-
US Inbetweeners - Source: ONE News
If you ever watched the Inbetweeners on TV2 when it aired in 2010, or saw the movie released last year, you'll remember it as a cringing, very British comedy about four teenage boys fascinated with all things female.
The show followed Will, a briefcase-carrying ex-private school
boy and his escapades with friends Simon, Jay and Neil, and how
they coaxed him into making bad choices.
Applauded for capturing inexperienced adolescence, the show ran for
three seasons, winning a handful of awards, and sparking a
feature-film.
So, of course, with every successful British comedy, there must follow an American adaptation that never seems to quite hit the mark.
The pilot for the US remake was released on YouTube last week, directed by our own Taika Waititi, garnering over 50,000 'dislikes' and a plethora of hate-filled comments.
It follows characters of the same names (although all are much more attractive than their British counterparts), doing the same gags in a sexed-up, Hollywood way.
Co-creator of the original and executive producer of the US version, Ian Morris, took to Twitter to defend the show , asking fans not to "pre-judge" the US version, hoping it would stand alone as its own comedy.
"I know people are only angry about the US Inbetweeners cos they love the UK one which is amazing really, and honestly appreciated."
The move comes in a long line of attempts to translate British comedy into American humour. Fawtly Towers, Red Dwarf, The Vicar of Dibley, The IT Crowd, The Young Ones and Skins (I know this isn't comedy, but it still didn't work), and the list goes on.
But the reason these remakes don't work is because comedy from both countries serve very different purposes. British comedy is subtle, ironic and cringing - American humour is in-your-face, joke-and-punch-line humour with canned laughter. The two don't translate.
Morris said he hoped it would replicate the US version of the Office, which although was initially sourly met, has gone on to cover eight seasons as the lonely success story among all of these adaptations.
Like it or not, The US version is set for a first season of 12 episodes, so here's hoping it doesn't see the light of day here.
Read more Jessica Beresford opinion