Wanker of the Day: NBC

Well, I could very well be called a copycat by appropriating Atrios's moniker for people like this, but I hope he doesn't call me a wanker. Why "wanker" for NBC you ask? I'll enlighten you, but it may take a few minutes.

Umpteen years ago (although probably only 6) when we got digital cable, I began watching BBC America and loving their programming. Since then, I've watched countless BBC/British Telecom hits become Americanized, with varying degrees of success. Some shows, particularly the self-help/home improvement shows, really do translate well. Case in point, Changing Rooms which translates to Trading Spaces in American. What Not To Wear and Faking it translate so well that TLC didn't bother changing the names. I think shows in this genre have universal appeal. They call on our deep-seated insecurities and need to change ourselves... but enough social commentary. This doesn't explain why NBC is my Wanker today. For that explanation, we need to explore sitcoms.

Do you remember a couple of years ago, there was a series called Coupling that NBC piloted? It was a story about 6 friends who get together at a bar after their days have ended, exploring their friendships. There's a wacky female character, a slightly dumb male character, a conservative, an uptight narcissist... um, sound familiar? The ONLY difference between Coupling and Friends was that Coupling was a hell of a lot racier. Sounds like fun, right? So why was it cancelled after a couple of episodes?

Well, I think it's time for another bit of social commentary. See, Americans tend to think of the British as, well, a bit uptight, in general. You know the cliche, "No sex, please. We're British." When we hear them talking about sex, we get a bit of a tickle in our funnybone. And when they get raunchy, well... that's a full-on chuckle. Coupling was exactly that - a full-on chuckle in the background combined with genuinely funny material on-screen. Hilarity abounded.

So why didn't we get the slightest titter when it was translated into American? For one, they used the same, exact dialogue. How could that not be funny? Well, instead of sounding sophisticated, we sounded slutty. It is precisely because we don't have the same cultural programming that this amazingly funny BBC show got lost in translation. This alone does not make NBC wankers. One mistake can be forgiven. Fool me once, and all that.

They're going for the second try, though. Last year, there was a breakout BBC series called The Office, that BBC America viewers found so hilarious that the series was awarded two Golden Globes. I've been seeing commercials for an American version on NBC for the last two weeks or so, with a growing feeling of dread. The commercials are the same as the British ones. The sets are the same. The scripts are the same. The only thing that is different is the cultural backgrounds of both the characters and the audience.

Do you think that, given the complete lack of awareness of our cultural differences previously displayed by NBC, The Office has any chance of success here? Instead of looking like a harmless prat, David Brent is going to look like a complete and utter wanker. Just like NBC.