"UK Only" bits

[D'Snowth]

I noticed the Muppet Morsels on TMS season 1 DVD mention certain sketches and musical bits as being shown in the UK only. How come those bits weren't shown in the US?

 

[Barry Lee]

Basically, because I believe they had less commercials.

 

[D'Snowth]

Lucky them.

 

[David French]

That and the fact that the sketches were (usually) old UK Music Hall numbers that the US audience wouldn't have identified with.

 

[Blue Weirdo]

Lucky them.

Tell me about it! It's bad enough we have the annoying breaks but now almost every station has pop up ads in the middle of the show!!!

 

[D'Snowth]

Tell me about it! It's bad enough we have the annoying breaks but now almost every station has pop up ads in the middle of the show!!!

And then they shrink the ending credits to give us even MORE commercials!

 

[Giar Fraggle]

Has somebody been watching Strong Bad emails...?

I really love the UK bits, sometimes they're one of my favorite sketches in the episode just because they're funny and the music is fun. I'm so glad they decided to include them.

 

[MartyMuppets]

BTW here in Australia when TMS first went to air they showed us the UK bits.
I suppose we used to have simple quick commercial breaks back in those days. If they first aired today we probably wouldn't see them uncut let alone with every episode's UK bit.

 

[anathema]

That and the fact that the sketches were (usually) old UK Music Hall numbers that the US audience wouldn't have identified with.

That's more the symptom than the cause, I think. Since it was known that these segments would be airing primarily in the UK, it would allow them to do stuff like that.

The US wasn't the only country not to get these bits though - France's copies seem to have suffered as well.