Oh No, Not Them (The U.S. pilot version of The Young Ones)

There's no business like show business and there's no shortage of TV execs trying to capture lightning in a bottle. In 1989, U.S. TV network Fox decided to take one of the most uniquely British sitcoms of the decade, put it in a blender and shotgun the remains into an American sitcom format. The results were... not good. Paul, Mat and Ange dive headlong into the disastrous pilot, trying to glean the positives but turning up handfuls of crushing disappointment. They discuss other failed attempts at remaking shows across the pond, the cheesy, formulaic format of U.S sitcoms, how money doesn't fix everything, why the original Young Ones characters are so special, being too meta, being a grubby Benny Hill, U.S shows needing a "likeable" character and why seeing Neil the Hippy in a gunfight is just wrong. Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom