Small Screen
88 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2008
Network:
CBS
Born in:
England, 2006. It starred
StarTrek
veteran
PatrickStewart.
Premise:
A brilliant biophysicist investigates scien-
tific anomalies for theU.S. government.
TheBigBangTheory
’sKaleyCuocogives us
her guidelines for life. ByAllisonWinnScotch
TENSIMPLERULES
1.
I believe that cuddlingwithmy dog is the
best remedy to a badday.
2.
I believe that girlfriends trump boyfriends
any day of the week, but that each has its
own purpose.
TellyTubers
Cheerio! G’day, mate! Shalom! In their ownway, more andmore foreign programs
are saying hello toAmerican airwaves. — J.R.
KALEY CUOCO
may play an intellectually challenged blonde bomb-
shell on the hit CBS series
The Big Bang Theory
, but that doesn’t
meanshedoesn’tputhergraymatter towork in real life. In fact, the
TWOCENTURIESAGO,
Americanshurled tea intoBostonHarbor asawayof declaring their independence fromBritish rule. If this fall’s televi-
sion lineup isany indicator, the fervor of thatfierypatriotismhas, apparently, cooled:More thanahalf dozennewnetwork serieswereborn
in foreign lands. Here are our picks for this season’smost promisingTV imports.
LIFEONMARS
Network:
ABC
Born in:
England, 2006. TheBBChit later aired
onBBCAmerica.
Premise:
Acopwakesup in1973andmustfind
outwhywhile solving crimes along theway.
ComingtoAmerica:
Theshow isset inNewYorkand featuresanAmerican rock-
and-roll soundtrack. Producer David E. Kelley (
Boston Legal
) spearheaded the pi-
lot, but
Alias
alums JoshApplebaum andAndréNemec have since taken over.
ProducersSay:
“The key toa successful translation is neither being too literal to
the original nor veering too far away fromwhatmade itwork,”Applebaum says.
“We often talk about ‘maintaining the essence’ of what made the BBC version
so spectacular.”
Biggest Difference:
The two-season BBC version explained its protagonist’s di-
lemmaas a coma-induceddream. “Wearegoingdownaverydifferent path,” says
Applebaum. “Wedon’twant new fans togo toWikipediaand see how it all ends.”
Network:
NBC
Born in:
Australia, 2002.
Premise:
This suburban sitcom focuses onadueling
mother anddaughter.
Coming toAmerica:
Hoping to repeat the success
of
The Office
, NBC has dressed this import with
comedygold: It stars
SaturdayNightLive
alumMol-
lyShannonandJohnMichael Higgins, aChristopher
Guest repertory player. Expect big, smart laughs.
Producers Say:
“Casting is huge,” says executive
producerMichelleNader. “Huge.”
Biggest Difference:
“We didn’t have a best friend for Kim in the pilot,” Nader
says. “The four castmemberswe did have are so awesome, though, that we felt
like the pilotwas chock-full.”
THEELEVENTHHOUR
23-year-old California native graduated from
high school at the age of 16 (impressed?)
and then rode the fast track to fame, thanks
to her breakout role of Bridget on
8 Simple
Rules,
which costarred the late John Ritter,
and toguest star appearances on shows such
as
Prison Break
. When she’s not on the set,
theanimal lovercan likelybe foundhorseback
riding or hanging out with her dogs. “I like
animalsmore thanpeople,” she admits.
Since she’s the starof a showwith suchan
earth-shattering title, wewondered if Cuoco,
the smarty that she is, hadany theoriesof her
own. Here, she shares 10.
3.
I believe in never throwing any article of
clothing away, because you never knowwhen
it’s going to come back in style.
4.
I believe that life is short. Dessert, prefer-
ably anythingwith chocolate, comes first.
5.
I believe in never having a scale in my
house.
6.
I believe you should always canter, even
when you feel like trotting, and that nothing
beats the pure adrenaline rush of a straight-
up full-speedgallop.
7.
I believe that animals really can be your
best friends: They always listen, and they
don’t talk back.
8.
I believe in leaving your phone in the car
when you are out to dinner.
9.
I believe in alwayswearing sunscreen.
10.
I believe in always getting a flower de-
sign on your toewith your pedicure, because
a little sparkle never hurt anyone.
Coming to America:
Produced by blockbuster maven Jerry Bruckheimer, this
adaptation punches up the booms, the bangs, and the budget.
Producers Say:
“In an oddway, I think the British versionwas a stab at doing
American television in England,” says writer/producer Angel Dean Lopez. “Im-
porting the format is almost reimporting it— culturally, not a big stretch.”
Biggest Difference:
“Our version revolves around real-world scientific twists
and turns, while the British version didn’t always include that much science,”
Lopez says.
KATH&KIM
