Lucky 7

Not to long ago I reviewed the first season of the hit British comedy/drama The Syndicate, the story of a handful of dysfunctional and troubled people who won the lottery. In the great tradition of America we’ve taken the show and remade it for American viewers. Though I, probably like most of you out there, am tired of the lack of originality when it comes to the things television and film here in the states has to offer, I actually enjoyed the American remake more then I did the original British version of the show.

The problems that I found with the original show is that it was far to overdramatic. Everyone seemed to have insurmountable issues with their lives that not only grew worse, but grew monumentally so. A character can’t just get a bump on the head, or find themselves caught in a relationship dilemma, the true nature of all the problems reaches critical mass. Honestly it got boring having to wade through so much drama.

The American remake, in the pilot episode, felt more fleshed out, a bit more exciting, and all together reasonable in the drama department. Compared to the British version the characters troubles were cut down so as not to dominate the episode. Lorraine Bruce, who originally starred in the British version of the show, pretty much dominated the British version of the show and that got old quickly. This time around her issues are tucked into the fold of all the characters issues being evenly doled out. Smart move.

Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, played a bit of scumbag in the British version. You instantly hated him, but his American counterpart Stephen Luis Grush, was whittled down to the point where you see he’s a bit of a scumbag but he has some redeeming qualities, though his story could go in any direction.

Other then that the story remains the same aside from a newly added character played by Luis Antonio Ramos, TV journeyman, who plays another co-worker who didn’t put in on the pool. Other changes include the fact that the grocery store has turned into a gas station/car shop, which is also not up for sale to a large corporation, and a couple of thugs looking to Grush for payback from some mucked up heist.

Though the show did fall back on the usual formula of pilots that I have noticed trending it was entertaining in a minimalist way while still giving us a coherent enough story and substance towards its characters. I might continue watching and see how this story turns out. Might be worth looking into if the show continues to stay far away from the original design of its British counterpart.