List of American Television Series Based On British Television Series

Many successful British television shows (particularly sitcoms and reality shows) have been remade for the American market. The amount of reworking varies with some shows (such as All in the Family) keeping the basic situation and then adding many original features while others have taken complete scripts verbatim (such as Amanda's).

There are relatively few examples of American shows remade for the British market (the majority of these being game shows), and the British television audience are very accepting of the American originals while being much less accepting of British remakes (see, for instance, the failure of Brighton Belles, the British remake of The Golden Girls). The U.S. remakes have sometimes been imported back into the UK. By contrast, original British programmes are rarely seen on the major U.S. networks in modern times (in the 1960s the airing of UK-produced programs such as The Avengers and Fireball XL5 on U.S. network TV occurred frequently) and are usually broadcast only on the Public Broadcasting Service and on cable television, especially BBC America, with only a few purely British shows having gained mainstream popularity in the United States. This list includes a number of pilots not subsequently made into series.

UK original U.S. remake Notes
Absolutely Fabulous AbFab Two pilots attempts, one by Roseanne Barr, another by Jennifer Saunders (who created the UK version). Both were passed over.
Agony The Lucie Arnaz Show
Airline Airline British version renamed Airline UK in the US.
Da Ali G Show Da Ali G Show The second (two series) series by Channel 4 in the UK and HBO in the US.
Antiques Roadshow Antiques Roadshow (U.S.) Reality.
Are You Being Served? Beanes of Boston Comedy. Un-aired pilot.
As If As If US remake canceled after two episodes on UPN.
Balls Of Steel Balls Of Steel
Ballykissangel Hope Island
Being Human Being Human SciFi drama on SyFy.
Birds of a Feather Stand by Your Man
Blackpool Viva Laughlin! US remake canceled after two episodes (CBS).
Brat Camp Brat Camp (U.S.)
Britain's Got Talent America's Got Talent Reality. Used to have same judge, Piers Morgan, until he left in 2011. Has same executive producer - Simon Cowell.
Cash Cab Cash Cab Game show
Cash in the Attic Cash in the Attic Reality.
CD:UK CD USA
Celebrity Fit Club Celebrity Fit Club Reality competition. Both versions featured Former US Marine Harvey Walden IV as a judge, but the other judges are changed often.
Changing Rooms Trading Spaces Reality.
Cold Feet Cold Feet
Cracker Cracker US remake is known as Fitz in the UK.
Coupling Coupling Comedy. US remake was canceled after four episodes.
Dad's Army The Rear Guard Pilot episode only.
Dancing on Ice Skating with Celebrities Reality.
Dear John Dear John Known as Dear John USA in the UK.
Distraction Distraction Game show. Same host (Jimmy Carr).
Dog Eat Dog Dog Eat Dog Game show.
Don't Forget Your Toothbrush Don't Forget Your Toothbrush
Dragon's Den Shark Tank
Eleventh Hour Eleventh Hour Drama. (CBS).
Faking It Faking It Reality game show.
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin Reggie
Fawlty Towers Chateau Snavely Comedy. Pilot episode only with Harvey Korman & Betty White.
Amanda's Starring Beatrice Arthur.
Payne Starring John Larroquette.
Footballers' Wives Football Wives Drama. Confirmed pilot.
Four Weddings Four Weddings Reality, British original is known as Four Weddings UK.
Free Agents Free Agents Comedy starring Hank Azaria. US remake cancelled after four episodes.
Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon Gameshow Marathon Game show.
George and Mildred The Ropers Comedy.
Gladiators American Gladiators Game show. 2008 US revival is closer to the UK version (a UK game, Hit and Run, and UK rules for many games) than the original US version.
The Grimleys The Grubbs
Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen Reality competition. American version broadcast in the UK as Hell's Kitchen USA on ITV2.
Hit Me Baby One More Time Hit Me Baby One More Time Same host, both ITV productions.
Holding the Baby Holding the Baby
Home to Roost You Again?
Honey, We're Killing the Kids Honey We're Killing the Kids
How Clean Is Your House? Kim and Aggie Clean Up America
I'd Do Anything I'd Do Anything George Gray hosted US version on ESPN—hosted his third US version of a British show.
It's Me or the Dog It's Me or the Dog
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Reality.
The Inbetweeners The Inbetweeners (U.S. TV series) Comedy.
The IT Crowd The IT Crowd Pilot canceled in 2008.
The Jeremy Kyle Show The Jeremy Kyle Show Chat show.
Keep it in the Family Too Close for Comfort
The Krypton Factor The Krypton Factor
Life on Mars Life on Mars SciFi Drama.
Little Britain Little Britain USA Comedy. A full series was made and gained popularity after various repeats. HBO ordered more, but makers and stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas declined.
Love Thy Neighbour Love Thy Neighbor
Man About The House Three's Company Comedy.
MasterChef MasterChef Reality.
Max Headroom Max Headroom SciFi.
Men Behaving Badly Men Behaving Badly
Mind Your Language What a Country
Mr. Men and Little Miss Mr. Men Show
Never Mind The Buzzcocks Never Mind The Buzzcocks
The 1900 House Frontier House Reality. Frontier House broadcast in the UK on Channel 4.
Not the Nine O'Clock News Not Necessarily the News The Daily Show, especially in its earlier incarnation under Craig Kilborn, also owes a great deal to this show.
The Office The Office Comedy. The US version is broadcast in the UK as The Office: An American Workplace, The Office USA, or The US Office.
On the Buses Lotsa Luck
One Foot in the Grave Cosby Many differences.
Outnumbered Outnumbered Picked up by Fox.
Pajama Party Pajama Party Same presenter (Katie Puckrik).
Pop Idol American Idol Reality competition. UK judge Simon Cowell was also a judge on American Idol.
Porridge On the Rocks
Prime Suspect Prime Suspect Started on NBC on September 22, 2011.
Queer As Folk Queer as Folk Drama.
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Kitchen Nightmares Reality competition. Both versions feature Gordon Ramsay as host. US version broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA.
Red Dwarf Red Dwarf Two un-aired pilots. The 2nd pilot is titled Red Dwarf USA.
Robin's Nest Three's a Crowd Comedy.
Robot Wars Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors Filmed alongside the UK show in 2001 and 2002.
Scrapheap Challenge Junkyard Wars Scrapheap and Junkyard have gone head-to-head in transatlantic challenges in the UK.
Secret Millionaire Secret Millionaire
Shameless Shameless US version starring William H. Macy.
The Sketch Show The Sketch Show US version featured Kelsey Grammer.
Skins Skins Ran for one season only in 2011. UK version shown on BBC America.
Spaced Spaced Only a pilot episode was made.
Spitting Image D.C. Follies Loose adaptation.
Steptoe and Son Sanford and Son Comedy. Relied on race as well as class.
Strictly Come Dancing Dancing with the Stars Reality competition.
Supernanny Supernanny (U.S.) Reality. British episodes shown along with US episodes.
Teachers Teachers Canceled after six episodes.
That Was The Week That Was That Was The Week That Was Satire. Both versions hosted by David Frost.
The Thick of It The Thick of It Unaired pilot made for ABC.
Veep HBO series produced by Armando Iannucci and the same team of writers as the British version.
This Life First Years
Till Death Us Do Part All in the Family Comedy. Coincidentally, the All in the Family spinoff Maude was remade in the UK as Nobody's Perfect, and the Maude spinoff Good Times was remade as The Fosters. None of the UK series were connected to each other or to Till Death Us Do Part.
Touching Evil Touching Evil Drama.
Top Gear Top Gear Reality. Similar format to the 2002 version, was canceled without a single episode broadcasted in 2008. Both are BBC productions. A second pilot was made in 2010 with two of the three hosts replaced and was picked up for ten episode run on the History Channel.
Top of the Pops Top of the Pops Sometimes aired performances recorded by its BBC counterpart. Aired as part of CBS Late Night.
Trigger Happy TV Trigger Happy TV Dom Joly appears in both versions of the show, despite the US version having a mostly new cast - Joly was the only on screen star in the UK Version. The American version is known as Trigger Happy USA when aired in the UK.
Trisha Goddard Trisha Goddard Chat show, US version set to debut in September 2012.
Two's Company The Two of Us Comedy.
Upstairs, Downstairs Beacon Hill Drama.
The X Factor The X Factor Reality. Same executive producer (Simon Cowell), judge (Cheryl Cole) and production company (Syco TV). However Cole was dropped following the audition stage.
The Vicar of Dibley The Minister Of Divine Comedy. Confirmed pilot for US version starring Kirstie Alley.
The Weakest Link Weakest Link Game show. Anne Robinson hosted both the UK version and the original US primetime version.
Undercover Boss Undercover Boss Reality.
What Not to Wear What Not to Wear Reality.
Who Do You Think You Are? Who Do You Think You Are?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Game show.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? Whose Line Is It Anyway? Improvisational sketch comedy. Both used panelists Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, among others. Last episodes of UK version were produced in the US.
Wife Swap Wife Swap (ABC)
Trading Spouses (Fox)		 Reality.
Wild at Heart Life Is Wild US version cancelled after thirteen episodes.
The World's Strictest Parents The World's Strictest Parents
The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star

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