MovieChat Forums > Coupling (2003) Discussion > Why this tanked

Why this tanked

posted 17 years ago by beth563
18 replies | jump to latest

1. We had our own version with "Friends." We wanted something different.

2. BBC America has been showing Coupling, British version, for a while. The audience most interested in watching the American version of Coupling would more than likely be the audience that watched it on BBC America.

3. The actors cast were relatively unknown, and almost exact duplicates of the original actors. I'm talking physically the same.

4. American and British sensibilities about sex are vastly different. Britons, I find, are way more open and free about sexual activity than we are.

5. The script was the exact duplicate of the British version. What, did you think you were in the theater, putting on a play? We want fresh material.

[–] L35L13 17 years ago

I kind of disagree with some of your reasons and I have only one:

1. The casting was horrible. Most of the actors in the US version aren't good actors and completely lacked any ability for proper comedic timing.

[–] pologyrl_00 12 years ago

I agree with L35L13

I was watching Better of Ted today on Netflix (loved that show) came on IMDB and saw that he was on this show. He played a great ted and I hated the US version of coupling so I decided to see the first episode again on Youtube. I remember why I hated it. Their comedic timing was horrible. Most of the actors couldn't act and seemed like they were reading directly from the script. Also, since the US version has is only approx 22 minutes, they cut out a lot of the zany type of jokes that made the characters great (like the unflushables). I watched the first episode of the UK version on Netflix and it was soooo much better. The actors owned the script and the characters they were playing from the start. Their timing was great and the personality of their characters was demonstrated perfectly.

Awesome Sauce!

[–] xoxpyrokittyxox 17 years ago

I agree, beth, especially with number 5. Thats the worst part for me, anyway. When you say 'remake', you imply you're going to take an already great show and make it better. Not reuse the same words with different actors. Wtf was the point? Oh, and number 4. No question.

After you're gone from my sight, it will not be the last time that I look upon you. 4.4.79-1.22.08

[–] lucymaxx 17 years ago

1. The casting was horrible. Most of the actors in the US version aren't good actors and completely lacked any ability for proper comedic timing.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. The material was/is funny. The actors in this version did not play well off each other. The cast (or the directors) in this version seemed to think that if everyone just smiled while delivering their lines, it would somehow work.

I just finished watching Coupling from start to finish and other than the fact that there are six characters (3 men, 3 women), I did not think it was that similar to Friends. I liked Friends in the early years, and even though I was a little surpised at myself, I find I liked Coupling more. The show could have worked here (and still could) if they did a better job casting. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have the director and/or creator of the British version run the show.

[–] xoxpyrokittyxox 17 years ago

I LOVE Friends, like one of those scary hardcore knowitall fans? And even I liked Coupling more. I don't know what it is. I suppose because in someways its 'smarter'. and it certainly goes where Friends never did. A refreshing, original kind of funny. and now i totally sound like i'm reviewiing it but I'm just saying I love the show xD

After you're gone from my sight, it will not be the last time that I look upon you.

[–] insert_nickname_here 17 years ago

5. The script was the exact duplicate of the British version. What, did you think you were in the theater, putting on a play? We want fresh material.

Actually, considering the changes that were made, a new script would probably make it worse.

So I noticed they added a few new jokes that were actually quite good. Except that it was spoken by a cast that was wrong, as was the set and pretty much everything else in this version.

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"Oh, I see, uh, this is a hold-up...May I see your gun?"

[–] ethereal_tb 17 years ago

5. The script was the exact duplicate of the British version. What, did you think you were in the theater, putting on a play? We want fresh material.

Actually, considering the changes that were made, a new script would probably make it worse.

Was it really the same script? According to Steven Moffat (the writer and creator) the studio/network interfered too much and made too many changes. I remember watching the first ep of the Coupling US show, because I thought it looked fresh, new and funny and just thought it was TERRIBLE. I'd never see the UK version at that time, but I've seen it now and find it hilarious. I find it hard to believe it was one of Moffat's unmolested scripts - he's a terrific writer and very funny. If it was, then it proves that too much meddling can ruin a good thing or that maybe American actors can't carry off British humor - maybe they play jokes too broadly. (*shrug*)

"And before we go any further, who the hell orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?"

[–] ChitoRaffferty 16 years ago

It just wasn't a question of disliking it. Something about it was creepy.

[–] selthe 16 years ago

It turned off a lot of people. Friends had ended. NBC started touting and marketing the show as the New Friends. Which left a lot of people cold. Almost like Coupling was usurping the friends slot. It made people want friends more and turned them off to really getting behind the show. NBC dropped the ball. They should have let it come naturally instead of forcing it down everyones throat as the "Next Big Hit!"

[–] Susan1173 15 years ago

I very much agree with that. The reason everyone compares it to Friends is that NBC fully intended it to replace Friends. Then, when the show turned out to actually be nothing like Friends, no one liked it. I was a huge Friends fan, but I absolutely hated Coupling. Frankly I think part of it was that I kind of resented their whole attitude of, "Oh we're taking away this show, but here's another show starring six people around the same age, watch this instead, you won't know the difference".

Incidentally, I'm watching the U.K. version now on Netflix, and I really like it. I'm hoping the rest of it is available to watch.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] ledroses 15 years ago

I liked the episode's that were original, alot of the actors used in the us version could not devliver the lines as well as the uk cast. Jeff's character is the best example of this.

The episode checkmate was very funny and i felt it was finding its own style. A recast of even a shuffle would have helped, the girl who played jane appeared to sweet to pull of her craziness, she would have made a good suzanne. Jeff should have been recast the guy can not do comedy.

[–] bcates70 13 years ago

This might be masochistic, but does anyone know where i can watch an episode? I LOVE the real one (AKA The British one ;-)) and am just dead curious!! Thanks in advance!

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Casey999 12 years ago

I know it's old, but I think that the show could have been successful if NBC had kept it on. The last episode that aired was the first that wasn't a remake of the original and as I recall, it was better than the remakes. I've never seen the eps beyond that, though I believe the entire series aired in Australia. I doubt it would ever be as good as the first 2 or 3 seasons of the UK series.

[–] shark-43 11 years ago

Plain and simple - the show failed because of Jeff Zucker. He bought the rights and arrogantly told the new staff to just film the original British scripts. We paid for them, use them. But of course, different actors, you need to write towards them - their strengths, etc. And by the time NBC realized it wasn't working and told the writers to start writing original stories and scripts - it was too late. Steven Moffat was aghast at how much the network interfered - over EVERYTHING - casting, ads, sets, jokes, etc. So they shoved teh show down the public's throat and then when it didn't work IMMEDIATELY - Jeff Zucker threw the head writer under the bus even though it was Zucker who gave the matching orders to copy the original scripts. It has been said that Coupling needed to be destroyed and mangled so NBC could learn how NOT to ruin The Office.

[–] imdb2-32 12 years ago

It starred Sofer.

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