why?

[dbskyler]

I just came across an American version of Top Gear. Why does this exist? Just like everyone else, we have the British version of Top Gear. Isn't that all we need? Why do American television executives seem to believe that Americans won't watch TV where people speak with British accents?

Comments

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

The BBC shopped this adaption of Top Gear to the U.S. and I think co-produces it. I'm pretty sure several other countries also air "local" versions. Also, American versions of shows generally do perform better in the U.S. than the original foreign versions of those shows, plus there are the issues of greater creative control and financial benefits.

[shadowturquoise.livejournal.com]

Really? I can't imagine I woukd like or watch an American version - why mess with perfection! I love the British Top Gear. The closest thing to American I want to see on Top Gear is for them to have Click & Clack as guests someday.

[lolmac]

I would say that this is the thought process (if you can call it thinking):

"Hey, look. That show made money in the UK!"

"Can it make money here? Will they sell us the idea?"

"Sure, they'll sell us the idea. It's easier than thinking up ideas of our own, and we already know it works."

"Will it work? Or is the idea too clever for the US?"

"Good point. We'd better dumb it down."

"Yes! And then we'll make money!"

[thisbluespirit]

Well, as long as they still show the UK Top Gear, you get two versions. Doesn't seem too bad to me! ;-) Besides, with something like that, I could see them wanting to focus on US-specific tech/cars, which has a certain logic.

Drama is worse, because while it sometimes works, there is an indefinable thing about the chemistry of writers/actors/directors etc that is what makes it come off or fail, and that can't be reproduced. Sometimes you get a cool alternative, though.

And some people are funny about accents - I've actually seen comments from Americans in various places complaining about not wanting to watch British stuff because they can't understand our accent. (To which I want to say, which accent? Because there's a world of difference between many of them!) And here in the UK while I don't think I've ever heard anyone complaining about incomprehnsible US accents as a rule, I did have someone tell me they couldn't watch Torchwood because it was too Welsh. (There is a weird and rabid anti-Welsh thing that some English people still have. I don't get it because I come from Somerset where we could see Wales across the channel, and we all had Welsh relatives.) And the Glasgow accent is largely assumed to be unintelligable, as is a broad, southern Irish accent... And some people don't understand regional accents and really wish everyone would talk in RP what like they used to. :-)

*sigh*