List of British TV shows remade for the American market
Many successful British TV shows (particularly sitcomss) have been remade for the American market. The amount of reworking varies with some shows (such as All in the Family) keeping the basic situation and then adding many original features and others taking complete scripts (such as Amanda's) taking entire scripts verbatim.There are relatively few examples of American shows remade for the British market (the majority of these being game shows), as the British television audience are very accepting of the American originals. Indeed the US remakes are often imported back into the UK. By contrast original British shows are rarely seen on the major networks and are usually broadcast only on the Public Broadcasting Service and cable television. This list includes a number of pilots not subsequently taken up.
| UK original | US remake | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Absolutely Fabulous | Cybill | Also remade as High Society |
| Absolutely Fabulous | High Society | Also remade as Cybill |
| Agony | The Lucy Arnaz Show | |
| Antiques Roadshow | Antiques Roadshow | |
| Are You Being Served | Beanes of Boston | Un-aired pilot |
| As If | As If | |
| Ballykissangel | Hope Island | |
| Big Brother | Big Brother | Originally a Dutch TV production |
| Changing Rooms | Trading Spaces | |
| Cold Feet | Cold Feet | |
| Cracker | Cracker | US remake is known as Fitz in the UK |
| Coupling | Coupling | |
| Dad's Army | The Rear Guard | Pilot episode only |
| Dear John | Dear John | Known as Dear John USA in the UK |
| Dog Eat Dog | Dog Eat Dog | |
| Don't Forget Your Toothbrush | Don't Forget Your Toothbrush | |
| The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin | Reggie | |
| Fawlty Towers | Amanda's | Also remade as Payne |
| Fawlty Towers | Payne | Also remade as Amanda's |
| George and Mildred | The Ropers | |
| The Grimleys | The Grubbs | |
| Holding The Baby | Holding The Baby | |
| Home to Roost | You Again | |
| I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here | I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here | |
| Keep It in the Family | Too Close For Comfort | |
| Love Thy Neighbour | Love Thy Neighbor | |
| Man About The House | Three's Company | |
| Masterchef | Masterchef | |
| Max Headroom | Max Headroom | |
| Men Behaving Badly | Men Behaving Badly | |
| Mind Your Language | What a Country | |
| Nevermind The Buzzcocks | Nevermind The Buzzcocks | |
| The 1900 House | Frontier House | |
| Not the Nine O'Clock News | Not Necessarily the News | |
| On The Buses | Lotsa Luck | |
| One Foot In The Grave | Cosby | Many differences. |
| Pop Idol | American Idol: The Search for a Superstar | |
| Porridge | On The Rocks | |
| Queer As Folk | Queer As Folk (US) | |
| Red Dwarf | Red Dwarf | Un-aired pilot |
| Robin's Nest | Three’s A Crowd | |
| Scrapheap Challenge | Junkyard Wars | See 1 below. |
| Spitting Image | D.C. Follies | |
| Steptoe and Son | Sanford and Son | |
| That Was The Week That Was | That Was The Week That Was | |
| This Life | First Years | |
| Till Death Us Do Part | All In The Family | |
| The Weakest Link | The Weakest Link | |
| What Not to Wear | What Not to Wear | |
| Who Wants To Be A Millionaire | Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | |
| Yes, Prime Minister | Not My Department | Canadian remake |
| The Young Person's Guide To Becoming A Rock Star | My Guide To Becoming A Rock Star | |
1: The original show for Channel 4 was called "Scrapheap Challenge". When shown in the US this was re-titled "Scrapheap". When the program started to use US teams and a US presenter it was re-titled "Junkyard Wars" for both US and UK audiences. In the UK episodes involving UK teams remain under the title "Scrapheap Challenge".
Two American sitcoms that were remade for Britain were Married With Children and That 70s Show. The original versions were also shown, at somewhat less-prime times of evening. It's hard to say whether the remakes or the orignials were preferred as neither made much impact.
