[tellyblues]

Bar Changing Rooms which wasn't a C4 original anyway, compared to similar shows on other channels they could be seen as edgy.

But they weren’t. If other broadcasters get called out for being lazy when they rehash old shows why shouldn't Ch4? The one that is supposed to be different and innovative.

Nobody is saying that C4 can't be criticized. I just think that the shows in question, again bar Changing Rooms, are all different and innovative compared to similar shows on other channels.

TFI Friday vs The One Show
The Big Breakfast vs Breakfast / GMB / generic, sanitized weekend magazine show with cooking segments
The Crystal Maze vs umm... the first series of Lightning which had a physical round?

The C4 shows can be classed as ambitious and quirky in comparison. Compared to the originals, the budget wasn't there and that's another reason they failed.

[JAS84]

Crystal Maze honestly should've done much better... isn't it basically an Escape Room, a concept that seems to be pretty popular in recent years?

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

But they weren’t. If other broadcasters get called out for being lazy when they rehash old shows why shouldn't Ch4? The one that is supposed to be different and innovative.

The C4 shows can be classed as ambitious and quirky in comparison. Compared to the originals, the budget wasn't there and that's another reason they failed.

There's nothing "ambitious" about knocking out watered down versions of shows from 30yrs ago. Late Night Lycett feels like the natural modern day successor to TFI Friday. Maybe we would have gotten it, or something similar, sooner had they not gone for a bit of click bait nostalgia first?. As for The Big Breakfast, CH4 had the perfect opportunity to make an impact in Daytime again but instead we got the distinctly generic Steph's Packed Lunch.

[tellyblues]

The C4 shows can be classed as ambitious and quirky in comparison. Compared to the originals, the budget wasn't there and that's another reason they failed.

There's nothing "ambitious" about knocking out watered down versions of shows from 30yrs ago.

Depends on what other broadcasters are making. Going for the "in thing" is unambitious. There was nothing else like what C4 decided to make even if they were reboots. The likelihood is that if similar shows with new names had been commissioned instead then they would have been labelled watered down versions of old shows so C4 can't win.

[cable]

Crystal Maze honestly should've done much better... isn't it basically an Escape Room, a concept that seems to be pretty popular in recent years?

The point of an escape room is that it is an experience that a person experiences in real life. `Filming it would just make it another TV show. In fact this puts it into instagram/tiktok/YouTube territory.

TV should focus on the things that it's hard for average people to do in real life, like gameshows that have big set pieces like ninja warrior (its been licenced to water parks and indoor adventure parks but these are inspired by and don't fully recreate the show), gladiators and the like. I dare say gunge (the coloured commercial slime) worked because it was something different even if it was overused at the time, and its not something you have at home at your disposal (i.e. not foodstuffs).

With TV moving towards streaming, they won't need to schedule programmes like linear and this should mean fewer things are done but the result is better.

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

There's nothing "ambitious" about knocking out watered down versions of shows from 30yrs ago.

Depends on what other broadcasters are making. Going for the "in thing" is unambitious. There was nothing else like what C4 decided to make even if they were reboots. The likelihood is that if similar shows with new names had been commissioned instead then they would have been labelled watered down versions of old shows so C4 can't win.

They make a lot of great shows but these days they don't have a monopoly on innovation, edge, quirky, ambitious or whatever. Taskmaster & Bakeoff are testament to that; Channel 4 shows originally not on Channel 4. They do follow too. Rise & Fall was blatantly their attempt at the current ''in thing'' The Traitors, Make Me Prime Minister was their millionth Apprentince clone, E4 are still trying to find the next Love Island and Steph's Packed Lunch is basicly an amalgamation of every other live daytime show.

[tellyblues]

I'm not a fan of C4's recent commissions either but appreciate that it's difficult to be truly original nowadays.

[Brekkie]

I think to be fair their new comedy recently ticks the originality box with shows like Big Boys and Everyone Else Burns - there just isn't enough of it. Screw also felt very much like a C4 drama in the vein of Shameless/Teachers rather than an ITV crime drama clone but again not enough scripted content, presumably mainly for cost reasons.

[XIII]

I think to be fair their new comedy recently ticks the originality box with shows like Big Boys and Everyone Else Burns - there just isn't enough of it.  Screw also felt very much like a C4 drama in the vein of Shameless/Teachers rather than an ITV crime drama clone but again not enough scripted content, presumably mainly for cost reasons.

Channel 4 could do more drama if they wanted to, Channel 5 has managed it even if it of varying quality.

[cando]

According to Broadcast, it was for E4 stripped across the week at 9pm in the Love Island/Married at first sight slot. 20 x 60.