What first got me going (again) on the international remakes of sitcoms yesterday was this clip, which was shared by my IDD friend Kristin McCracken. She used to work for the Tribeca Film Festival and now works "with independent films to build online communities." She's gone to the Netherlands a few times where she was involved in forums on movies, which is where I guess she first saw this show....
As with all of the international remakes of 'The Office', 'The Honeymooners', and 'Ugly Betty', I see no problem with having two TV shows called 'The Golden Girls' in different countries with the same premise. Three mature women (plus the mother of one of them) living together to save on expenses is not so unique an idea. Even the similar personality traits of the characters isn't a hindrance, unlike the similar situation with the two versions of 'Being Human'. I could have let the rather unique idea of a vampire and a werewolf living together in a ghost's house go - hey, it could happen. (Although I would have preferred that things could have been switched up - say, with the ghost being a guy and the vampire a girl, perhaps.) But then to give them all similar jobs and situations (How the ghost got that way, for example.), not even the name changes and relocation to Boston helped.
This is why one of the two Spanish remakes of 'The Golden Girls' has to be sent packing to the alternate TV dimension in which the whole world speaks Spanish (probably because the Spanish Armada was victorious in that world, and the Spanish won the Spanish American war.)
I have no problem with 'Juntas Pero No Revueltas' remaining in the main Toobworld, but as for 'Las Chicas De Oro', the four main characters are Blanca Devereaux, Rosa, Doroti, and her mother Sofia Garces. Despite the switch from Petrillo to Garces, these are too similar to the originals. (With the first Spanish adaptation, they are Benigna, Rosa, Nuri, and Julia. We can let Rosa slide; I'm sure it's fairly common.....)
In Greece, the names in 'Hyrsa Koritsia' come close (Dora, Sofia, Bella, and Fifi), but not enough to make a difference to my way of thinking. And in the Britcom 'Brighton Belles', the women are Frances, her mother Josephine, Bridget, and Annie - not even a "Rose" or "Sophia" to carry over.
As for the 'Golden Girls' seen here from the Netherlands? We've got Barbara, Els, Toos, and Millie. No cause for alarm in the land of dikes......
Sorry about that, Chief. Couldn't resist.
BCnU!
Thanks to Kristin McCracken for posting that video to Facebook!
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