For me the points of failure* are more specifically MTV flaws than anything more generally U.S. related. This doesn’t invalidate the video’s points - it’s a great dissection which I’m glad I watched - but seeing anything associated with the MTV logo should be a big warning sign to would-be viewers, earning two out of a possible three strikes in advance.
I’d cite my favorite go-to example of bad translations-where-no-translation-was-needed : season one of Skins. I didn’t buy into the later seasons - honestly only got through the second one before packing it in - but that first one nailed every note it went for IMHO. When I heard MTV was going to cover it I was skeptical, if only because the main character’s flaw was narcissism, the promotion of which is MTV’s stock and trade. And I was right - one episode in and you could tell it was an unwatchable train wreck.
On the flip side, I thought they tightened up the plot of Being Human when it jumped the pond improving it considerably.
pacing, language, insertion of and overuse of music
From what I’ve read, it seems like the US adaptation of Shameless did actually shave off a few rough bits, but that seems to be true of even the best, most faithful UK to US adaptations. Sometimes they smooth some things out but add a bit of their own, American grit just to localize things.
It’s not meant to help the kitten. The kitten was DOA. We dissect it to learn more about kittens, so that fewer kittens will die in the future. Or comedies.
I loved the UK Shameless (though as devophill says, the latter series were a bit shit) and really liked the US version (though I’ve only seen the first series). It’s a remake that works and like you say, it’s mainly because it retains the grit and semi-bleakness. It’s also very well cast and the characters totally work.
Anyway, I definitely recommend watching the first five series of the original.
