Bring in the British Imports!

I'll be honest with y'all. Today, even though I've done some of it, I've been distracting myself like crazy in the hopes of my homework disappearing. ...Well, some of the work is done. Anywho...

Ah, the British. Here in the U.S., we've had quite the interesting relationship with the Brits. As if you didn't already know. And if you didn't... you're probably under the age of 5. However, our relationship is not only recognized by the fact that we're almost known at the rebellious teen of England.

However, that's not the only type of relationship that we have with jolly ol' England. (No, I'm not going to get into politics or the global economy or any of that. Definitely not that intelligent in said fields.) You see, there's an interesting phenomenon that happens here in America. We freakin' love the British.
Okay, I know that's not true for every American. There are a lot of Americans who don't really care about the British, or perhaps they're superfans of other countries (see: Anime fans). However, many younger Americans love other countries and their culture, especially England. Just think about it.

• When the Royal Wedding happened, millions of Americans stayed up/woke up in the middle of the night to watch the festivities.
• What accents are Americans trying to imitate? A British one. (Then again, that might be just because we can't imitate anything else.)
• We're constantly taking British shows and trying to make them Americanized.

Now, the last one up there is the biggest one. British shows are a big deal in the U.S. of A., and there have been many many shows that have been changed to become American. Some shows have thrived, and others have not. The biggest success obviously has been The Office, and the biggest bomb has been Skins.

The show that instead of being compared to the original, was thought of as better than the original. Then again, I wouldn't know. I haven't watched it.

Since we're on the subject, let's take a look at Skins. Before the Parent Television Council of America (or whatever they're called) started having aneurysms about the show in America, the British version was a cult sensation. There was a bounty of angsty teenage fans of the scandalous show, and when news of the show coming to the United States was announced, fans were skeptic. Sure one of their favorite shows was coming to their country, but the fandom was already weary of their own country. "Geez, I wish I was from England instead of this dumb old country. GAWSH!"
Don't tell me that's not true of a boatload of middle class teens. You know it is. Anywho, as we've already seen how it turns out, the U.S. version bombed. When that happened, it made me realize something.
Foreign versions of media being Americanized are like books being made into movies.

Just think about it! You have your base fans, who were there from the start. Then, when the rest of the world gets word of your story becoming a big deal, you get a little worried. What if they don't remember this character? Aw, the slang is going to be all wrong! Remember that one part? That part is super important! Oh man, they're never going to find someone to fit that role! Whoever they end up using is going to screw it up big time. Oh, plus there are probably going to be a ton of people who say they're fans, and they don't even know that this version isn't the original! Posers. Well, maybe it's a little cool.

See? Now, was I talking about a British show or a book? You decide, but the part about the original fans kind of comes to my mind whenever people say, "I'm a fan of Harry Potter", but have never read a single Harry Potter book. (Chloe, you know who I'm talking about. Why won't she read for fun?)

In conclusion, you can't always make an American audience like an Americanized version of a British show. Sometimes you just have to go with the original, and sometimes the culture clash is simply too large.

Truth be told, the idea for this whole ramble came to mind after watching an episode of this British show I like on Hulu. I'd constantly see advertisements for it on the sight, so I decided to take a look at it. It wasn't until I was freaking out about the content on the new episode that I discovered that I was hooked. Oh, and you know how there was a whole freak out about Skins being extremely dirty. I don't think it's just Skins. I think it's all British television. Just sayin'.

So my British import of choice currently is called Misfits, which I'm a little ashamed to say because well... It's dirty, violent, and effed up. Take one part superpowers, one part criminals, another part sex and drugs, a dash of violent crimes, a sprinkle of swearing... and that's Misfits.
Geez, my mother reads this. Oh well, she watched Sex in the City when she was younger.

Orange jumpsuits= Role models!

Yeah. About that homework... I'll see y'all later.
Oh, and on the foot front! I was able to run on it, yes! Hurts more to walk on it... Huh. Less pressure? Dunno.

What's your favorite British/Foreign import?