TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch

Culture
TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch
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Our world is more connected than ever, yet still filled with diverse cultures and innumerable different points of view. This extends to TV, where familiar stories are often taken and adapted to suit a particular country or region, whose local writers, producers and actors put their own twist on small screen hits. Here, we round up international versions of familiar series and famous shows – some of which you may not realise were remakes all along!

By Victoria Luxford

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Law & Order: UK (UK, 2009-14) – Law & Order remains one of the most prestigious and popular shows on American television. Lasting for 20 years in its initial run, the show looked at both the investigation and prosecution aspects of a particular crime case every week. The formula was brought to the UK version, which featured Doctor Who star Freema Agyeman and Jamie Bamber, among others. The look was slightly different, given the formalities of the British justice system, but the translation was a success, running for five years and eight seasons. There are also Law & Order adaptations in France and Russia.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Amanda’s (US, 1983) – From an American tradition to a British icon. The comedy Fawlty Towers is considered one of the greatest British TV shows of all time, with Monty Python comedian John Cleese co-inventing a hit that could never be replicated. But that doesn’t mean America didn’t try. The premise of an irate hotel manager trying to stem the chaos of his establishment was adapted three times in different decades, with 1983 iteration Amanda’s becoming the most successful by virtue of airing the most episodes (10) before its cancellation. The show featured a gender-flipped version of Cleese’s character, played by Bea Arthur, who would go on to appear in legendary sitcom The Golden Girls.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Hello Friends (India, 1999-2000) – The clue’s in the title: Hello Friends was an Indian take on American hit Friends, tailored to an Indian audience for a Hindi remake in the late ‘90s. There were many changes: Central Perk became Uncle Sam’s Café, actor Joey became model Rahul, and Phoebe became Penny (although still a free-spirited musician). Despite its cast composed of popular VJs from MTV India, the show only lasted 26 episodes – around a tenth of the US show’s run. As you can see from the official pilot, the two series do seem to share a similar ‘90s spirit!

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Homeland (US, 2011-20) – Yes, we are talking about that Homeland, the multi-award-winning drama starring Claire Danes. It is, in fact, a remake of the Israeli show Prisoners of War. The original focuses on three returning prisoners of war, as opposed to the American version which takes the perspective of a CIA agent and just one POW. Nonetheless, the success of the remake brought further attention to the original, as Homeland fans became interested in seeing the inspiration for their favourite show.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Metástasis (Colombia, 2014) – Few remakes can claim to be as faithful to the original as the Colombian rendition of Breaking Bad. Names were changed slightly (Walter White became Walter Blanco, and Saul Goodman was Saul Bueno), but the show retained the exact same storyline and most of the same visual choices as the US edition. Having stayed so close to the show’s roots, it’s arguable that this cover version is somewhat weaker, but it is at least a full alternative for a Spanish-speaking audience. Programmed as a telenovela, the entire five seasons of storyline were broadcast between June and September 2014, less than a year after Bryan Cranston made his final bow.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Queer as Folk (US, 1999-05) – One of a number of long-running American shows remade from UK series in the 2000s (The Office being another notable success), Queer as Folk sought to break barriers for attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community stateside, just as the original had done in Britain. The show had a wide-reaching effect in its home country and abroad, providing several firsts for American broadcasts (although the series never went quite as far as the story it was based on). Sixteen years on, it has a divisive legacy, but can ultimately claim to be a trailblazer for diversity in drama.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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24 (India, 2013-16) – Just as Kiefer Sutherland made the jump from movies to TV for his role as Jack Bauer, Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor’s first regular TV part came in an adaptation of 24, playing action hero Jai Singh Rathod. This big-budget remake came about after Kapoor appeared in the original as another character, and then bought the rights to adapt the show. It turned out to be a successful gamble, as it would spawn two seasons and impress audiences – including Sutherland, who supported the show and reportedly discussed a cameo at one point.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Ugly Betty (US, 2006-10) – Ugly Betty is not only a remake, it’s one of several! Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea (‘I Am Betty, the Ugly One’) was a gigantic success and had producers in Mexico, Europe and, of course, America interested in obtaining the rights. The US version is best known to English-speaking audiences, having won several awards; however in terms of worldwide audience, the original is considered far more popular, and purists will argue that the US version is a departure from the original’s soap opera format.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Familia moderna (Chile, 2015-16) – American sitcom Modern Family seems like a no-brainer to translate, given that the family unit has evolved in countries across the world. The Chilean version, Familia moderna, kept largely to the original plot and characters, although one big difference was necessitated by the new location: In the American version, Sofia Vergara’s character, Gloria, hails from Colombia, and her Latin American background gives her a different viewpoint to her castmates. This obviously wouldn’t be the case in Chile, and so the character is portrayed as being from a different social class than the rest of the family. An example of how nuance can steer a story in a different direction.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (US, 1993-1996) – A fascinating take on a remake, one of the biggest kids TV hits of the ‘90s is based on Japanese show Super Sentai, with producers using action scenes from the original show and weaving a different American-focused plot around them. This unusual method has nonetheless proved successful, as Power Rangers and its various iterations have been entertaining children for nearly three decades, and have provided us with an early glimpse of TV royalty: Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston dubbed two of the villains from the show in the ‘90s, before returning for a 2017 film version.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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Best Friends Forever? (India, 2012-13) – Teen dramas can often be difficult to translate, as youth culture often varies across the world. However, India found a way to adapt US sensation Pretty Little Liars into a more adult-focused show that takes the action from a high school to a law college. With the same themes of blackmail and friendship at its heart, the show ran for 140 episodes between 2012 and 2013, almost as many as the original, and proved a success for the young target audience.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch.
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The Simpsons (Various) – In the strictest sense, The Simpsons hasn’t been remade. However it has been adapted into a number of different language versions, where cultural references, character traits and even storylines are changed to make sense to the audience. In France, Sideshow Bob is called Tahiti Bob due to translation issues; Barney Gumble is Barney Gomez in some Spanish translations; and the German Homer declares “Nein!” instead of “D’Oh!”. The Arabic versions made a great deal of changes to the world of Springfield, removing any scenes of Homer drinking, replacing his beloved beer with soda, and doughnuts with cake. Charmingly, American guest stars are often replaced with the voice actors who dub them in that particular country – for example, in Spain Sideshow Bob is voiced by the same actor who dubs Kelsey Grammer in Frasier.

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TV Translated: 12 International TV Remakes Worth A Watch

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