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NBC orders 6 Kath & Kim eps

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NBC is so confident the US version of Kath and Kim will be a hit it will skip the pilot and shoot six episodes.

The series is expected to begin shooting six weeks after the screenwriters’ strike is resolved. It is a strategic move as the network comes under increasing criticism for adding more reality to its schedule. The strike has also led to US networks re-thinking the TV landscape and the track record of ordering so many pilots, many of which fail.

“This hilarious new series exemplifies how we are changing the pilot process by ordering shows that we believe in and green-lighting them straight to series,” NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman said.

“We are confident that this proven international hit will effortlessly translate to American audiences and we couldn’t be more excited that Molly (Shannon) and Selma (Blair) will be playing the leads.”

Silverman has had huge success turning foreign TV shows into US hits.

He bought the rights to the Colombian version of Ugly Betty and the British series The Office and made successful US versions out of both.

The US Kath and Kim, just like the Australian series, will follow the dysfunctional relationship between mother Kath and her daughter Kim.

Gina Riley and Jane Turner, will be executive producers of the US series.

Source: AAP / Yahoo

8 Responses

  2. Of course we’re going to measure it against ours – it’s called ‘Kath and Kim’ and it’s based on our ‘Kath and Kim’. If they’re going to do something different, then why don’t they do a different show.

  4. Americans rarely get anything outside there own borders, same with the UK, but at least the UK give it a try.
    Its just the US way, they always try to do better, and good luck to em 😛
    And how would the Americans get the local references in our TV series?
    A lot of the jokes are based around the tiny things we use and experience everyday, if we set a comedy in a certain areas of our cities they wouldnt get it. The Yanks only really know Sydney and Melbourne if there lucky while we know a lot about there culture as we watch a ton of there stuff, we know Iowa is boring, Las Vegas is for gambling, New York is a big ass city where everyones taking cabs to places :P, Washington is politics, Texas is full of crazy cowboys and cars with horns on the front, Florida is hot and you go to play canasta and die :P, LA is full of celebrities and smog, Seattle is always wet and the home of grunge, Beverly Hills is for the rich and plastic, Chicago has a lot of hills and trams and love car chases and yeah I could go on but I cant think of any other movies right now:P exagerated I know but I only been to America once and didnt visit hardly any of those places. A lot of Aussies are more aware of states in the US than most other countries in the world simply due to the fact we digest a lot more of there stuff than we do our own. That being said about 90% of Kath and Kim would go right over there heads, and obviously already a few choices the yanks have made about there Kath and Kim is going over ours. Its good it wont be a direct rip-off and it sounds like there taking the core elements from the show and making it there own (not just making sure that Kath is fat and Kim has curly hair). The character dynamics and the way they interact with there enviroment, local language and there skewed view of what they think is “hot” is the basic premise of K&K.
    I cant wait to see it and see how they handle the themes. It will be interesting!

  5. What’s to get about the original Kath and Kim? 😐 It’s a typical sitcom set in Australia. Are Americans so stupid that they can’t understand the original version? Somehow I doubt that, but the network execs seem to be.

    If the series was in a language other than English, then fair enough, I suppose a remake would be understandable, but to remake a TV show which airs in an English-speaking country in another English-speaking country? THAT is just plain stupid.

    If we can “get” American culture, why don’t they bother putting in the effort into knowing ours? Surely airing the original version would be far cheaper than creating an entirely new series.

  7. I’m expecting Australians to hate it nd I think thats because Aussie’s have an expectation already in their minds of what the show is and should be like. It wont be the same and I hope Aussies dont jump on the “its crap ours is better” bandwagon and just keep their minds open. If we showed our Kath and Kim in the States (not sure if we have yet or not) they wouldnt get it and vice versa. A show aimed at highlighting certain aspects of our culture only really works in that err, well culture :)_
    I’m looking forward to seeing the difference’s in our lower middle class and there lower middle class.
    Of course it will be different and thats a good thing.

  8. That is a must see, even if it’s like watching a train wreck. I can’t imagine networks here picking it up but luckily there are other ways of seeing it……..

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