So NBC’s importing The IT Crowd?…

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

Well, I’m not familiar with many Britcoms that haven’t already been shown on PBS, but I do know a few titles–so imagine my mild surprise when I read that among NBC’s newly-unveiled “upfronts” (that’s when a network reveals new shows they plan to air for the fall) is a show called The IT Crowd. So either this is a hell of a coincidence, or there’s another Britcom due to be shipped over here a la The Office and, less successfully, Coupling.

I assume I’m not the only one who’s heard about this here, but I thought it’d be a conversation piece for you lot of TV geeks =P …

Topic

[John Hoare]

Yep – they’ve shot a US pilot, and I found out it had been picked up today as well.

It’s without doubt my favourite comedy series this decade by a hell of a long way – I went to see three episodes of Series 2 of the UK show recorded recently.

I keep meaning to write reviews of the UK series for NTS…

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

Well, then, let’s hope this remake’ll be watchable. I know NBC got lucky with The Office, but their import of Coupling tanked, so to the best of my knowledge they’ve only got a fifty percent success rate with “Americanized” Britcoms.

[Anonymous]

50% might be pushing it a bit. The only successful transfers that I can think of over the years are Alf Garnett and The Office and there have been dozens of failures.

The IT Crowd seems like a strange decision seeing as it received a mixed reception here but maybe that won’t hurt it.

[John Hoare]

I wrote about this on Standard Nerds actually, before I decided to close that site down…

[Phil]

>50% might be pushing it a bit. The only successful transfers that I can think of over the years are Alf Garnett and The Office and there have been dozens of failures.

Yeah. The translation of Britcoms has had a much lower success rate than 50%. I’d say it’s even lower than 10%.

BUT if you broaden your criteria to include other formats (game shows, reality programs…) you’ll find the success rate increases hugely.

Personally I don’t know why we need to remake these shows at all. If NBC is so interested in these Britcoms why not set aside a night as “British Comedy Night” or some such thing, buy up the rights to the shows it likes, and air them in a rotating way akin to Adult Swim, or Nick at Night or something? That way if a show gets poor ratings you can easily swap it out for an old standby (Fawlty Towers, Blackadder) without having sunk millions of dollars into production.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

I think maybe televison executives think most people who don’t already watch PBS for the Britcoms “won’t get it” unless they reshoot it with American actors and throw in a few references to Paris Hilton and whoever the hell is the latest band of the moment.

I want to say “of course this isn’t at all true, and if you give people a chance to expand their outlook intellectually they’ll usually take it”, but then, there are still a lot of people who identify Britain only with big-eared royals, bad teeth, the first four notes of “Rule Brittania” and “COOKIE=BISCUIT OMG TEHRE SOO DIFFRNET!!!11!#!1!”

[pfm]

The main reasons for them to do a remake are – 1) the American viewers can relate to the characters and situations more easily, so less people will turn off, 2) a British series (especially comedy) is never long enough for them, 3) there’s so many crappy ideas for new shows kicking around that when a promising concept like The IT Crowd comes along they need to snap it up.

It should be OK but I imagine the actual IT jokes will be way overdone.

[Turk Thrust]

I read the comments that John made about U.S. made britcoms, and was surprised that he considers it to be a myth that most britcoms that have been made into movies have been rubbish. I struggle to think of any that have really succeeded both commercially and critically.

[Ian Symes]

Maybe not huge commercial successes, but the likes of Dad’s Army and The Likely Lads were converted into very good movie versions. The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse is a more recent example. But the myth, especially over here in the UK, is that any sit-com that brings out a movie version is going to be rubbish. Cliches such as all the characters going on a foreign holiday (Are You Being Served), or a character being mistaken for a gangster (Only Fools and Horses) tend to cloud the question of whether the film-length version is funny.

On a side-note, the term “Britcom” annoys me – as if being British is a genre in itself. That’s like saying Friends is the same as Wondershowzen.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

Well, excuse me for not liking to type too much =P . But I do agree that it’s not a particularly elegant term, and not much use in terms of actually helping discern the content of a show. I was using it as shorthand, really.

Also, there’s more stuff over at the Holoship. Just mentioning.

[pfm]

The League Of Gentlemen film was never going to be a commercial success. As much as I like it, anyone who doesn’t know the series or characters is just going to be ‘what the fuck?’. It’s not as though you needed to know what had happened in the series but you really do need to ‘get’ the League to find it funny or interesting. It probably would have been better if they had done a film without the Royston Vasey characters, but they might not have gotten it greenlit in that case. I’d love to see a horror movie done by them.

[Turk Thrust]

The thing is that although films like Dad’s Army and The Likely Lads are considered to be ok, they aren’t considered by many to be a patch on the actual TV episodes. Dad’s Army had them coming face to face with the Nazis which most consider to have been a mistake and The Likely Lads had them going on a trip which took them away from their usual haunts. Most sitcoms are only constructed to be 30 mins long obviously and to stretch it any longer means moving them from their usual habitat which damages things before you’ve even begun.

Any Dwarf movie wouldn’t have that problem because of the setting so it has an advantage in that way at least. If Rob and Doug had ever written a feature length episode back in the day then that might have been interesting.

[John Hoare]

There is a big difference between all sitcom film adaptations being rubbish, and them not being as good as the original series. I agree that they are very rarely as good as the series which inspired them – but my argument is that a lot of people seem to think they are absolute worthless rubbish, when that isn’t the case at all.

The best one I’ve seen is the Till Death Us Do Part film – I think it’s a wonderful film, and in a lot of ways equal to the series. (The second film is a disaster, mind you – albeit an entertaining one.) Even the more mediocre ones – such as the Man About The House (which is a top-class sitcom, but mistakes were made in the transfer to film) often have a huge amount to enjoy.

[Turk Thrust]

Well, I agree with you up to a point there. I’m sure that if something like Dad’s Army had been released as a movie without having been a TV series first then it probably would have got much better reviews.

[Tarka Dal]

> or a character being mistaken for a gangster (Only Fools and Horses) tend to cloud the question of whether the film-length version is funny.

I realise I’m probably shooting myself in the foot with this one but when did that become a cliche? Off the top of my head I can’t think of anyone else doing it.

The League of Gentleman film I thought was pretty poor with a weak second half. (whose is this second half it’s very weak?).

Still you’re right not all british sitcoms do badly as films, that Spaced movie did hugely well on both sides of the atlantic.

[John Hoare]

Well, The IT Crowd lost out in the BAFTAs to The Royale Family.

Bah. Although it was an entirely predictable decision.

[pfm]

So the 2nd series is coming then, next Friday (August 24th). Just in case you didn’t know.

And it looks like Ch4 are gonna trail the fuck out of it (god, aren’t they simply the best at doing that, surely the number of times Skins has been plugged must break some sort of record??). And look at the nice timeslot they’ve given it – 9.30pm, between the two Big Brother shows, that pretty much guarantees a respectable viewership for the first episode.

Can’t wait. Can’t FUCKING wait, in fact! I already like the jokes in the trailers. Raise your hand if you’ve ever cleaned your teeth in the bath.

[John Hoare]

Now, I hadn’t thought that about the timeslot! You’re quite right – it’s fucking excellent.

The trailer makes me all warm inside. It’s such a great show. I haven’t looked forward to a series this much in a long time – and I’ve already seen half of them…

[pfm]

> and I?ve already seen half of them?

Was there much pre-recorded location stuff?

[John Hoare]

One episode was all location, apart from three scenes at the start. The other two were mainly studio – although some scenes were still prerecorded studio stuff.

Weirdly enough, the location episode was by far the best of the three, and I think the audience reaction confirms that. Partly the material, and partly due to the fact that once we got past the three scenes at the start, we watched it straight through – and so didn’t have to sit through endless retakes.

The other two eps were great – but the location one is the best episode of sitcom I’ve seen this decade, by a hell of a long way. There is one cut-to joke that just had me in absolutely agony laughing…

[Andrew]

> Weirdly enough, the location episode was by far the best of the three, and I think the audience reaction confirms that.

That’s absolutely true. The next ep shot – which will be episode one – also didn’t beat it.

But then, yeah, the retakes made a huge difference. Because of the stylised direction, these shows rely on the edit quite a lot. So I suspect the regular studio eps will be 30% improved simply by being cut right. (Which includes the best version of jokes they did alternatives for!)

> There is one cut-to joke that just had me in absolutely agony laughing?

I still haven’t stopped. Just perfection, that.

[pfm]

> the location one is the best episode of sitcom I?ve seen this decade, by a hell of a long way

Wow, quite a bold statement. Now you’ve got me even more hyped!

[Phil]

So if I had to choose between importing The IT Crowd and Hyperdrive, what would everyone recommend?

[John Hoare]

I *am* slightly concerned as to how the location episode will be edited. There were no pauses left for laughs – the audience was laughing all over lines. I missed loads of the episode through laughing.

I suppose they’ll go back and add in the pauses. They kinda have to, I think, or it’s going to sound ridiculous.

[pfm]

Linehan is fantastic at cut-to jokes. See Father Ted for details – something that never fails to crack me up is Dougal looking out of the window for the bishops coming saying ‘there’s no sign of them yet, Ted’ and Ted saying ‘Dougal…’ cut-to the three bishops sitting in the room ‘Dougal, they’re here’. I’m laughing just thinking about it. The other one is when it cuts to the funeral ‘Dougal’s doing a funeral! You let Dougal do a funeral?!?!!’ Brilliant.

[Danny Stephenson]

are there any of those in Black Books, you’ve got me thinking now…

[Seb Patrick]

The cut to Bernard working in the fast food place in series one is one of the most sublime pieces of editing-related timing I’ve ever seen in a sitcom…

[John Hoare]

> the location one is the best episode of sitcom I?ve seen this decade, by a hell of a long way

Wow, quite a bold statement. Now you?ve got me even more hyped!

Oh dear. I was worried about that, because I suppose hyping an episode doesn’t really do it any favours.

It has to be said that there’s just something about The IT Crowd that just hits me there. I can’t say exactly what it is – but I’ve just fallen in love with the show, in a way that I don’t think a lot of people have. So for me, it’s not hyperbole – it’s my favourite episode of sitcom this decade (unless they fuck it up in the edit) – but try not to go into it expecting that.

But do expect it to be a lot of fun.

[Danny Stephenson]

Oh yeah!!

Bernard: “What can I Get you…”

Customer: “er……………………………………..er………..
……………………………………………….ER………………..”

Bernard: “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

Customer: “er, Mam- Mamba Burger”

Bernard: “do you want chips?”

Customer: “yeah”

Bernard: “how many”

Customer: “forty?”

Sorry….. HAHA!

[John Hoare]

The cut to Bernard working in the fast food place in series one is one of the most sublime pieces of editing-related timing I?ve ever seen in a sitcom…

You know what I’m going to say, though – I don’t like the way it cuts back to Bernard after the notice. It should have gone from Bernard, to the notice, to Bernard behind the counter…

Still fantastic, mind.

[pfm]

> I suppose they?ll go back and add in the pauses

Surely that’s better than the cast messing up their flow by leaving forced space for laughter. The pauses in the Xtended Tikka are fucking excruciating.

[Jonathan Capps]

> Surely that?s better than the cast messing up their flow by leaving forced space for laughter. The pauses in the Xtended Tikka are fucking excruciating.

Wasn’t that purely because there were no laughs there to cover the pauses, though? You’re hardly going to get that problem with The IT Crowd.

[pfm]

What I mean is that in order for the Xtended to work the pauses for laughter need to be cut. I wish they’d done the whole of VII with no laughter. The phrase ‘all or nothing’ springs to mind. I mean, it’s not as though there’s much to laugh at anyway.

[Seb Patrick]

You know what I?m going to say, though – I don?t like the way it cuts back to Bernard after the notice. It should have gone from Bernard, to the notice, to Bernard behind the counter?

Actually, yeah, you’re right on that one. It’s brilliant the way it cuts to him behind the counter, but the cut back to him is a bit unnecessary.

[Danny Stephenson]

I think it’s one of those “oh the audience can’t see him thinking about the idea”, they may see him notice the sign. But anyone can “notice” a sign and not action on it…

[John Hoare]

STOP PRESS!

The first episode isn’t the one where Denholm leaves, as expected – it’s the aforementioned nearly-all-location one! Clearly, Linehan thinks it’s the best of the series too…

I am so fucking excited. It’s a fucking brilliant epiosde.

[Phil]

>the one where Denholm leaves

So does this mean Morris is present for at least one episode?

[John Hoare]

So does this mean Morris is present for at least one episode?

Yep – I think very briefly. It was one Andrew saw recorded, so perhaps he can elaborate…

[Andrew]

His departure is the main story for the episode, but only gives him two-scenes – one pre-recorded, the other pre-recorded and show in the location pre-record.

If you see what I mean…

[pfm]

Been rewatching the first series. For some reason the line ‘here’s me with a graph’ has me in stitches every time. I think it’s partly because I remember doing bullshit presentations like that (which thankfuckly I don’t have to do anymore) and feeling like a dick stood in front of graphs and figures as though it actually meant anything of any importance. Here’s me with a graph…that’s it. Yes, I hate work. Or at least I used to.

Annnnyway, watching the episodes back it seems like only a couple of them are really successful. Like Linehan says in the commentary, some of them feel like ‘Frankenstein’s monsters’ with stuff lashed together like the Meccanno gimboids they are. But I like the attitude he had going into the series, not planning it too much, just seeing what happens, with humour at the forefront and nothing else. It had some downsides though. The way he wrote Jen reminded me a little of Doug writing for Kochanski. She’s written sort of like the ‘token’ woman. Whether you actually need to ‘get’ women (or, obviously, BE a woman) to write a good female character I don’t know, but when you’re doing storylines about shoes and periods, there’s only so far that can go.

[Tanya Jones]

I think Jen’s character is really misunderstood. She’s ostensibly a stereotypical woman, but as the first series progresses, it becomes clearer that she’s not actually as good at being ‘girly’ as she thinks she is, and that she actually has more in common with Roy and Moss. Also, I’m fairly geeky, and even I have had silly shoe experiences and have eaten goat’s cheese salad, and have read Heat, so Linehan’s writing really is on the button.

[pfm]

> and have read Heat

You rebel!

[John Hoare]

Clip from the first episode here:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/centre/

A RUBBISH choice of clip – it’s very funny in context, but it doesn’t give you the setup required. But Moss’s “HELLO!” is just fantastic.

[Author]

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