10 American TV Shows You Didn’t Know Had Foreign Remakes

Both Hollywood and the general American TV landscape are packed with highly-rated projects, so other countries often make an effort to borrow some concepts from the two industries. Interestingly, there are a couple of times when foreign production companies remade entire shows for local audiences.

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This is often done using legal channels, but there are a couple of other times when American shows were completely ripped off without proper acknowledgment. Given how popular the original shows are, most of the remakes have gone unnoticed outside their own countries.

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10

Breaking Bad

Remake: Metástasis (Colombia)

Metástasis – which means the spread of cancer in the body – is completely faithful to Breaking Bad, with 99% of the events mirroring that of the popular American TV series. Even so, there are a couple of blemishes. The Columbian remake has a lower budget, which means explosions such as those at the Casa Tranquilla nursing home and Tuco’s base are less believable.

Despite this, Breaking Bad fans will notice that the Columbian remake keeps the core of the series: Walter Blanco is just as intelligent as Walter White. In the telenovela, the actors all resemble their American counterparts and give strong performances. Above all, the biggest thing fans will appreciate is the adherence to Colombian culture. For example, Walter cooks in a school bus since RVs are rare in the country.

9

The Powerpuff Girls

Powerpuff Girls Z (Japan)

Japan’s Powerpuff Girls towers above many other foreign remakes because it isn’t a clone. The creators of the anime offered something unique, which is done by presenting an entirely different origin story where random girls (rather than sisters) get their powers from a chemical accident.

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Choosing to focus on random young girls across the city allows for more interesting background stories. Additionally, the superheroes are granted special weapons, allowing them to break the monotony of having to fight with fists all the time as their American counterparts do.

8

Prison Break

Remake: Pobeg (Russia)

Prison Break is often considered to have got worse after the first season, but this cannot be said for the Russian remake, Pobeg. The Russian remake focuses on the first escape, ensuring there is a short, strong, and concise story that only lasts for two seasons.

The characters all embody the stereotypical hard-boiled gangster, but they are still likable because they are well-fleshed out and have proper motivations. In the Russian remake, the action sequences are primarily shot-for-shot recreations of those in the original series, allowing Russian viewers to get a taste of the same awesomeness.

7

24

24 (India)

As a show that has one of TV’s greatest action heroes, 24 is hard to match, but the Indian version comes close to offering the same magic. There’s much of the same tension and endless action, which doesn’t come as a surprise because the two 24 shows are connected through a member of the cast.

Creator Anil Kapoor, who stars as Jai Singh Rathore – the remake’s version of Jack Bauer – also had a supporting role as President Omar – the leader of the fictional republic of Kamistan – in the original series. For the remake, Kappor takes the best parts of the American project and mixes them with Bollywood, resulting in an extremely enjoyable show.

6

The Big Bang Theory

Remake: The Theorists (Belarus)

Once in a while, remakes are made without approval. Such is the case with the Belarus imitation of The Big Bang Theory. Like the original sitcom, it features four scientists who live across the hall from a waitress, who is much more sociable and outgoing.

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Apparently, Chuck Lore did his best to sue but didn’t have any success because the production company was owned by the Belarus government (via New York Times). The Belarus remake is lacking The Big Bang Theory’s original charm, as it features a less diverse cast and no entertaining celebrity cameos.

5

Law & Order

Remake: Law & Order: UK

American remakes of British TV dramas are more common than the other way around. At the time of its premiere, Law & Order: UK became the first-ever British adaptation of a US-made drama. However, the remake hasn’t had the same longevity, as it only consists of 5 seasons.

Comparing the two shows, there is nothing strikingly different. The format is the same – episodes are split into investigations and courtroom segments are maintained, though the British remake fares much better on the latter. The attorney’s arguments feel much more entertaining because of the jargon and references to real-life UK cases.

4

How I Met Your Mother

Remake: How I Met Your Mother (Russia)

The Russian remake of How I Met Your Mother falls flat, mostly because the character who’s supposed to be the most interesting in the show is rather dull. Barney is much older in Russia’s How I Met Your Mother and a far less believable playboy/womanizer.

The bar setting in the Russian remake isn’t as lively either. On top of that, Ted’s kids, who are listening to his life story, are much younger, so they come off as the wrong audience for what is a very mature tale. As for the humor, it’s much more tailored to Russian society, which works for the show’s audience.

3

Friends

Remake: Planet Homebuddies (China)

For the Chinese remake of Friends, an effort is also made to be different from the hit American sitcom. The major change seen is that the group of friends live in the same spacious loft rather than in different apartments. This enables the core group of friends to have better daily interactions and presumably lowers the production budget.

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Like the American Friends, the main characters in Planet Homebuddies are properly developed, both in their personal lives and in their professional endeavors. Relevant themes are incorporated into the story, notably those touching on labor laws, family disintegration, and poor government policies regarding education and infrastructure.

2

The OC

Medcezir (Turkey)

Since there is no Orange County in Turkey, The OC goes by a different name for the foreign remake, but it uses the same template. Once again, the life of a young man changes for both the better and the worse after he moves from a less affluent region to a luxurious beach community.

Medcezir offers viewers much more meat to chew on since each episode is at least 90 minutes long. The effort is, therefore, put into the dialogue, as characters get into slow, detailed conversations about life as well as the issues affecting both the rich and the less fortunate.

1

Glee

My Youth High Eight Degrees (China)

Generally, viewers tend to give remakes a chance before switching off, but the Chinese Glee remake was rejected as soon as it premiered (via Hollywood Reporter). Apparently, fans weren’t too happy that the producers had decided to directly copy an American idea, even though there were so many unique ones to use.

Aside from the fact that My Youth High Eight Degrees is also set in a school and features aspiring musicians training for competitions, the remake still feels very different. The songs are all extracted from the Chinese charts, with beats that are tailored to specific scenes and plot directions. Additionally, the characters discuss politics and their country’s direction.

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