to expect an American television network to broadcast a British comedy un-neutered: beyond New York and Los Angeles, we all sound like Australians with speech impediments to them. Cultural exports are largely one-way. The NBC network, however, urgently needed a replacement for Friends. So they looked at Coupling and its plot of six good-looking, urban thirty-somethings and their emotional entanglements as Friends with extra smut. But, as Britain's 2.7m Coupling fans know, that's where the similarities stop. Not for NBC it wasn't, who set off down the wrong path by shooting an episode from the middle of the first series that Moffat wrote, but its array of unfamiliar and sexually upfront characters - twisted by Moffat's hallmark narrative switches and feints, which are like nothing else on American sitcoms - left test audiences gasping and confused. NBC could hardly blame the writer, as Coupling is already huge across Europe, so they fired the actors and then some executives ! So NBC shot a second pilot, and the next month Coupling will make its debut on American prime time, the first British comedy to make it since Till Death Us Do Part (incidentally produced by a guy from the school where Xaphod's dad was headmaster) became All in The Family in 1971. What Moffat neglected to add is that, unlike most American comedies, where dozens of writers are thrown at a sitcom, Coupling has always been a personal soap-opera. The linchpin characters, Steve and Susan, share the names of the writer and his producer wife, whom he met at the Edinburgh Television Festival. Like their alter-egos, they were going out with other people at the time. The other four characters represent the couple at their most confident - the 'insane bitch' Jane and priapic Patrick - and their most inept selves, encapsulated by the body-obsessed Sally and the deeply disturbed Jeff. Sue Virtue, who produces Coupling, has admitted to censoring some of her husband's more revealing script lines. So what has changed for the American version? "Well, they had to cut each episode down to 21 minutes for ad breaks, and I have lost some of my favourite lines, " says Moffat. It's faintly weird hearing very English witticisms coming out of Chicago mouths. A few obvious references have been changed, and Anglophiles who watch our version on BBC America will miss Jack Davenport and Gina Bellman. The good news, however, is that the first 13 episodes, stretched by the NBC scribes from the original six, look to stir up the American Heartlands like Friends never could. British television is currently riding on a wave in America, with reality formats, quiz shows, and themes such as Changing Rooms. Coupling is, make no mistake, a bold move for mainstream American television. It could still flop, although the omens are good. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a critique of the translation of Coupling to its American version on the UK idiot's lantern a few days ago. Incidentally, this is where I learnt that the US version bombed. It seems that the Yanks like one-line humour whereas the Brits like a realtively protracted narrative, gradually leading from reality to a more and more incongruous situation, but, working on the principle of acclimatisation by slow change, the inanity of the joke is not seen until the punchline which brings the strange position to which the viewer has been drawn un-noticed into immediate and stark relief. By comparison, I think the sort of one-liner from the Yank version:- "Susan, why do women always look at men's bottoms?" .... "because they're lip-reading" could be why the Yank version would bomb in Britain ! Xa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 And if we believe what the papers say here Aussie shows are popular in both countries. As you said same language but still another culture. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris100575 Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 For some reason a lot of Americans don't seem to get British humour. I can't imagine Spaced doing well over there either. Still, I generally don't like American sitcoms so it's probably just down to cultural differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 I think too much is made of the difference. OK, there are differences but there's differences between English and Scots just as there are differences between someone who lives in NYC or the Rockies or Texas or California or Alaska. So how do you define what is "American". It's such a diverse place in itself. The British have a lot more in common with America culturally than we do with say the Chinese or the Saudi Arabians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shoe Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 The problem is, Americans like simple gags, either visual or vocal. One liners, snappy retorts and clever putdowns. Look at "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" as an example, look at "Friends" and their fore-runners "diff'rent Strokes" and "Cheers" respectedly. This is why Americans continue to enjoy Benny Hill and Monty Python yet "Faulty Towers" is largely incomprehensible. Try them with "Only Fools And Horses" they would be completely lost. Ironically, programs like "Keeping Up Appearances" seem quite popular but on a level not realised by the makers- Americans tend to see it as a humourous documentary about middle-class England other than the complete caricature intended. It will be interesting to see how "The Office" translates because even the British viewers thought it was a serious documentary when it first aired, I hope they don't put canned laughter in! Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Is it a reflection of our society when the primary yardstick we seem to be using to measure differences is TV programmes ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Nation Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 yes, it's probably by far the most common means by which most of us have any sort of cultural insight into 'them over there' Emma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefox Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 What about the internet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Nation Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 telly's still much more common - 97.6% of UK households have TV sets but there are only about 42% with internet access. Emma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba136 Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 Dr. Shoe said: he problem is, Americans like simple gags, Are you an American, Dr. Shoe? Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfly Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 Well it's true. they are booooooooooooooooooooring. The same thing over and over again. I enjoy some British comedy and DR. Who. But the later is no longer aired here in the U.S. where I live. So much for Public TV. I my self no longer have cable in my house and been like that for over a year and a half. I think paying over $50. a month for basic cable was a rip off. Hello, my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee! 👠1998 to 2022! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shoe Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Dr. Shoe said: Are you an American, Dr. Shoe? No, but my observations are based on my year or so I spent in Tucson, Arizona and by watching the programs exported to UK . Also I notice that slightly more cerebral comedies that are huge hits here bomb in the states, whereas, the more obvious "dirty postcard" humour of Benny Hill and the sight gags of Monty Python are (or were) massively popular. Don't get me wrong, I like American humour (though I like Japanese humour better ). All I'm saying is we brits seem to like to think about the comedy more I think. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba136 Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 American Network Television is trash. I don't watch it. Nothing beats a good book anyway. It's a shame that the entire world bases it's image of the USA on what they see in these programs. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shoe Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Actually I agree. UK telly isn't any better, just a little different. Isn't it funny that an American book will be jsut as popular in the UK as it is in the US and vice-versa. On my last visit to California to see my father I was amazed how popular Terry Pratchett was and I needn't mention Harry Potter! Of course American authors transpose just as easily. I don't believe that any intelligent person judges the US as a whole based on what they see on Friends or Frasier . For example: most of my friends are aware that the average American is no better off than the average Brit and do not spend their entire day sitting around drinking coffee. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xaphod Posted November 24, 2003 Author Share Posted November 24, 2003 Well it's true. they are booooooooooooooooooooring. The same thing over and over again. I enjoy some British comedy and DR. Who. But the later is no longer aired here in the U.S. where I live. So much for Public TV. I my self no longer have cable in my house and been like that for over a year and a half. I think paying over $50. a month for basic cable was a rip off. Hoorah .... I knew the yanks wern't as bad as all that. We have a new series of Dr Who starting soon, so I hope you will be able to see it in due course. The trend is to try to make more money out of television .... to get quality programmes you have to go to the subscription channels who are steadily buying up the rights to anything decent. In the UK, you don't even get the Spencer Tracey / Katherine Hepburn classics on the box any more .... I think the satellite lot have bought them up ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .... another story:- Way back when, I went for an interview to do some Engineering at a company on Long Island. It was quite pleasant, because the Engineering Manager and his wife went out of their way to entertain this Brit and to show me a little of the area. What has always stayed with me is that he made a point of saying that the US was not all drive-by shootings and inner-city violence. He did apologise for the TV, though. He said that to get anything decent, they paid for a subscription channel. What won me over was that he really liked Monty Python. Hell, intelligence is not quite dead yet ! Xa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heelfan Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 The title of this thread, a "common language" between the US and the UK is not quite correct. At times it is NOT a common language! To try to cheer her up, I recently sent a PM to a certain lady member of these forums on the North American continent, telling her to "Keep your pecker up!". Many british members will have heard the parents try to cheer them up in this way (keep your beak/mouth/nose up and don't mope). Well, to my horror, I received a highly indignant reply informing me that on her side of the Atlantic a "pecker" is a penis and she didn't posses one. Gulp! - Oh dear, what have I done? - Collapse of one well-meaning Heelfan! I have a feeling she still doesn't believe that I said that in all innocence, but I am sure all UK members will sympathise with my blunder! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan Onwards and upwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ionic Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 ......I recently sent a PM to a certain lady member of these forums on the North American continent, telling her to "Keep your pecker up!"....... A bit like the "knocking her up in the morning" example too where the meanings have seriously diverged! /I /I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba136 Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 and, you should also be aware of how you use the word "pussy," too. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 I came across a website about words that could be confusing and embarrassing in the UK & US The **COMPLETE** us & uk confusions Boots, fascinating footwear http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Boots_1956/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris100575 Posted November 26, 2003 Share Posted November 26, 2003 Damn. I won't bother posting the ones I thought of then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 I can identify with Heelfan's anecdote. (I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine telling a woman to "keep her pecker up!") A close friend of mine from my college days was from Singapore. He had learned proper British English and had quite a time adjusting to American English. He walked into my dorm room one time and asked me nonchalently if I had a "rubber" he could borrow. I asked him who the girl was, another guy in the room began laughing hysterically, and my friend responded with a look of utter confusion. I finally explained to my friend that a rubber in the U.S. is a slang term for a condom; he was embarrassed because he had only thought he was asking for an eraser. "In Singapore," my friend said, "condoms are known as 'french caps.'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heelfan Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 Yes, well there we go again! In the UK a "rubber" is exclusively an innocent eraser, and a condom is alternatively called "Protection" or a "French letter"! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan Onwards and upwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk4625 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 To me it is odd to hear that someone is "in hospital" or "at university" (which one?). Also in the US, if you say "there are pussy hairs all over my suit", it could have quite an unintended effect. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 In American English, "drawers" are compartments in a desk that slide out and in to store things in. But in American slang, "drawers" also means underpants or panties. I used to have fun with one of the secretaries in a department I used to work in. Every now and then, I needed some office supplies. And the manager's secretary kept a good stock of supplies in one of the drawers in her office desk. If she was not at her desk, I could help myself. But when she was working at her desk, I enjoyed walking up to her and asking in a slightly louder than normal voice, "Peggy, I need to get into your drawers." This always made her blush. Does "drawers" have any other meaning in British English ? click .... click .... click .... The sensual sound of stiletto heels on a hard surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azraelle Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 In the UK a "rubber" is exclusively an innocent eraser, and a condom is alternatively called "Protection" or a "French letter"! Used ones (in the USA) are called "Coney Island Whitefish" I believe (also a slang term for a loathsome guy). (see the Joan Jett song title of the same name, and listen to the lyrics) "All that you can decide, is what to do with the time that is given you."--Gandalf, "Life is not tried, it is merely survived -If you're standing outside the fire."--Garth Brooks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xaphod Posted December 6, 2003 Author Share Posted December 6, 2003 Some Hell's Angels were raided by agents from ... the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ! holy sh** Xa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Does "drawers" have any other meaning in British English ? believe it or not, but the same descriptions apply this side of the pond as well ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfly Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 They sound no better than the Hell's Angles if you did not know they were part of the U.S. Government law enforcement.......... :drinking: Some Hell's Angels were raided by agents from ... the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ! holy sh** Xa Hello, my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee! 👠1998 to 2022! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver8 Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I despise US sitcoms. They're insipid and the "jokes" are telegraphed 5 seconds ahead. I think there are about 2 dozen characters that get recycled throughout all of them. Meanwhile, with the exception of the overplayed, overquoted Monty Python, every UK TV show that makes it over here (on public television) is wonderful. The pinnacle, of course, was The Young Ones. The same goes for UK music, which from Bowie to Goldie makes the US attempts look pathetic, excepting the Spice Girls and Smashing Pumpkins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xaphod Posted December 9, 2003 Author Share Posted December 9, 2003 .... yes I agree about the Spice Girls I used to think they had one brain cell shared between the lot of them. Actually I was impressed by one of your exports, to whit Gwynneth Paltrow. She used the word 'didactic' on a chat show here. It aint often I have to dive for a dictionary, but she had me stumped ! Xa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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