“Being Human” star Sam Witwer knows that audiences are comparing the American version of the show to the British original. And while that’s inevitable, he says that fans should keep in mind that once upon a time, we scoffed at a remake of another genre show–“Battlestar Galactica.”
People think of the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ remake as one of the best television series ever made. If you take away the sci-fi, it’s still one of the best series ever made. No one remembers that, when that show came out, there was a tremendous backlash and everyone was saying, “Oh, it’s stupid. Starbuck is a girl now. What is all this?” Everyone was really angry, at the time, because of the original series,” he tells Collider. “We’re going to get something similar, when we air. At least, that’s my prediction, but I could be wrong. There are going to be a lot of people who just talk sh*t, and they’re going to be very angry that this was done in a North American way at all.
“I’m more concerned with what people are going to be saying a year from now, or half a year from now, once it’s settled in a bit. My feeling on it is that I don’t think people are going to not enjoy the show that we’re making. It’s up to them to decide whether the British version is better or worse,” he adds.
“We owe the BBC version and the cast, crew and creators involved, a tremendous debt of gratitude because we have this goldmine that we can just use to mine from. We have 13 episodes to do what they did in 6, and we have all these wonderful opportunities, and that’s because of their hard work and talent,” he continues.
As previously reported Witwer thinks that the American version can help the British version win new fans.
“What I hope is that, if we’re successful, that helps them. That’s going to bring a bigger audience to them than they ever would have had alone, and I don’t think there’s anyone that could dispute that. And, the good news for them is that, if we go out there and fail miserably, they’re still going to be as popular, if not more popular, than they were before. I think it’s a big win-win for the British series,” he says.
So, do you agree with him? Are we judging the show too soon?
Please let’s get real.
First Off there are no shows that have been “converted” from British Shows to US shows that have ever been successful except for “The Office”. Not that I think our Office is better but at least it is not complete crap like the rest. You will fail if measured this way.
Secondly, to compate this to BSG???? THe OBSG in the 70’s was fun and good for it’s time but was never that good and could only get better. Then you through in great writing, great sets, great actors and a dark setting and BSG took off. Another exception instead of the rule. Case in point V. THe new V is very goosd but it not a major hit like BSG
Third, I hope it succeeeds but personally this monster stuff is not to my liking Vampires, Werewolves etc get to be very boring and not original
BSG was remade long after the original BSG was off the air. While some people griped at first I think the quality of the remake and the amount of time in between the two shows helped the fans to move on and really enjoy the new show.The two versions of Being Human are airing simultaneously. That’s a lot harder to overcome because the original is right there in your face and still airing new episodes.
I think it’s funny that he mention Starbuck. Yeah, some people complained about Starbuck being a girl but that’s part of the reason BSG was so good. It was in the same spirit as the original but they changed enough of it to make it a separate show in its own right. They even changed the Cylons to look like humans.Very little has been changed about the American version of Being Human. They simply fleshed out the storyline a little more and used different actors.
I don’t consider the new Being Human to be in same category as the new BSG was. BSG was a re-imagining…the new Being Human seems to be nothing more than a copy. And I don’t think I’d say anything different in a year…and no I’m not saying I don’t like the new version…I just don’t think it’s very creative in terms of making it’s own statement…or of separating itself from the original ( which BSG did manage to do).
Aaaaaaaa, I like the show but comparing it to BSG on any level is a bit much.