American boobs... will it be the same???

[susandennis]

I love my subject lines. Anway... tonight I saw a rather extensive ad for the American version of Coupling and here's a newsflash!

It looks like they are doing the same show! I mean it. Jeff looks like Jeff. Patrick looks like. Steve looks like Steve. And the bar looks like the same bar - not exactly but close - and Susan flashes her boobs to the group in the first episode! (Ooops should I have said *** spoiler***?? Nah, you will have seen the ad before then.

Thursday nights, NBC - I mean they have nothing original in this whole idea!

It will be odd, tho, to watch the whole thing without having to backspace to catch that funky British phrase that one of them swallowed so you could hear it. Sorry, guys, you have wonderful accents but a serious mumble problem. I can't wait to hear the translation.

Wonder if they will use the same music???

Comments

[drood.livejournal.com]

From the couple of ads I've seen, it looks like they just refilmed the first episode with a different cast!

[susandennis]

Exactly!! How in the world can there be another Jeff? With an American accent? The mind boggles.

[melodysk.livejournal.com]

Noooooooo it's a travesty!!

[androkles.livejournal.com]

Ian;s friend Bill here:
I havn't seen the American versin of "Coupling " yet , (I had bad experiences with what you guys did to "Till Death Us Do Part" and "Steptoe and Son" ('All in the Family' and 'Stanford and Son ' respectively).

I started off disliking "Coupling" but after a while the writing and direction seemed to get cleverer and cleverer amd I ended up a fan.

As for English programmes needing subtitles, from where we sit down here in the Antipodes, there's many an American accent on the idiot-box that could do with the services of a Babelfish.

[susandennis]

Bill!!!! I'm so delighted to have you here in my journal!

And look what I learned... I did not know about Til Death Us Do Part or Steptoe and Son. We didn't have BBC America back in those days. But, now we do plus we have some other shows like As Time Goes By. And, fortunately, I have TiVo so I can easily backup and listen again. And I get help here on LJ with some of the translations.

I actually think it's kind of cool that some of our accents give you pause. I would have thought that our stuff was too bland and plain and dull to even give it a thought.

But, back to Coupling... I have seen precious few episodes that didn't have me in hysterics. I can't imagine that the American version will have any effect on the British version at all but if it harms on tiny word on the British version, they will have to answer to me.

[androkles.livejournal.com]

Dear Susan: I've been your secret fan for months. I also have hermit tendencies, so I know where you're coming from and I must say that your relationship with your domestic appliances have had me in stitches.

My problem with the Americanization of British shows can be summed-up in the words"sentimentalized and glamourized".
"Alf Garnett" (Archie Bunker) was a complete bastard with no redeeming feaures and his wife was a selfish, grasping cow (not a charming ditz). The same phenomenon can be seen at work if you see the Brit version of "Queer as Folk'.

As for accents, ours can be a bit thick for some Americans, but we don't all speak like the "shrimp on the barbie" man (we say 'prawn' actually), but deepest Tennessee and deeper Texan can be puzzling (" Mah felleh 'merkins, th'nookyoolar...etc). Keep swinging Susan...Bill

[susandennis]

I'm so delighted that my secret fan has come out of the fan closet! There's at least one Texas accent I wish I could not understand... I honestly and truly did not vote for him and I am mortified everytime he opens his mouth.