Over the years the U.S. has produced many remakes to put their own spin on international content, but there are quite a few long-running or popular classic U.S. TV shows that audiences had no idea were remakes. As soon as a television series reaches international acclaim or becomes exceedingly successful in its home country, chances are another country will give the premise a try in the form of a remake. On occasion, remakes will end up becoming more beloved than the original series. One of the most famous cases of this is with the American version of The Office.

Usually, remakes will keep the original series' basic narrative and a similar cast of characters, but tweak the dialogue, situations, and general aesthetic to fit the adapted story into a different culture. Another trend that seems to happen with remakes is that the first season will generally stick pretty close to its predecessor's narrative beats, and then venture off into uncharted territory once it's proven successful. With a lot of these classic American TV show remakes, their source material has been forgotten by audiences because the two shows were just different enough to not draw comparison or their legacies have grown so large that they overshadow the originals.

RELATED: 7 Terrible US Remakes Of UK Sitcoms

10 All In The Family (1971 - 1979)

The classic American sitcom All in the Family isn't an original. The Bunkers were based on the Garnett family, led by patriarch Alf in the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part. The original series ran on BBC One from 1965 to 1975. Creator Norman Lear had read an article in Variety about the series and felt the premise rang true to his own relationship with his father. Lear created All in the Family, using many of his own personal experiences. All in the Family and Till Death Do Us Part are incredibly similar, as they depict two bigoted patriarchs facing a changing world and learning important lessons from the younger generation.

9 Three's Company (1977 - 1984)

The iconic '70s sitcom Three's Company isn't an original American series. Rather, it's based on the British sitcom Man About the House, which ran on ITV from 1973 to 1976. Both series made waves at the time, as depicting a single man living with two single women was unheard of. Broadway writer Peter Stone was the first to try and make an American adaptation of Man About the House, but ABC felt his setting would be too alienating for audiences and requested the help of M*A*S*H* creator Larry Gelbart. Like many remakes, Three's Company is very similar to its British counterpart initially, but the stories diverged as time went on.

8 Sanford And Son (1972 - 1977)

Sanford and Son, the show famous for kicking The Brady Bunch off of the air thanks to its out-of-this-world ratings, is based on the British sitcom Steptoe and Son, which aired on BBC One from 1962 to 1974. It was Norman Lear again who decided to bring the popular British series to America, and many touted Sanford and Son, one of the best sitcoms of the '70s, as NBC's answer to CBS's All in the Family, despite both shows sharing a creator. One of the key differences between the two was their focus on topical issues versus family issues.

7 Queer As Folk (2000 - 2005)

The groundbreaking Showtime series Queer as Folk didn't get its start in the States, as the show is based on a British series of the same name by Russell T. Davies that debuted on Channel 4, running from 1999 to 2000. Many probably don't know that Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen got his start on the British LGBTQ+ series, and both Queer as Folk's shared more similarities than differences. Most of the American characters had a clear British equivalent, and both series became popular and controversial at the time for their no-holds-barred depiction of sex. Queer as Folk was the first show to portray sex between men on American television.

6 Shameless (2011 - 2021)

Shameless US and Shameless UK have a litany of differences, but the British version hit the screens first and got an American remake years later. Both series are based on the working-class dysfunctional Gallagher family, centering around the neglectful and alcoholic patriarch Frank as well as his children. The British version ran on Channel 4 from 2004 to 2013, and thanks to its successes, Showtime began development on an American version in 2010 after making a deal with producer John Wells. Both series have seen enormous successes, with both having almost the same exact number of episodes, though with key differences in their respective stories.

5 Euphoria (2019 - )

The controversial HBO teen drama Euphoria was inspired by an Israeli miniseries of the same name that was broadcast on Hot 3 from 2012 to 2013. If one were to watch the Israeli miniseries, they may not see many connections to the American remake, as drastic changes were made to the overall story and the US Euphoria cast of characters are almost entirely their own. Nonetheless, both Euphoria's teens have to deal with addiction, sexuality, and trauma as they try to find their place in the world. The pair of Euphoria protagonists, Rue and Hofit, share the most similarities and are arguably the thin thread that connects the two series.

4 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993 - 1996)

One of the largest kids' franchises of the '90s, Power Rangers, actually got its start in Japan. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has its roots deep in the Japanese Tokusatsu series Super Sentai. The first Super Sentai show debuted all the way back in 1977 and basically got a new series every year until Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger became the source of inspiration for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Almost every Super Sentai show got a Power Rangers remake after that, and the franchise became a pop culture phenomenon in the States, spawning books, movies, toys, and video games. Stock footage from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger was even incorporated into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

3 Homeland (2011 - 2020)

The hit espionage thriller series Homeland may be all about the American CIA, but its roots aren't in America. The show is based on an Israeli series Prisoners of War, which aired from 2010 to 2012 on Channel 2. Unlike Homeland, Prisoners of War only lasted for two seasons, meaning the remake's story greatly differs from the original and expands well into the future. While the Israeli series follows three main previous prisoners of war, the American version focuses on CIA operative Carrie Mathison and former prisoner of war Nicholas Brody. Regardless of having a fair share of differences, both series are critically acclaimed and have garnered impressive accolades.

2 Ugly Betty (2006 - 2010)

ABC's series Ugly Betty is an American remake that drew ire from fans of the original Columbian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea because of its drastic differences. The telenovela ran on RCN from 1999 to 2001. However, unlike Ugly Betty, the protagonist in the Columbian series is skilled in economics and rises the ranks to become a CEO assistant and economist. The two shows differ greatly in format. Ugly Betty is a classic American sitcom with a heartwarming message, whereas Betty, la fea was a soap opera full of cliffhangers and illicit romances. Regardless, both series were successful and Betty, la fea has received countless international remakes.

1 House Of Cards (2013 - 2018)

Shows about ambition and political corruption never go out of style, and the hit Netflix show House of Cards is based on the 1990 British political thriller of the same name. Instead of seeing the Machiavellian conservative Frank Urquhart lie, cheat, and steal his way into the Prime Minister's seat, the U.S.'s House of Cards sees the amoral South Carolina Democratic congressman Frank Underwood snake his way into securing the Presidency. Like many classic U.S. TV shows that are actually remakes, the first season of House of Cards stuck relatively close to the source but then diverged narratively.