Addendum to previous post

[next_to_normal]

ABC is making a US version of Being Erica? WHAT? WHY? I mean, I know Canadians are like a totally different species and all, with the funny way they pronounce "sorry" and "about," and the whole Mounties thing, but is it really necessary to make a new version for Americans?

I am rolling my eyes at the "the original has been too widely seen to just reair it" excuse, because um, what? Widely seen by the twelve people who get SoapNet and the dedicated few who download it? I DON'T THINK SO. With the exception of The Office, American TV has ruined just about every foreign show they've gotten their hands on, and the original is already so good that it might actually, I don't know, ATTRACT AN AUDIENCE if it were on a channel normal people actually watch. Yes, even though they're Canadian!

Don't be dumb, ABC.

Comments

[next_to_normal]

I just don't understand it. Surely it must be cheaper to buy the rights to air a show that's already made than it is to pay the production costs to make a whole new version.

[mikeda.livejournal.com]

Maybe the idea is that they'll own the new version while someone else owns the original?

[next_to_normal]

Maybe, if they think the DVD sales and international revenue will offset the production costs. Although it's kind of silly that the US could make their own version and then try to sell it back to Canada to make more money. :)

[mikeda.livejournal.com]

I also suspect that a large part of the issue is that execs at the major U.S. broadcast networks just have a general reluctance to simply buy a show that originated elsewhere. Especially when the "elsewhere" isn't one of the other major U.S. broadcast networks.