So today I’ve decided to give the BBC all my love. Paul sat me down to watch the pilot of something last week over lunch and the BBC logo came up on the screen and I instantly went, Aw. And sat forward in my seat. Because I have expectations I do. Although I hadn’t realised they were quite so Pavlovian.*
It’s not like everything BBC is perfect. I don’t think, Oh, the BBC, automatic pass. But I pay attention. They get the benefit of a fairly hefty amount of doubt. Whereas a lot of US networks receive a fairly hefty amount of cynicism from me whenever they present a new idea.
I mean, the first thing that crossed my mind when I heard CBS had this brilliant idea to do a modern remake of Sherlock was, Well that’s going to be rubbish. Although to be be fair that’s not all CBS. A big part of that is that they’re taking a great idea that’s already been done and walking all over it. Sounds like a recipe for a train wreck.
I have yet to see an American remake of a BBC production that’s worth the time, but in this case… I mean, Sherlock Holmes? He’s like made of London. How American is it even possible to make him? Actually not sure I really want to know the answer to that. (Although, now I sort of want it to be so terrible I can watch it and throw things at the screen. Is that wrong?)
* For the interested it was The Fades, and it’s sort of about ghosts. It’s mostly interesting because it’s a BBC production which means they took the idea and wandered off with it. Not sure if it’s going to good or not but there is one character that had me snickering throughout — gifted at saying the ridiculous thing and making movie references in every situation. No, seriously. Every situation.
Kandace Mavrick
Paul McLaughlan
platform thing 
wallace
24/10/2011
Did you watch the BBC series ‘Sherlock’ last year? *love*
Kandace Mavrick
24/10/2011
YES. That’s the basis for quite a bit of my ‘what the hell are they thinking?’. I mean, the movie and the tv series coming out at about the same time couldn’t be helped and they’re very different interpretations on the concept. But CBS NOW deciding they want to do a modern remake, after the BBC one was SO awesome? That’s just crazy talk.
(Am totally not impatiently waiting for them to finish filming season two. Am not. Also totally not more excited about the Hobbit movie just because Martin Freeman (Watson) is playing Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) is doing the voice of Smaug. There are also not sketches I have seen of this that make me giggle uncontrollably.)
Jay
24/10/2011
“Martin Freeman (Watson) is playing Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) is doing the voice of Smaug. There are also not sketches I have seen of this that make me giggle uncontrollably.”
o.0
I think that just broke my head. Even more than Monday at work (with bonus Open Day at work!) has already broken it.
As for US media thinking they can re-make an awesome British show and not make it a complete cluster-f****, this is a long-running and almost invariably wrong delusion that seems common to the US.
*sigh*