TV show remakes

"Unfortunately though, those Fawlty fans wanting to see more of Basil, Sybil, Polly and Manuel are unlikely ever to have their wish granted. Speaking to The Guardian in 2009 about the decision to end the show, John Cleese said: "[Connie and I] both felt we had done our best. We just knew if we did more it wouldn't be as good."

John Cleese is probably correct.

If remade, there should be different characters. However, how is this for a great idea..... John Cleese returns to be ain a smaller role in his older age, a character like "The Major"!
 
No Cod it isn't.
I like these discussions no offence is/should ever taken, we've butted heads before Cod, I like a challenge ;D

As for the talent, we don't seem to be producing the same caliber of actors any more. Its a bit like movie stars we'll never have another Humphrey Bogart or James Stewart acting seems to have evolved, be it for the better or not, we'll never have another Bill Owen or Michael Bates I think its a generational thing. My grandkids like 1D and I think their rubbish and I like the Chilli Peppers and they think their rubbish but that's how it goes I suppose.
;D ;D

The talent is probably there but you probably just don't like the direction of the writing and production of the BBC, and it probably doesn't ompliment the talent.

Hey, the Chili Peppers are still big! I think they are doing the Super Bowl half time show tomorrow. Of course, 1D isn't my thing but they are crossing over continentally quite well. I teach high school and they are quite popular (with females only!)
 
I will probably be in a minority here, but I usually don't like series either being brought back or remade once they have had their time. This is especially true for comedies that were very successful first time around and are given the "classic" title. The reason for this is simple in that it is almost impossible to recreate the success that went before. I can't think of any that went on and on or came back that maintained the high standard that made it a classic.



Fawlty Towers is an interesting one, if only because it originally ran for 2 series and only 12 episodes. We can desire more, but John Cleese who wrote it with his then wife Connie Booth didn't want to do anymore. So, unfortunately it never can come back without Cleese having a change of heart, which to this day he's never had despite the financial issues in recent years that he's had and the obvious money spinner you would have thought a return of Fawlty Towers would be. In a recent poll, Fawlty Towers was the one series that came top that people wanted to see remade.

I don't mean to post too much at one time but I mentioned this before on this forum, however, I think it is before you joined. My criticism of British shows is that sometimes they end two soon. For example, there was Fawlty Towers, The Young Ones, The Office, Chef, and the Old Guys to name a few.

Then, my criticism of American shows is that they drag on forever until there is no life left in them at all! For example; the American version of the Office and perhaps the Simpsons.
 
Some of the really good ones tend to end too soon because either the writers didn't want to do it anymore, i.e. like Cleese with Fawlty Towers, or actors playing a major role decide they want to move on. Ronnie Barker with Porridge and Open All Hours decided to leave at the top in both rather than keep going. In his follow up series to Porridge, Going Straight, he decided not to do anymore because of the early death of Richard Beckinsale, he didn't want him to be replaced. Patricia Routledge also decided to move on so Keeping Up Appearances finished although I think other cast members were disappointed with her decision. We have to remember that sometimes people in the business decide to move on and don't want to keep doing the same thing.

As you say, the danger is that they go on for too long and sometimes, without wishing to sound unkind, it might be because those doing the show lack alternatives. It may be because they have become typecast, but also because a lucrative income stream has come to an end and no one likes giving up that.

It should be remembered that LOTSW has 295 episodes so if you have recordings of all of them there's the best part of one a day for a year and then you can start all over again. I tend to do that with the first 20-25 series, minus a few that I don't have. US comedy series will often have 20+ episodes in a series, but off hand I can't think of many, non cartoon, that made more than 295. Friends had 236, Seinfeld 180, The Office 201 (I've never seen any!), The Simpsons is up to 541.
 
Not a remake,but I'd love to see what the Young Ones ,Neil,Rik,Vyvian and Mike are doing now.
 
Not a remake,but I'd love to see what the Young Ones ,Neil,Rik,Vyvian and Mike are doing now.

That would be an interesting one.

I have read that there was some talk that Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson might do a new series of Bottom, but that Ade has a few problems working with Rik.

Mayall is up for it, but not Ade apparently.

“I’m desperate to do it. I thought it would be lovely to have them in a different situation and being much older.

“Ade said we weren’t old enough to be mad old b******s – but if we leave it another 10 years, how the f*** are we going to do anything?”

The dad-of-three knew where he wanted to take his character, Richie Rich.

“I’ve always loved Wilfred Bramble, who played Steptoe, I wanted to play him like that,” he sighs.

“But I think Ade thought we shouldn’t repeat what we’d done.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/rik-mayall-desperate-bottom-return-1792377

Again it seems to be a case that some don't like going back.

Mayall did appear recently in the C4 sitcom Man Down as the father of Greg Davies, they do look like they could be related. Very modern comedy so not everyone's cup of tea here I would guess, but Mayall was his usual vile self in it.

By the way, did anyone watch Ade in Britain? I thought it was very good. Who'd have thought at the time of The Young Ones, Ade Edmondson would do a very traditional series like that thirty years down the line?
 
No Cod it isn't.
I like these discussions no offence is/should ever taken, we've butted heads before Cod, I like a challenge ;D

As for the talent, we don't seem to be producing the same caliber of actors any more. Its a bit like movie stars we'll never have another Humphrey Bogart or James Stewart acting seems to have evolved, be it for the better or not, we'll never have another Bill Owen or Michael Bates I think its a generational thing. My grandkids like 1D and I think their rubbish and I like the Chilli Peppers and they think their rubbish but that's how it goes I suppose.
;D ;D

The talent is probably there but you probably just don't like the direction of the writing and production of the BBC, and it probably doesn't ompliment the talent.

Hey, the Chili Peppers are still big! I think they are doing the Super Bowl half time show tomorrow. Of course, 1D isn't my thing but they are crossing over continentally quite well. I teach high school and they are quite popular (with females only!)


They did a remake of Yes Prime Minister with different actors and it was horrendous >:(
My eldest granddaughter has gone from 1D to Pete Wentz ::) But at least she's heading in the right direction now ;D
 
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