MovieChat Forums > Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007) Discussion > Fox Buys Little Mosque On The Prairie.

Fox Buys Little Mosque On The Prairie.


Its shocking but its true, Fox got the rights of the show by making an American version of it. I don't know why of all the Networks, it would be Fox but they did it. Here is the source:





The popular CBC series 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' is heading South!
Twentieth Century-Fox Television plans on reproducing an American version of Canada’s very own CBC Television hit comedy, after signing a deal with the producers, WestWind Pictures.

The series, created by Zarqa Narwaz, takes place in a little fictional Canadian prairie town called Mercy and follows the lives of the individuals within this small Muslim community. The Americans want a Little Mosque too, and intend on having their own series that mirrors the one from the Great North. Despite the U.S. setting, they are keeping the original title.

The new version of the show is said to have the same spirit of the original, according to executive producer Mary Darling, who also serves as CEO of WestWind Pictures.

The CBC edition of Little Mosque launched in 2007 and has since been sold to multiple international markets including France, Israel, Turkey and Nordic countries. The American version of the series is predicted to surface on U.S. television starting sometime next year.

Season 3 of the Canadian version will hit airwaves this Fall as part of CBC's 2008 Fall lineup.



Link:
http://tvguide.sympatico.msn.ca/TVNews/Articles/080610_little_mosque_fox_CT

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That news article is what prompted me to check it out on YouTube. Funny stuff.

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Americans are idiots. They are going to remake their own version from scratch? Why couldn't they just broadcast the Canadian version on Fox? Do they think Americans can't understand Canadians with our 'oots' and 'aboots'? American idiots.


http://www.savemoonlight.com

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So your arguement is why do Americans want to take a shot at making some money instead of just passing something on? By that arguement, why doesn't Fox just advertise that you can watch it on YouTube and cut out the effort of having to buy rights to broadcast? Those stupid studios...

-----
M-O-O-N spells moon.
Laws yes.

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if American television studios could not make money by buying the broadcast rights to foreign television shows then there are a lot of foreign television shows that would have never aired in the United States.



http://www.savemoonlight.com

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Yes, but LMOTP is in English.

I'm European, and English isn't my first language - so to me LMOTP could just as easily be made in the USA as in Canada - it's completely weird to me that FOX would want to make a US-version. How would it be any different???

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It would be "politically correct" and the storylines would be conservatives


http://www.savemoonlight.com

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Canadians and Americans obsess about different things, and while Canada is by no means free of religious or racial intollerance, the problems are different.

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there is no way fox can get someone to play fred tuper
any better then the the original or fantima if they use a man it would kill the whole show

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I am assuming they won't go to the extent of having the same names, and are just intending to use the basic concept and run with it. Trying to do a character for character re-interpretation would be silly. Issues in Canada and the US would be quite different for Muslims anyways.

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I find this strange because Fox is the same network that funds Bill O'Rielly and Sean Hannity but then again they also have The Simpsons which is quite liberal.
As far as American versions of foreign shows are concerned I would mention a show called "The Office" which has had both British and American versions,both are fine.

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They keep the simpsons because it makes them money and no other reason. If it didn't make the huge piles of cash it would have been abandoned a long time ago.

Funny story, early on in the series a network executive saw an episode of the Simpsons bad mouth his network and started legal proceedings against the network that distributed and produced the show until the FOX executive figured out that the SIMPSONS is produced and distributed by FOX.

Idiots...rich idiots, but still idiots.

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Please don't call Americans idiots.Doing so pretty much makes you the idiot. You see,most of us,here in dumb old America,call it Faux News )pronounced Fox news. The real news is Steven Colbert and John Stewart.

If we had any control over these *beep* would not be any blue states or red states..There would be no idea that Clean Coal exists because some of us pay attention between watching Simpson marathons and The Walking Dead. We see the black sludge in South Carolina,undrinkable water in Virginia,Chris Christie the Bully Boy of New Jersey,the sulking Congress,the exploding boxcars in NorthDakota and Fracking not to mention the train car hanging Ten over the Schuylkill.Yes. We Even Know about Rob Ford-that you still want to re-elect him,and I personally have signed 3 petitions to the Prez to send Bieber back TO YOU.

OK?

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Please don't call Americans idiots.Doing so pretty much makes you the idiot. You see,most of us,here in dumb old America,call it Faux News )pronounced Fox news. The real news is Steven Colbert and John Stewart.

If we had any control over these *beep* would not be any blue states or red states..There would be no idea that Clean Coal exists because some of us pay attention between watching Simpson marathons and The Walking Dead. We see the black sludge in South Carolina,undrinkable water in Virginia,Chris Christie the Bully Boy of New Jersey,the sulking Congress,the exploding boxcars in NorthDakota and Fracking not to mention the train car hanging Ten over the Schuylkill.Yes. We Even Know about Rob Ford-that you still want to re-elect him,and I personally have signed 3 petitions to the Prez to send Bieber back TO YOU.

OK?

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...I would "The Family Guy" and "American Dad" to the list, both of which also have liberal biases and are also on Fox.

I would say that I am looking forward to the series when it comes to the US.

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i am gonna go on record to say that here in canada we have the least amount of racial intolerance compared to any country IN THE WORLD. People can outright say racially charged comments without thinking and anyone who gets offended gets made fun of.

Whats funny though is people dont take serious racism lightly here either. We have learned the difference by not getting offended unless its actually offensive.

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Actually the show's creator explains the reason here:

http://www.vimeo.com/2080675

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Thanks for the link, what great information! According to Nawaz, Little Mosque saved CBC and is the highest rated sitcom the network has had in 15 years! WOW...that is BRILLIANT. Also, the show airs in over 80 countries WORLDWIDE! How cool is that.

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I was at a dinner banquet that honored the show's creator.* the reason they make an American version (just like they do with Office and many other shows) is because of TV politics and nuances in humor between Canadians and Americans. Nawaz (the show's creator) seemed ok with it since her goal is to show a positive face of Muslims in the new world.

I genuinely believe that Americans are interested in seeing a positive image of Muslims and Arabs on TV and wanting to see how average American Muslims are like. Nawaz did mention in the banquet, particularily during the 2nd season, that non-Muslims (the writers of the show) were interested in how Muslims conduct dating or marriage in their lives. I am pretty opmtimistic about the show and it will get a lot of attention before it airs.

*btw, i have footage of her speech that i will put online soon.

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[deleted]

so FOX bought Little Mosque? whats the update with this though, are they beginning production?

is a network in the States ever going to air the original series?

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hm

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they should have bought the first version of the show made 30 years when it was still called King of Kensington

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Now America can watch the least funny 'comedy' on TV too! Hooray!

They're doing their own because the Muslim experience in the Canadian prairies would be different than the Muslim experience in the midwest. No two places are the same, no two lives are alike. They obviously want something that American Muslims can identify with, and rightfully so.

However, I still maintain that this show blows. The worst part is its creative team thinks its God's gift to Canada. I went to a writer's conference that they spoke at and you could tell they thought the sun shone out of their asses, even though nobody laughed once during the entire episode screening. Bottom line: the number one rule of a comedy is that it has to be funny. This show is not. Case in point.

Also, its vastly different from King of Kensington. King of Kensington took place in an urban setting and the main characters were white who were merely living in a multi-cultural neighbourhood.... Can someone point out the similarities?

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similarities
they were both filled with stereotype characters with no deepth
one think they were god's gift to canadian tv
the other think they are allah's gift to canadian tv
they are both not funny comedy
they are both filled with 20 years old joke
they are both made with no money in the production
they are both happening in a forced multi cultural neighborhood

and the the list goes on and on and on etc etc etc

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Hear, hear
This show is not funny. But, of course, it's politically incorrect to say so: just as saying the Emperor was not actually wearing any clothes was...
If you like it that's fine. I won't be watching it though

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Agree. Good premise-- weak delivery. The writing is poor overall and the show isn't that good. Maybe FOX can do a better job. The acting is OK though.

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Who're they gonna get for actors? It's well known that there're almost no high-profile Asian-Americans working in Hollywood, thanks to moronic, ignorant casting decisions in the industry. They'll probably get Kal Penn or Shohreh Aghdashloo from '24' and then, the Pakistant restaurant owner guy from Seinfeld; and then, every other person would be white folks in brownface or something.

It's wasting time and money that could be used just getting syndication rights instead. If the Degrassi franchise can do well with teenagers, then Fox can't use the "American viewers wouldn't watch a foreign show" excuse with this show.

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Fox brought it?
So you're telling me it's gonna go down the tubes. :(

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It can't get any worse

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It's wasting time and money that could be used just getting syndication rights instead. If the Degrassi franchise can do well with teenagers, then Fox can't use the "American viewers wouldn't watch a foreign show" excuse with this show.

let's further that stupid excuse of theirs.

red green was done well in syndication...

corner gas is going very well in syndication.....

not to mention all the brit shows that are on BBC...i do not get the stations, but i know lots of people that watch those shows, instead of the american stuff...

what else is doing well, oh yeah, flashpoint.....is a glorified hit...and it's aobut toronto....and our squad of what sha ma call its...

and like i said...i still will not watch cold case, because cbs stold the idea from us, and cold squad only ran another year, after they took the copy-cat to court.....

susan

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Let's debunk your points one by one, shall we?

red green was done well in syndication...


IIRC, Red Green was not shown in syndication, but was shown on PBS, mostly on individual PBS stations. And that wasn't as wide if it had been syndicated generally.

corner gas is going very well in syndication.....


Hooray for Corner Gas and Red Green. That doesn't mean that LMOTP would automatically work the same way. Besides, syndication isn't doing that well these days anyway, from what I hear, except for a few shows.

not to mention all the brit shows that are on BBC...i do not get the stations, but i know lots of people that watch those shows, instead of the american stuff...


When CBC and CTV decide to get proactive and set up channels called CBC America and CTV America, with as much original programming as possible, then maybe what you want could happen. But, the CBC and CTV are not as popular or as well-know or even prestigious as the BBC, and don't have shows that are as well-regarded as that of the BBC, so it won't be happening anytime soon.

Also, there are a lot of American shows that are adapted to suit local needs in many countries, just like America does the same. Here's an example:

List of foreign adaptations of The Nanny

This is list of all foreign adaptations of the American situation comedy The Nanny (1993–1999).

Although the show has been broadcast in more than ninety countries, several local versions of the show have been produced in other countries, particularly in Latin America, Eastern Europe and a number of Asian markets. These shows follow the original scripts very closely, but with minor alterations in order to adapt to their respective country's culture.

Argentina

La Niñera
Set in Buenos Aires
Stars Florencia Peña as Florencia Finkel ("Fran") and Boy Olmi as Juan Manuel Iraola ("Max")
Florencia is from Lanús
Juan Manuel lives in Barrio Parque
Broadcast on Telefé beginning in 2004
Guest stars included Chayanne, Gabriel Corrado, Catherine Fulop, Valeria Lynch, Patricia Sosa, Arturo Puig, Cacho Castaña, Juan Manuel Tenuta, Moria Casán, María Rosa Gallo, Martha Bianchi, Carla Peterson, Carlos Belloso, Rodolfo Barilli, Cristina Perez, Antonio Carrizo and Fernando Peña, among others.
Re-runs of the show had been broadcasted in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and in the satellite network Telefé Internacional.
La Niñera at the Internet Movie Database

Chile

La Nany
Set in Santiago
Stars Alejandra Herrera as Eliana Tapia Cárdenas "Nany" ("Fran") and Alex Zisis as Max Valdivieso ("Max")
Eliana is from La Florida
Max is a publicist who lives in La Dehesa
Broadcast on MEGA (Red Televisiva Megavisión) beginning in 2005


Ecuador[/i]

La Niñera
Set in Guayaquil
Stars Paola Farías as María "Mary" ("Fran") and Frank Bonilla (First Season) / Juan Carlos Salazar (Second Season) as Carlos Eduardo Sáenz de Tejada ("Max")
Mary is from Chone
Carlos Eduardo is a hotelier
Broadcast on Ecuavisa


[b]Greece


Η Νταντά
Stars Maria Lekaki (Μαρία Λεκάκη) as Mary ("Fran") and Kostas Apostolidis (Κώστας Αποστολίδης) as Aris ("Max")
Broadcast on Mega Channel seasons 2003-2004 and 2004–2005


Indonesia

De Neny
Broadcast on Indosiar beginning 25 September 2006

Italy

In Italy, the US series was heavily re-dubbed and renamed La Tata (The nanny in Italian). It was broadcast on Italia 1 and in the Italian dub Fran Fine was renamed Francesca Cacace, Italian nanny from Frosinone, a town of Ciociaria, a countryside of Central Italy. Sylvia Fine was renamed Zia Assunta (Aunt Assunta), a relative of Francesca's family offering a shelter to her niece. Yetta Rosenberg was renamed Zia Yetta (Aunt Yetta), Polish, the few bits of her backstory provided altered to hide her Jewish origins. Val Toriello was renamed Lalla Toriello. Francesca Cacace was no longer of Jewish heritage, but hailing from a Roman Catholic family, having become a lapsed Catholic. Almost every reference to Jewish religion was altered accordingly in the show. In Italian adaption, Francesca's parents live in Italy and the only relatives emigrated in America with her are her two aunts, Yetta and Assunta, and her uncle, Assunta's husband, never seen. Italian dubbing also modifies some characteristics of the neighborhood where Max lives.

Mexico

La Niñera
Set in Mexico City
Stars Lisset as Francisca Flores "Fran" and Francisco de la O as Maximiliano Fábregas "Max"
Francisca is from the Roma neighborhood
Maximiliano is a theater producer who resides in the upscale Polanco neighborhood
Begun July 18, 2007 on TV Azteca.


Poland

Niania

Set in Warsaw
Stars Agnieszka Dygant as Frania Maj ("Fran"), Tomasz Kot as Maks Skalski ("Max"), Tamara Arciuch-Szyc as Karolina ("C.C.") and Adam Ferency as Konrad ("Niles")
Maksymilian Skalski ("Max") became a movie and TV series producer, as opposed to a theatrical producer
The origins of Franciszka Maj ("Fran") are not clear, she comes from Praga (an old district on the other side of Vistula river.)
Niania is the closest to The Nanny of all the foreign remakes as far as possible (including sets, food and actors' costumes!)
Broadcast on TVN beginning in 2005

Russia

My Fair Nanny

Set in Moscow
Includes 173 episodes
Stars Anastasia Zavorotnyuk (Анастасия Заворотнюк) as Vicka ("Fran"), Sergei Zhigunov (Сергей Жигунов) as Maxim ("Max"), Olga Prokofyeva (Ольга Прокофьева) as Zhanna ("C.C.") and Boris Smolkin (Борис Смолкин) as Konstantin ("Niles")
Vicka is from Biryulyovo (Бирюлёво), non-prestige Moscow district, and her heritage has been changed from Jewish to Ukrainian
One of the few adaptations where Max kept his job as a theatrical producer.
Broadcast on STS beginning in 2004
The most successful television show in the history of Russian television.
Starting with its fifth season, the show has become a victim of blatant, poorly hidden product placements resulting in it being the butt of many jokes within the Russian pop culture.
The sixth season was put on hiatus for over a year due to the extremely poor health of the actress playing Vicka's mother. Some episodes actually ended up re-written with the Grandma Yetta character taking over for much of the Sylvia character. The actress died soon after shooting the series finale.
At the beginning of the sixth season, it is revealed that Maxim's proposal to Vicka was just a dream she had and from that episode on, all the episodes in the series are brand new and are not adapted from the original U.S. version, with Vicka still trying to desperately win Maxim's heart and him trying to hide his true feelings for the Nanny.
Some of the "new" episodes were actually based on the rejected scripts for the original U.S. version.
The show eventually came back on track with Vicka and Max getting married and the series concluded exactly like its American counterpart.
In the Russian version, Vicka appears less smart but more joyful than Fran, Konstanin seems sneakier and less snobish than Niles (which is emphasized by his small stature), Masha is more laid back than Maggie, Zhanna appears much more emotional and neurotic than CC.
This series was shot in less time than the original, so children's growing up is less obvious.
In this version, the butler Konstantin has a surname, as opposed to Niles who never reveals his in the original series. In the pilot episode, he introduces himself to Vicka (and in the second episode, to her mother) as Konstantin Semenov.
Val's character has two Russian counterparts. In first seasons, Vicka's best friend is named Vera, but when the actress who portrayed her left the series after a feud with the crew, Vera disappeared and another of Vicka's best friends, Galya, resurfaced.
In 2008, a new, seventh season was announced. Since Lyubov Polishchuk died after shooting the sixth season finale and the part wasn't recast, Vicka's mother died off screen as well. Since Vicka can't stand their old apartment because it reminded her of her mother, the whole family moves to a new house. Now a joyful widower who decides to live his life at full speed, Vicka's father Vladimir, a character meant to replace Vicka's mother and is portrayed by Aleksandr Filippenko, follows them to their new house.

Turkey

Dadı
Set in Istanbul
Stars Gülben Ergen as Melek ("Fran") and Kenan Işık as Ömer ("Max")
All of the Jewish stereotype jokes were explained away as ghetto stereotype jokes.
Broadcast on Show TV beginning in 2001
Dadı official home page. The first ten episodes are available online as streaming video. The show ended two or three episodes after the marriage of Ömer and Melek.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_foreign_adaptations_of_The_Nanny


Other shows with international remakes (most of these are also from the USA):

Married...With Children (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_With_Children#International_remak es)

The classic British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part spawned these:

Ein Herz und eine Seele (One Heart and One Soul)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Herz_und_eine_Seele

All In The Family-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family

Who's the Boss (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_The_Boss#International_versions)

So, as you can see, your putdown of the Fox Network's proposed version is totally bogus, and is just a misguided reaction to your belief that the 'purity' of the original show would be destroyed. These examples I've shown will confirm for you that it isn't so.





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The US makes too many remakes of English-speaking shows; and a Canadian sense of humour isn't THAT different. Sure, LMOTP is no Gary, Unmarried; but in my opinion that's a compliment, and I doubt that show exemplifies all US humour. If it does, why make LMOTP: To The South in the first place?

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i'm sorry, but why can't they have ours....they stold, what cold case from us, and other shows....

why can't they just go, wait a minute, we'll steal another show from us...and didnt' they already try their own stupid version, called alien in the family, or something like that, and where did that show go.

this is making me mad..

they bought hockey wives, last year...and once again, it went noplace..

they so can't come up with an original thought, that they have to go and steal them from all over the world, and taught it as their own.....i want their version to fail, so fast, that it won't be funny.......

susan

i love our version, and it should never be copied.....

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i have also read that they're doing erica....on the soap channel...

that show, they can definately have....i don't watch it at all..

susan

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I hope they do a neat version of Lil Mosque, with an Afro-American Muslim family :D

Anywayz, any news from the Fox version?

I havent been able to find anything closely related on their website...

Pls keep us updated on this.

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I am in the US and I really like the show. Sure, some of the jokes fail (every show has bad jokes), but in general, I think the jokes are funny.

As for the Fox version, I really do hope that is a "version" and not just Fox taking the same scripts and having American actors deliver the lines. I have never seen a show do well when the scripts come over the border, line by line. Case in point:
US Coupling vs UK Coupling
UK Coupling was hilarious (first two seasons)
US Coupling - Not even a chuckle from me. (Which was too bad. I really liked Lindsay Price as an actress)

US Life on Mars vs UK Life on Mars
LIke UK, didn't like the US version until they started changing the script and getting some original stories (Then it was too late. Already cancelled)

And I'm sure that there are other examples but those are the only ones that come to mind immediatly.

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No way.

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