Peep Show US Remake with wimmin'

[Tony Yeboah]

Broad City?

I agree, there's definite similarities.

[St_Eddie]

I wrote a review of it last year for my site, which ended with:

...I laughed were at how bad it is, for instance at one point Mark is convinced that Sophie will like a bad boy and draws a swastika within a love heart that he gives her while thinking "This is going to make Sophie so hot", it's so badly misjudged it's almost unbelievable, as is her believing that Mark's making a satirical point about office politics with that drawing and she happily gives him her phone number.

But that's more or less lifted straight from the UK version.  I don't doubt that it was horribly executed in the US version but the core of the joke (image of a swastika within a love heart and all) is verbatim taken from the UK version.

[Small Man Big Horse]

But that's more or less lifted straight from the UK version.  I don't doubt that it was horribly executed in the US version but the core of the joke (image of a swastika within a love heart and all) is verbatim taken from the UK version.

True, but like you say, it's all in the execution, Johnny Galecki's version of Mark is horribly misjudged and it makes the scene really painful to watch rather than funny. I probably should have mentioned that in the piece, but I'm a lazy, lazy man.

[thecuriousorange]

Days Like These was the UK remake of That 70's Show. It was re-written for Brits by a pre-Peep Show Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, too.

[thecuriousorange]

It's strange that it seems to be a YouTube curiosity for Americans to balk at (judging by the comments) like people from here would with the US Spaced pilot etc.

[St_Eddie]

Days Like These was the UK remake of That 70's Show. It was re-written for Brits by a pre-Peep Show Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, too.

That's a great piece of trivia, which rather brings things full circle.  I feel that it's worth pointing out that Armstrong and Bain can't have done much writing for it though, as it's not listed on either of their (extensive) filmographies, nor are they listed among the many writers on the Days Like These Wikipedia page.

[thecuriousorange]

Episodes are on YouTube and the "Adapted by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong" credit is prominent at the start, though I fully understand why they'd want to distance themselves from it a now.

[St_Eddie]

Episodes are on YouTube and the "Adapted by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong" credit is prominent at the start, though I fully understand why they'd want to distance themselves from it a now.

Huh.  Fair do's.  I guess they must have personally purged their credits from the Wikipedia/IMDB entries.

[imitationleather]

Huh.  Fair do's.  I guess they must have personally purged their credits from the Wikipedia/IMDB entries.

Probably used the same service paedophiles employ to get themselves removed from Google.

I am surprised they were allowed to be involved in another TV programme following Days Like These.

[Icehaven]

True, but like you say, it's all in the execution, Johnny Galecki's version of Mark is horribly misjudged and it makes the scene really painful to watch rather than funny. I probably should have mentioned that in the piece, but I'm a lazy, lazy man.

I only learned of the existence of a US Peep Show pilot existing yesterday so obviously haven't seen it, however the very thought of Leonard from Big Bang Theory being Mark is just so utterly ridiculous I almost want to hate watch it now. You'll be telling me Neil Patrick Harris was Jeremy next.

[jsgibble]

There have been three US pilots remaking Peep Show, this upcoming one will be the fourth.

It's a wonder so many remakes are attempted considering the only one with any success was The Office.

[Petey Pate]

Sean's Show's more of an "inspired by" sort of deal, really, isn't it? It's not a direct remake of anything.

I suppose Lead Balloon would also fit under this category. As would IT Crowd and Father Ted being more than a bit 'inspired by' Seinfeld.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

It's a wonder so many remakes are attempted considering the only one with any success was The Office.

The Office is far from the first successful American remake.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

" All In The Family " was a jolly successful remake of " ' Til Death Us Do Part ", for instance. Rob Reiner had the Anthony Booth role.

[thecuriousorange]

The US Office only became good when it spun away from the source material and stopped being a remake. The first series, which traces the original, is crap.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

The US Office only became good when it spun away from the source material and stopped being a remake. The first series, which traces the original, is crap.

The very first episode basically *is* a remake of the first British episode, stapler in jelly and all, and all the minor characters being very subdued and dull, instead of the bunch of bizarre mad 'eads they became later on. Throughout the first series , Dwight and Jim really, genuinely hate each other, too. It does get better from the second series onwards, before the crap last two series, by which time there was an ensemble cast of about fucking sixty different characters.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I only learned of the existence of a US Peep Show pilot existing yesterday so obviously haven't seen it, however the very thought of Leonard from Big Bang Theory being Mark is just so utterly ridiculous I almost want to hate watch it now. You'll be telling me Neil Patrick Harris was Jeremy next.

You should, it's shockingly bad and should be seen so you can spend twenty minutes laughing / cringing in disbelief. And Neil Patrick Harris probably would have better than the actor they did cast as Jeremy, who's even worse than Galecki.

[thecuriousorange]

Script leak:

"You do the maths!"

"It's math."

[thenoise]

Buzby can probably set us right, but I expect part of the reason the yanks remake so many of our shows (other than them being xenophobic thickos) is that their telly networks require 22+ episodes a season and ours are usually done in 6. The entire run of Peep show isn't enough for syndication and that.

As for Peep Show US, I'm fine with it. It's not like we haven't remade a load of Scandi noir type shows in recent years. I wonder how well some things might translate - not just culturally, but gender wise, too. Mark being menaced by a bunch of youths doesn't seem like it would be as funny from a woman's perspective.

If lady Mark were menaced by a group of 12 year old girls that she were bizarrely intimidated by, it could work for the same reason it worked with man Mark. I know a lot more male Marks than female Marks, but it wouldn't be ridiculous.

Unfortunately the remake will probably decide that, as they are women, they'll spend the whole time eating ice cream out of the tub and crying and being sassy at men and discussing cottage cheese and giggling at wine and worrying about their ticking biological clocks.

[Mister Six]

Yes. The original Peep Show wasn't great because it was about men, it was great because it was well written and performed, and had a nice central concept.

An all female remake is no more or less likely to work than an all male remake, it all depends on the level of talent involved.

Yeah, this is my take. Peep Show was great because it came from Bain, Armstrong, Mitchell and Webb. Any version without their involvement - whether it's two blokes, two women or some other combination - is as pointless/potentially great as the next.

[Mister Six]

I don't know about any of that but I will ask why it is that Americans feel the need to produce their own versions of UK sitcoms?  Why can't they just watch the original UK version?  It's not like us Brits insist upon having our own version of Seinfeld or The Larry Sanders Show.  It just rubs me up the wrong way.

Because American schedules are structured around 15-22-episode seasons, and most UK comedies put out six episodes a year if they're lucky. The US would have to wait two years for an eight-episode show to fit comfortably into one of its slots, or three for a six-episode show.

Plus, there's a general fear of the mainstream audiences etc not being able to "connect" with a British show, not get references etc. But mostly the short seasons.

[Ferris]

[tag]}This is bollocks, Mark![/tag]

[Captain Z]

...and also the name. I mean, Woman Feelings?

That's our USP, cos we're all women, and we have feelings. We're a group of women with feelings who play in a band. We're like the Spice Girls, or the... can't think of another band full of chicks right now, but there are loads.

[Twed]

They simply won't gauge it correctly. It will have nothing to do with the fact that it's women instead. There's a 1/10 chance of the stars aligning and some people with taste being involved and it taking on its own voice and working, but the odds are stacked against it.

[thenoise]

Woman Feelings?

First episode: Jeremina and Marketta fall out over whether cottage cheese with pineapple contains more syns than the kind with chives. Meanwhile, handsome Sophuel makes a fool of himself trying to ask Marketta out - totes awks! Don't worry it all ends up in lots of hugging and crying as usual! What are we like, eh girls??!!

[alan nagsworth]

edit: fuck i literally just typed what the above post said without reading it, wtf

[St_Eddie]

They simply won't gauge it correctly. It will have nothing to do with the fact that it's women instead. There's a 1/10 chance of the stars aligning and some people with taste being involved and it taking on its own voice and working, but the odds are stacked against it.

This.

[dallasman]

Looking forward to a petrified Markina being dry-humped by the new IT guy, Donny. Donny corners Markina, who's too nervous to speak, and Donny just gets on with it, grinningly rubbing himself on Markina's crotch until she comes. Markina is mortified by her orgasm, full of shame and self-loathing. But she's also intrigued, and in fact, crushing hard on Donny now. Hilarity ensues as Sophus ramps up the mind games and deepens his torrid affair with Geoss, the office vulgarian/slut.

I think it sounds daft and lazy, and it couldn't possibly replicate any part of what makes the original special, apart from the POV gimmick. It could still turn out to be very good on its own terms, though; sort of like the US "The Office". I'll give it a chance and try to keep an open mind.

[phantom_power]

It is likely to be shit because most things are shit, not because it is a remake or has switched genders.

[St_Eddie]

It is likely to be shit because most things are shit, not because it is a remake or has switched genders.

This is true but the fact that it's also a remake makes it even less likely to be worthwhile; so few remakes are.  The gender switch is neither here nor there.