So, last night, I arrived home too late to jump into Fringe, the new Sci-Fi show on Fox, but I did catch Hole in the Wall. I'm a big fan of the youtube clips of the Japanese version by Fuji TV (search for Human Tetris, 6 is particularly good), but Fox and Fremantle North America (producers) failed again to capture the charm of a foreign show for an American audience.
What did they do right?
Costumes - right down to the over emphasized bulges. Perfect.
Countdown - 3, 2, 1. Good job not screwing THAT up.
What did they get wrong? A lot.
The hosts. Dude - what are you doing up there? Chick - turn down the glam including that hair, and calm down.
Mood - Hole in the Wall is too focused on the competition. Maybe the Japanese are playing for money, but it looks like they're a bunch of adults (I've heard some are comedians) reliving their early teen years and having a good, but rediculous time. The American humor mostly came from flaming gay stereotypes. Not just that, but much like the new American Gladiators, it feels over-produced.
The walls - A lot of the Japanese humor is not the funny moves to get through the moderately difficult holes, but how they react to the nearly impossible ones. Or how they try to scramble off the wall when they get stuck.
The set - It's a minor item, but silly and cheap is funnier than slick and stylish.
Now, I've heard the Japanese adults are normally much more reserved than Americans and so is through things like these shows that they are able to let loose, so maybe we're not uptight enough to start with, but dang - lighten up, don't try so hard and have fun.
And worst of all, they show way too many clips of future episodes at the end, including the fat girl. Okay, I get how that's supposed to be funny, but it's seesm like a one shot deal, and well, now it's ruined. Id rating: D+.
And yes, the irony that the movie Lost in Translation, a favorite of mine, takes place in Japan was intentional.
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