The American version of wilfred is one of my favorite shows ever. In my anticipation for season 3 I decided to watch the original series. After watching the first two episodes, I am left feeling cheated. I will proabably finish it anyway due to my love of wilfred, but I would like to know if it does it get any better??
shareI just finished it. It's okay, but the US version is an improvement in every way. The Australian version is rarely laugh-out-loud funny. The American version basically just keeps the one thing that really worked in the original, Jason Gann, and jettisons everything else.
My God! He has the worst sangria mouth I've ever seen on a non-Spaniard!
Thanks for replying. Im halfway through season 2, and it's definately better. Not as good as the us version I'd say, but still far better than a lot of the garbage on tv today.
The Australian version is a much darker version of Wilfred and clearly more a "Drama" than a comedy. Don't think they should be compared by which one is funnier, but instead by which one is better. I personally feel the Australian version is unique to almost anything I have ever seen on TV and the American version is a dumbed down version of that w/ much more light comedy.
The fact that Wilfred has people buried in his backyard in the original version shows that it's a completely different series than the one in the US.
1. Aussie version - Poor family struggling to get by w/ a dog that is manipulative and hateful.
2. American version - Rich white dude in sunny california that goes on walks every day w/ his ignorant pup.
does the original have the meta-physical, life or death questions that we have gotten from the US version. In my opinion the deeper subtext that we are getting from the current series is what makes it stand out from a lot of other shows(if you want to flame me for these comments, my wife basically already made fun of me for making those comments about a show with a guy in a dog suit).
Sooner or later I may have to give the original a shot.
lol. Yeah, basically you are arguing that the show is complex and looks into the inner psyche of people. I could say that both versions do this. 1 main difference is that in Season 1 of the "american version" sorta took it to a pretty extreme level at the end of season 1 where Elijah wood opens the basement door and it's not there.
Where this type of stuff doesn't happen in the original series. The original series didn't lead me to believe Adam (the main character) was completely out of his mind.
Instead I got the impression that Wilfred is seen/heard how he wants to be seen/heard, almost like he chooses who sees him in that light.
It's hard to explain a man in a dog suit lol
So in your opinion Zukny, is the original worth the $22 being that it is a complete blind buy for me. I really dig the US version and I like dark and gritty shows, so it sounds like something I may enjoy.
shareI hate always telling people what they should / shouldn't buy when it comes to television, mainly because I personally tend to watch shows on tv-links.eu (illegally) i guess.
Before you make the purchase watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxu4J7-WEPI
It's a nice 6 minute breakdown of the series. I originally saw a 13 minute clip, but I felt this one portrayed the entire show much better.
So yeah it's 22 bucks but it's probably worth it. The show is done in a different way than any other American show has ever been done. This show is very dimly lit. I want to say they did that on purpose, to enhance the situation of the living style, not because it was poorly recorded.
So yeah, Go for it.
Thank you, i just by chance saw it at Target and have been contemplating picking it up. Went to buy it but picked up S2 of the US version instead. Probably pick it up this weekend.
shareI was lucky and found it on Hulu, i'm on episode 3 at the moment. It is very different than the Us version. just from ep. 1 the main difference is just the disposition of Wilfred. In the US, Wilfred comes off as just a manipulative jerk, who likes Ryan but seems to be using him to his own means. In the original, Wilfred comes off as quite psychotic, though as I keep watching it does seem less psycho and more like he is portrayed in the newer series though a little more malicious.
I was lucky and found it on Hulu, i'm on episode 3 at the moment. It is very different than the Us version. just from ep. 1 the main difference is just the disposition of Wilfred. In the US, Wilfred comes off as just a manipulative jerk, who likes Ryan but seems to be using him to his own means. In the original, Wilfred comes off as quite psychotic, though as I keep watching it does seem less psycho and more like he is portrayed in the newer series though a little more malicious.
There are psychotic moments. The big difference in this one was, Adam is really fighting for Wilfred to like him, where in the new one.. Wilfred loves Elijah Wood right away.
Both shows are hysterical in very different ways. Keep watching :)
I've got to say, I LOVE the original version (Aussie), but I stopped watching the American version after seeing a few episodes. Yes, the original is much darker and I usually like Elija Wood, but something about the American version just seemed watered down to me. It seemed like Wilfred himself just wasn't as clever in the things he said/did, and it felt like it became a regular sitcom where one character just happened to be wearing a dog costume. There was nothing special to it. But the Aussie original was utterly unique and amazing.
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The American version is dumbed down since Americans are too stupid to understand the original. Just like The Office.
shareSad, but true. The Aus version is way darker and uncompromising. That *beep* would not fly in the US. You really get a sense of Wilfred's malevolence in the original. The remake was clever to basically reinvent the show for a more comedic element. Although the deep existential waffle is nothing more than a hook for the stoner audience masquerading as deep intellectual comment
The original was just that; original.
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Well, this was certainly a pleasant surprise. I'm an American, and I typically find myself calling out fellow Americans for their shortsightedness when it comes to other nation's viewing habits and preferences. National pride is one thing, but straight up ignorance and prejudiced is pointless and offensive, no matter where you choose to call home. I can't claim that this nation is filled with the best and brightest that humanity has to offer, but it isn't completely devoid of intelligent, thoughtful, creative minds either. Anyone who has ever been to this country knows that its as diverse as you could possibly imagine and that to stereotype Americans with one broad stroke is simply foolish. Thanks for the comment CS. And I would happen to agree with you about the office. I think both versions are terribly unfunny.
shareI'm an American who also lived in Wales for 8 years of my life. I became aware.of a lot of great auddie/new zealand film & television along with the many great efforts Britain has to offer. I feel privleged to experience two different worlds & the great sense of humor I've developed over the years from living in both countries. I'm a big fan of the original office & wilfred. The american version of Wilfref while diffetent in many ways is currently my favorite show on US tv. It actually ties with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Lazenby, Dalton & Craig ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!
Wow, thats adorable. So why did high minded Australians cancel this show after only 16 episodes while they produced dozens of episodes for TWO aussie shows about teenagers that are accidentally turned into mermaids? Or the most successful Australian movie in decades is about China invading and a bunch of Aussie teenagers going to the wilderness and staging a insurgency? Sounds awfully similar to an American movie.
But to be fair Australia did create some of the most original shows a la The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, The Wire, The Simpsons, hell even Game of Thrones is based on a book by an American, created for tv by Americans and produced by an American channel.
Whats next you wanna tell me Australians invented the internet?
Confused you? You bloody idiot! Rip into it, mate!
shareWilfred works way better as a buddy comedy. It had much more potential with the love/hate friendship they had where they go out and get into ridiculous situations. The Aussie version is boring as *beep* It doesn't work well as a drama (as some people are calling it). Even jokes they reused in the American version were put to better use. For example, the one about *beep* particles lingering. The only reason that joke make me crack a smile in the Aussie version is because I remembered it from the American version. Otherwise, the timing and delivery was terrible, and was improved upon in the American version.
Also, the Aussie version completely disregards that a normal person would be a little concerned for their sanity if they were in that situation. They don't play off of that at all, and a great part of the American version is that they leave you guessing as to what Wilfred is until the very end (an ending which sucked, I think they should have left it ambiguous). And the other thing, which the Aussie version completely lacks as well, is that uncertainty of whether Wilfred is trying to help Ryan or *beep* him over. The American version was much funnier and had much more depth than the Aussie version. My only compaint about the American version was the last season which kind of sucked.
In the Aussie version, Wilfred is Krungle. In the American version he's Mataman.
It's been a while since I've seen the Australian one, but I remember him being pretty much a psychopath. There was more of a focus on his dogness too.
The fact that no one questions why Wilfred appears to Adam this way, and the viewer isn't presented with the question, is kind of funny in itself. They're more like caricatures. It was in some ways like the opposite of anthropomorphising dogs. If you took a dog, which many humans give human attributes to, and made them into an actual human, they'd actually be pretty gross people.
The American version tried to reason it out, which was sort of interesting. It was more about how Wilfred might be a manifestation of Ryan's mind.
Both very good, but I've got a soft spot of the original, because it introduced Wilfred. It also seems a bit more rough around the edges, which gives it some charm. Elijah Wood and Jason Gann are fantastic though.
I choose to believe what I was programmed to believe