Oh really? I didn't know that about imported shows vs. syndicated shows -- maybe there are reasons why American TV is always remaking stuff other than just cultural chauvinism and assuming the audience has the brains of a houseplant.
It's really frustrating that we can't get more imported TV here in the US; we have all these hundreds of cable channels, and yet outside a couple of specialty channels, we hardly have anything that isn't made here or in Canada. And even the Canadian TV doesn't really make it over here unless it's specifically geared towards the export, i.e. American market.
maybe there are reasons why American TV is always remaking stuff other than just cultural chauvinism and assuming the audience has the brains of a houseplant.
I don't really want to discount this, but there really is a lot more going on. One of the biggest reasons shows aren't exported here is because they do terribly (with few exceptions, and they all tend to be on PBS) - look at Merlin. That's an unmitigated hit in Britain, but in the US it had awful ratings. Did NBC screw it up? Sure. But the show had enough going for it that it should've worked regardless. That it didn't speaks to a lot more than just shoddy advertising by NBC. There are big differences in what the US market will bear and other countries. The fact that we get drek is, unfortunately, because drek sells. Why bother doing something smart when you're going to have to fight tooth and nail for it? Why not just make money?
Er, sorry, side tracked. Anyway, beyond the fact that our collective tastes are different from the individual pockets, part of it is licensing fees which are... well, basically, last time I looked into this, a foreign company wanting to air shows here basically had to pay a fine just for the privilege of trying. BBCA, because it's an international channel, is slightly different and they're only just now starting to get the money stuff paved - the week-long Torchwood event only aired a week later in the States, this summer, which is the absolute best transfer time, ever. And on top of the company having to pay, the people who air that show either have to pay a large amount for exclusive rights, or end up sending a big chunk of change to the actual owners of the show (creators, producers, whatever is in the contract, etc).
The margins for profits start decreasing, a lot, basically.
Whereas if you do it yourself, well, hell, you're being good for the economy! You're hiring writers and crew and actors and local producers! Who make money! And if it's a success, then you make way, way more money and don't have to pay those pesky original writers anything but a "hi, don't sue me for infringement" fee!
So... yeah. From the side that actually makes/profits from the show, it's in everyone's best interest to remake it rather than reair it. And sometimes it does work. The Office is a prime example, so is Queer as Folk plus probably others. You just have to have someone who cares about the project, instead of someone who sees "cash cow" and jumps.
Maybe they've got that in this case. I seriously doubt it, though.
Also BBC shows do tend to be very short, compared to American seasons, and Being Human especially has so few eps that it would just be a miniseries; remaking it, they can get a full-length show.
Though geeze, with a show like this, why can't they do their own version? 'fantastical creatures living a modern life' isn't a new concept; can't SyFy do their own variation? Rather than retreading one that's already been done? Is the name recognition that important?
I hope that they go the QaF route, change the names and chars and go in different directions; it does make it easier for a fan to follow...
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It's really frustrating that we can't get more imported TV here in the US; we have all these hundreds of cable channels, and yet outside a couple of specialty channels, we hardly have anything that isn't made here or in Canada. And even the Canadian TV doesn't really make it over here unless it's specifically geared towards the export, i.e. American market.
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I don't really want to discount this, but there really is a lot more going on. One of the biggest reasons shows aren't exported here is because they do terribly (with few exceptions, and they all tend to be on PBS) - look at Merlin. That's an unmitigated hit in Britain, but in the US it had awful ratings. Did NBC screw it up? Sure. But the show had enough going for it that it should've worked regardless. That it didn't speaks to a lot more than just shoddy advertising by NBC. There are big differences in what the US market will bear and other countries. The fact that we get drek is, unfortunately, because drek sells. Why bother doing something smart when you're going to have to fight tooth and nail for it? Why not just make money?
Er, sorry, side tracked. Anyway, beyond the fact that our collective tastes are different from the individual pockets, part of it is licensing fees which are... well, basically, last time I looked into this, a foreign company wanting to air shows here basically had to pay a fine just for the privilege of trying. BBCA, because it's an international channel, is slightly different and they're only just now starting to get the money stuff paved - the week-long Torchwood event only aired a week later in the States, this summer, which is the absolute best transfer time, ever. And on top of the company having to pay, the people who air that show either have to pay a large amount for exclusive rights, or end up sending a big chunk of change to the actual owners of the show (creators, producers, whatever is in the contract, etc).
The margins for profits start decreasing, a lot, basically.
Whereas if you do it yourself, well, hell, you're being good for the economy! You're hiring writers and crew and actors and local producers! Who make money! And if it's a success, then you make way, way more money and don't have to pay those pesky original writers anything but a "hi, don't sue me for infringement" fee!
So... yeah. From the side that actually makes/profits from the show, it's in everyone's best interest to remake it rather than reair it. And sometimes it does work. The Office is a prime example, so is Queer as Folk plus probably others. You just have to have someone who cares about the project, instead of someone who sees "cash cow" and jumps.
Maybe they've got that in this case. I seriously doubt it, though.
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Though geeze, with a show like this, why can't they do their own version? 'fantastical creatures living a modern life' isn't a new concept; can't SyFy do their own variation? Rather than retreading one that's already been done? Is the name recognition that important?
I hope that they go the QaF route, change the names and chars and go in different directions; it does make it easier for a fan to follow...