Re: Info on "The [Americanized] Office"

Ok, initially the US Coupling sucked - BIG TIME!!!  But it was staring to
break away from poor carbon copy, and starting to find it's own stories
(well that third one I didn't recognize as a BBC script...)

Now occasionally a show gets translated properly (ok, rarely...) and more
frequently they don't - or more specifically that they don't play to the
masses, something that the BBC doesn't have to do (despite the fact that
they do, but like PBS it doesn't have to rule their programming decisions.)
I actually enjoyed the US version of Men Behaving Badly, and it's possible
that the US Coupling would have improved to the point of being enjoyable,
but the networks here in the US need instant gratification.  They can't
allow a program to find it's audience anymore, and they rely too heavily on
committees, focus groups, memos from this VP and that VP (which contradict
the memo from the first VP) and so on and so forth, &c, &c, &c...

But in the right hands (which, quite frankly, are probably not anywhere near
a network program) The Office could be done right.  But the fact of the
matter is that BBCAmerica maybe gets a top viewership of 0.2-0.4% of the
total TV audience on it's top programs, so it's hits are going to be so far
on the fringe from the networks that the chances of any transplant becoming
a hit on the big 3+2 has bigger odds against it than, say, the West Indies
beating the Yankees in the (baseball) World Series.  But, when it happens...

Good lord, I sure can ramble on...

Ken
www.dvillage.org


"Tim Petonia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> As an American I am already embarassed by what this will become. Unless
the
> planets converge exactly the same way, it will be impossile to mimic the
> brilliance of this show. It was the perfect cast in the perfect setting
with
> the perfect creative team that just created a stroke of genius. Just the
> mere fact that their trying to copy it kills the whole point of it.
>
>
> "Chris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Thought you might be interested in some news we at FilmJerk.com
> > reported tonight, on the American-ized version of "The Office."
> >
> > As we wrote on the site: "On Friday morning, it was announced that NBC
> > had shut down further production of it's critically-lambasted and
> > low-rated "Coupling." By that afternoon, sources tell FilmJerk.com,
> > production was in full swing for the next intended BBC adaptation for
> > U.S. audiences, "The Office." According to our sources, a targeted
> > February 2 lensing start for the half-hour pilot is in the cards and
> > casting documents are now out to agents for the series' lead
> > characters."
> >
> > Full news article is here:
> > http://www.filmjerk.com/nuke/article676.html
> >
> > Regards,
> > Chris
>
>