Tuesday 30 October 2007

SPACED: US

Tuesday 30 October 2007
A remake of Channel 4 sitcom Spaced is being planned by America's FOX network and director McG (Charlie's Angels).

The original starred Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson as two friends who faked a relationship to get a flat together. It famously utilized fast-paced homages, parodies and visuals gags in its comedy -- particularly relating to the lifestyle of twentysomething slackers and geek obsessions like Star Wars.

Pegg, co-star Nick Frost, and the show' director Edgar Wright went on to have worldwide success with comedy films Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Spaced ran for just 2 seasons of 14 episodes in the late-90s, and has become a cult classic in the UK and abroad. It was nominated for a BAFTA and International Emmy during its lifetime. It's unknown if writers Pegg and Stevenson, or director Wright, will have any role in the US remake.

Of course, there's no guarantee Spaced US will even make it to air, as the proposed US remake of The IT Crowd recently fell apart. But if it did follow The Office into becoming a major US television series, would an American sensibility maintain the quirky, offbeat charm of the original slacker comedy?