Everybody knows that the popular quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" was dumbed-down after it was exported from England to the U.S. Some advertisers, in fact, were very angry because they thought the level of difficulty made it too easy for contestants to go all the way.

But that's the point, isn't it? Without the real possibility that someone can win a million, there's little incentive to watch. In any case, the Yanks don't seem to be particularly bothered by the news that they are less brainy than the Brits. Who needs brains when you've got the strongest economy on the planet? Which is another point that appeals to Americans -- the vicarious thrill of watching someone make lots of money without doing much work to get it. It's a wonder they weren't the first to think up the show.

The Japanese franchise that airs on Fuji TV (Thursday, 7 p.m.) is almost identical to the American version, even down to the title, which has been retained, I imagine, for identification purposes. The word "millionaire" has little meaning when the currency in question is yen, but at least the producers were alert enough to place a dollar sign in front of it. They obviously want the Japanese public to know it's a copy of that famous American show.