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149 voters

Foreign Shows That Were Remade in the US

Updated March 13, 2020 1.5k votes 149 voters 3.3k views42 items

List RulesVote up the foreign TV shows remade for American audiences. Scripted series only, no reality shows.

This list includes information on American shows based on foreign shows, ranked from best to worst by user votes. Some of the best American shows are actually adaptations of foreign series. Some American shows that you might not have known were remakes include dramas, while other US adaptations of foreign shows are comedies. American television will adapt any genre they can get their hands on! Some of the most popular US TV series of all time were actually based on existing international shows.

What series made the cut for this foreign shows that were remade in the US list? Homeland is an award-winning drama for Showtime, but it was actually based on the Israeli series Hatufim which premiered in 2010 and is still airing new episodes. House of Cards is another good American show that is based on a foreign series - the British show of the same name.

There are several great American comedies that are also adaptations of foreign material. All in the Family may seem like an iconic US production, but it was based on the UK series Till Death Us Do Part. Other good shows on this top American adaptations list include The Office, Shameless, and Skins.

Which American show based on a foreign original is your favorite? Vote the best series up to the top of this list and add any other great foreign adaptations that aren't already listed.

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Sanford and Son
Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson
Premiered: 1972
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Steptoe and Son (1962 - 1974).
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC... more
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The Office
Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson
Premiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Mockumentary
Adaptation of UK series The Office (2001 - 2003).
The Office (NBC, 2005) is an American mockumentary sitcom television series developed by Greg... more
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Wilfred
Elijah Wood, Jason Gann
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Black comedy
Adaptation of the Australian series Wilfred (2007 - 2010).
Wilfred (FX, 2011) is an Australian-American comedy television series developed by David... more
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Shameless
Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Comedy, Drama
Adaptation of UK series Shameless (2004 - 2013).
Shameless (Showtime, 2011) is an American comedy-drama television series developed by John... more
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Homeland
Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Suspense, Drama, Thriller
Adaptation of Israeli series Hatufim (2010 - present).
Homeland (Showtime, 2011) is an American political drama thriller series developed by Howard... more
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Veep
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky
Premiered: 2012
Genres (Tv): Political satire, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series The Thick of It (2005 - 2012).
Veep (HBO, 2012) is an American political satire comedy television series created by Armando... more
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Skins
Sofia Black D'Elia, Daniel Flaherty
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Teen drama, Drama, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Skins (2007 - 2013).
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House of Cards
Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright
Premiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Political drama, Political thriller
Adaptation of UK series House of Cards (1990).
House of Cards (Netflix, 2013) is an American political drama television series developed by... more
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Prime Suspect
Maria Bello, Aidan Quinn
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Action
Adaptation of UK series Prime Suspect (1991 - 2006).
Prime Suspect is an American police procedural television drama series that premiered on NBC... more
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All in the Family
Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton
Premiered: 1971
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Till Death Us Do Part (1965 - 1968).
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television... more
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Richard Steven Horvitz, David Yost
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Adventure film, Action
Adaptation of Japanese series Ky?ry? Sentai Zyuranger (1992 - 1993).
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live action children's television series that... more
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Men Behaving Badly
Rob Schneider, Justine Bateman
Premiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Men Behaving Badly (1992 - 1998).
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Coupling
Julie Benz, Lindsay Price
Premiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Coupling (2000 - 2004).
Coupling is a 2003 American remake of the British television sitcom of the same title, which... more

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The Inbetweeners
Mark L. Young, Joey Pollari
Premiered: 2012
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Based on the UK series of the same name
The Inbetweeners is an American sitcom developed by Brad Copeland for MTV. The show stars Joey... more
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Getting On
Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein
Premiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Getting On (2009 - 2012).
Getting On is an American television comedy series based on the British series of the same... more
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Life on Mars
Jason O'Mara, Harvey Keitel
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Drama, Adventure film
Adaptation of UK series Life on Mars (2006 - 2007).
Life on Mars is a science fiction drama television series which originally aired on ABC from... more
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Kath & Kim
Selma Blair, Molly Shannon
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Based on the Australian series of the same name.
Kath & Kim is an American version of the Australian television comedy series of the same name... more
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#284 of 288 The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History#730 of 1,322 The Best Guilty Pleasure TV Shows
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Three's Company
John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt
Premiered: 1977
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Adaptation of UK series Man About the House (1973 - 1976).
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977 to September 18, 1984 on... more
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The Killing
Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Mystery
Adaptation of Danish series Forbrydelsen (2007 - 2012).
The Killing (AMC, 2011) is an American drama television series created by Veena Sud, based on... more
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Queer as Folk
Gale Harold, Hal Sparks
Premiered: 2000
Genres (Tv): Soap opera, Drama, Comedy-drama
Adaptation of UK series Queer as Folk (1999 - 2000).
Queer as Folk is a drama television series. An American–Canadian co-production, the series ran... more
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The Hexer
Daniel Olbrychski, Michał Żebrowski
Premiered: 2002
Genres (Tv): Drama, Action, Fantasy
Wiedźmin is a 2002 fantasy television series. 13 episodes were made. The story is based on the... more
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Antiques Roadshow
Bruce Parker, Angela Rippon
Premiered: 1979
Genres (Tv): Special Interest, Documentary
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various... more
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Big Brother
Julie Chen, Phil Proctor
Premiered: 2000
Genres (Tv): Reality television
Big Brother is the British version of the international reality television franchise Big... more
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The Good Doctor
Freddie Highmore, Antonia Thomas
Premiered: 2017
Genres (Tv): Medical, Drama
The Good Doctor (ABC, 2017) is an American medical-drama television series based on the 2013... more
More
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VR Troopers
Sarah Joy Brown, Kerrigan Mahan
Premiered: 1994
Genres (Tv): Children's television series, Science Fiction
VR Troopers is a syndicated live action superhero television series produced and distributed... more

The Hexer

The Good Doctor