Spaced Being Remade For US TV

[Happenstance]

The series that launched a thousand quotes, almost as many careers and two extremely funny films is set to be remade for a US audience. Yes, Spaced, that sublimely geeky and bloody hilarious show from the talented Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (formerly Stevenson), is headed for a US TV reinvention. Now brace yourselves for the bad news. Ready?

 

Sure?

 

It's being produced by McG. And written by Adam Barr (well, at least it's not Roseanne) who is a former writer on Will & Grace.

 

Now we're trying to rationalise our deep-seated dread at this suggestion. After all, Will & Grace had some clever writing involved. And the US version of The Office isn't half bad, despite the fact that the naysayers were ranged against it from day one. And McG as a producer is gonna be more restrained than McG as director... right?

 

But there's no getting past it - this just screams of blasphemy, horror and wrongditude. The Office may have been unglossy, but Spaced is positively grimy and all the better for it - and our Yankee neighbours have a way of making TV too pretty. We're trying hard to withhold judgement (A plague on both your houses! Ahem, we mean, good luck with that) but it's proving harder in this case than normally. Especially since Wright et al are not involved in the show, at least at present, and it's hard to imagine anyone else hitting that note of geeky goodness.

 

Taken From Empire Online

[Chuck]

Dont sell out to the yanks, make a 3rd series

[Roostophe]

Bloody hell, laughter tracks and corny jokes about sex galore.

[The Bard]

Spaced without Simon Pegg? I think not.

[Hellfire]

WRRYYYYYYY?

[Platty]

Dont sell out to the yanks, make a 3rd series

 

Spaced without Simon Pegg? I think not.

 

Agree with you both.

[rokhed00]

Oh dear.

[Daft]

I think I just died a little inside.

[Guest Jordan]

Wow... this going to suck as bad as the office US did.

[Daft]

Wow... this going to suck as bad as the office US did.

 

I liked the US Office. Its different to the original but its actually quite funny.

 

It probably help that I think Ricky Gervais is an arrogant c**t.

[Aimless]

Putting aside my absolute horror for a moment, why don't they just air the originals in the US instead? Or, you know, make something original?

 

Spaced is quintessential British humour. I'm not saying that Americans won't 'get it', but the show is the very antithesis of most US comedy. Then again, Spaced is the antithesis of most British comedy: i.e. it's actually good.

 

Still, worst case scenario: it's as horrible as we can all imagine and they release a special pill to purge our memories of its very existence. Best case: it turns out to be pretty good in its own right, and at the very least encourages more people to track down the original.

[Happenstance]

They have actually aired the originals

[Guest Jordan]

Didn't Simon Pegg say in some form or another that he'd eventually do another series of Spaced?

[Happenstance]

Some people do seem to think that but if I remember right they were quoted back in comic con 2006 saying that they bowed out at the right time and werent going to do another series.

 

Apparently though Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg werent approached about this US remake at all.

[McPhee]

I bet my sister will love this, she thought Spaced was crap but sits in front of the TV watching American crap all day (Trouble TV i think?)

[MoogleViper]

The american office was crap.

 

Spaced is quintessential British humour. I'm not saying that Americans won't 'get it', but the show is the very antithesis of most US comedy. Then again, Spaced is the antithesis of most British comedy: i.e. it's actually good.

 

There are lots of good british comedies. Yeah there are a lot of crap but of course there is. Every good thing will have four crap things as well.

[The Bard]

^ Not really. Red Dwarf was pretty good sometimes, and Peep Show is pretty great too. None of them are as good as Spaced though.

[Oxigen_Waste]

I just know it'll get ruined.

 

I mean, the US Office had one thing going for it : Rainn Wilson and wasn't actually that bad, but... the original is like, 10 times better. I predict that Spaced US will be 100X inferior to Spaced UK.

 

And worst of all... they'll probably hire some foxy chick to play Daisy.

[James_banned]

Oh god no.

 

I could see this turning out like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqzuakQplEM

[Roostophe]

Oh god no.

 

I could see this turning out like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqzuakQplEM

 

Jesus wept!

 

And so did I.

[theguyfromspark]

While they're at it, they should do a US remake of Father Ted... move from Craggy Island to Hawaii, make everyone beautiful, and instead of jokes they should just say a half hour sermon about how Christianity is the one true religion.

[Monopolyman]

Ah, nothing to fret about. Chances are that it'll just be forgotten, like the many other British sitcoms remade by US TV stations. For example, does anyone remember the US of Red Dwarf? Didn't think so.

[gaggle64]

I agree with Aimless up thar. Why not just save themselves the time, money and effort and just air the originals in the mainstream, and be happy with it? Simon Pegg is a rising brand name in the states, what the hell do they have to loose? The original deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

[flameboy]

Ah, nothing to fret about. Chances are that it'll just be forgotten, like the many other British sitcoms remade by US TV stations. For example, does anyone remember the US of Red Dwarf? Didn't think so.

 

yeah the lead from US Red Dwarf famously turned down the role of Joey in Friends believing the remake of Red Dwarf would be bigger..good thing it wasn't as otherwise we would have had no more UK series.

[Daniel]

Simon Pegg will not lend any support to the US remake of his Channel 4 show Spaced.

 

Speaking to the Press Association at the BAFTA/LA British Comedy event, the actor said the Fox show wouldn't receive his or co-writer Jessica Hynes's backing.

 

"Not at all," Pegg said. "I find it slightly upsetting to be honest. It's our baby, but it is theirs now."

 

Asked if he thought the new version would be a success, Pegg added: "It's difficult to say because the show was very about being in London in the late '90s at the millennial turn and being in that country influenced by American culture."

 

Pegg recently expressed his anger at the proposed remake. The actor felt that the people behind the US pilot showed a "lack of respect" by failing to mention Hynes's contribution to the show in any of the press releases.

 

Spaced followed the lives of twentysomethings Tim and Daisy, who posed as a couple in order to rent a flat. The show, with its rapid editing and pop culture references, also launched the career of Edgar Wright.

 

No suprise here really, couldnt see Pegg aligning himself with this