On the basis of this news story from Matt over on The Stage’s news pages, very possibly. It has today been announced that ITV and Twentieth Centrury Fox Television have entered into a deal whereby both companies will have access to each other’s programme back catalogue and current and future production slate. There will therefore be opportunity to develop shows from this pool on either side of the Atlantic, and the option to develop a show in both territories in tandem.
Can I venture forth that this is one of the craziest ideas to come out of the TV industry in quite some time - and that’s saying a lot considering somebody thought commissioning Harley Street was a good idea (if you’re very lucky, we’ll have a Square Eyes special preview of a drama that makes The Palace look like high art very soon).
But for the architects of this landmark deal between the two companies, I have just two words for you: BRIGHTON BELLES! Surely your memories are not that short for the love of God! And since that UK spin on American sitcom gold The Golden Girls, we’ve also had the TV car crash otherwise known as Days Like These, a ham-fisted attempt to ape the success of That ’70s Show. I still have nightmares and wake up in a cold sweat after that particular nugget of quality.
And it’s a trans-Atlantic two way street - for every successful venture like The US Office, there’s a miss-timed adventure like Coupling, for every Sanford and Son (Steptoe and Son) a Men Behaving Badly. And from ITV’s point of view, it wasn’t all that long ago that Granada had big ideas for conquering the primetime American schedules by producing a domestic version of Cracker for ABC that aired in 1997 and subsequently sank without trace.
This is why I’m utterly mystified by this new arrangement between ITV and Fox seeing as the road well travelled behind it is littered with the wreckage of abject TV failures. Even more mystifying is that first fruits of the deal will be a UK remake of US sitcom Dharma and Greg. Erm… okay. Why? Dharma and Greg was perfectly good (I even remember some episodes airing primetime in this country), but finished in the US back in 2002. Has ITV become so creatively bereft that it is forced to exhume formats discarded back in 2002 across the pond? Clearly…
And another thing (ooh, I’m rattled now), when will executives get that the success of a sitcom is a finely balanced fusion of casting and scripting, with one cast member out of place blowing the whole shebang. Does anybody remember Loved by You? No of course you don’t, it was rubbish. And do you know why it was rubbish? It was an attempt to do a UK version of NBC’s ratings busting Mad About You starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, casting John Gordon Sinclair and Trevyn McDowell in the corresponding roles. Much of Mad About You’s unique appeal was down to the attractive rapport between Reiser and Hunt, honed across seven years on air. With all due respect to Sinclair and McDowell, they are not Reiser and Hunt and the chemistry that made the US version so special is diminished before one scene has even been shot. It might be worth noting that Helen Hunt is now an Oscar winning actress…
In a similar vein, I wouldn’t expect a US spin on My Family, for example, to have what Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker bring to the comedy table to make that show watchable. As we know, My Family is flimsy at the best of the times, but that central partnership renders the show that little bit better than it really has a right to be.
There are exceptions to the rule - The Upper Hand was a nicely successful spin on the US sitcom Who’s the Boss?, which starred Tony Danza. In the UK, the chemistry between Diana Weston and Joe McGann was attractive and, more importantly, appealed to an audience. It simply isn’t enough to ape a format and hope for the best, which is where most US patches fall down.
The notion of a UK and US version of the same format being produced in tandem is equally ludicrous. How could that possibly work? And this diminishes the prospect and pleasure of finding that very special, unique US drama that we can dive into and enjoy on its own merits. Could you imagine two versions of The Sopranos, or 24? The very thought is bringing me out in hives.
Of course, ITV is currently developing a domestic spin on venerable US crime drama Law and Order, along with indie producer Kudos. I will concede that this could have legs and given the right spin has a chance of reasonable success. But Law and Order already has a proven track record in homegrown spin-offs around the world. What ITV and Fox are considering is just mad.
The story has been press released by ITV here and you can find coverage from the other side of the Atlantic in TV Week here. If you need me, I’ll be in the corner shaking my head and sobbing over Jean Boht’s Scottish accent…
"Even more mystifying is that first fruits of the deal will be a UK remake of US sitcom Dharma and Greg. Erm… okay. Why?"
Surely the answer is obvious. ITV have no decent sitcoms at the moment – certainly none with broad appeal and none that appeal to people who aren't already ITV viewers – so they can't capitalise on their existing range to bring in punters for any new sitcoms.
The BBC has had a big success with Gavin & Stacey but at the moment, there's no confirmed third series. What better way for ITV to relaunch their sitcoms than to set up a star vehicle for an existing sitcom star from the Beeb?
Dharma & Greg was principally a culture clash comedy about a sweet, dizzy, larger-than-life blonde with a heart of gold – you do the maths on who they'll probably try to poach from the Beeb…