US sitcom Cheers in line for UK remake - 30 years after hit comedy's end
Men Behaving Badly's Simon Nye is working on the remake.
While US remakes of UK shows such as The Office, Ghosts, House of Cards and Shameless are frequent, it's rare that the formula works the other way around.
However, Deadline has reported that British production company Big Talk Studios, which has been behind shows such as The Outlaws and Ludwig, is developing and pitching a UK-based version of classic sitcom Cheers.
Cheers, which starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Woody Harrelson and Kelsey Grammer among others, ran for 11 seasons between 1982 and 1993, and spawned two spin-offs. One of these, Frasier, was recently revived after an enormously successful initial run, and is now streaming new episodes on Paramount Plus.
The British version of Cheers is being developed by Simon Nye (Men Behaving Badly, The Durrells), and is currently being pitched.
Kenton Allen, CEO of Big Talk, told Deadline it was a "huge honour" to be entrusted with the comedy, and said it would be a "huge challenge" to get it right, adding jokingly that he "might be insane".
He continued: "The British pub is an endangered species, so there’s an answer for the ‘Why now?’ about it. The attitudes of Cheers in the ‘80s are very different to the attitudes of today, so there’s a massive amount of work to be done around taking inspiration from the original characters but creating something fresh."
Read more:
- Alma's Not Normal season 2 air date confirmed in trailer as Sophie Willan returns
- Ludwig star David Mitchell: 'I won't claim to be a transformative actor'
In other news to come out of Allen's interview with Deadline, it was also revealed that two of the creators of Ghosts, Ben Willbond and Laurence Rickard, are working together on an animated series set in a British hospital, which is said to be inspired by Family Guy.
That series is called In Case of Emergency and is being developed in collaboration with Blue Zoo Animation Studio, the animation company behind The Adventures of Paddington.
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The original series of Cheers is available to stream now on Paramount Plus – you can sign up for Paramount Plus now.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
