So.... The American remake of Coupling is not good, even if you've never seen the original. Granted in that case it might be a 3 or 4 star result, so a bit better. I read somewhere a British person asking why us Americans need to remake good (sometimes bad, Footballers Wives etc.) British programs, since after all they can perfectly understand and watch shows like The Simpsons and Friends without it being reworked and redone. The reason of course is simple actually. The problem isn't that we can't understand Coupling, or The Office. The problem is that the shows are too short to work on American television. Networks here need shows that are 22 episodes to make enough money on. They just don't see the point of a 6 episode season. Utter rubbish isn't it? I've always loved that some of my favourite shows end before they turn crap, but in America it makes less sense to us. Run it into the ground... I get this since one of my roommates loves British sitcoms, but he HATES how short they are. To him he thinks if its good they should just keep making more and more of it. Granted the other reason is also fairly simple. No new ideas. Need a new sitcom for your fall lineup? Well whats easier then taking a concept already made and proved successful, and just Americanize it and making it longer... Yeah our TV here is fairly lazy... remakes or reality. Every so often a remake does well, can even be better. The Office is fantastic with Steve Carell, just as good as the original. Granted that is due to some superior casting. Coupling though... Didn't work, and was miscast. Perhaps good actors in other roles ( I adore Colin Ferguson on Eureka) but in this hopeless.
Review of Coupling
