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Canadian series imports by U.S. networks have been hot for the past few years, starting with the writers strike. Are Canadian formats next? Canadian-based Temple Street Prods. today announced that ABC is developing an American version of their popular Canadian drama Being Erica. Maggie Friedman (Eastwick) is writing the adaptation for ABC Studios and will executive produce, with Temple Street co-presidents David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg also exec producing. The one-hour series explores the life of Erica Strange, a woman who has been given a wonderful gift. In each episode, Erica goes back to relive a regret from her past, in order to come back and make a positive change in her present. Being Erica airs on CBC where it premiered in 2009. The series has been sold through international distributor BBC Worldwide to more than 150 countries, including the U.S. where it has been running on ABC’s sibling cable sibling SoapNet, a channel that will be replaced by Disney Jr. in 2012. The third season of Being Erica launches on SoapNet on Jan. 26. Temple Street Prods. and Friedman are with CAA.
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hope ABC can make it less awful. truly horrid show. hor-rid.
Completely agree, and Erin Karpluk is a terrible, one-note actress.
I disagree with you. I’m a brazilian and from where I am, I have full access to the episodes and for what I watch, Erin Karpluk fits completely in character.
WHY? ABC need to find some original material instead
of trying to re-invent an already brilliant show!
Agreed! And by the writer of ‘Eastwick’? I liked it at first, but I can understand why it was cancelled. I don’t want to see the same thing happen to a re-make of such a great show!
Why not just buy the rights to show something already good, like Call Me Fitz or Todd and the Book of Pure Evil? (Both are hilarious.) It’s not like there’s a huge cultural barrier between the US and Canada, eh?
Yeah I know, they want to maximize profits by only buying the concept and hoping for a lottery win, but how often does that work? Life on Mars, Coupling, etc weren’t too successful.
I love this show…although a few episodes dragged a little last season.
It’s one thing to adapt a British show, because their culture and sensibilities are a lot different from ours, but a Canadian show?That really makes no sense.I mean, we get a lot of Canadian shows and there’s no difference between them and American shows.If you didn’t know they were Canadian, you’d think they were just regular American shows.
well, just like CRAPPY american shows. and there are many.
Damn right! I am Canadian and seriously United States TV shows and Canadian ones are then same. And not to forget the actress that plays Erica also played in an TV show for the United States: Life Unexpected. There are more Canadians in Hollywood than you think!
Because when Americans hear the word “Toronto” (or any non-American city) in a TV show, they feel weirded out. Mainstream means mainstream America, unfortunately. I can’t wait to see how ABC deals with the entire storyline that the brother died from a fire from a dropped joint. They’ll probably come up with something more “family values”.
I don’t think the culture or sensibilities are that different, nor do I think we should touch british shows. We only screw them up. They are masters when it comes to comendy and we just stroll in and make a mess. What happened to making original shows? All we ever seem to do now is re make great shows and make them less then they were. It’s just lazy.
Only an American would say that. Canadian sensibilities are VERY different from Canadian ones. When you have a show like Little Mosque on the Prairie I’ll believe we’re similar.
You are making shallow assumptions about Canadians and their TV shows.
And you’re making a shallow judgement about Americans. Everyone has their own opinion.
I started watching the show on Hulu and actually had no idea what city or even what country it was based in for most of the first season. It was not important; I was interested in the fact that the events and characters are relatable.
This show was great in its first season, tolerable in its second, and unwatchable in its third. I stopped watching this season after about 3 shows – the added cast members, expanded storyline, and insufferable Ford product placement(which they openly talked about(groan) killed a show. Few shows get better with each season and unfortunately, this was one of them. ABC take note – Karpluk was and is the ONLY reason to watch this show, so get yourself a good lead actress and keep the storyline tight cast list small. You need to look for quirky-hot – Kristen Ritter would be awesome, Collette Wolfe would be great, or I’d grab Canadian actress Amanda Walsh when the CW inevitably screws her around with this “Danni Lowinski” pilot thing and leaves her high and dry.
This is SO unnecessary. British remakes have a point. Their culture is really different from Americans’s one, so there’s a lot to be changed and adapted. But not Canada. You could play Being Erica as it is on ABC and, except for the Ontario locations, you could never tell it’s not an american production.
Also, it’ll be next to impossible to find a lead as good as Karpluk.
Blame Scott Pilgrim, I guess.
Why no one has tried to Americanize the Canadian hit show “Corner Gas” is a missed opportunity.
Love Dr. Tom. Don’t know how this will translate. May depend on whether they plan to take it seriously or amp up the kooky factor. I relate to the older single female character. I think it’s that unique perspective that makes the show what it is – What if you’re 33, single, and need to figure your life out in a hurry. Not sure that type of character can carry enough of an audience to keep it on a network like ABC; hope they don’t make her younger to broaden the appeal.
seriously, unless this remake hires adam fergus who is currently starring in the canadian series, it’ll go quickly down in flames!!!
why? why??? The first season of Being Erica was great and very touching. Ok, it deteriorated somewhat thereafter, but I totally disagree with the critics of Erica Karpluk’s performance. She gave a really measured, nuanced performance. Totally right for the character.
I’ve only seen the first season so far (haven’t gotten around to the others yet), but I really liked it. Erin Karpluk is a very engaging lead, and she’ll be really difficult to match because of her quirkiness. However, ABC’s history of adapting other shows isn’t too good, so I don’t have much hopes for this version. Well, I actually don’t have much hope for American TV adapting other series at all. The Office is the only exception I can think of. But remember the blasphemous Spaced pilot, Coupling, and that god-awful Cupid remake?
I also agree with the point that remaking a Canadien series is kind of pointless since their culture is much more similar to ours than Britain’s. ABC just can’t show the original show because SoapNet already owns the rights.
You know, if Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn’t mind returning to tv, I’d love to see her do this.
Good choice. Sarah Michelle Gellar would be an excellent Erica.
Take me down to the Paradox City where the logline makes no goddamn sense and the writing is pithy.
Next!
My wife is a pretty big fan of the show when it shows up from time to time on our Dish….I agree on SMG Summer, seems like she might help bring in some male audience as well which might otherwise be a really big challenge.
Don’t do it ABC, the show was a steaming pile of garbage to begin with, you’re not going to make it any better.
I thought the show was thought provoking and well, er, yes, “warm”. I know the target audience was younger, cooler, more inclusive, and more estrogen laden than I, but what the heck. I laughed. I cried. I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to watching a TV show so much.
I don’t know if ABC can improve on it, but I sure hope CBC brings it back for another season.
Whew – most of these TV watchers really don’t get it. I love the show. It started out great in the first season & has gotton progressively better until I can hardly wait to see what happens in the next season. The lead actress is so real in her performances and very relatable to my daughter of the same age. The writing of this show has been superb and truly insightful and refreshing. I am so sick of the constant battling of egos in most of the shows on TV. I don’t know how this show could be adapted to the American version. The theme is universal, as I see it.
Being Erica is so good!! I will not be watching the ABC adaptation, my people really know how to mess things up!
I love Erin Karpluck! She is so engaging.
NOOOOOO!! The only way I can see this succeeding by an American studio is with Sarah Geller AND Joss Whedon. otherwise,
it’s going to blow up in their faces. 1st they’ll delete that she is Jewish, they’ll delete the 2 Gay men, you can take that to the bank. They’ll make her younger, sexier, blahblahblah I love the show, bought all 3 seasons. It’s not for everyone, but America leave it alone.
A British admirer of Toronto.
Oh dear lord, ABC is going to mess with Being Erica?Why do American networks have to mess with/ruin international Tvshows/movies!
My comment on the original topic: I love the concept of Being Erica. Totally enjoy the show. Love the actors on the original. Love, Love, Love the idea of having it remade. Concept is wonderful can’t wait to see what anyone attempts to do with this concept as a foundation. I’ll at least give a chance to an American, a British, or even an Aussie adaptation.
My reply to other comments: Wow! I’m offended as an American, I’m embarrassed by the comments of other Americans and I’m unbelievably amazed at all the snooty & ridiculous remarks by apparently a ton of jaded, self-proclaimed experts that are all trying to show how hipster cool they are by naming other shows that were redone. If you don’t like the current show then hey, maybe you’ll like the new one! Maybe you could get a new tv that allows you to choose which channel you watch. If you do like the current show than hey maybe the new one will be great! Maybe it will suck! I don’t think that the question is always about remaking a show to “fit” an American audience. Sometimes, there is just a great concept out there that wouldn’t be a bad thing to give another writer a crack at. BTW – little miss “when Americans hear the word “Toronto” (or any non-American city) in a TV show, they feel weirded out.” or the little mosque on the prairie comment – leave your ridiculous small-minded hypocritical comments out. America is no different than any other country, we have both educated and uneducated people as part of our population. Dang! This is why I normally don’t let myself read the comments! I know they are usually just unhappy people saying things anonymously that they would never have the quick-mindedness or guts to say to people’s faces. Sorry bout the long rant it’s almost 5am and I haven’t slept yet.
Question from England: even given that British culture is radically different than American culture, why does this mean that our shows have to be remade before they can cross the Atlantic? Is the American viewing public physically allergic to using their TV to – God forbid – actually LEARN something about different cultures around the world? I watch a great deal of shows from any number of different countries, some of which aren’t even in my native language (shocking, I know) and when I encounter the occasional cultural reference I don’t get, I expend three seconds in Googling it, and there. I’ve found out something I didn’t know before, which is nice. Am I part of a terribly rare breed?