Two words: Trading Spaces. It put TLC, which has since franchised it beyond belief, on the map, so BBC began plugging the Brit original. I imagine it must've done alright, since they proceeded to dust off every other goddamn improvement show they've ever done and show them all.

They have tried some recent sitcoms, but they never found an audience. Anyone who's suffered through the less-than-brilliant writing of Monarch of the Glen or The Royle Family can easily tell you why.