In order to capitalize on a recipe that works, successful American series are very often adapted abroad. The proof with these seven more or less improbable examples …
When an American series is a hit with audiences, and / or even becomes a genuine cultural phenomenon, it is not uncommon for it to be adapted in a competing country. All obviously revised and corrected with the local sauce, with more or less success.
What does Breaking Bad look like in the Colombian version? The Indian variation of the 24 series? Or the transposition of Desperate Housewives to the land of Erdogan?
Here are seven examples!
“Breaking Bad” Colombian version
It was in March 2013, shortly before the end of breaking Bad in the United States, that Sony announced the official start of a remake of breaking Bad in Spanish language.
A year later, it was done and Colombian viewers discovered Metástasis, the story of Walter Blanco, a chemistry professor living near Bogota, who has just been diagnosed with incurable lung cancer. With the help of a former student who became a petty drug dealer, he then embarked on meth trafficking, in order to ensure the financial future of his family …
You will understand, almost everything is a copy of this dear breaking Bad, less well, since the criminal series was adapted to the telenovela format (in one year, five seasons were already produced!). Even the names of the characters are very similar, Walter White becoming Walter Blanco (White in Spanish), Jesse Pinkman transforming into José Miguel Rosas and Saul Goodman becoming Saúl Bueno!
Walter Blanco and the “latina” meth
“How I Met Your Mother” Russian version
Watch out for the eyes and ears, it stings … but not that much! In 2010, on the Russian channel STS, viewers were able to discover “Как я встретил вашу маму“, that is, the Russian version of How I Met Your Mother! Looking at the trailer for the sitcom, many judged that the quality was not there.
We find the bar, the group of friends, the narration which is linked at a hectic pace, the two children of Ted who listen “wisely” to their father, the appearance of Robin in the pilot and, of course, a Barney in costume. (which also has little airs of Nathan Fillion). However, the success was not really there and only two seasons were produced.
Below, a small extract …
24 Indian version
What if we swapped American cities for Bombay? This would result in the very first official foreign version of 24 hours chrono. It was the Bollywood star Anil Kappor who was responsible for acquiring the rights from FOX in 2013 and well took them since he is for the moment the only one to have won them. Kappor, who played President Omar Hassan in Season 8 of the original 24, produced this version and even played the lead role.
Here, Jai Singh Rathod replaces Jack Bauer and, like his American comrade, he has 24 hours to save his country from an impending terrorist attack.
The series has two seasons … But totaling 48 episodes !!! The first had been rather well received by critics who saw it as a great advance in local fiction, usually more focused on romance. The second was produced three years later, in 2016.
And in pictures, what does it look like?
Turkish “Desperate Housewives”
If the Desperate Housewives stopped their race in 2012, they had heiresses in Turkey! Entitled Umutsuz ev Kadınları, the series was a great success in the region and three seasons were produced, from October 2011 to June 2014, accumulating 154 episodes! Like their American counterparts, the girlfriends of Gul Street (and no longer of Wisteria Lane) see their lives change when one of their neighbor and friend, Handan (and not Mary Alice), commits suicide.
With a few exceptions, the series Desperate Women So takes almost all of its big sister, intrigues and character traits, however adapting certain elements to the Turkish sauce. Here, the heroines are therefore called Yasemin (Susan), Nermin (Bree), Elif (Lynette), Zelis (Gabrielle) and Emel (Eddie). And Eddie in this version doesn’t die!
And in pictures, what does it look like?
The Russian “Married two children”
Authorized remake of Married with two children, “Schastlivy Vmeste” (Where “Happy Together”) was a big hit in Russia. From 2006 to 2013, the Bukin family made Russian audiences laugh over 6 seasons and 365 episodes, using the same basic bias as its American counterpart, satire of the middle class, this time Russian, through the prism of a family of …
