TV networks seem to be getting the right idea in their attempts to cash in on the popularity of series from other countries. Rather than (in some cases) unnecessarily remaking British and Canadian series, these popular shows are being made available to U.S. viewers. This applies to The L.A. Complex, which has officially been picked up by The CW.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good remake. As a fan of The Office and more recently Syfy’s Being Human, I’d be remiss if I tried to claim all remakes were blatant rip-offs with no originality or entertainment value to offer viewers. I don’t see why I can’t enjoy Ricky Gervais’ original version of The Office and also like what Greg Daniels has done to adapt the concept for U.S. TV. And there’s something to be said for taking the best of an idea and adapting it to suit an audience that may share the same language but does differ culturally.
With the above said, as someone who is slowly but steadily developing an appreciation for Doctor Who and more recently, Sherlock, some things are best left unadapted. Meanwhile, we can appreciate networks like BBC America and PBS for delivering these foreign gems to us in their original form for our enjoyment. Syfy is doing the same in airing BBC One’s Merlin and coming soon, the Canadian supernatural drama Lost Girl, and now The CW will be bringing The LA Complex to the U.S.
We learned last week that a deal was in the works for the CW to acquire the Canadian soap and today The Hollywood Reporter states that the network has purchased six episodes of the one-hour series, which airs on CTV up north. Created by Martin Gero, the soap follows a group of 20-somethings living in Hollywood and trying to make it big. The CW aims to get the series on the air this spring.
Looking at the cast photo, which has them posed by the swimming pool in their apartment’s courtyard, I can’t help but be reminded of Melrose Place, a drama I tried to revisit via Netflix but didn’t even make it through the pilot. Something tells me The L.A. Complex will fit in among the CW’s other content. Despite the lack of a supernatural element, it does sound like it has a similar young-people-drama set-up, which viewers of the network are likely to appreciate.
