Peep Show fans furious over plans to remake hit comedy in US with gender-swapped lead roles as female actors replace Jez and Mark
A GENDER-SWAPPED version of the beloved British sitcom Peep Show is being made for US telly with female actors replacing Jez and Mark in the lead roles.
Fans of the Channel 4 hit have blasted the announcement on social media, begging writers to leave the "quintessentially British" comedy series alone.
The backlash comes after other successful UK shows including The Inbetweeners, Life on Mars and The IT Crowd were "butchered" by American remakes.
Peep Show co-creator Sam Bain confirmed plans to make the Bafta-winning comedy more diverse with a US do-over.
He said in an article a "script [is] in development for a US Peep Show with two female leads".
The original version of the show, which stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb, is Channel 4's longest-running comedy in terms of years on air.
It follows the lives of dysfunctional duo Mark Corrigan and Jeremy "Jez" Usborne who share a flat in Croydon, South London.
With nine series chocked full of quotable quips, it ran from 2003 until 2015.
BRITISH BACKLASH
But many fans are furious about the plans to adapt the cult show for US audiences.
Some took to Twitter quoting famous Peep Show phrases to vent their disapproval of the remake.
Posting a picture of the classic "Four naan Jeremy... That's insane" moment from season two, episode two, user Alfie Drake wrote: "Please don't remake Peep Show America... I'm not ready for '4 Big Whoppers, Chad, 4? That's crazy."
Another took a more balanced view of the proposed changes.
Bethany tweeted: "Gender-swapped Peep Show? Sure. US-based? No. Don't.
"Peep Show humour is quintessentially British."
An American gender swapped Peep Show, that's gonna be well funny said no one ever get so far to f***
Fuming Female Peep Show Fan
Other fans took issue with idea of gender-swapping the lead roles.
One said: "Remaking Peep Show with female leads is such a crap idea.
"The show was lightning in a bottle. Why don't the powers that be just create a brand new edgy female led comedy?"
And female fan Cara vented: "Hahahahahahaha an American gender swapped Peep Show that's gonna be well funny said no one ever get so far to f***".
Among the criticism, however, was support for the changes, with another user weighing in: "Normally I'd be totally against a US remake but the fact that they're using two female actors in place of Mitchell and Webb could be enough to make it more original."
DIVERSITY DO-OVER
Writing for the , Bain wrote: "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.
"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 US Peep Show with two female leads."
Bain said he is working with Arrested Development producer Karey Dornetto on the new FX programme.
He added: "Ultimately, the best way of building gender inclusivity into scripts is to get women to write them."
SHOWS 'BUTCHERED' ACROSS THE POND
Several versions of Peep Show have already been developed over the years but none made it past the pilot stage.
And this is not the first time writers have tried to transfer British shows onto American TV screens.
In 2012, fans of British comedy TV slammed the 'painfully unfunny' US remake of E4's beloved The Inbetweeners.
American websites showing snippets were swamped with negative comments, including: “America needs to stop making copies of class British shows! First Skins and now this!? STOP IT!”
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Another read: “THIS LOOKS HORRIBLE! The British version was terrific but it was British humour with British actors and it should have stayed that way.”
One notable success story for US remakes, however, was The Office.
The comedy series - originally the brainchild of Ricky Gervais - was a hit when it crossed the Atlantic and starred Steve Carrel in 2005.
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