Importing British television programs and repurposing them for American audiences has been a bit of a trend in idea-deficient Hollywood for some time now. Reality shows, comedies, and even musical dramas have all crossed the pond with various degrees of success.
For example, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was an instant success in the US, The Office is a fan favorite but isn't breaking ratings records, and Viva Laughlin, well, you know what happened there.
The list goes on and on, and it will only continue to grow. The latest to be added is the Channel 4 series Spaced. This may not mean much to the typical American television addict, but Spaced was the launching pad for Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, and Edgar Wright, better known as the team behind the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
Fox has ordered a remade-for-American-audiences pilot of the show, reports Variety, with producer Adam Barr (Will & Grace, The New Adventures of Old Christine) helming the show and McG's (Chuck, the movie Charlie's Angels) Wonderland production company behind it. The comedy, which aired for two seven-episode seasons in 1999 and 2001, follows a man and a woman who feign a relationship to get cheaper rent on an apartment and their wacky adventures with their misfit circle of friends. The British version got laughs with its use of pop-culture references, often appealing to the geek crowd by mentioning sci-fi movies, video games, and comic books.
Variety states that Wright and Pegg's involvement in the project is "still unclear." What do you think: Will slow-mo gunfights and the like work in the US?
[UPDATE] Edgar Wright has posted his feelings about the deal on his MySpace blog, and they're none too kind. In addition to calling the announcement "troubling news," Wright says that neither he nor Pegg were ever contacted regarding the deal.
Wright says: "I don't really want to get involved at all, but it infuriates me that they would a) never bother to get in touch but still b) splash me and Simon's names all over the trade announcements and infer that we're involved in the same way Ricky [Gervais] & Steve [Merchant] were with [the Americanized version of] The Office. Also, it's worth stressing that I will not be profiting from this reversion, nor do they have to get permission from me to make it."
But how does he really feel? "I'm calling for everyone to refer to the U.S. version of Spaced as McSpaced from now on. I can't think of a better distillation of the whole idea."
And Spaced fans wholeheartedly agree.
Comments (35)
Why do americans always do this.i'm only halfway through the series but i think it's great... if it was an american sitcome it wouldn't be funny (just like all the other american sitcoms) it's sad to see this happen. just like teachers and blackpool and soon like life on mars (which was fantastic with john simm and philip glenister) all these shows are ruined. They should just show the british versions of these shows instead of trying to make new ones.what'll be next, an american doctor who... oh wait that would be that tragedy of a movie wouldn't it?I'm just glad in australia we have all the crap shows filtered out for us, though not enough as we still get a lot of american garbage over here... thank god for dvds!moreless
Americanizing good shows tends to just ruin them. While I do enjoy the US version of the Office, I dont think this show will translate right, and be as funny or successful. I hope they do not bring it to the US, and if it does, it flops badly.
What made this show funny was that it was NOT american... it should be left alone and if anything, brought back with the original cast. They are the ones that made the show what it was.
Yes, Spaced was brill. However anyone trying to recreate it's vibe now are missing the point on three key levels. Cast and Writing, many have already mentioned, but the other thing that made Spaced great was its style, the way it used visual language of movies and other TV genre's to make a lot of its jokes.That style was pretty innovative eight years ago, but now with the surreal jumps of the likes of Scrubs, Malcolm in the Middle, and My Name is Earl (Earl looks like its creators they were locked in a flotation tank with a copy of Raising Arizona for three years), trying to reinvent this style again now will be superfluous.Without the cast, writer director team, and the style of the original Spaced, all you are left with is the "situation" of the sit-com. In the case of Spaced the fraudulent couple flatshare secret from the landlady dilemma, was always weak, and only the excuse for throwing the characters together. This lame contrivance is the only thing that the American re-makers will have to build on. "Three's Company", anyone?It's sad, they'll probably rope in some ex-SNL performer, and when it inevitably fails, they'll just have the built in excuse to fall back on: "Brit humour doesn't work over here....." It's win win for those jerks, they already have their buts covered.moreless
This makes me sad :(
"Spaced" was nothing short of brilliant. I have serious doubts that it could be duplicated. Who could replace Tyres? Marsha? Even if we never saw her, I don't know if they could even replace Amber! And with language restrictions, too? I honestly don't see how this could work. Granted, I'm biased because I loved the original (I bought a region-free DVD player just so I could have it), and I have loyalty to it, so I can't support the remake without involvement from Pegg or Wright.
OK, so this is clearly a bad idea on artistic grounds, but if that was the only issue I'd be happy to say "if the yanks want to eat dog poo it's nothing to do with me."I think what bothers me a limey is the cultural imperialism. The US (OK, and most other western countries too) has a habit of dumping surplus commodities at or below cost on third world markets, putting local producers out of business. They apply the same philosophy to their TV and movies - it's cheaper for most foreign networks to buy dubbed episodes of Friends than it is to produce their own shows, resulting in local culture being Americanised.In Britain we do have a strong TV and film industry in spite of (maybe even inspired by) all the US stuff, so when US networks decide remake perfectly good UK shows, I can't help but feel like something is being *stolen* from our cultural heritage. I realise this is irrational, since we aren't actually losing anything, I think it's that instead of saying "Hey, this show is awesome, we'd like to watch it too" (as we do with, say, Heroes) they say "this show isn't that great, but *we* could do it much better". And of course the "better" American version then gets re-exported back to the country of origin, which just seems like pouring salt in the wound.moreless
Why not just remake fawlty towers with Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson?
I think it's a pretty bad idea, spaced was such a great show, they shouldn't have cancelled it, I whish that they had released the DVD's in the U.S. But I'm going to watch at least the first few episodes, I am willing to give it that, but I'm not expecting much from it :(
Coupling and Spaced didn't really have a concept - they worked because of the writing and cast. Remove both and who knows what you've got.
I don't want to be an internet cliche, but it's doomed to fail.
Why do people feel the need to remake things? Why can't they just come up with their own original ideas and leave the original things the way they were. I watched <i>Spaced</i> and <i>Life On Mars</i> on BBC America. There is no way I'm watching the American versions.
Definitely a stupid thing to do. This will go the way of Coupling a few years ago.Spaced is too awesome a show to ruin and make it americanized.
I think the interesting thing about British comedies (and the main reason why they differ from US ones) is that they take risks with everything from casting to storylines. US TV likes to have all perfect gorgeous looking (bland)people and bland moralistic storylines. They are pretty much all formulaic. Spaced is an Original. It'll be two gorgeous model types getting into japes with their slightly whacky model-type friends. McSpaced will be bland. Also remakes fair badly when they have the full support of the creators - this seems to be doomed.
I truly hope that they get the original creators involved. Otherwise, I hope it fails. Nevertheless, I'm still hoping high for David E. Kelley's version of "Life on Mars." That was a great show but I was still hoping for more....peace on earth...
Oh my god. This is the worst news I've heard in a loooong time. Damn America and their remakes (Red Dwarf anyone?)
Only saw a handful of episodes of Spaced but they were incredibly funny and yet amazingly surreal at times as well. I doubt McSpaced can imitate the appeal and the chemistry of the British cast. Count me out of this one.
Poor Edgar Wright.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I haven't seen an Americanized version of the British shows work (Cracker was an especially awful remake) with the exception of The Office. I fear this'll taint SPACED for peopel that don't know better, and I'm also nervous about the Life on Mars remake.
i never saw the british version, so who cares as long as the american show is funny.
Please God no!
This looks way dumb.
Aaahh. Refreshing honesty. The Brits have always ruled in comedy department; most (95%) of American comedies feel incredibly bland in comparison. The office US was fine for the first two seasons, although two noches lower than its Brit counterpart, but completely fizzled since then. I'm sorry, but unless US TV is ready to REALLY be edgy, it's not going to work.
why mess with a good thing and cant creaters think of thier own ideas all these new show just remakes
I hope <i>McSpaced</i> crashes and burns. McG is still music video director in my book. <i>Charlie's Angels</i> was nothing but a 99 minute music video.I kind of like Adam Barr, but what is he thinking?
It won't last, so why bother?
McSpaced indeed. This is completely ridiculous. This show can't work if reworked and with a new cast. It defies the whole point.
I've never heard of it, but I think some shows are not to be reckoned with, and it will ruin the original if this makes it on the air.
Scary thought.
This is a travesty. You simply can not repurpose shows like this for foreign audiences without the original creators.
WTF???
Can't wait to see what a mess McSpaced will be without Pegg and Wright
Eff McG.
Some shows should never ever be tinkered with. This is one of those shows.