Global Bridges, Local Bridges: Glocalization and Bron/Broen

Scandinavian detective shows like Bron/Broen (The Bridge 2011-) and Forbrydelsen (The Killing 2007-2012) are immensely popular in Western Europe, yet they do not fare so well in the American market. This is possibly due to the fact that Americans are not used to reading subtitles or because they simply do not understand the problems that are addressed in the series since they are not familiar with Scandinavian culture. So in order for these series to become a success in the States, they have to be ‘localized’, remade into their American counterparts. Both Bron/Broen and Forbrydelsen have been remade into stories told in American cities, with American characters and dilemmas. Some might consider this to be a bad practice, stating that these remakes harm the original; others admire the series for what they are: a qualitative retelling in a familiar setting. We like to propose that localized remakes are in fact an example of the television-format, in which a bareboned plot gets fleshed out through the addition of local themes, characters and places. Thus, American remakes of Scandinavian detective series can be seen as a creative take on the original, one that does not homogenize culture, but diversifies it.

Before we venture into the world of the remake, it is important to get a good understanding of what exactly a format is. Television programming has evolved from one or several channels to a complex network of global companies that sell programs all over the world. Media globalization boomed in the 1990s when show-formats from multiple countries were sold across the borders, instead of being limited to American game shows (Chalaby, 2011: 293-294). This already points at one of the main characteristics of the format: a TV show only becomes a format once it is adapted outside of its country of origins, which makes it inherently transnational (id. 295). This means that the format has a hybrid nature: as it travels, it adapts to the country it finds itself in. Thus, it is very important that the format has a distinctive narrative dimension, with clearly defined story arcs, trigger moments etcetera (id. 294), which work as a set of rules that function as universal qualities uniting all the different adaptations (Meizel, 2010: 194).

Chalaby mostly uses the concept of the format in her discussion of game shows and reality tv-formats that have been adapted by numerous countries, but it is also possible to use this concept when talking about quality television. Quality television is a concept that is used to describe series that have a high level of complexity in their narratives, often experimenting with narrative and plot devices. Breaking Bad and Mad Men are clear examples of this notion, but also Forbrydelsen and Bron/Broen can be called quality television. Their narratives are complex, weaving together multiple storylines and stretching the story arc over multiple episodes. The narrative of Bron/Broen follows two completely different police officers who are forced to work together when a body is found on the bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden. The whole first season is dedicated to solving this case, with subplots about family problems and the female cop’s Asperger complicating the plot.

So how can these complex stories be turned into a format-like structure? The format can be seen as a skeleton, that gets fleshed out by being adapted in order to fit into a specific culture. Without all the local details visible in the behavior of the characters, the landscape, even the dominant colors in the shots, Bron/Broen’s story is about a dead body and two police-officers that try to solve the crime. Adding local flavor makes the narrative complex and interesting: the problems arising when a body is found exactly on the border between two different countries, the landscapes the officers drive through and cultures clashing. In the original, the bridge of the title spans the sea between Denmark and Sweden. The colors are cold and blue-ish and the atmosphere is grim and urban-like.

The series changes in multiple ways when the bridge is placed on the border between the United States and Mexico, like in The Bridge (2013-2014). Placing the body on the border not only raises issues about whose case it is, it also addresses the troubled relationship between the States and Mexico, adding drugs smuggling, human trafficking and disappearing illegal immigrants to the plot. Several issues that are relevant for that specific location are added, making the problems recognizable for the American public. However, the plot is not the only thing that has been localized in the American remake; the atmosphere has completely changed as well. This is already apparent in the opening credits. The urban, grimy and dark opening sequence of Bron/Broen translates into its ‘desert’-equivalent: still evoking a somewhat dark atmosphere, but with shades of yellow and brown, typical Mexican/American border elements like cowboy boots, western-style towns and an Americana soundtrack.

In his article on glocalization in Asian television, Yu-li Chang describes how global media industries had to adapt their television programming to the local audience in order to get viewers. There are several multicultural, racial, religious and linguistic complexities that explain why this audience was not interested in the rebroadcasting of American television (Chang, 2003: 2). This is also the case with Scandinavian detective series. There is of course the issue of a language barrier, but the geographical distance also results in a lack of knowledge about the cultures that are portrayed in the original series. By remaking the series and localizing it, by making the themes, scenery and characters recognizable, the series is able to reach audiences on the other side of the world.

Series like Bron/Broen offer skeletons of plots that can be adapted to new cultures by adding local themes and problems. Instead of a homogenization of television programs, this leads to more diversity and creativity in that it creates local versions of universal stories. It can thus be seen as a format. Certain elements of the plot are universal and will appear in any remake, so as to create a certain unity between the adaptations. The body will always appear on the border, and will always kickstart the uneasy partnership between two police officers who are each other’s opposites: one a man with a family, the other a woman with Asperger. In the case of translocalized TV series like The Bridge, it is the details that link the adaptation to its ‘individual national character’, which makes the story local (Meizel, 2010: 194).

Thesis: The format functions as a bridge between countries.

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·         Jean K. Chalaby (2011), ‘The making of an entertainment revolution: How the TV format trade became a global industry’, in: European Journal of Communication, 26 (4), 2011, pp. 293-308.

·         Yu-li Chang (2003) ‘‘Glocalization’ of television: Programming strategies of global television broadcasters’, in: Asia, Asian Journal of Communication, 13:1, 1-36.

·         Katherine Meizel (2010), ‘The United Nations of Pop: Global Franchise and Geopolitics’, in: Idolized: Music, Media, and Identity in American Idol. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 192-219.  

·         Tasha Oren (2013), 'On the Line: Format, Cooking and Competition as Television Values’, in: Critical Studies in Television, 8 (2), pp. 20-35.