AlthoughCheersis soon to get a remake set in the UK, this is almost certain to fail due to a problem thatThe Officeinadvertently highlighted.The UK and US versions ofThe Officeare both critically acclaimed, but the two shows have a lot less in common than viewers might presume at first glance.The OfficeUK is strikingly downbeat and bleak, leaning into cringe comedy for most of its laughs. In contrast,The Office’s US adaptationradically altered the show’s tone for an American audience. The US show is warmer, more genial, and, crucially, more hopeful.
There’s No Hope For Fixing The Frasier Reboot’s Cheers Problem After Surprising Remake Announcement
There’s really no hope for fixing the Frasier reboot’s biggest Cheers problem, especially since a surprising remake announcement just became official.
WhileThe Office’s US cast of charactersare far from universally likable, their boss is far more sympathetic than his UK counterpart. Steve Carell’s Michael Scott is a childishly immature buffoon whose sweet nature makes his many mistakes endearing, whereas Ricky Gervais’ David Brent is an odious figure who is tough to tolerate. This causes reports fromThe Independentthat a British version of the iconic US sitcomCheersis in development to be concerning.Cheersran for 11 seasons from 1982 until 1993, and the British studio Big Talk Studios is currently developing a UK re-imagining of the famous workplace sitcom.
Cheers' UK Remake Can’t Recreate The Original Show’s Upbeat Tone - Just Look At The Office
The Office’s Major Changes Prove Transatlantic Sitcom Remakes Are Tonally Tricky
The British remake ofCheerswill come fromMen Behaving Badlyscribe Simon Nye, who is no stranger to sitcoms. However, this shouldn’t inspire too much confidence in fans of the original series. From its pilot totheCheersfinale, which remains one of the most-watched episodes of TV ever,Cheerswas a uniquely warm series. The attitude of the ‘80s might be cringe-inducing now, but the series was light on meaningful conflict and, unlike most workplace sitcoms, didn’t even have work to bring its characters down.Cheerswas a bar where the characters congregated, lending the show a sense of camaraderie.
Even the liveliest British pub wouldn’t feel like Cheers thanks to stiff-upper-lip British cultural norms.
In contrast, many British sitcoms are as cynical asThe Office. Even if there are some UK comedy shows that are less pointedly bleak, the cultural differences between the UK and the US are still sure to cause problems for aCheersremake.There are no pubs in Britain where “Everybody knows your name,”mostly because of fundamental cultural divides between the two countries. Broadly speaking, British culture is markedly more reserved where American hospitality tends to pride itself on the country’s welcoming, friendly atmosphere. Even the liveliest British pub wouldn’t feel like Cheers thanks to stiff-upper-lip British cultural norms.
A More Cynical Cheers Remake Wouldn’t Be Cheers At All
Cheers Leaned Hard Into A Sense of Warm-hearted Community
AUK remake ofCheerscould reverse the approach that the US version ofThe Officetook, turning the series into something more cynical and less sweet. However, this wouldn’t work as well because of the outsized cultural reputation of the original show. WhenThe OfficeUS radically revised the comedy style of its British counterpart, the original show was just a minor UK cult hit. In contrast,Cheersis one of the most famous sitcoms in TV history. A cynical, deadpan British reinvention of the show wouldn’t feel anything like the originalCheers, which may disappoint its large fanbase.
