The United States has a history of taking TV shows from Great Britain and remaking them in our own image. We’ve turned British shows both great and mediocre into American shows both mediocre and great. Some have long and successful runs (“The Office” and “All In The Family”), and some die terrible and fast deaths (“Coupling” and “Viva Laughlin!”) The misses actually outnumber the hits, but that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from going back to the well time and again.
Which brings us to ABC’s upcoming remake of ITV2’s relatively popular new show, “No Heroics.” The show takes place in a world where superheroes exist, but it focuses almost exclusively on their off-the-clock time spent hanging out at a bar called The Fortress. It’s basically “Cheers” populated with people who can fly, pause time, and communicate with electronic devices. I reviewed series one back in December, and while it took no great prognostication to see that a US remake was inevitable, I also said it wouldn’t stand a chance on American TV. Make no mistake… the show is very funny. But almost all of it’s humor comes from sex jokes, sex references, and sex in bathroom stalls. Despite these obvious challenges, ABC is going forward with an Americanized version. And now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that ABC also has a cast.
Freddie Prinze Jr. will play Ultimatum, the most popular superhero around, a complete and utter prick, and a constant foil for nice guy hero Chillout (Paul Campbell). Fans of the original show may notice ABC’s subtle switch from The Hotness to Chillout… a move that truly flexes America’s creative muscles. The very funny Eliza Coupe (“Scrubs”) and the very sexy Arielle Kebbel (pictured above) round out the cast. I’ll give the new show a chance, mostly for Coupe and Kebbel, but I don’t expect it to last very long. Unless ABC decides American audiences can handle hilarious references to “cape rape” after all…
What do you think? Will an American version still be funny?
