Upon seeing the headline that TNT is going to be doing a new version of the UK series Cracker, I suspect I had the same reaction as many of you: Wasn't this show already remade for U.S. audiences? Yes, it was. It happened in 1997 and starred Robert Pastorelli and an unknown Josh Hartnett. They even managed a guest spot for the star of the original, Robbie Coltrane. Unfortunately, it never really caught on, and struggled to make it through that one season.
Granada America still thinks the show can be a success stateside. More specifically, they think it can be a success on cable. As senior VP Julie Meldal-Johnson puts it, "We thought the timing was right and that American cable, edgier and more open, would be a better venue for it than broadcast." And that's the bit that, kind of, sells me on the idea. Cable does offer certain freedoms and TNT does have a pretty good thing going with The Closer and Saving Grace. We'll just consider that Heartland mess a learning experience, for now. Despite failing once, Cracker remains a great story, and I'm willing to give yet another incarnation a go.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-30-2008 @ 2:50PM
Nhex said...
Let's not forget the godawful Saved. Atrocious show. It seems more and more likely The Closer was a fluke.
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6-30-2008 @ 4:12PM
C C said...
When they tried to do the first Americanized Cracker, the timing wasn't right. 15-20 years ago, we didn't like dark, flawed, and complex protagonists on our tv shows. Things have changed, thanks to cable tv offering the likes of The Sopranos, The Wire, and Dexter. If I were to compare any American show to Cracker, it would be Dexter. Though Dexter isn't as addictive or self-destructive as Fitz, the characters share a similar modus operandi; their "dark sides" are an asset when it comes to solving crimes.
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6-30-2008 @ 6:59PM
Gordon Werner said...
There is no need to do this ... the BBC show was perfect
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6-30-2008 @ 7:19PM
gonnabechef said...
Every time a superior British show is remade stateside, an angel loses its wings. I'm looking at you, Life on Mars.
Seriously, folks, Cracker is on DVD and you should definitely check it out if you haven't seen it.
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6-30-2008 @ 8:22PM
bc said...
If nothing else, the first US "Cracker" will be remembered for giving us teenaged Josh Hartnett gagged and chained to a bed dressed only in his tighty-whities (and maybe socks; it's been a while). I, for one, was immediately enchanted.
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