There are plenty of American shows that get dubbed in other languages and shipped overseas for other audiences to enjoy. But sometimes, when another country really likes a hit foreign show, they’ll pull out all the stops and give it a full remake that’s tailor made for their viewers. Ideally, this would be done legally with studios and networks securing the rights to the original material beforehand; nevertheless, there have been times in the past when other countries have been accused of totally ripping off American programming without consent.
By remaking popular TV shows instead of just dubbing or subtitling the original version, other countries can feature their own domestically familiar actors and make changes to the script that are more in tune with the local culture. So, if you’re wondering which of your favorite American shows have received a foreign facelift, take a look at this list of 12 hit shows that were remade for other countries.
12. The Simpsons (United Arab Emirates)
As you might imagine, a show depicting the lives of an all-American family might not be considered ideal entertainment in the Middle East. But once you get rid of all the beer and bacon references and tweak a few characters like the Jewish Krusty the Clown, what you get is Al Shamshoon, a remake of The Simpsons that was made specifically the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai’s MBC network took Homer, Marge and Bart Simpson and transformed them into Omar, Mona and Badr Shamshoon. Of course, since drinking alcohol and getting drunk is heavily frowned upon in Dubai, Moe’s Tavern is nowhere to be found and Omar is instead left to deal with his incessant soda addiction. Unsurprisingly, the series didn’t translate too well and ended up being cancelled after only 34 of the 52 adapted episodes aired.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-simpsons-once-referenced-alan-rickman-and-david-bowie-in-brilliantly-british-clip-a6813961.html Source: Independent.co.uk