Misfits

One of the shows that caught my attention this past couple of months was E4's Misfits. Being a huge fan of british TV I had to watch this show. I'm happy to say that i wasn't disappointed by this show. In fact I love it. Misfits has the perfect balance between humor and suspense. The casting for the show is also perfect. But what makes this show different? First of all, this show is about young delinquents who get super powers after a lighting storm. Isn't that awesome? Misfits brings you to a mysterious world where anything is possible. The main characters of the show have conflicting personalities, but in order to survive they have to work together and trust each other. This plot helps with the creation of different scenarios and shorelines that can be both funny and dramatic. Finally I think that Misfits is a great example of a low-budget show that can be creative and interesting.

If you are into british TV, comedy and comic books I would recommend watching Misfits. The first two seasons are on Hulu for free.

Character Changes

The characters are the heart and soul of a television show. The viewers develop real connections with the characters in their favorite shows, they care about them, and might even write some creepy fan fiction. That is why, when a character is replaced, fans will riot, and the show will usually take a turn for the worse.

The first show that comes to mind would be The Office. Steve Carrell left after a very successful six seasons and was replaced as regional manager by Ed Helms as Andy Bernard. Out of all the characters on The Office, Helm's personality and mannerisms are the most like Carrells. They share the same lovable offensive qualities and both strive for attention and acceptance from their superiors and coworkers. The sixth seasons finale featured an array of guest stars all vying for the position of manager. However, losing a newcomer and putting Andy in charge was a very safe move by the writers in order to keep up the same pace of the show.

Another example is the show Misfits, which premiered it's third season this Sunday minus one of the more memorable characters. Robert Sheehan played the witty, Irish comic relief on the show but left after the second season to pursue more movie roles. Channel 4 put out a short on their website to explain his absence and quickly introduce his replacement on the show. Again, what we experience of Rudy, the newcomer, is a glimpse of a similar character. He seems to slide into the role of comedian and troublemaker, as was his predecessor Sheehan.

The same can be said about Doctor Who, especially since that show goes through actors every two to three seasons.. Every time the doctor regenerates and is recast, there is always a divide between the fans. Mainly in the new series, there is a solid amount of people who see David Tennant as the real Doctor, even though he hasn't been on the show for two seasons, being replaced by Matt Smith. People will always have their favorites, and stand behind them as the true actor for that role.

Luckily these example happen to have an extremely good supporting cast that can easily support the show after their stars depart. A very common theme throughout this seems to be that the essence of the character remains the same, to make it easier for different actors to filter through the role.

American Remakes

I don't mean to keep up a streak of posts about British television but since I'm a little behind on the times, I recently heard about another popular British show getting an American makeover. I had to watch The Inbetweeners for my British Youth Culture class in London and was immediately hooked. The show features vulgar comedy as it follows four teenagers who are "inbetween" social groups, and puts an original spin on the obvious story lines of alcohol, sex and school. It has also just been made into a movie of the same name that came out inthe UK and will be out here very soon. Two years ago ABC tried and failed to give the show a pilot but now MTV is giving it a shot. However, MTV recently cancelled their last attempt at a remake after the small disaster that was Skins.

I understand that the stations are in a position to make more money if they remake these shows instead of just buying the rights to the British versions and airing them on their channels. But because the UK is much less censored when it comes to television, the shows lose a lot of their original comedy and it really simplifies the characters when they come to an American screen. British television is much more candid about sex and openly shows nudity and drug use to a somewhat young audience. But in America, I believe that parents are more involved in what their children watch on TV and seem to be more comfortable in protesting against shows that they fear are a bad influence on their children's actions. An MTV spokesman, David Janollari, is very optimistic stating, "The Inbetweeners is unique and simply hilarious. It will resonate immensely with out viewers". However, he later says that the show has a very authentic voice and in successfully adapting it to a US audience, they are making it into a "quintessentially American suburban experience" and therefore changing the show's premise.

While there have been successful remakes, such as The Office, I feel like shows that air on channels such as E4 and Channel 4 in Britain will not have a good survival rate in their American counterparts. I think it will be difficult for MTV to get around the main focus on sex and the language that is much more comfortably used in British television. I also think that the rate they are churning out remakes will hurt them more then help them. The cancellation of Skins in still fresh in everyones mind and The Inbetweeners should be out early 2012 followed by a remake of Misfits.

Sources: The Sun article

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