It’s hard to remake classic shows for different audiences. The first time NBC tried to remake the British hit The IT Crowd for American audiences back in 2007, it failed miserably. Now, NBC is trying again. A second remake of The IT Crowd already has a pilot commitment from NBC.
This time around, the creators of Scrubs — Bill Lawrence, Neil Goldman, and Garett Donovan — are the minds behind The It Crowd remake. Goldman and Donovan were also part of the team for the acclaimed (though ratings plagued) NBC comedy Community. The screenwriter for the original UK version of The It Crowd, Graham Linehan, confirmed on Twitter that he’s also involved with the project and hopes to get it right this time around.
Yep. I’m closely involved and we’re going to get it right this time RT @PaulFORegan: Any thoughts on NBC trying an IT Crowd remake again?
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) October 16, 2014
The original series featured Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, and Katherine Parkinson as IT department workers at London’s Reynholm Industries. The show poked fun at technical support call lines and the difficulties of two socially awkward IT guys with their not-so-tech-savvy female boss. It was a huge hit in the UK and won many awards, including an International Emmy.
The last remake failed miserably in the U.S., despite following the original very closely and even recruiting Richard Ayoade to lead the U.S. version. The 2007 remake didn’t impress American viewers and Ben Silverman cancelled the show shortly after he became NBC’s chairman.
There’s no word on casting yet, but fans of the UK version think it’s a good sign that Scrubs and Community creators are behind the project. It’s unknown whether the show will make it to primetime TV and how it will go over with the American audience this time around. Here’s a short clip from the original series:
