Many successful British television shows (particularly sitcoms and reality shows) 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, while others have taken complete scripts verbatim (such as Amanda's).
There are relatively few examples of American shows remade for the British market (the majority of these being game shows), and the British television audience are very accepting of the American originals while being much less accepting of British remakes (see, for instance, the failure of The Brighton Belles, the British remake of The Golden Girls). The U.S. remakes have sometimes been imported back into the UK. By contrast, original British programmes are rarely seen on the major U.S. networks in modern times (in the 1960s the airing of UK-produced programs such as The Avengers and Fireball XL5 on U.S. network TV occurred frequently) and are usually broadcast only on the Public Broadcasting Service and on cable television, especially BBC America, with only a few purely British shows having gained mainstream popularity in the United States. This list includes a number of pilots not subsequently made into series.
| UK original | US remake | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The 1900 House | Frontier House | Reality. Frontier House broadcast in the UK on Channel 4. |
| Absolutely Fabulous | AbFab | Two pilots attempts, one by Roseanne Barr, another by Jennifer Saunders (who created the UK version). Both were passed over. |
| Agony | The Lucie Arnaz Show | |
| Airline | Airline | British version renamed Airline UK in the U.S. |
| Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon | Gameshow Marathon | Game show. |
| Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris | |
| Antiques Roadshow | Antiques Roadshow | Reality. |
| Are You Being Served? | Beane's of Boston | Comedy. Unaired pilot. |
| As If | As If | U.S. remake canceled after two episodes on UPN. |
| Bad Education | An American Education | Unaired pilot for ABC. |
| Balls of Steel | Balls of Steel | |
| Ballykissangel | Hope Island | |
| Being Human | Being Human | Sci-fi drama on Syfy. |
| Benidorm | The Big Package | Yet to air as of 2022. |
| Big Star's Little Star | Big Star Little Star | |
| Birds of a Feather | Stand by Your Man | |
| Blackpool | Viva Laughlin | U.S. remake canceled after two episodes. |
| Brat Camp | Brat Camp USA | |
| Broadchurch | Gracepoint | Crime drama. Cancelled after one season. |
| Cannonball | Cannonball | |
| Cash Cab | Cash Cab | Game show. |
| Cash in the Attic | Cash in the Attic | Reality. |
| CD:UK | CD USA | |
| Celebrity Fit Club | Celebrity Fit Club | Reality competition. Both versions featured former US Marine Harvey Walden IV. |
| Celebrity Gogglebox | Celebrity Watch Party | U.S. version was broadcast in the UK as Celebrity Gogglebox USA. |
| Changing Rooms | Trading Spaces | Reality. |
| The Chase | The Chase | Game show. Until 2021, the U.S. version only used one Chaser, Mark Labbett (a.k.a. "The Beast"), who was brought over from the UK to participate. |
| The Circle | The Circle | U.S. version known in the UK as The Circle US. |
| Cold Feet | Cold Feet | |
| Cracker | Cracker | U.S. remake is known as Fitz in the UK. |
| Coupling | Coupling | Comedy. U.S. remake was canceled after four episodes. |
| Cuckoo | Cuckoo | Sitcom. NBC ordered a pilot in 2013. |
| Da Ali G Show | Da Ali G Show | |
| Dad's Army | The Rear Guard | Pilot episode only. |
| Dancing on Ice | Skating with Celebrities | Reality. |
| Dear John | Dear John | Known as Dear John USA in the UK. |
| Distraction | Distraction | Game show. Same host (Jimmy Carr). |
| Dog Eat Dog | Dog Eat Dog | Game show. U.S. version hosted by Brooke Burns. |
| Don't Forget Your Toothbrush | Don't Forget Your Toothbrush | Game show. U.S. edition aired on Comedy Central and was hosted by actor Mark Curry. |
| Eleventh Hour | Eleventh Hour | Drama. |
| Ex on the Beach | Ex on the Beach | Reality. |
| Faking It | Faking It | Reality game show. |
| The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin | Reggie | |
| Farmer Wants a Wife | Farmer Wants a Wife | |
| Fawlty Towers | Chateau Snavely | Comedy. Pilot episode only with Harvey Korman and Betty White. |
| Amanda's | Starring Beatrice Arthur. | |
| Payne | Starring John Larroquette. | |
| For the Love of Ada | A Touch of Grace | American sitcom starring Shirley Booth. |
| Footballers' Wives | Football Wives | Drama. Confirmed pilot. |
| Four Weddings | Four Weddings | Reality, British original is known as Four Weddings UK. |
| Free Agents | Free Agents | Comedy starring Hank Azaria. U.S. remake cancelled after four episodes. |
| Friday Night Dinner | Dinner with the Parents | Sitcom. Mo Released on Freevee after three previously failed attempts. |
| Gavin & Stacey | Us & Them | Comedy. |
| George and Mildred | The Ropers | |
| Getting On | Getting On | Sitcom. After a successful pilot episode, HBO ordered a six-episode run in 2013, with a second season airing in 2014. |
| Ghosts | Ghosts | Sitcom. |
| Gogglebox | The People's Couch | Observational documentary picked up by Bravo. First aired in 2013. |
| The Great British Bake Off | The Great American Baking Show | UK version known in the U.S. as The Great British Baking Show. |
| The Grimleys | The Grubbs[1] | |
| Have I Got News For You | Have I Got News For You | Comedy where celebrity contestants answer questions based on the week's top news stories. US version based on the long running British show, of the same name |
| Hell's Kitchen | Hell's Kitchen | Reality competition. American version broadcast in the UK as Hell's Kitchen USA on ITV2. Gordon Ramsay appears in both series. |
| Hit Me Baby One More Time | Hit Me Baby One More Time | Same host (Vernon Kay). |
| Holding the Baby | Holding the Baby | |
| Home to Roost | You Again? | Elizabeth Bennett appears in both versions. |
| Honey, We're Killing the Kids | Honey We're Killing the Kids | |
| House of Cards | House of Cards | Same premise, though British version was a short series. |
| How Clean Is Your House? | Kim and Aggie Clean Up America | |
| Hunted | Hunted | |
| I'd Do Anything | I'd Do Anything | George Gray hosted U.S. version on ESPN, his third U.S. version of a British show. |
| I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Reality. |
| The Inbetweeners | The Inbetweeners | Comedy. Cancelled after one series. |
| The IT Crowd | The IT Crowd | Pilot canceled in 2008. |
| It's Me or the Dog | It's Me or the Dog | |
| The Jeremy Kyle Show | The Jeremy Kyle Show | Chat show. U.S. version ended in 2013 after two seasons. |
| Junior MasterChef | MasterChef Junior | |
| Just for Laughs | Just for Laughs | U.S. version was a repackaged version of the Canadian version. |
| Keep it in the Family | Too Close for Comfort | Final season of U.S. version initially aired as The Ted Knight Show. |
| The Krypton Factor | The Krypton Factor | |
| A League of Their Own | Game On! | |
| Life on Mars | Life on Mars | Sci-fi drama. |
| Little Britain | Little Britain USA | Comedy. A full series was made and gained popularity after various repeats. HBO ordered more, but makers and stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas declined. |
| Love Island | Love Island | Reality. |
| Love Thy Neighbour | Love Thy Neighbor | |
| Mad Dogs | Mad Dogs | Drama/Thriller. Remake that reused one of the original British actors (Ben Chaplin). |
| Man About the House | Three's Company | Comedy. |
| MasterChef | MasterChef USA | |
| MasterChef | Reality. | |
| Match of the Day | Match of the Day | |
| Max Headroom | Max Headroom | Sci-fi. |
| Men Behaving Badly | Men Behaving Badly | Comedy series. Aired for two seasons on NBC. |
| The Million Pound Drop Live | Million Dollar Money Drop | Game show. The U.S. remake was cancelled in 2011. |
| The Million Pound Hoax | $25 Million Dollar Hoax | |
| Mind Your Language | What a Country! | |
| Miranda | Call Me Kat | |
| Mistresses | Mistresses | Drama series. |
| Mr. Men and Little Miss | The Mr. Men Show | |
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Never Mind The Buzzcocks | |
| Not the Nine O'Clock News | Not Necessarily the News | The Daily Show, especially in its earlier incarnation under Craig Kilborn, also owes a great deal to this show. |
| The Office | The Office | Comedy. U.S. version is broadcast in the UK as The Office: An American Workplace, The Office USA, or The US Office. |
| On the Buses | Lotsa Luck | |
| One Foot in the Grave | Cosby | Many differences. |
| Outnumbered | Outnumbered | Picked up by Fox. |
| Pop Idol | American Idol | Reality competition. Simon Cowell was a judge on both versions. |
| Porridge | On the Rocks | |
| Prime Suspect | Prime Suspect | |
| Pulling | Pulling | Pilot with creative input from Sharon Horgan. |
| Pyjama Party | Pajama Party | Same presenter (Katie Puckrik). |
| Queer as Folk | Queer as Folk | Drama. |
| Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares | Kitchen Nightmares | Reality. Both versions feature Gordon Ramsay as host. U.S. version broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA. |
| Red Dwarf | Red Dwarf USA | Two un-aired pilots. The second pilot is titled Red Dwarf USA. |
| Robin's Nest | Three's a Crowd | Comedy. |
| Robot Wars | Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors | Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors was filmed alongside the UK show in 2001 and 2002. |
| Nickelodeon Robot Wars | ||
| Scrapheap Challenge | Junkyard Wars | Scrapheap and Junkyard have gone head-to-head in transatlantic challenges in the UK.[2] |
| The Secret Millionaire | Secret Millionaire | |
| Shameless | Shameless | U.S. version starring William H. Macy. |
| Sirens | Sirens | Comedy drama. Cancelled after two seasons by The USA Network. |
| The Sketch Show | The Sketch Show | U.S. version featured Kelsey Grammer. |
| Skins | Skins | Ran for one season only in 2011. UK version shown on BBC America. |
| Small Fortune | Small Fortune | U.S. version hosted by Lil Rel Howery. US version shown on NBC. |
| Spaced | Spaced | Only a pilot episode was made. |
| Spitting Image | D.C. Follies | Loose adaptation. |
| Spotless | Keep It Spotless | Competition. |
| Spy | Spy | Situation comedy. ABC ordered a remake in 2013. |
| Steptoe and Son | Sanford and Son | Comedy. Relied on race as well as class. |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Dancing with the Stars | Reality competition. Former UK judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli are also judges on Dancing with the Stars. |
| Supernanny | Supernanny | Reality. British episodes shown along with U.S. episodes. Same host (Jo Frost). |
| Taskmaster | Taskmaster | |
| Teachers | Teachers | Canceled after six episodes. |
| That Was the Week That Was | That Was The Week That Was | Satire. Both versions hosted by David Frost. |
| The Thick of It | The Thick of It | Unaired pilot made for ABC. |
| Veep | HBO series produced by Armando Iannucci and the same team of writers as the British version. | |
| This Country | Welcome to Flatch | |
| This Life | First Years[3] | |
| Till Death Us Do Part | All in the Family | Comedy. Coincidentally, the All in the Family spinoff Maude was remade in the UK as Nobody's Perfect, and the Maude spinoff Good Times was remade as The Fosters. None of the UK series were connected to each other or to Till Death Us Do Part. |
| Top Gear | Top Gear | Reality. |
| Top Gear America | ||
| Top of the Pops | Top of the Pops | Sometimes aired performances recorded by its BBC counterpart. Aired as part of CBS Late Night. |
| Touching Evil | Touching Evil | Drama. |
| Trigger Happy TV | Trigger Happy TV | Dom Joly appears in both versions of the show, despite the U.S. version having a mostly new cast — Joly was the only on screen star in the UK Version. The American version is known as Trigger Happy USA when aired in the UK. |
| Trisha Goddard | Trisha | Chat show. U.S. version ended in 2014 after two seasons. |
| Two's Company | The Two of Us | Comedy. |
| Undercover Boss | Undercover Boss | Reality. |
| Upstairs, Downstairs | Beacon Hill | Drama. |
| Utopia | Utopia | |
| The Vicar of Dibley | The Minister of Divine | Comedy. Pilot episode only. |
| The Weakest Link | Weakest Link | Game show. Anne Robinson hosted both the UK version and the original U.S. prime time series. Subsequent U.S. syndicated series were hosted by George Gray. Currently hosted by Jane Lynch on NBC. |
| What Not to Wear | What Not to Wear | Reality. |
| The Wheel | The Wheel | Game show. Both versions are hosted by Michael McIntyre who also created the show. |
| White Van Man | Family Tools | Comedy sitcom. Picked up by ABC for a full series in 2012. |
| Who Do You Think You Are? | Who Do You Think You Are? | |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Game show. |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Improvisational sketch comedy. Both used panelists Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, among others. Last episodes of UK version were produced in the U.S. |
| Wife Swap | Wife Swap | Reality. |
| Trading Spouses | ||
| Wild at Heart | Life Is Wild | U.S. version cancelled after thirteen episodes. |
| The World's Strictest Parents | World's Strictest Parents | |
| The Worst Week of My Life | Worst Week | Comedy. |
| Would I Lie to You? | Would I Lie to You? | |
| The X Factor | The X Factor | Reality competition. Same executive producer/judge (Simon Cowell) and production company (Syco TV). Cheryl Cole was also a judge on the U.S. version but was dropped following the audition stage. US edition cancelled after three seasons. |
| The Young Ones | Oh No Not THEM! | Unsuccessful pilot; Nigel Planer was the only cast member from the original. |
| The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star | My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star[4] |
Notes
edit- ^ "The Grubbs". IMDb.
- ^ The original show for Channel 4 was called Scrapheap, but renamed Scrapheap Challenge starting from series two. When shown in the U.S. this reverted to Scrapheap. When the program started to use U.S. teams and a U.S. presenter it was re-titled Junkyard Wars for both U.S. and UK audiences. In the UK episodes involving UK teams remain under the title Scrapheap Challenge.
- ^ "First Years". IMDb. 19 March 2001.
- ^ "My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star". IMDb. 14 March 2002.