Before I began to watch it, I was in doubt because most of the time western productionS of Chinese or even Asian epics get really cheesy and derive too much from the originals. However, I watched it because my husband guaranteed it'd be fun to watch, and I got addicted.
Yes they did change some factors like story lines and characters, but I quite like it by treating it as an independent story.
I think overall it's got a well-written script and good cast, Kudos to the art team, most importantly, it's funny, a mixture of fantasy and comedy.
Forget about the original, just watch it as a new show, you won't be disappointed.