A question. - Waiting for God (1990) Discussion

[–] jd-rh 18 years ago

I know I'm months down the line on a reply, but I wish to put my 2 cents in:

The US tv industry tends to screw up a good thing when they try to adapt British comedies. For example: Coupling. I love the British version... NBC crucified it when they adapted it. As for "Waiting for God": as long as they kept the base line wit and stayed true to the "Diana Trent" character, it could probably work... but my guess is they would soften down Diana's hard edge so as not to offend people. The US tv industry, lately, has had to contend with a lot of religious backlashing... and "Diana Trent" has views that some religious folks in the US would probably get offended by.

You can't have "Waiting for God" without the full blown character of "Diana Trent" that's for sure. LoL Love that character!

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[–] jason_tasch 18 years ago

I agree with jd-rh. Diana Trent has to be able to keep her hard edge, or else why bother?

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[–] tremas-1 14 years ago

I agree with JD-RH that an Americanization of WfG would be a mistake.
First thing the producers would want to do would be to make it palatable to all tastes, to homogenize it by softening all the edges and making the plot politically correct.
And, of course, they'd want to "open it up" by taking the characters into strange situations in strange locations, with car chases on the freeway and exploding gasoline stations and bank holdups and cameo appearances by various rock artists and song interludes and ... well, you get the picture.

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[–] deathly_pottergurl 18 years ago

I'm not exactly sure of what u mean, but if u r asking what i thnk u r asking then i have to tell u that it is already on American tv...well here in Maryland any way on our Public Telivision channel

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

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[–] randypanthegoatboy 18 years ago

No, I mean creating an American version. Many popular American sitcoms are actually adaptations of Britcoms, including All In The Family and Sanford And Son.

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[–] deathly_pottergurl 18 years ago

ooh, ok

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

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[–] sir_mercutio_99 18 years ago

While i'm against adapting Brit shows to America(Most fail horribly). If you did it I think Bea Arthur would have made an excellent Diana.

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[–] lurkingMom 17 years ago

Hmmm, Maude in a retirement home. Wicked!

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[–] LadyCatherine 17 years ago

Literal LOL. Scared the cat!

The first time I saw Waiting for God, I said, "When I get old, I want to be Diana Trent." I mentioned this to my daughter a few years later; she cocked an eyebrow and shot back, "What, you aren't already?"

If I weren't already such a pragmatic cynic, I'd think maybe it skipped a generation. :-p

Gray hair only means you're getting older...which sure beats the alternative!

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[–] marcela-11 15 years ago

As I said in another posting, I think Golden Girls was the only possible version for this show in the US.
I rather prefer the british edgy-style and the politically incorrect Diana, but then again, I seriously doubt the show would last half a season in the US without protests of the candle and bible crowds.
On the other hand, not all US remakes have been the disaster that Coupling was. All in the Family was a trend setting show in the US (It was a different time, though, All in the Family could have never been done after the 80's). Having seen the UK version, I still like the US remake better.

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[–] randypanthegoatboy 15 years ago

I was thinking Jessica Walter as Diana, and Christopher Lloyd as Tom.

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[–] PL1981 11 years ago

Actually, now that you mention it, I could have seen a remake this show working with Bea Arthur. Having said that, now that she's sadly no longer with us, I think this is an idea that has come and gone.

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[–] saxonman63 11 years ago

Why adapt it at all? After all, if you enjoy it then why the need for a remake?? I've seen American TV shows and endless amounts of films, and I'm perfectly happy to watch and enjoy them without yearning for a remake. Stop making an issue of where it was made and who made it. Just bloody well enjoy it for its own sake!

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[–] MyMovieTVRomance 11 years ago

Why adapt it at all? After all, if you enjoy it then why the need for a remake?? I've seen American TV shows and endless amounts of films, and I'm perfectly happy to watch and enjoy them without yearning for a remake. Stop making an issue of where it was made and who made it. Just bloody well enjoy it for its own sake!

In cases of shows that are in production, I would agree with you, saxonman63. In those cases, adaptations for other countries merely deprive the original of an audience. But, in the case of a show like WAITING FOR GOD, which is no longer being made, and in many places, not even being aired anymore, to remake and adapt it for America would actually be in the best interests of everyone, because a remake in that case would basically mean new episodes. And, that would be great news to the big fans out there!

Another reason why an American remake would be advisable in this case is because it could cause new fans to seek out the original British version, and established fans, like myself, could have fun with comparing/contrasting the differences in the culture and portrayal of the characters.

I think an American version of this, my favorite show, is long, long over-due!

Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize!

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