When you're remaking a classic TV show, you have two options: make it a carbon copy of the popular original with a well-worn vibe; or put your trainer marks all over it and totally transform the thing.

Yet when the latter occurs, it can often be a pretty jarring experience if you're overly familiar with the original. Here are those times when TV remakes completely flipped the lid on the core material – with mixed results.

(OK, they were mostly bad.)

1. Baywatch

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The David Hasselhoff action drama series from the 1980s had already tinkered with changing its style with the spinoff Baywatch Nights. Despite featuring The Hoff's character Mitch, it switched from a fun action romp to a bizarre sci-fi X-Files-style mystery.

But in terms of remakes, Baywatch recently suffered another complete revamp with the 2017 big-screen update starring big names Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. The movie version sadly shifted into a slapstick action comedy, without any of the original's camp charm.

It was the same kind of tone change that happened to Starsky and Hutch. The original '70s show was more of a cop drama-cum-thriller, whereas the 2004 movie starring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller was an out-and-out buddy cop comedy drenched in nostalgia. But, at least that one was vaguely funny.

Sort of.

2. Deal or No Deal

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The UK loved Channel 4's iteration of the Dutch game show Deal or No Deal. It reintroduced us all to the enigma that is Noel Edmonds, and became a sofa staple for those first to get in from work any time between 2005 and 2016.

But the UK version of the show is completely different to most others. The original Dutch version, Miljoenenjacht, and the US remake look more like a Miss World pageant than a traditional game show. It's all bombastic craziness and Jägerbombs.

3. Peep Show

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You could argue that the US remake of Peep Show was different in tone and style in that it was simply horribly unfunny.

The pilot for the potential American version of the Channel 4 sitcom starred The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki, and it felt like a completely different show. OK, the characters had the same names, and you heard their thoughts every now and then, but it had removed all of the adult themes and risqué humour that made the original so hilarious.

The main issue, though, was they removed the 'peep' aspect of it. Peep Show's unique selling point is that every camera shot comes from the POV of a character. Did they use this for the US pilot? Nope, it's gone and forgotten. Much like this remake.

4. Knight Rider

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The original '80s series starring The Hoff knew it was a load of silly fun. What more do you expect with a bloke fighting crime with a talking car?

But that worked in the '80s. When the 2008 NBC follow-up arrived, sans Hoff, it was time for the junkyard: axed after just one season.

Unfortunately, Val Kilmer as the voice of KITT was pretty much the only decent thing about it. The fun tone of the original was replaced with a far more miserable version, with newbie Justin Bruening packing none of that Hoff charisma.

5. Miami Vice

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Another '80s TV series that had a knowing gritty reboot in the 2000s was Miami Vice, but this time in movie form. The charm of the original is its incredible '80s-ness, full of Hawaiian shirts, shoulder pads and that Jan Hammer soundtrack.

And then the movie version happened. Directed by Michael Mann, no less, who was an executive producer for the original show. Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were replaced by Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, and like that, all of the original's qualities were gone.

The movie wasn't necessarily bad, it was just... meh. Who was it aimed at? If you'd never seen the original, it was a so-so violent thriller; if you loved the original, you'd wonder why it wasn't like the original. There was no killer soundtrack, no over-the-top fashion and it ended up more a Tarantino knock-off than a Miami Vice upgrade.

6. Thundercats

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TV shows aren't always remade in TV or movie form, sometimes they get a gritty comic-book remake. While many cartoons from Scooby Doo to The Flintstones have made the transition back to page, the most disappointing examples was when Thundercats saw a total transformation as a new comic in 2003.

The show already had a few comic versions in the past, but The Return just didn't quite work. Mainly because it was far too dark and gritty (isn't it always?).

Published by DC's Wildstorm imprint for five issues, the storyline was just incredibly adult. Lion-O returned to Thundera, discovering that Mumm-ra had taken over and enslaved his mates, accompanied by various graphic scenes of violence and general death. At one point there's even a suggestion that Cheetara had been sexually assaulted by the Mutants.

You didn't get that on ITV.

7. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

Chef Ramsay launched Kitchen Nightmares on Channel 4 back in 2004 as a genuinely interesting documentary series in which Gordon attempted to help failing restaurants recover their business with practical advice and an arm round the shoulder.

Three years later, with Gordon's TV star high in the States thanks to his US remake of Hell's Kitchen, the time had come for Kitchen Nightmares USA on Fox.

The US version is pure reality TV guilty-pleasure trash of the finest order. Most of the scenes are clearly contrived, but they become positively surreal when compared to the more sedate UK original.

From: Digital Spy