Is there anything better than really getting into a new TV show?
When you’ve made your home super cosy, you’re settling in with your favourite snacks and you’re leaving chores to do for another day, you press play and give in to hours of entertainment and escapism.
It seems that there’s always a new box set to binge or a new ‘must-see’ series debuting. And you might wonder, how do they find the time to keep coming up with all these ideas? Well, you might be surprised to discover just how many of your favourite shows are remakes, adaptations or spin-offs.
The best TV shows we never knew were remakes
Homeland
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Homeland was one of the most popular shows of the 2010s. Debuting in 2011, fans were immediately gripped by the gritty drama, following Claire Danes’s character, a CIA operative, who was convinced a released prisoner of war might pose a threat to the United States.
Winning Golden Globes and Emmys, it was a critical smash and ran for eight seasons.
However, fans may be surprised to discover the show was based on an Israeli series, titled Prisoners of War. The creator of this show, Gideon Raff, helped produce Homeland.
House of Cards
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A tense, twisty political thriller, House of Cards proved to be one of Netflix’s first major original successes. (It was, indeed, the first ever TV series produced exclusively for the streamer).
While it was Netflix’s first original, it wasn’t entirely an original premise. The series, which starred Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey, was based on a 1989 novel which had already been adapted for TV in 1990 in the UK.
Revenge
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In 2011, ABC premiered a stylish, sophisticated thriller called Revenge. With a spotlight on the sordid underbelly of the wealthy Hamptons elite, a newcomer arrives with a secret…
The show ran for four seasons and earned solid reviews – with the final season holding an impressive 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The tale – of a mysterious outsider working their way to the inner circle to exact revenge – might sound familiar. And that’s because the show was a modern adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.
Saved by the Bell
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A massively popular teen sitcom debuting in 1989, the likes of Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Lisa (Lark Voorhies), Screech (Dustin Diamond), and Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Amber Thiessen) became icons to a generation.
The iconic teens of Los Angeles’ Bayside High proved popular for four seasons, but many fans might not realise the show was something of a spin-off.
The characters first appeared together as part of the Disney Channel series, Good Morning, Miss Bliss.
Jane the Virgin
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Starring Gina Rodriguez as Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a devout virgin who becomes pregnant after an accidental artificial insemination, Jane the Virgin ran for five seasons and received widespread critical acclaim, including Golden Globe nominations and a Peabody Award.
The show’s premise was adapted from the Venezuelan telenovela, Juana la Virgen, created by Perla Farías.
Devious Maids
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Fans couldn’t wait to devour Devious Maids, the 2013 show created by the team behind Desperate Housewives.
With many still in agreement it’s an example of a series that ended too soon – after running for four seasons – the series was full of soapy twists and unpredictable plotlines.
Developed for US audiences, the premise was based on the Mexican series Ellas son… la alegría del hogar.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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Establishing the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hanigan as major stars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is considered one of the most iconic shows ever made.
Running for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, Buffy saw the sassy teen fighting all kinds of supernatural villains – and dealing with the everyday woes of being a teenage girl.
While it’s now the definitive version, the TV show was a remake and adaptation of a 1992 film, also titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The Good Doctor
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Starring Freddie Highmore as a skilled, young doctor with autism, The Good Doctor debuted in 2017 and ran for an impressive 126 episodes.
The series is a remake of a South Korean show of the same name – but the original didn’t have the same level of success, only running for 20 episodes in 2013.
The Simpsons
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The Simpsons need no introduction.
It is the longest-running scripted primetime series on American TV, running for 36 seasons and counting, and the yellow family are famous the world over.
But people may be surprised to discover The Simpsons is a spin-off from a segment on another show.
The Simpson family were first introduced to the world via a series of cartoon shorts for the Emmy-winning The Tracey Ullman Show.
Deal or No Deal
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Deal or No Deal has found popularity in countries across the world – but the format didn’t start in the UK or the US (where a young Meghan Markle worked as one of the hosts!).
The concept of the show is based on a Dutch reality show, Miljoenenjacht, sponsored by the country’s postcode lottery, where a contestant and at-home viewer could win a top prize of five million euros.
The Killing
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Set in Seattle, The Killing ran for four seasons across two networks, AMC and Netflix.
The show follows murder investigations carried out by homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman).
The US version was based on a Danish television series, Forbrydelsen.
The Bridge
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Starring Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir, The Bridge ran for two series in 2013 and 2014.
A tough crime drama taking place on the border between the United States and Mexico, the concept of the show is taken from a Danish-Swedish show, Bron/Broen.
Xena: Warrior Princess
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Up there with Wonder Woman, Xena: Warrior Princess is one of the most iconic female superheroes.
Played by Lucy Lawless for six seasons between 1995 and 2001, it’s hard to believe that Xena was only ever supposed to be a short-time thing.
The character initially appeared in just three episodes of another show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. and was supposed to die at the end. However, she proved to be so popular she landed her own spin-off.
Humans
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Humans was a British sci-fi series which debuted in 2015, and ran until 2018. It starred the likes of Crazy Rich Asians actress Gemma Chan and The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss.
Popular across the UK and the US, the show was based on a Swedish science fiction drama, titled Real Humans.
The Cleaner
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British sitcom, The Cleaner, was first released in 2021.
Airing on the BBC, the darkly comic show follows a cleaner who has to remove all traces of dastardly things from crime scenes. It’s featured guest stars including Helena Bonham Carter and Harriet Walter.
While this version feels distinctly British, the concept of the show is based on the German comedy, Der Tatortreiniger.
The Crystal Maze
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A classic of British TV, The Crystal Maze has aired (on and off) since 1990.
The show – which has been hosted by Rocky Horror Picture Show star Richard O’Brien – sees teams compete in a series of challenges set against different periods of human history.
The series is based on the French game show, Fort Boyard.
I Can See Your Voice
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Delightfully odd and original, I Can See Your Voice is a gameshow that feels fresh in concept.
The show involves a team of people trying to guess who, out of a group of mystery singers, are the ‘bad’ singers to find the genuinely good vocalist.
Airing across the world, including the US and the UK, the show originated in South Korea.
Survivor
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Running for 47 seasons (and counting), America has basically claimed Survivor as their own. However, the adventure reality show originated in Sweden, under the name Expedition Robinson.
The show puts a group of strangers on an isolated island, forcing them to compete in challenges to win money and immunity from elimination. At the end of the game, the remaining Survivors compete to become the ‘Sole Survivor’ and take home a massive cash prize.
Big Brother
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Sticking a bunch of strangers in a house, where they’re monitored 24/7 and cut off from the outside world, Big Brother has become, possibly, the biggest reality series ever made. In the UK, it’s made stars out of the likes of Alison Hammond and the late Jade Goody.
While most people know that the name of the show is inspired by the all-seeing authority from George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, many might not know that the British series in 2000 wasn’t the first to kickstart the franchise.
The first Big Brother aired in 1999, in the Netherlands.
Dragons’ Den
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Launched in 2005, the British reality series Dragons’ Den sees numerous entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of established investors.
If they impress the investors – the Dragons – they agree to take a certain amount of money for a stake in their budding business.
The BBC’s Dragons’ Den has inspired over 40 foreign versions across the world, but it wasn’t actually the first. The concept of the show started in Japan, where it is known as The Tigers of Money.
The Mysteries of Laura
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Starring Will & Grace icon Debra Messing, The Mysteries of Laura proved to be a steady hit for NBC in 2014. Following a detective who also juggles life as a single mum, the show would eventually run for two seasons.
The series is adapted from a Spanish television show, Los Misterios de Laura.
The Masked Singer
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The Masked Singer first started in the US in 2019 and the UK in 2020. A truly baffling concept, fans immediately were swept up in the insanity of seeing the likes of Gladys Knight, Mel B and Natalie Imbruglia singing songs all while disguised under huge costumes.
The show is originally from South Korea, where it’s known as King of Mask Singer.
Scenes From a Marriage
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In 2021, the trend of massive movie stars coming to the small screen continued with Oscar winner Jessica Chastain starring alongside Oscar Isaac in the passionate, moving mini-series, Scenes From a Marriage.
This was a direct remake of a Swedish mini-series of the same name, which was directed by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman in the 1970s.
The Power Rangers
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Anyone with young children or siblings will remember just how popular the Power Rangers were when they kicked and kapowed their way onto screens in 1993.
However, fans may be shocked to realise that the Power Rangers were a remade concept. The show adapted footage from the Japanese TV series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger which was part of the Super Sentai franchise.
I Love Lucy
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Often cited as one of the best American sitcoms of all time, I Love Lucy helped cement Lucille Ball as a showbiz legend.
Despite being endlessly popular, I Love Lucy was not entirely original – the concept of the sitcom first aired on radio. It was adapted from a radio show called My Favorite Husband which debuted in 1948. The radio series also starred Lucille Ball as a leading character not unlike the red-headed heroine, Lucy Ricardo.
The Flintstones
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Yabba Dabba Doo! The Flintstones – the amusing cartoon about marital couples living in prehistoric Bedrock – is one of the most popular cartoon series in history.
What many might not have known is that the show is thought to be a parody or loosely modelled on a TV show called The Honeymooners.
Empire
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A glamorous, dramatic tale of an ailing businessman who debates what to do with his music empire, Lee Daniels’s TV series, Empire, ran for over 100 episodes.
While not a direct remake, the show’s concept is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear.
The Traitors
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Just when you give up on the hope of an original new reality show, The Traitors became the talk of the country when it debuted in the UK in 2022.
A castle full of strangers are divided into two groups – a select number of Traitors and the rest Faithful. If the Faithful can identify the Traitors, they split the cash prize between them. If a Traitor goes undetected, they win the lot.
The success of the UK franchise launched remakes in Australia and America, but the British version isn’t the original. The show follows a concept introduced in Dutch series, De Verraders.
Euphoria
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HBO’s Euphoria was a controversial hit when it debuted in 2019. Full of teenagers living through complex issues and dealing with hard-hitting topics, Zendaya took home an Emmy for her role.
Despite feeling distinctly catered to a Gen Z audience, the show itself wasn’t an original – it’s based on a 2012 Israeli miniseries of the same name.
Veep
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Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, a fictional Vice President of the United States, Veep ran for seven seasons and won an impressive 17 Emmys.
Many consider the show to be a loose remake of the hit British comedy The Thick of It – and both are from the brain of Armando Iannucci. However, it’s worth noting that Iannucci himself doesn’t see Veep as a remake of the original show that satirised the inner workings of the UK government.
Per Chortle, he said, “The joke in The Thick Of It is that they don’t know what to do, so Malcolm Tucker bullies them,’ he said. ‘But the joke in Veep is that she used to be quite powerful in the Senate – and now, although she’s technically the second most powerful person on earth, but she doesn’t quite know what to do. She has to wait for the President to tell her.”
Friday Night Lights
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Set in small-town America, Friday Night Lights dealt with many societal issues – all wrapped up through the lens of sports.
A critical success that’s become culturally significant, Friday Night Lights won a Peabody Award, a Humanitas Prize, a Television Critics Association Award and several Emmys.
The show was actually inspired by a non-fiction novel released in 1990, which itself was adapted into a 2004 film.
Ugly Betty
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Ugly Betty debuted in 2006 and introduced the world to the pluckiest ugly duckling. Played by future Oscar nominee America Ferrera, Ugly Betty was a major cultural moment, introducing the likes of Vanessa Williams to a new generation of fans and attracting A-List stars including Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan and Salma Hayek for guest appearances.
Arguably the most famous version, the US Ugly Betty wasn’t the first. It’s a remake of a Colombian series titled Yo Soy Betty, la Fea.
