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Hey guys, I was watching tv today and it get me thinking, what UK tv show would you like to see done on an American budget as it was. This all started watching BSG and thinking how well done it was, then looking at the previous show I watched on DVD being Ultimate Force and how, not so well done that was. Especially when I compare it to one of my fav shows The Unit- which is basically the American version for those who have not seen/heard of it. So what UK shows what you like to see having the American budget?

As you might have guessed Ultimate Force would be one for me, also possibly Sharpe and Hornblower.

P.S this isn't a contest over which is better UK or USA so none of that please.

Ultimate Force was the gak. I haven't seen it on American TV but it was on TV in Japan (where they called it "S.A.S."). I should say, it was the gak when you take into account its apparently limited budget. Would love to see a more polished version. Same plot lines, same characters, same actors, but more polish.

I think Dr Who would benefit from a US style writing group format. I don't think it needs any more money in front of the camera.

No no don't touch that one please.

If you didn't want this thread to be a UK vs USA thing, why did you title it 'UK vs USA'?

Seems kind of self-defeating.

Oh, my answer to the OP's question is 'nothing', by the way. OK, maybe Eastenders. Maybe.

Jersey Shore. You guys can have it. Please, take it. Its very popular over here and Im sure North Korea can afford the budget on it, so your golden.


Kindda backwards of what you asked but hey, there it is

They can have America's Top Model the Batchelor, and Dancing with the Stars while they're at it. We'll trade you for Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsey.

I would take Mr Ramsey for sure. Infact Id say 90% of my BBC America watching has to be one of his shows

Well, they've already made US versions of Gordon Ramsey's shows, and we've already got a UK version of Jersey Shore!



I love Jersey Shore. So awesome.

You Brits can have every single tv show except for Malcolm in the Middle. Other than that one, take them all! Please!

I wish that when the BBC did Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, that it would have had a full US budget instead of the bargin basement treatment it got.


Croup and Vandemar were perfect though, shame Hywel Bennett is dead.

George Spiggott wrote:I think Dr Who would benefit from a US style writing group format. I don't think it needs any more money in front of the camera.

After Miracle Day? I'd rather they went back to the budget they had in the 70s.

I find it weird that all the TV i do watch is British

Topgear , and any show with May, Hammond, or Clarkson
Doctor Who
primeval-the new ones are better then the old ones
anything with Gordon Ramsey
i watched the first three seasons of shameless
some torchwood, but too many colors in the rainbow for me, and the new US torchwood is kinda lame imo, i've been watching it only due to lack of other stuff to watch.

Is there any other UK TV that should be on my list?

Eastenders becomes Eastsiders?

Most of the UK made stuff i watch is okay with the budget it has...
Everything else is either cartoons, movies or documentaries about people murdering the crap out of each other.

Thread retitled.

MGS stole mine. Neverwhere it is. I read the book first, and love it. Then I saw the show, and while there is some great stuff in there, the budgetary limitations REALLY show on a story with that kind of scope and fantastic imagery. A few of the actors weren't quite there either, which bigger budget usually helps on.

Remake this.


This show did not suffer from lack of imagination, and the basic pretext was very sound.
What is lacked was a budget to work with. IIRC the effects budget for consumables was £50 per episode and nearly everything was made of scrap.

Later in the series it lost the plot a bit, but its hard to keep the quality if you cannot show it. Most of the later plot was based around the concept of 'what is cheap to film' not what builds on the background and characters.



It had a lot of promise, but ended up a starved crawling abortion..

MeanGreenStompa wrote:I wish that when the BBC did Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, that it would have had a full US budget instead of the bargin basement treatment it got.


Croup and Vandemar were perfect though, shame Hywel Bennett is dead.

Oo, I would like that very much, good idea. Pound to a penny, it'd be redone, set in NY or something though. I don't think it'd work as well set somewhere other than London.

Otherwise, I'd rather see something new than something remade.

RatBot wrote:Ultimate Force was the gak. I haven't seen it on American TV but it was on TV in Japan (where they called it "S.A.S."). I should say, it was the gak when you take into account its apparently limited budget. Would love to see a more polished version. Same plot lines, same characters, same actors, but more polish.

Ultimate Farce was the worst show Ive ever seen. I sat through two episodes in Afghanistan because we had nothing else for entertainment.

Basically it was that bad, I ended up lending a Koran off the local police chief and read that instead of watching the rest of the series.

It would be ok if it was corny but didn't take itself seriously (Commando - epic film)

But it actually does take itself seriously, to the point where I want to claw my own eyes out when I see Ross Kemp scowling all the time.

Americanized tv changes for the worse. Like Nanny 911, bad show here, worse show over there.

Deathshead420 wrote:I find it weird that all the TV i do watch is British

Topgear , and any show with May, Hammond, or Clarkson
Doctor Who
primeval-the new ones are better then the old ones
anything with Gordon Ramsey
i watched the first three seasons of shameless
some torchwood, but too many colors in the rainbow for me, and the new US torchwood is kinda lame imo, i've been watching it only due to lack of other stuff to watch.

Is there any other UK TV that should be on my list?

Depends what you're into, really. There's a lot of great comedy stuff - Big Train, Brass Eye, anything with Alan Partridge in it, Spaced (actually, being a fellow geek I strongly suggest this). The BBC's documentary programming is, frankly, without peer. The music stuff on BBC4 is usually fething awesome, too.

Ross Kemp is one of the things that really bugged me about Ultimate Force compare it to The Unit and it has nothing on it. I think you could redo most of the cast and it be better. Only character that I really liked was Col. Dempsey.