Atrocities perpetrated by the U.S.

A very serious title I know and it should certainly be followed by an extensive discussion of the human rights violations the U.S. is committing daily at home and around the world. However, this is not a serious blog and so the atrocities I speak of today are of the entertainment kind.

I understand that occasionally a remake can be enlightening - The Departed was so exciting my sister and I jumped out of our seats at each twist even though we already knew the plot from seeing Infernal Affairs (the Hong Kong original). However, there are just some things that should be left alone and that includes well-made British TV shows. The UK's Viva Blackpool was a riot but CBS slashed and garbled it, turned it into the Melanie Griffith/Hugh Jackman mess that was Viva Laughlin and then wondered why no one watched it. The proposed remake of The Thick of It never saw the light of day (although as a Christopher Guest project, I would have been willing to give it a chance).

Now ABC is literally taking a stab and turning the wonderful Life on Mars into a watered down mess. Here is ABC's preview:



At least they've gone to the trouble of casting a legit British actor (Colm Meaney) for this production but since it's set in L.A. it's not much of a gesture. The original Life on Mars is so dark and gritty but the new show looks like it will be an excuse to create 70s jokes. I don't think I'm even going to be able to stomach the advertising for the show.

Unfortunately, none of these shows I've mentioned are available in the U.S. on DVD (although if you have a multi-region player, do check out the Region 2 versions). However, allow me to recommend State of Play, a British miniseries available on DVD in the U.S. - check it out now before the U.S. version (with Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe) hits theaters next year.

And before the comments come in I will say that yes I have heard of The Office, I recognize that Steve Carell is hilarious and you can yell at me all you want but I've never been much of a fan.