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The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

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Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#211

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Comedy is too fractured in the US for panel shows to really work IMO. I think a big part of why panel shows work so well in the UK is you have a lot of camaraderie and familiarity with the relatively smaller and more tightly knit group of UK comedians (it doesn't take long at all watching panel shows to start seeing familiar faces), which definitely helps keep banter running smoothly.

The Daily Show did well. The UK panel show that I can't miss is Have I Got News For You. It's a weekly 30min news review, by very quick-witted comics. As a review of UK news, it obviously wouldn't travel; and the two (permanent) team captains are very English, and likely unknown in the USA. But there's clearly a market for that kind of satirical news review. They skate close to the libel laws; Ian Hislop, one of the…

How can you not mention Charlie Brooker's Wipe, which ultimately led to Black Mirror.

Last Week Tonight is kind of valuable, but flawed (unfunny off-topic humor, dishonest in its propagandizing for good causes), but most importantly, John Oliver's Activism Hour stole the name of what should be a very different show.

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#213
post #112
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people in the US would turn it off because "I can't understand what they are saying with their funny accent". The reason they get away with being on Netflix is that they don't need to be super popular to be worth it for the streaming networks if they pick it up for a cheap price. Linear TV had a limited number of time slots and had to be very choosey with what they put on. It needed to have massive appeal in…

It's funny because that show was super popular in France, via subtitles.

Even this bit? [1]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqnFnWSYzaQ

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#214
post #8

I'm pretty sure this pilot is the same script as episode 1 of the original UK series. Clearly someone felt the need to recast and reshoot the series with US actors (plus Richard Ayoade), like they did the US Office. I wonder if that's old thinking (or wasn't actually needed) - the amount of UK TV that's now on Netflix and other OTT platforms seems to suggest that US audiences are open to enjoying original UK series w…

They did the same with "Coupling", a funny UK sitcom that was actually unbearable to watch in its US format. Something about the the jokes just doesn't translate 1:1 to American actors or whatever...

It's kind of silly, as Coupling was clearly the UK's attempt at Friends.

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of it is simply different television formats. The Office UK specifically aired on BBC One without commercials which meant that it had to be cut down to fit on a major network's timeslot of 20-24 min. Shows like that typically have to go to special TV stations like PBS or BBC America in order to get a commercial-free timeslot or (in BBC America's case) finagled into a less common time slot with weird commercial b…

There are detective shows called Endeavour and Lewis running (repeats) in the UK; they're offshoots of the Morse series. They have ad-breaks, i.e. the narrative stops and the show titles appear; but there are no ads. I think that's on ITV. And sometimes there are ads between the titles. There's something I was watching on Sky, that had ad-breaks, but no ads; instead, they showed a still frame saying that normal conte…

Sky paused adverts recently out of respect to Brenda's passing (though they didn't note that on the static logo). Was that what you saw?

I don't watch TV regularly but I've never seen them run out of adverts for slots; with bidding I would doubt that happens much?

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#216

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Mostly agree with all you have to say minus the reference as Steve carrell being a safe, reliable pick at the time period. Being on the daily show is a great metric for a casting director as far as quality goes but in reality he had close to zero exposure and public recognition before the office. That fact is supported by how bad the first season of the US office did ratings wise. People warmed up to it quickly thank…

We know Ricky Gervais also did not like Steve Carrel. Source: himself during one of the Golden Globe ceremonies he was hosting.

Got a clip? This feels like you being oblivious that he's pretending...

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UK show has like 6 episodes in a season, while an American show needs at least 22.

That's almost completely a relic nowadays though. Most things worth watching are on streaming, which has pretty much completely abandoned the 22 episode format and 6-10 seems to be where things have settled.

It's bizarre. Sometimes I pop into a streaming service and see a show from 5-10 years ago, originally syndicated from a TV channel, and it's not bad, but it's just... An OK idea drawn out until it's boring. OTOH we have these MCU shows now, barely (if at all) longer than a movie, but chopped into 6x20min episodes that give it a bumpy pacing and flow, and over before anything happens.

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#219
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I can't understand what they are saying with their funny accent" This is charitable. Probably a lot of folks here just have a general disdain for all things foreign. I am not sure anyone has ever tried to put numbers to the distinction between the two groups.

The thing that amuses me as an Australian is the subtitles when a pom, Irish, or Scot is talking. I've not seen it with Australians, but I wouldn't be surprised

I haven’t noticed many subtitles on TV in the US. But I remember watching Trainspotting with a college flat mate. He had no idea what was being said; as a Scot, I had to translate for him.

Among my friends and family, only the really thick UK accents aren’t understood very well. Glaswegian, Scouse, etc. The more common (on TV) RP, upper class Edinburg, and Highland accents are mostly fine.

Re: The IT Crowd US Pilot (2007) [video]

#220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of it is simply different television formats. The Office UK specifically aired on BBC One without commercials which meant that it had to be cut down to fit on a major network's timeslot of 20-24 min. Shows like that typically have to go to special TV stations like PBS or BBC America in order to get a commercial-free timeslot or (in BBC America's case) finagled into a less common time slot with weird commercial b…

Mostly agree with all you have to say minus the reference as Steve carrell being a safe, reliable pick at the time period. Being on the daily show is a great metric for a casting director as far as quality goes but in reality he had close to zero exposure and public recognition before the office. That fact is supported by how bad the first season of the US office did ratings wise. People warmed up to it quickly thank…

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