Ever turn on the television and have a sneaking suspicion you've already seen this show? No, it's not déjà vu, you've likely just seen the British or European version.
This is probably only bad news for xenophobes! It's actually great news for TV obsessives, as several of our best shows have come from across the pond. Take Dancing With the Stars as an example. Hype is building for the ABC dancing competition, as the show is heading into its 30th season in the United States.
However, did you know that DWTS is based on the U.K. series Strictly Come Dancing? Just like DWTS, Strictly pairs celebrities with professional dancers to compete in ballroom numbers. Emma Thompson's husband, actor Greg Wise, is among those set to appear in Strictly's upcoming season.
While we're talking about American remakes, we'd be remiss if we didn't bring up The Office. The NBC hit, which ran for nine seasons between 2005 and 2013, is easily one of the most beloved comedies in U.S. history.
But The Office was actually a success in the U.K. first. Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the British Office ran for two seasons between 2001 and 2002, and starred Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis, Mackenzie Crook and more.
And it seems that the American remake trend is still going strong, as CBS is adapting BBC One's spooktacular series Ghosts. Much like the 2019 original, which starred Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe, the U.S. version of Ghosts will follow couple Samantha and Jay (now played by Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar, respectively) as they try to renovate a recently inherited estate.
A construction accident later makes it so Samantha is able to see the ghosts that dwell in the manor—who have a lot of opinions. The British version of Ghosts was very delightful, so, we're both nervous and excited for this new iteration.
For a closer look at American TV shows and their foreign predecessors, scroll through the images below!
FOX's Call Me Kat, starring Mayim Bialik, is actually based on the hit British comedy Miranda, which was created by and starred comedian Miranda Hart.
Before Alyssa Milano started her affair with the ABC series, Mistresses was a UK series that ran for three seasons. The U.S. version ran for four seasons, wrapping in Sept. 2016.
Hard to believe any singing competition existed before American Idol, right? The Idol we all know is actually based on the UK version, Pop Idol, also starring Simon Cowell. The franchise has versions all over the globe now, from Australia to South Africa. The current U.S. version stars Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
Before the likes of Bristol Palin and Andy Dick were covered in sequin and waltzing around the dance floor, there was a BBC reality series called Strictly Come Dancing which started the celeb ballroom competition series craze that went global.
Can you believe this show is still on the air? Millionaire, which has been running since 2002, is based on a British/Irish television quiz show of the same name.
The BBC One comedy Ghosts is heading across the pond, as CBS is adapting it for American audiences. Catch the premiere on Oct. 7.
Before there was Showtime's Shameless, starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, there was the British version, which ran for 11 seasons between 2004 and 2013 on Channel 4.
The HBO comedy series was based on the BBC series The Thick of It, starring Peter Capaldi, a.k.a. on of the Doctors from Doctor Who.
The U.S. version is based on the U.K. version, which came from the original New Zealand reality cooking show with the same title.
The format of the long-running TLC series, which originally ran between 2000 and 2008 and revived in 2018, is based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms.
Perhaps one of the most successful U.K. remakes, the Emmy-winning U.S. version starring Steve Carell was inspired by the beloved U.K. comedy starring Ricky Gervais and Martin Freeman.
Another singing competition remake! The original U.K. version of The X Factor, a.k.a. the show that brought us One Direction, crossed the pond to the U.S. with Simon Cowell in 2011.
What's not to love about Love Island? The series originally premiered on ITV in 2005 and ran for the two seasons. It was later revived in 2015 and has gone on to be a smash hit for ITV2. This inspired an American version, which debuted in 2019 on CBS.
The classic '70s sitcom stems from a U.K. series titled Till Death Us Do Part, which ran on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975.
Before all of America was singing the theme song, Brits were enjoing the sitcom Three's Company is based on: Man About the House.
The Showtime series was an American remake of the U.K. Queer as Folk, which chronicled the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village.
The hilarious British game show, which has run for 11 seasons and two specials, got an American adaptation for Comedy Central. It ran for only one season.
The HBO drama, which originally starred Gabriel Byrne and was later revived for a 2020 iteration starring Uzo Aduba, is based on the Italian TV series starring Sergio Castellitto.
The Emmy-nominated Netflix series was originally a BBC miniseries that aired back in 1990.
Obsessed with this Showtime Emmy-winning drama? You have the Israeli series Hatufim (Prisoners of War) to thank.
The FX series, which had a two season-run starring Diane Kruger, was based on the Danish/Swedish series Bron.
The AMC-turned-Netflix drama, which had its fourth and final season debut in 2014, was a remake of the Danish police procedural Forbrydelsen.
Although Skins was a wildly popular teen show in the U.K., American audiences did not take to the MTV adaptation, as it only ran for one season.