Cult British TV comedy Peep Show is getting yet another shot at a US adaptation, this time with FX.
Peep Show originally aired on Channel 4 with David Mitchell and Robert Webb playing the lead roles. The series followed the lives of socially awkward loan manager Mark Corrigan (Mitchell) and unemployed musician Jeremy Usborne (Webb), who met at university before becoming flatmates.
The show ran for nine seasons between 2002 and 2015, making it the longest running comedy on C4. Striking offbeat comedic gold, the show built a strong UK fan base and won its fair share of awards.
The US Adaptation
FX plans to adapt Peep Show with a gender role reversal—this time, both leads will be played by women. The roles have not yet been cast.
The adaptation is in the hands of Portlandia and Superstore writer and co-executive producer Karey Dornetto. The Hollywood producer has previously worked on successful series such as Red Oaks and Arrested Development.
This is not the first time that American producers have tried to adapt Peep Show, as Deadline reports. Starz made the most recent remake attempt at the show in 2016. Prior to that, Spike gave it a shot in 2008. Fox was the very first to take a stab in 2005 and even had The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki lined up to star in the series.
For some reason, none of these previous attempts took off. Many Peep Show fans have taken to Twitter wondering if it was for the better. Others have expressed their concerns about yet another remake attempt. Will the show’s new creators and their gender-swapping angle manage to make a series as cringe-worthy-but-lovable as the original?
Here are some of the best awkward moments to jog your memory.
Diversity
News about the adaptation recently surfaced in an article in The Guardian about diversity. The article was penned by Sam Bain, who created the original Peep Show series with Jessie Armstrong.
“People sometimes ask if I look at my earlier work differently now – whether my shows would have been better if they had been more diverse,” Bain wrote.
“What would Peep Show have been like with women as the two leads? It’s a great question – and it’s one I’ll shortly have the answer to because there is a script in development for a U.S. Peep Show with two female leads. It’s at FX Networks and it will be written by top comedy brain Karey Dornetto.”
Bain went on to say that “ultimately, the best way of building gender inclusivity into scripts is to get women to write them.”
While US remakes of UK shows don’t hold the best track record, hopes seem to be high for this particular adaptation. Even Sam Bain appears to be looking forward to it.
“I can’t wait to find out what sick and twisted [stuff] goes on inside the minds of a pair of female losers,” Bain adds.
More from the original Peep Show creators
Fans of the original can look forward to more projects from Peep Show‘s masterminds. Bain recently completed work on Corporate Animals, an American comedy feature starring Demi Moore.
Bain and Armstrong have also kept up their working partnership. They recently co-write a comedy feature and it is now in pre-production in the US.
Stay tuned for more information about these projects and the US adaptation of Peep Show, including plot, cast, and premiere date.