Yes, whether you like it or not, the US is going to take the things you love and make them awful.
This marks the third attempt by American TV studios to remake Peep Show and, for our own sake, we're hoping this is the end. The first was in 2005 for Fox and another attempt was made in 2008 with original creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong penning the script.
This time out, Starz - who've had some comedy success with Patrick Stewart's sitcom Blunt Talk and the short-lived-but-excellent Party Down - are taking on the challenge of adapting Peep Show for a US audience. Not only that, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong will act as consulting producers on the show.
It might seem cliche to point it out, but US remakes of UK comedies have rarely worked out or been remotely funny or successful. There's been attempts made on The IT Crowd, Fawlty Towers, Father Ted (yes, really), Black Books and Spaced, all of which have fallen flat or never made it past the pilot stage.
The few who did it make through, of course, were radically different from what came before. The US Office bears little to no resemblance to Ricky Gervais' original whilst Veep is essentially a British comedy with American actors walking around in it. The hope is that if Starz takes this on, they'll follow a similar vein with Armando Iannucci and Veep, i.e. basically make another series of Peep Show, with similar American actors.
Robert Webb and David Mitchell, the two original stars of Peep Show, are unlikely to reprise their roles as Mark and Jeremy - so let's start dream casting in the comments.
Via Variety
