Most recently, Better Man, the biopic of British megastar Robbie Williams, flopped chimp-first both internationally but especially in America, where Williams’ star never rose high enough to achieve significant recognition. While Williams’ cheekiness might have been too much, it’s also possible that his British charms simply didn’t resonate with American audiences. In many ways, America has been a tough nut to crack for numerous British institutions. For every James Bond, Oasis, and Adele, there are dozens of musicians, shows, and series that failed to make a similar impact.
Robbie Williams
Of course, we have to start with Robbie Williams as the prime example—and the inspiration for this list. Despite significant effort and investment by Williams and his label to break into the American market, success has continually eluded him. Before the recent effort with Better Man, Williams made two notable attempts: first in 1999 with the compilation album The Ego Has Landed, featuring the single “Millennium,” which peaked at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 but left little lasting impression.
In 2003, Williams tried again, signing a £120 million deal with EMI Records, but this too failed to capture the attention of the American public, though it did contribute to EMI’s financial troubles. While Williams seems destined to remain an outsider in America as a pop star, he has found a certain solace in living there. His relative anonymity allows him to enjoy a more normal life than he would as a superstar back home.
BritPop Artists (Not Named Oasis)
If you ask an American about their favorite ’90s BritPop act, they’d probably say Oasis—assuming they have one at all. If not, they might eventually recall Blur, The Verve, or Elastica. This reflects how few BritPop artists managed to translate their domestic success into American stardom. At best, many are remembered as one-hit wonders with songs like Blur’s “Song 2,” The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” and Elastica’s “Connection.”
Blur made a more concerted effort to break into the U.S. market but, like their predecessors The Kinks, couldn’t fully translate their British appeal. (Though in The Kinks’ case, their ban from the U.S. arguably played a larger role.) Blur embraced the Cool Britannia aesthetic, which was less familiar to American audiences compared to Oasis’ Beatles-inspired sound. Still, Blur’s “Song 2” can be heard in sports stadiums across the U.S., while Oasis has announced plans to reunite and perform in those same stadiums.
Noel Edmonds and Mr. Blobby
Noel Edmonds, a popular radio DJ and TV host in the U.K., made an ill-fated attempt to break into the U.S. in 1986 with a late-night guest slot on ABC. The show was met with scathing reviews, including a Chicago Tribune article titled “America Meets Two Brits Who Are Real Twits” (the other “twit” being Roger Daltrey of The Who).
Then there’s Mr. Blobby, a bizarre creation from Edmonds’ Noel’s House Party. Although there’s some speculation that Mr. Blobby was considered for an American debut, his surreal antics largely baffled Americans when discovered online. Articles like this explainer from The Guardian highlight both his oddity and fleeting popularity in the U.K. Today, Mr. Blobby’s appearances are mostly confined to British TV, such as the Big Fat Quiz of the Year.
Thunderbirds
In the 1960s, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson introduced “Supermarionation,” a unique puppetry style featured in Thunderbirds. The series followed Jeff Tracy and his sons as they performed daring rescues using futuristic crafts, becoming a cultural phenomenon in the U.K. Attempts to adapt the show for American audiences have consistently flopped, including a heavily re-edited version for Fox Kids in 1994 and the ill-fated Turbocharged Thunderbirds, which Gerry Anderson himself disowned.
Even a 2004 live-action film directed by Jonathan Frakes couldn’t salvage the franchise in the U.S. Still, Thunderbirds has influenced projects like Team America: World Police and MTV’s Super Adventure Team. More details on these failed adaptations can be found on the official Gerry Anderson blog.
Skins (U.S. Version)
Skins U.S. TV Series
The “special relationship” between the U.K. and the U.S. extends to pop culture, but direct translations of British TV shows don’t always succeed. One notable failure was the American adaptation of Skins. Like other cross-cultural remakes (Taskmaster, The Weakest Link, Skins), the U.S. version struggled to balance the original’s identity with changes meant to appeal to American viewers.
The U.S. adaptation of Skins faced backlash for its depiction of teenage life, particularly its portrayal of sex, drugs, and alcohol, and was criticized for casting minors in roles that involved mature themes. As noted by actor Daniel Flaherty (Stanley Lucerne in Skins U.S.) in a Reddit post, these controversies and censorship issues plagued the show’s production and reception. While the U.K. original is fondly remembered, its American counterpart faded into obscurity, leaving in its wake perhaps only the inspiration for Euphoria.
