McSpaced: I'm Not Loving It

British television remakes are often a hit and miss game.
You hit and get The Office. You miss and get Coupling.

There are many reasons why the Americanized Office succeeded, from the brilliance of Steve Carell to the fleshed out and super funny supporting cast. But believe me, had the remake not received blessings from creators Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant, it might not have made it past the development stage.

Coupling, on the other hand, failed harder than Britney Spears at last year's VMAs. An American remake of a British remake of Friends? That's one too many remakes for me. Thankfully, Coupling was canceled before you could say "Chip chip, cheerio!"

But my grievance isn't with the remakes of the past. Right now, my favorite show from across the pond is undergoing its own Extreme Makeover of sorts.

And all I can say is that in the case of Spaced, imitation is the most insincere form of flattery.

For those of you who don't know, Spaced follows the often surreal and pop culture packed lives of Tim and Daisy, two Londoners who pretend to be a couple so they can rent an apartment, which they believe is reserved for professional couples only.

You're probably thinking, "Wow, that sounds like a great idea for a sitcom! What's the big deal?"

And it's questions like this that make Spaced fans like me really annoyed.

Spaced is about so much more than just two people renting an apartment. It's the baby of creators, Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson. Along with director Edgar Wright, they put their blood, sweat and tears into a show which stands as a specific and singular moment in their lives.

So when the remake was announced last year, I searched for one bit of information: what did Simon, Jessica and Edgar think?

And what I found was that not only weren't the trio involved in the project but they weren't even asked for their blessings beforehand. What? Are you kidding? Remake such a personal show without the people who created it? Who would do that?

Oh, that's right. McG. The man responsible for Charlie's Angels, a remake more obsessed with T&A than its cheesy 70s original.

Needless to say, I was worried. Would an American version of Spaced (titled McSpaced by fans) put the kibosh on what made the show great, the geektastic pop culture references? Would our Tim stay up all night playing Resident Evil 2, doped up on speed? Or break out into a Platoon-esque finger gun battle against a group of hoodlums? Or pay homage to other such staples as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Scooby Doo?

Doubtful.
And if they aren't going to keep the geeky sensibilities, then why remake it at all? Why not just take the basic concept and run with it? Two people living in an apartment. Period. Why call it Spaced if you're just going to squeeze out everything that made it what it was, including the creators?

And what really pisses me off is that McG and company claim to be such big fans of the show. Well, as a big fan myself, I call their claims bullshit. Because if they really were big fans (and thus fans of Simon, Jessica and Edgar), they wouldn't have been so shady about developing the remake. They would have picked up the phone and called them. Maybe they thought phone lines didn't cross the big ole Atlantic Ocean. Only a thought that stupid could keep them from doing something so simple.

Oh, and don't get me started on the media. They are just as bad. In everything I read about the remake, it was all about Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. Not only did the articles imply that they were actually involved, but they totally ignored Jessica Stevenson. Yes, Simon and Edgar are more familiar to American audiences but it's unfair to leave out a third of the creative force behind the show. It just proves that neither the media nor those behind the remake really have the respect for the original that they claim.

I could easily go on (OMG did you see who they cast as Tim and Daisy? Blasphemy!) but I'll put the issue of McSpaced to bed for now.

And then, while it's sleeping, I'll sneak up real quiet and hack it to death with an ax.