Have you ever seen versions of American sitcom classics aired in foreign countries? I once saw an episode of NBC’s hit, “Friends” dubbed in German. I practically split my spleen watching Ross yell at Rachel in baritone German (his lips kept flapping long after the German voice stopped). But now, Russia is taking American television sitcoms and doing more than just dubbing over their native tongue.
According to news reports Russia is out to find its own Brooke Shields to star in a new, local-language version of the sitcom “Suddenly Susan.” Do you remember the show? It aired on NBC from 1996-2000 and starred Shields as a San Francisco columnist. The Russian reincarnation is the brainchild of… an American company (leave it to American producers to try to add to their profits by marketing their shows to foreign countries). But, “Suddenly Susan” is not the only show that you may soon be seeing airing abroad. Warner Bros. is taking steps to develop foreign versions of old U.S. sitcoms, such as “Step by Step” and “Full House.”
According to entertainment trade publications, “Susan” is being produced in conjunction with a Russian broadcaster, CTC, which will shoot 40 episodes of the series. CTC has also committed to 40 episodes of “Step by Step” and 20 episodes of “Full House.”
While production is in the works for those popular shows, the first episode of the Russian version of “Perfect Strangers” debuted a week ago on Russia’s Ren TV. Mismatched roommates Larry and Balki have become Ivan and Andrei (both played by Russian actors). And, the premise of the show is a bit different than what aired in the U.S. In the Russian version, Andrei arrives from his remote ex-Soviet republic and moves straight into the flat of his Moscow cousin, Ivan, where cultures clash between the two dissimilar characters.
Think it will be a hit?